MY CAR SKIDDED ACROSS the road. The whole scene flashed before my eyes in slow motion; the soulful eyes of the golden retriever staring into mine before I pulled the wheel to avoid hitting him; the car skidding and spinning in a complete circle before plummeting off the side of the road and into a shallow ditch.

The front end of my car slammed into the embankment, immediately activating the airbag.

My heart pounded as I tried to comprehend what had happened. The dog—was the dog all right? I tried to look out my window, but my belt held me securely in place. Okay. I had to focus on getting myself out of there, then find the dog.

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a mental check of my extremities. Everything still had feeling. I wiggled my fingers and toes. They felt okay. I took a deep breath. My head felt funny and my chest hurt from the seatbelt restraining me during the accident. I brought my trembling hands to my face. Wincing, I gently touched my cheeks. They felt raw.

I reached up and turned the mirror. My lips parted in surprise. Red cheeks and a bloody nose. Holding my sleeve up to my nose, I tried to wipe away some of the blood. I pinched the bridge with my other hand and counted to twenty. That usually worked as a kid.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

"ARE YOU OKAY?"

I shrieked. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest as I made eye contact with a man peering in the driver's side window.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," he said, holding his hands up in a surrender position.

The golden retriever bounded up behind the man a moment later, tail wagging.

Oh, thank goodness. The dog is okay.

"Do you need help getting out?" he asked.

My hands trembled as I fumbled with the door handle. I looked up and nodded.

"I'm going to open the door slowly," said the man.

The door swung open, sending a cold blast of air swirling through the car.

"I'm Colton. I live just around the corner. I was taking Buddy for a walk but he slipped his collar. I couldn't get to him fast enough. I saw you swerve to avoid hitting him. Your car spun and went into the ditch so fast, I just—I just tried to get here as quickly as possible. You're bleeding. Are you okay?"

Buddy pushed past Colton and sniffed the inside of the car. Cocking his head to the side, he let out a little whine.

"I know, Buddy," he said. "I know. We're going to help her, don't you worry."

My head felt like a fishbowl. My thoughts swam haphazardly as I looked into Colton's chocolate-brown eyes and noticed his adorable dimples.

"My nose. The airbag." I tried to put words together but failed.

Colton's brows furrowed. "Do you need help getting your seatbelt off?"

I shook my head as I pressed the red release button.

Colton held out his hand.

Holding onto the wheel with one hand and reaching for Colton with the other, I managed to slide my body out of the car.

"Whoa, easy there," said Colton, holding out his arm for support. "Here, hold onto me. I'll help you back onto the road."

Buddy barked.

"It's okay, Buddy," Colton reassured his dog. "She's going to be okay."

The snow brushed against my legs as we trudged back up to the road.

"Here," said Colton, releasing my hand to unzip his jacket pocket. He handed me a tissue. "Pinch your nose."

I brought the tissue to my nose. "Thank you."

"I think we better get you over to Dr. Jacobson's clinic. It looks like the airbags burned your cheeks. We better make sure your nose isn't broken."

My head began to pound. "But what about my car?"

"We can call the sheriff on the way to the clinic. Then we'll call Allen Rogers. He's the only one in town who will be able to pull your car out of the ditch."

I patted the left pocket of my vest and pulled out my cell phone. "The screen..."

Colton looked down and frowned. Cracks splintered the screen of my iPhone.

"We can use my phone," he said. "But first I need to get you to the doctor. Do you want me to call an ambulance? There's one in the next town over. It will probably take about twenty to twenty-five minutes to get here. Or, if you feel up to it, we can walk to my house and from there I'll drive you. I only live about five minutes away."

Nodding, I slid my phone back into my pocket. "I can walk to your house."

I took two steps and stumbled on the third.

"Whoa, slow down there, Captain Kangaroo."

I scrunched my nose. "Captain what?"

Colton gave a chuckle. "Never mind that, but I do think you should hold onto my arm. You seem a bit unsteady."

I grabbed onto his right arm with both hands and focused on taking one step at a time.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" he asked.

A snowflake landed on my cheeks, cooling the burning sensation. "I'm Claudia."

"It's nice to meet you, Claudia. I'm sorry I met you this way and not at the store or something, but it's still nice to meet you," said Colton with a small grin.

"That's where I was heading," I admitted. "I was going to the store to get some groceries."

"I'd be happy to take you after we go see Dr. Jacobson."

"You're awfully nice. Are you sure you aren't a secret serial killer or something?" I let out a chuckle, immediately sending sharp pains through my rib cage.

Colton fell silent.

Good one. He probably thought I was nuts.

After what felt like an eternity, we turned left and walked up a long, gravel driveway.

A slight twinge of fear settled in my stomach. Is this safe? Should I really be walking somewhere with a guy I don't know? What if he's a serial killer? What if he's like the guy in my story?

"There's my truck," Colton said, nodding toward a red pickup truck. "I need to bring Buddy back in the house and grab my keys."

After walking me to the truck, he opened the door and helped me into the passenger seat. Buddy wagged his tail.

"I'll be right back," he said.

Colton turned around and raced toward his house, Buddy bounding after him.

I tried to study his build. It was hard to judge because of his black jacket.

Ugh, my head. The dull throbbing pain had not subsided.

The front door slammed, and Colton raced out with his keys in his hand.

"I already called the sheriff and explained what happened. He wants you to get over to the doctor as soon as possible. He's calling the tow truck now and will have your car brought to the nearest mechanic, which is about twenty-five minutes away."

"Thank you," I said quietly. "You really didn't need to go through all of this trouble."

"Are you kidding me? I feel terrible! If Buddy hadn't gotten free this never would have happened."

"Well, I really appreciate your help."

A small grin crossed Colton's lips.

Those dimples...

"So, can I ask what you're doing here?" he said, interrupting my thoughts.

I pulled the blood-soaked tissue away from my nose. Thankfully the blood had subsided. "I drove up here for a few weeks to work on a project. My family has a cabin. We used to come up here a lot when I was a little kid."

My eyelids felt heavy.

Colton kept his eyes on the road. Fresh snow started to fall at a steady rate.

"What about you?" I asked.

He grasped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

"Sorry," I said hesitantly. "I didn't mean to intrude."

Colton shook his head. "I live up here full time. Always thought about leaving but never got around to it."

The wind picked up as the snow blew across the road.

We arrived at a small building attached to a modest house on the outskirts of town.

"This is a doctor's office?" I asked.

Colton laughed. "Yes, this is the doctor's office. It might not look like much, but I was born in there."

My eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"The nearest hospital is an hour away. My mother didn't have time to get there so she came to Dr. Jacobson's clinic."

Colton parked in the spot closest to the door. "Wait, I'll help you get out."

I stayed put, waiting for Colton to open the door. Normally I would tell a guy to shove it and that I'd get myself out of the truck, but my head and chest really hurt.

"Take it slowly," he said, holding out his arm.

Wincing, I reached for Colton's arm and managed to get out of the truck.

Colton helped me through the clinic door and into a chair in the pint-sized waiting room. Even though my cheeks were already red from the airbags, they burned even more. I felt so stupid. Who drives off the road, wrecks their car, and ends up in the smallest clinic in the world?

"Dr. Jacobson? You here?" called Colton.

A door on the opposite wall opened, and a woman stepped out. "The sheriff called; said you were on your way." Her attention turned to me. "Can you make your way back to the examination room, or do you need a wheelchair?"

"I can make it on my own," I said.

Colton stood as I eased out of the chair. "I'll wait here for you."

I followed Dr. Jacobson through the door and into an examination room.

She extended her palm. "I'm Dr. Jacobson," she said with a warm smile.

I shook her hand gently. "I'm Claudia."

"Nice to meet you, Claudia. I hear you were in an accident," she said, grabbing a clipboard from the back of the door. "Did your airbag deploy?"

Nodding, I reached up toward my face. "Yeah, I think it might have burned my cheeks. My nose has been bleeding too. My chest hurts from the seatbelt. Oh—and my head feels a little bit weird."

Dr. Jacobson pulled out a small flashlight and looked into my pupils.

"Look up and count to twenty," she instructed.

After I had reached twenty, she told me to look straight ahead.

"You, my dear, have a concussion," she said, resting her hand on my shoulder. She asked me several more questions about my head; did I feel nauseous, was I seeing spots? Luckily the answer to all of them was no.

"Normally I'd have you to change into a gown, but if you're okay with it, I can examine you in the clothes you're wearing. I'll just need you to take off your jacket."

"Good thing for yoga pants and hoodies," I said with a slight laugh. Laughing made my head hurt even more.

I slid my coat off and handed it to the doctor. She had kind eyes with wrinkles from years of smiling. "I'll need you to lay back on the table for just a few moments. The seatbelt may have bruised a rib or two."

As she poked and prodded, I winced.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much does that hurt?" she asked.

"Maybe like a six or a seven?" I responded.

She took the stethoscope off her neck and rubbed the end. "I need you to take a deep breath in and out."

I flinched as she pressed the cold end to my upper back. She repeated the test several times.

"I don't think you've broken anything, and your breathing sounds good. You can sit up now. I need to check your burns and nose."

She shined the flashlight up my nose, pressing on the bridge and the sides. "Your nose looks good. The bleeding stopped and it doesn't look swollen. Now, your cheeks have a bit of a burn from the airbag, but it isn't serious. I'll give you a prescription cream that will help the burn clear up in about a week."

"Thank you," I said.

"You're not from here, are you?" asked Dr. Jacobson.

"No, I'm on my winter break from school. I'm trying to finish up a special project before the spring semester starts. My family has a cabin nearby. It seemed like the perfect spot."

"Do you have anyone staying with you?"

I shook my head.

"Do you think someone could come up and keep an eye on you tonight?" the doctor asked. She checked something off on the sheet attached to her clipboard.

"Is it a myth that you're supposed to keep people with concussions up all night?" I asked.

She laughed, tucking a fallen lock of silvery hair behind her ear. "Yes, while it's true that it's a myth, I don't want you to be alone for the next several hours. On the rare chance that your symptoms get worse, or that you experience any complication, it would be best to have someone around who can take you to the hospital in Sandler immediately."

I looked down at my hands. "I could call my brother, but he's in California. I really don't want to bother him."

"What about Colton?"

*******

Cliffhangers,

So.... what about Colton? Do you think she'll ask for his help? 

I realized that I just uploaded a MASSIVE chapter! Over 4k words! I decided to break it up into two parts, but no worries! I'll post them both today! :) 

Hearts and Daggers,

Kelly Anne Blount xoxo

P.S. Don't forget to vote and leave a comment!