LITTLE GIRL LOST by SARAH BETH LEE (bill gates books to read TXT) 📖

feel better. Maddie promise me you will never let me drink like that again.”

“Oh no worries there, I will never let you in another bar again.”

Hannah rested her head on the back of the couch. “Please tell me there’s a magic cure for this.”

Maddie laughed, “Well if you cover up with heavy blankets you’ll sweat most of it out. I can brew you some strong coffee and then throw you in the shower.”

“I don’t think I can move.”

Maddie headed for the bathroom. “I’ll get you some aspirin.”

Maddie searched the medicine cabinet and grabbed the aspirin bottle. She knew Hannah was in excruciating pain and she had no way of helping. She joined Hannah in the living room.

“Here you go H take these.”

Hannah took the pills and gulped them down with her water. She wished she could go back to sleep but obviously that wasn’t going to happen tonight.

“Maddie so tell me about Nick.”

Maddie could see Hannah sprawled out on the couch holding her head. She wondered how much of her headache was from an overload of information and how much from alcohol consumption.

“He was gorgeous, charming and very elusive. He tried to act as if he didn’t care about anything beyond his work but really he hides behind his work. He misses his family and I fear he blames himself for what happened.”

Hannah opened one eye and looked at Maddie. “Are you serious why the hell would he think it was his fault?”

“I don’t know I haven’t gotten that far yet but H he reminds me so much of you.”

Hannah laughed, “Why is that? He’s a loner who doesn’t trust easily.”

“No he has let one tragic accident that happened seventeen years ago control his life and define who he is today.”

Hannah knew she was right but she wanted to deny the simple truth of her words. She looked at Maddie and she wondered how she could be so strong even when life didn’t turn out the way she had planned.

“Maddie do you think he thinks about me at all?”

Maddie wasn’t sure how she knew it but she knew that he thought of Hannah more than he probably should have.

“I do I honestly do. Hannah try to rest and stop worrying so much. I’m going to borrow your shower and something comfy to sleep in.”

“Okay help yourself and Mad thanks for telling me.”

“But I didn’t tell you, you just happened to see my file.”

Hannah laughed, “Okay so that’s the story if anyone finds out?”

Maddie was already making her way down the hall to Hannah’s bedroom. “That’s the story and we’re sticking to it.”

Hannah was too restless to try to sleep and her curiosity was eating away at her. She looked at the innocent file on the coffee table and she reached for it. She hadn’t really gotten to read much before Carter and Martin had shown up and then her drinking binge made any attempt at reading impossible. She opened the file and saw dozens of newspaper clippings, funeral notices, hospital records, snap shots and accident reports. Her eyes landed on the headline screaming the ugly truth “Prominent geneticist killed in a five car pileup on the parkway late yesterday afternoon. Hannah read the article as the horror sat in. Nick’s family had been killed in the same accident that claimed her father. She had never known the circumstances of the accident or who if anyone else had been involved. She had never considered that there were other people affected by what happened that fateful day. She raised a hand to her trembling lips as she saw a picture of the cars mangled into unrecognizable blobs of metal. Hannah tried to swallow the sobs that were making their way up her dry throat. She had dreamed of meeting Nick since she was eight years old and now after all this time she had found him. She wondered how she would ever face him now that she knew the truth. She had a deep seeded fear that he would hate the little girl who had caused the death of so many.

She desperately wanted to meet him but the fear of what he might think of her gave her pause. She didn’t think she could bear it if he hated her or treated her with the contempt she deserved. She had not only ruined her life all those years ago but dozens of others as well. She wished she could change what had happened that day and then maybe they could both get their happily ever after. She closed her eyes and there it was the vision of perfection dancing in her mind—Nick. She could still see the warmth in his easy smile and the genuine feeling of concern in his voice. Hannah debated with herself about finding him and telling him the truth about what had transpired that day but she didn’t want to see the hatred that she was sure would be in his beautiful blue eyes.

Maddie had finished with her shower and grabbed some blankets and a pillow and went to the living room to join Hannah. She saw her asleep on the couch with tears still drying on her cheek and Maddie wished so badly that she could make all the bad stuff go away. Hannah deserved to be happy but she would never stop punishing herself for something that wasn’t even her fault. Maddie pulled the blanket up around Hannah’s shoulder and turned the lamp off. She then settled in the recliner and wondered why Nick and Hannah both seemed hell bent on blaming themselves for something that had not been their fault. She had known that Hannah would feel responsible for all the lives lost that day but Maddie thought she deserved to know the truth. Maddie’s thoughts became muddled as her eyes gave in to the fatigue as sleep took over.
Chapter Nine Bright Lights, Big Headache

CHAPTER NINE
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG HEADACHE

“Rise and shine sunshine.”

Nick groaned as Zach pulled the curtains open and the bright sunlight filled the living room. He had barely made it in the door before he collapsed on the couch. He buried his head in the throw pillows trying desperately to ignore Zach. He held on to the pillow for dear life as Zach pried his fingers away and handed him a cup of coffee. Nick sniffed the offensive black brew and forced the vile liquid past his dry lips.

“Zach what time is it?”

“It’s almost 10:30 and we have to be at the lab by 1 so you need to start moving. I don’t think the guys will be impressed if you show up drunk.”

Nick eased his head down to rest on the back of the couch. He was feeling pain in every part of his body so it was impossible to pinpoint what hurt the most. He opened one eye and glared at Zach. “How is it that last night was your party and I’m the one who ended up with the hangover from hell?”

Zach shook his head at the look of intense pain on Nick’s unshaven face. “Well for one I don’t drink and two you were trying to pretend that you don’t love Hannah and to forget that she might actually have a life now; a life that doesn’t include you.”

Nick groaned loudly from his place on the couch. He pushed his hands through his already mussed up hair and squinted at Zach. “You had to go and remind of that did you?”

Zach grinned, “Just keeping it real and do you remember anything that happened after the tequila?”

Nick vaguely remembered threatening to punch somebody but he hoped that had been a bad nightmare. He wasn’t usually that guy. He was supposed to be the laid back take it as it comes guy but somehow he thought at some point last night he had crossed that line.

“Please tell me that I didn’t almost deck somebody last night.”

Zach chuckled under his breath. “Oh but you did.”

“Then please tell me that it was somebody I didn’t know.”

Zach shook his head as he hid his laughter. “Sorry but it was Carter.”

As Zach said the name blurry images floated through his head. Carter had been antagonizing him all night just trying to get under his skin. Nick thought it was as if he was trying to get him to recognize the fact that he knew Hannah but why? Why should it matter to Carter if he knew Hannah or not? A snide little voice in the back of his head whispered because he liked her too and he wanted her to be happy. Nick knew that was it because that was how Carter was. He would want Hannah to find her happily ever after even if it wasn’t with him. The thing was he wanted Hannah to have her happily ever after too and he was damn sure trying to make sure he was in it.

“Ok I remember Carter razzing me all night what happened? Did I hurt him?”

Zach laughed again, “No dude you were so drunk you hit the chair instead of Carter but he was pretty messed up too. Martin and I watched until we realized that you had every intention of shutting him up and then we stepped in and decided it was time we got you guys home. The good news is Carter was too drunk to remember it either.”

Nick relaxed and fell back into the couch cushions. “So tell me about Hannah, any idea why she was at the bar last night?”

Zach shrugged his shoulders. “All I know is she was with Maddie but if I were a betting man it had everything to do with you. I sat with her for a few minutes before everyone got there and she had a folder with your name on it.”

Nick sat straight up and looked at Zach like a deer in headlights. “What? She knows about me?”

“Again I don’t know what she knows but I would bet a million to one that Maddie told her about you. When I was sitting with her she was rubbing her hand over a set of initials; the initials you carved into