Ready For Love?

Anne POV “What the hell?” I squinted to make sure I was actually seeing what I thought I was seeing. My imagination can run away with me sometimes. I’m the first to admit it. I can be a bookworm airhead, so there! Yep! That was not my imagination running away with me... this time. There was a young woman covered in blood hobbling out from between two buildings. It was a backstreet I was using to get back to the road I was supposed to turn down… I missed my turn off AGAIN because I’m an i***t and wasn’t listening to the woman on my phone AGAIN. I have wondered if I could change it to a sexy deep man's voice to see if that helps… but with my kids in the car most of the time, it might be a bit awkward. This time I may have been too busy bopping along to my music and not concentrating on her AGAIN… maybe. Well, it was one of my favorites from my nightclubbing days. Everyone’s allowed to reminisce before they realize how those days are LLLLOOOONNNNNGGGGG gone. Thanks to your figure, youthful skin, how many hours of sleep you need and the number of chins you have.... LONG GONE! I quickly pulled the car over and got out, grabbing my phone. I looked around us and couldn’t even see another car on the road, let alone anyone else. She staggered back when she saw me. “Hey. Hey. Hey.” I put my hands up. One holding my mobile. “It’s OK. Are you OK? I’m going to call you an ambulance, OK.” I still held my phone out and unlocked it ready to dial 911. Not 000 like my brain told me to. This holiday certainly had taken a dramatic turn. I should have realized, I can’t just have a normal holiday. And well, I am in THE Washington DC so I suppose I need a story to take back home with me. “NO! Cccc… an you take me to my dad's?” she lunged forward to stop me but nearly fell flat on her face until I quickly moved and grabbed her. “Of course, sweetie. But you need a doctor first. I’m going to take you to the hospital.” She melted into me and sobbed as I wrapped my arms around her, going into mum mode. “Hey! I got you! I got you! Let it out!” It was only then I realized we should probably get out of here… see I’m a bit slow sometimes. Every normal person probably would have called the police first, grabbed her, thrown her in the car, then had the discussion, as we were safe in a car that could take off to safety at any moment. Whoever did this to her might still be around, and I don’t think my old bones could handle a fight right now… and Americans have guns. It’s not like in Australia where they just have knives and other weapons... no, guns are a LOT more scary. And I would really rather not deal with that. Thank you very much. “OK sweetie, let’s get you in the car and I can get you to the hospital, then your dads.” I started shuffling us back towards the car. “No!” She sobbed. “Toooo mmmmy daddddsss.” Crap! She really needs to see a doctor, but she’s been through enough. I don’t want to push it. I will see if I can convince her once she sees her dad. She probably just needs his support. So, I will take them both to the hospital or follow them there. “OK. To your dads then. In the car.” I gently coaxed and slowly helped her in before quickly getting in the car as well. And no, it didn’t even occur to me to use my phone to call her dad so he could meet us there. That was later. She gave me the address and I typed it into my phone and set it up so it would give me directions while she relaxed… and I promised to myself I would listen to the directions this time. “Sorry, my name’s Anne. What’s yours?” I gave her a gentle smile, and she tried to give me one back but winced. She definitely had a broken nose, at least, poor girl. “Fire.” She practically whispered. Fire… Being Australian, most people go by nicknames or shortened versions of their names, so instantly I assumed Fire was a nickname. She had brown hair with blonde halfway down, so it’s definitely not due to her hair… unless she used to have red hair, but she doesn’t have the skin and freckles of a red head. I’m thinking too much about it, aren’t I? “I like it! Fire! Do you have the temper to go with it normally?” I tried to take her mind off everything and looked over to see a small smirk. Oh yeah! She has a temper. Good on her! I let out a small chuckle. “My son used to have a bad temper when he was a baby and toddler. Thankfully, he has mellowed out. My daughter is now the one more known for her temper and stubbornness. Oh, the stubbornness! I am not looking forward to her teenage years. I think I will just ship her over here to her aunt’s house for those years.” Trust me, it has been a thought! My beautiful children are Adelaide, eleven, and Ethan, eight, and are known as Addie and Eth or Red. Red because when Ethan gets angry he goes red in the face. It used to happen all the time when he was little, but Red hardly makes an appearance these days. Right now, my kids are currently terrorizing my sister, Fiona or Fi. Her choice, not mine, and good luck to her! We came over for her wedding and she told me she was kidnapping them for an excuse to go to Disney World, and I wasn’t invited. I was ordered to go site seeing and enjoy some time by myself. DAMN I LOVE HER! I don’t get to have much time to myself since my husband, Cameron or Cam, their father died in a car accident five years ago. Sure, I have friends and my dad that tries to help out, but it’s just not the same…. And after Cam died I was almost too scared to let them out of my sight. Cameron’s family pretty much disappeared after his death. I didn’t blame them, since they were grieving as well. Later I did get angry because my kids still needed their grandparents. Now I realize it’s their loss, so we just don’t speak about them. They do still send birthday and Christmas presents and I give them to the kids, but that’s all the communication we’ve had since the funeral. Anyway… So here I am enjoying my week to myself traveling around Washington DC. Tomorrow I’m off to the Smithsonian Museum. Yes, I would have liked to go to Disney World, but having a week to myself to breathe, sleep and do things just for me, has been amazing. Oh, and going to see museums where I can really look and enjoy myself. No, ‘I’m bored’ or being dragged from pillar to pillar while not being able to really see anything or read all the little descriptions... is fantastic. And don’t roll your eyes at me, I do like reading the little descriptions and finding out the details of the items. Yes, I’m boring, so what! “What’s your accent?” Good she’s talking and breathing more normally. “Australian mate.” I put on my best bogan Aussie accent. Yes, I’m a dag, as well as boring. “My sister has been over here for about four years now and is getting married in two weeks. We came over for the wedding.” “Your kids?” She seemed shocked by that. “Yep. I have two...” I then went on to tell her about them and where they currently were. “… so now I’m just worried my kids will have talked her out of having her own.” I laughed at my own joke. My sister was younger than me by four years, but you wouldn’t think it by the way she still tries to boss me around. I always remind her I’m the eldest and supposed to be the bossy one. Yeah, she definitely doesn't agree with that and lets me know every time. We are extremely mature like that and have had full mock arguments about it that have ended in 'ner, ner, ner.' See mature adults.