Free Broken Bear by Gabrielle Demonico Page A

the ground. Panicked, she tore through the underbrush and within seconds came up on him.
    Jett lay unconscious in his underwear. As she rushed to his side, she could see he was blood stained from head to toe but did not appear to be injured.
    What the fuck?
    She knelt down beside him.
    “Jett!” she cried as she shook him. “Jett, wake up, please!”
    For several seconds he remained unresponsive until at last he awoke. But, Daniella had startled him and as he came to, he swung his right arm and struck her in the face, just below the right eye.
    The impact was terrific, as if a club had hit her. She shrieked and hit the ground.
    “Daniella!” Jett cried out as he scrambled to his feet.
    The impact jarred her. Daniella hadn’t realized how strong he was. She was dazed but, otherwise all right. She looked up at him through eyes made glassy from the strike.
    “ Daniella, oh my God!” he said as he knelt down and caressed her cheek. “Are you okay?”
    “Yes, I’m think so,” she said. “What happened to you, Jett? What are you doing out here?”
    Jett looked at her. His eyes seemed distant.
    “I don’t know, Daniella.” He said. “I have no idea how I got here.”
    “Jesus,” Daniella said. “Are you sure? I mean, where did all of this blood come from, Jett?”
    “I told you I don’t have any idea, Daniella!” He shouted. “What else do you want me to fucking say to you?!”
    Daniella recoiled from him in a mix of fear and pain.
    This is insane. What is he doing out here? Who passes out in the middle of the woods covered in blood?
    Jett saw the anguish in Daniella’s face.
    “ Daniella, I’m sorry,” he said as he helped her to stand. “I didn’t mean to frighten you but I swear I am telling you the truth. You believe me don’t you?”
    “ Ahhh!” she exclaimed. She winced in agony and caressed her cheek. “Yes, I believe you. Are you hurt anywhere?”
    He looked down at his body and smeared the blood along his skin in search of a wound.
    “No, I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t appear to be injured at all.”
    Daniella looked around and said, “Well, we have to get you back to the house to get cleaned up and make certain. Can you walk?”
    “Yes,” he replied. “You have to lead the way. I have no clue how I got here.”
    About ten minutes later, they arrived back at Daniella’s house. Jett headed towards the bathroom to shower but as he did, he turned back in her direction.
    “ Daniella?” he said.
    “Yes?”
    “I have no idea what to say.” He replied. “I’d like to tell you that I’m sorry but I know it’s not enough.”
    “It’s okay,” she said. “As long as you aren’t hurt, that’s all that matters to me.”
    “But,” he said as he looked down at the dried blood that covered his skin. “What about this? Where did this come from and why can’t I remember?”
    She shook her head.
    “I don’t know, Jett.” She replied.
    He exhaled, walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. A few seconds later, she heard him enter the shower. Exhausted, Daniella walked out to the living room and plopped down on the sofa. As she sat, the sound of the water in the shower soothed her. Daniella leaned forward to rub her eyes when her hand brushed against the cheek that Jett struck by accident.
    “Ahh!” she exclaimed. “Fuck…”
    She got up from her couch and walked over to a large wall mirror that hung in the foyer of her home. She flipped on the overhead light and turned to examine the source of the pain. Her eyes widened as she saw that it had formed into a large, reddish purple bruise.
    “Oh my God…” she whispered as she rubbed it with a light touch.
    She bit her lip and walked to her freezer to get an ice pack. A few minutes later, she sat down on the couch once again, leaned back and placed the ice on her face. The first twenty or thirty seconds were agony. The sharp cold of the ice against her fresh bruise nearly brought tears to her eyes but,