Free Casteel 04 Gates of Paradise by V. C. Andrews

old wounds or pouring salt over new ones. Too bad she didn't run off with one of her young men arid leave Luke to live with us, I thought. Then we could truly be a happy family and never have to worry about angry situations like this one.
"I can't see anything!" Mommy exclaimed, but Daddy wasn't listening.
"Can you imagine what's going on back there?" he said, and laughed. He looked at Mommy. "I'm sorry if I caused you any pain, Heaven. Honest, I was just trying to--"
"Logan, keep your eyes on the road. These turns . . ."
The road down to Winnerrow was steep and sharply curved. The rain, coming in from the east, was pounding the mountainside now. Daddy's erratic driving had me swinging from side to side in the rear. I reached up and took hold of the handle above the window.
"You know I didn't mean to do anything--" he began again, but Mommy cut him off.
"All right, Logan," she stated emphatically. "We'll talk about it when we get home." Suddenly, as we approached a sharp turn, a vehicle coming up the hill was too far on our side.
I heard Mother scream and felt the car swerve to the right. Then I felt the brakes lock.
The last thing I remember was Mommy's shrill scream and my daddy's now instantly sobered voice call out my name.
'Annie . . . Annie . . . Annie . . ."
FIVE
The Greatest Less
.
I opened my eyes, but it seemed to take an enormous effort, my lids felt as if they had been sewn shut I blinked and. blinked, each time ray eyelids opening and closing with less effort.
Where was I? The room was so white. An ugly, plastic light fixture was at the center of the ceiling. And this bedding . it smelled starchy and felt so rough. And there was a tiny ringing in my ears.
"Annie! Nurse, she's opening her eyes. Nurse . nurse!"
I turned slowly, my head feeling as if it had been turned to stone, like the bust of Jefferson Davis in the front yard of the Winnerrow School. A woman in white--a nurse--took my right wrist into her fingers to check my pulse, and I saw the i.v. tube attached to my arm.
I looked to my left. There sat a gray-haired elderly gentleman with the brightest light blue eyes I had ever seen. I turned back to the nurse. She was busying herself writing on a chart and only glanced quickly at the man, who took my left hand into his hands and leaned closer to me, close enough for me to get a whiff of his sweet after-shave.
"Who are you?" I asked. "What am I doing here?"
"Annie, I'm afraid that it has fallen to me to deliver the most terrible news you will ever hear. I hope you won't hate me for being the bearer of this great sorrow" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if it had taken the air out of him to say just those few words.
"What sorrow?" I tried to raise myself up, but below my waist my body felt numb. I was able only to lift my shoulders a few inches from the mattress.
"You were in a terrible car accident, and in a coma."
"Accident?" I blinked. Then it all came rushing back to me: the rain, my mother's scream, my father calling "Annie!" The wails of my heart quivered. "Oh, my God! Where are my parents? Where is my mother? Mommy!" I -screamed, suddenly feeling frantic. I looked at the nurse. "Where's Daddy?" A cold, wet panic claimed me.
The strange man closed his eyes and then opened them slowly, tightening his grip on my hand. "Annie, I'm very sorry."
I felt as if I were living in a slow motion nightmare. I looked at the man and saw the pain in his eyes melt into tears. He lowered his head and then raised it to look at roe. "I'm so sorry, Annie."
"No!" I wanted to deny his words before he spoke them.
"They were both killed," he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You have been in a coma for two days."
"No!" I pulled my hand from his strong fingers and turned my face into the pillow. "No, I don't believe "I felt numb all over now, frozen, dead myself. I didn't want to be here, and I wanted this man to go away. All I wanted was to be home again, to be with my parents. Oh God, I prayed, please make this