Page 78 of Seduce

Nothing. The phone went directly to voicemail. Where was she? After another ten minutes, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He got into his car and started for the library. His phone rang.

“Tessa?” He hadn’t even bothered to look at the screen.

“Damon, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice soft but tearful.

“Sweetheart, where are you?” He pulled over and parked.

“The emergency room.”

Damon’s heart sank to his stomach. “Are you okay?”

“I will be. It was a stupid accident.”

“We’ll talk about it later. I’m on my way.” Damon hung up and flipped a U-turn and headed for the local hospital. He finally found a parking spot on the sixth floor of the parking structure, and he ran to the ER.

He tried to be calm as the nurse helped another patient. But his mind was on Tessa.

“How can I help you, sir?” the nurse said.

“My fiancée was brought in here. Tessa Ruthledge.” A little white lie, but he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from seeing her.

“Oh yes, sir.” She motioned to another nurse. “Would you take this gentleman to room three, please.”

“Thank you.” Damon followed the other nurse who left him outside of room three. Taking a deep breath, he walked in. Tessa lay on the bed, her face pale and her eyes closed. “Tessa,” he whispered.

Her lashes rose. “Hi, Damon.” She tried to smile, but it wobbled a bit. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes turned glassy.

“Sweetie.” He went to her side, and took her hand. “What happened?”

“A silly accident.” She wiped her tears with the hand that didn’t have an IV in it. “I was coming out of the library and somehow slipped on the last stair.”

“Those stairs are concrete.”

“Yep.” She started to nod and winced. “I’ve got a bruised tailbone for sure. The doctor is checking on the other tests to make sure I don’t have a concussion.”

“You hit your head?” His hand tightened on hers.

“Yeah. I didn’t pass out or anything. I mainly landed on my ass. Good thing I have lots of padding back there.”

“Don’t joke.” Damon frowned at her. He could have lost her to a stupid accident. His heart clenched.

“Please don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“Of course you will.” He fought back the urge to gather her up into his arms and never let go. As she said, it was an accident. But he couldn’t stop the feeling of dread in his stomach.

The curtain was pushed back, and an older gentleman in a white jacket came strolling in. “Hello. I’m Dr. Newman,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Damon Kline, Tessa’s fiancé.”

“Very good. X-rays are clean. I’m not seeing any concussion related symptoms, and her imaging studies are all clear.”

“She winced when she tried to nod,” Damon said.

“Oh.” The doctor walked over to the bed, and Damon backed away. “Does it hurt?”

“A little bit.” Tessa said. “A little bit of a headache and a little ache in the neck.”

The doctor had Tessa lean forward and he felt around her neck.

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