Page 51 of Heatwaves

“Lila!” my mom exclaims, her hand going to my leg. I follow the movement, frowning when I realize it’s in a cast.

Seriously. What. The. Fuck. Happened?

Dr. Ashby giggles, and I find myself smiling despite the pain and confusion. “It’s quite alright, Mrs. Riley. I can only imagine theamount of pain she’s in. I’m not easily offended by profanity, I assure you.”

“That doesn’t mean she should use it,” Mom mutters, making a face that tells me just how disappointed she is in me.

“Now, Miss Riley—“

“Lila,” I correct her. “Please call me Lila.”

Dr. Ashby nods. “I can do that. Now, Lila, what’s the last thing you remember?”

Isn’t that the big question?

Shaking away my snarky thoughts, I close my eyes and think back, attempting to focus on my memories. Everything is blurry, and my head hurts so much it’s hard to concentrate. I don’t know how long I sit there trying to focus on my memories, but finally, an image appears.

“Oh, shit.” My eyes snap open to meet Dr. Ashby’s. “I was in a car accident. I shouldn’t have been driving. I was crying and really upset.”

“Good. Good. I’m glad you remember.” She glances around the room before focusing on me once more. “I have to ask you some sensitive questions, Lila, so if you’d like to ask your family to step out of the room, this would be a good time to do so.”

What the hell could she want to ask me that I wouldn’t want my family and Wyatt here for?

I wave off her concerns. “No, it’s fine. They can stay.”

“You’re sure?”

Frowning, I nod. I really don’t understand why she’s asking me again.

“Okay, then. Did you crash your car on purpose? Were you trying to hurt yourself?”

I jerk back, grimacing at the pain it causes. “No. I would never do that. Why would you even ask me that?”

The doctor’s smile has dimmed. “It’s standard procedure, Lila. Especially because you weren’t wearing a seat belt.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself. Yes, I was upset, and I was crying. But I did not want to be in an accident.” I shake my head, glancing between my parents, Miguel, and Wyatt. “I should’ve pulled over, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I don’t know how I ended up in the other lane, but the truck driver hit his horn, and I was able to jerk out of his way. But the roads were wet. I hydroplaned. I wrestled with the wheel the best I could, and I hit the brakes. There just wasn’t any way for me to avoid the tree.”

Dr. Ashby nods. “Okay, Lila. Thank you. I hope you understand the reasons behind us needing to ask.”

I shrug, immediately regretting it as another sharp pain rips through me. “Can you fill me in on what happened after that?”

“The paramedics arrived within a few minutes. It’s my understanding that a group of young men were in a car behind you and saw the crash. They immediately called emergency services, and you were rushed to the hospital. There was a lot of damage. Your leg is broken in four different places from the impact. Your nose was broken by the airbag, but that’s healed already. You had some severe bruising on your chest from the airbag, too. You arrived with multiple contusions and lacerations on your face and chest. All of those are healed now. Thank goodness for shifter healing.

“Your left lung collapsed, and there was a lot of internal bleeding. Your spleen had to be removed and some other internal damage repaired. There was swelling of the brain, so following the surgery—which was completely successful—you were placed into a medically induced coma. The swelling began to recedetwo days ago, and it was finally down enough for us to wake you today.”

“I’m sorry. Did you just say a couple of days ago? How long have I been in the hospital?”

It’s Wyatt who answers. “A week and a half, Lil.”

Holy shit.

Dr. Ashby goes over the injuries with me in more detail before going over the plan for the next few days. Once she finishes, I thank her, and she leaves the five of us in the room. It’s silent around me as I absorb the information she just gave me.

I could’ve died.

“How could you have been so stupid, Lil?” Wyatt’s voice is harsh, and when I snap my eyes toward him, I find tears running down his cheeks.

”I…I…”

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