Page 78 of My Fiancé's Brother 2

Julie rushed at me. Rage etched across her face. “I hate you.”

I didn’t see her hand, but I felt the slap. I stepped back in shock and felt myself land awkwardly on a stool which tipped over beneath my weight. I flailed and fell back. My windmill arms tried to find something to fight the momentum of my body. My phone flew out of my hand. My cheekbone connected with something cold and hard and then I landed hard on my side, pain shooting up my arm. I took a deep gasp, and then everything faded to black.

I wokeup to Beth crouched over me. I winced and looked up at her. Pain radiated up my arm. I lay awkwardly on my side.

“Oh shit, oh shit,” she repeated, gently touching my face, my neck, my shoulder.

“I’m fine, Beth,” I said, not feeling very fine at all. “Can you help me up?”

She put her arm around my shoulder and helped me to a sitting position. “Is the baby okay?”

I put my good arm, the one that wasn’t throbbing, on my stomach. Everything felt fine. “Yeah, I think so, but something is wrong with my arm.”

I cradled my sore arm in my good hand. My wrist already looked swollen. I couldn’t move it.

“Oh that looks disgusting,” Beth stared at my arm with wide eyes.

I looked around the loft. “Where did Matt and Julie go?”

“They took off,” she rolled her eyes in disgust.

“Seriously?”

“They were like two fleeing criminals at a murder scene.”

I touched my face gingerly. I was getting a goose egg right below my right eye, but no blood. I must have hit my face against the side of the island.

“I think we should get you to the hospital,” Beth helped me to my feet and put me on a stool.

My phone buzzed.

Jackson: What time is your flight? I’ll pick you up

“It’s Jackson. He wants to pick me up from the airport.”

Me: I land at 5:30 PM

Beth and I stared at each other.

“He’s going to be a serious level of pissed when he sees your face,” Beth breathed.

“Understatement of the year. Can you take me to the hospital?” I asked as another wave of pain washed over me.

Beth droveme to the hospital in my rental car where they immediately assessed me. The baby was fine. Wrist, not so much. My wrist sported a hairline fracture which did not require surgery, but it did require a cast. I didn't have a concussion, but I was getting a black eye from where my cheekbone had connected with the granite corner of the countertop. I had a swollen goose-egg bump on my cheekbone. My face felt like it was on fire. Don’t even get me started on my wrist. The pain that radiated up my arm made me nauseous.

Once I was cleared to leave, Beth drove me to the airport and promised to return my rental car. We parked, and I looked over at her. “I feel so bad that instead of going for lunch, we sat in the hospital.”

She reached out and hugged me. “Are you okay in Virginia?”

I hadn’t shared with her anything about Harper or how things were going with Jackson. I didn’t have the emotional energy. I awkwardly patted her with my good arm. “Everything is great.”

She studied me. “Will you call me when you get there?”

“I’ll text you tonight,” I compromised.

She reached over and hugged me. “Take care.”

“You too. We’ll talk soon.”

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