Page 78 of Hot Receiver

The doctor massages Zak’s legs, then uses a little hammer thing to test his reflexes.

I crack another knuckle.

The doc’s hot. And he looks interested in Zak. Too interested.

“Your reflexes look good.” He marks something on his iPad and smiles at Zak. “You know, a lot of times situations are so traumatizing that a person’s body doesn’t respond to external sensations. It can absolutely be the case with car accidents. But when it happens, it just means the pain is more psychological than physiological.”

“So, feeling can just come back without warning? All of a sudden?” I blurt.

Shit. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

Zak glares at me but doesn’t say anything.

The doctor looks over at me and then back at Zak. “What usually happens is when the psychological circumstance is addressed, the patient begins to feel sensations again.”

My brows furrow.

We didn’t address anything about the accident.

Then, like a kick to the stomach, I realize we didn’t resolveanything.

Or at least, I didn’t.

But Zak did. He made it clear that what he wants isn’t me, that he wants me out of his life.

Did I fucking cause him to be temporarily paralyzed? I caused him to get into that accident. Am I the one responsible for all of this?

Sweat beads on the back of my neck. My gut wrenches.

I’ve hurt him so many times, I’ve lost count.

I need to get out of here. I have to let him go, just like he said before I dragged him back into my fucking fucked-up life.

Zak’s fine. Got his mom, the nurse who’s getting him pain meds, the doctor who’s still ogling him.

Jesus Christ, he’s just been in a fucking car accident but whatever.

He doesn’t need me. He doesn’t want me.

I study the tiled floor, the chip in the corner nearest my toe. I think it hurts more being ignored than being yelled at.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumble to the air. Without moving my gaze from the floor, I stagger out of the room and away from Zak.

Forever, just like he wants.

Chapter 33

Zak

He’s gone, and I can’t ignore the hole that tore into my heart when he walked out the door.

Suddenly the agony assaulting my lower body isn’t nearly as harsh as it was a few minutes ago.

“The medication will take a bit of time to ease the pain,” the nurse says as she hooks the IV bag onto the stand.

Yeah, but can any drug they have here ease the unrelenting ache in my heart?

My head pounds. I rub my eyes with the heels of my hands. Maybe this stuff will put me to sleep, so I can just forget everything that happened tonight.

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