Page 103 of Unbidden

Tinsley sighs before a warm hand grabs mine.

“I love her, Tin. I would do anything for her. Even if it means leaving.” The hand squeezes mine before I feel warmth land on the middle of my forehead. “Take care of her for me.”

As the warmth leaves both my head and hand, Tinsley calls out after him. “She wouldn’t want this. She would want you to stay. You’re wrong.”

Another warmth fills my opposite hand.

“He’s wrong, isn’t he?” Tinsley whispers to me.

I want to speak, but the same weight as before starts pulling me under until I can no longer hear her voice or feel her hand in mind.

∞∞∞

“Come on, Sage. I need you to wake up.” This time it’s Tinsley’s voice that drags me out of the dark place. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t asked V to shut off her phone, you would have known Ingram stole my phone, that it was a trap. You would be okay. I need you to be okay. Please. I can’t lose another person I care about. I just can’t. I need you. Please.”

I need you. I need you. I need you.

Her words echo in my head. This time, instead of falling back into the darkness, I fight harder, opening my eyes a little bit. I start to blink, but it’s slow going. Tinsley continues to speak to me through tears as I try to open my eyes more.

“Sage? Are you awake?” Her tearstained face fills my vision.

I try to speak, but my mouth is dry and my motions are limited. My body feels sluggish.

“Hold tight. I need to let the doctor know you’re awake.

She leaves me as I take a look around the room.

A hospital. I’m in a hospital. It registers then that I have no memory of how I ended up here.

Before I can dwell on it, Tinsley comes back in with a doctor, Aunt Alice, Elijah, and a police officer.

“Hello, Sage. I’m Dr. Ramb. Do you mind if I examine you?”

I go to speak, but nothing comes out. He gives me a gentle smile as a nurse comes from behind him, bringing me a glass of water with a straw.

“Sip slow, sweetheart.” She gives me an encouraging smile.

I take a slow sip, allowing the coolness to act as a balm to my sore throat. I take another slow sip before I pull back.

I clear my throat before trying to talk again. “Go ahead.”

My voice comes out raspy, but it feels good to be able to talk.

The doctor does a quick exam of my eyes, breathing, and vitals.

“You’re doing good. You have a fractured rib and some ligature marks around your throat. Your mind might feel hazy before the drugs wear off, but we’ll continue to give you fluids to help with that. The police officer here has some questions he needs to ask you. Are you up for it?”

I glance to the officer, then to Alice and Elijah.

Elijah speaks first, stepping forward to touch my foot. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. If you need more time, take it. No one is pressuring you here. We only want to know what happened.”

I frown. They don’t know what happened?

“I don’t mind,” I rasp as I reach out for another sip of water.

The police officer steps forward along with Alice, who takes her place by my side next to Tinsley.

“Hello, Ms. Covington. I’m Officer Henderson. I’m going to ask you a couple of questions.”

---