Page 5 of Tanner
“What happened?” I ask.
She looks unsure of what to say and looks to Rhodes for help.
"You were in an accident. We were working to save someone in the mine after an explosion, and you got hurt when there was a cave-in."
Flashes of what happened flicker in my mind, and I tighten my grip on her hand. She squeezes back softly, wordlessly assuring me that everything is okay.
“I’m going to go get a doctor,” Rhodes says. “Rachel, can you stay with him until I get back?”
She nods, and he bolts out of the hospital room.
Rachel.
With as much time as I've spent in her book store, you'd think I'd know her name. Well, maybe I do, but it's been lost in the shuffle of everything that’s happened.
“Rachel,” I repeat.
She looks at me, expectantly. "Tanner."
The thrill that courses through me at the sound of my name on her soft lips could have powered the whole Eastern seaboard. The heart monitor gives away what I'm feeling, but judging from the crease in her brow; I don't think she understands what it's trying to tell her.
She looks down at our hands, our fingers still intertwined. I’m not sure if she wants me to let her go, but I'm not ready. I'm not sure I'll ever be prepared to let her go. But in the end, it’s not up to me. Rhodes runs back into the room with two nurses following in behind him.
“Excuse me,” the nurse in floral scrubs says to her.
Rachel steps back to make room, and her hand pulls out of mine. The loss of comfort her touch brings me is immediate. She’s shuffled toward the door as more medical personnel begin filling in the room.
I ignore everything happening around me, keeping my focus on her. She’s a foot away from the door when she looks back and locks eyes with me. There’s an expression on her face that I can’t read. But I’m hoping that in my look, it can tell her what I can’t say right now—that whatever happens, I want to see her again.
RACHEL
“Wait, Book Store guy is the Firefighter Coma guy?” Jamie-Lynn, my other best friend, asks.
We are sitting on the sectional in my living room, having already dipped into the bottle of Moscato that Jamie-Lynn brought over for girls' night. I’m giving her a play by play of what happened a few days ago at the hospital.
“His name is Tanner,” I tell her.
“Did you tell him that you love him and want to have his babies?”
"Jokes on you," I take a sip. "I did. And the damnedest thing happened. He jumped out of his hospital bed and ran, screaming for the door."
She shakes her head. “It’s all in the delivery. You must not have said it right.”
"You're right. That's probably what happened." I laugh.
The door to my apartment that leads down to the store opens, and Hazel walks in holding a pizza box and her manicure kit. The smile on her face falters when she sees that we’ve already started drinking without her.
“Did you start without me?” she whines, her voice sounding eerily similar to one of her or Jamie-Lynn’s students.
“You’re late,” Jamie-Lynn informs her. “The text said to be here at eight.”
“I had to pick up the pizza.”
“Then let me get you a glass so you can catch up.” I stand up and take the pizza from her, and put it down on the coffee table.
Hazel gets settled on the couch, and we all eat. I try to steer the conversation back towards Tanner. I’ve been dying to ask Hazel for days how he's doing, but she's been so busy getting ready for parent-teacher conferences that she's barely had a free moment. Tonight is meant to be a celebration for her and Jamie-Lynn, surviving without incident.
“What are you two doing on Friday?” Hazel asks between bites of pizza.
