Page 39 of A Forbidden Spring
It’s familiar.
And with bile rising in my throat, I sprint from the car. “Wren!”
23
WREN
Pain radiates through my head before I even open my eyes, my eyelids sluggish as I try to blink them open. The fluorescent light overhead is dim but still feels harsh as I try to focus on the room around me.
And why does my mouth feel like sandpaper?
“Hey, don’t try to move too much yet, all right?” The voice is quiet and soothing as I roll my head to the side and find Harlan standing next to my bed. He’s holding a Styrofoam cup, a straw pinched between his fingers as he holds it in front of my lips. “You need to go slow. Small sip, okay?”
Obediently, I do as I’m told, the cold snapping me back to reality as it slides down my throat.
The accident.
Someone kept yelling my name.
Or maybe that was a dream.
Passing out in the ambulance.
So much beeping.
I wiggle my toes and suppress a sob as the sheet moves at the bottom of the bed. My left arm is in a cast, and everything hurts.
Tears streaming down my face, I look at Harlan, unable to ask any of the questions in my mind. Setting the cup down, he grabs a tissue, and while holding my uninjured hand, he wipes the tears from my face with the other.
“Everyone is here somewhere. Reid went to the cafeteria to grab coffees. You’ve been out for almost two days and we’ve been taking turns.” He smiles softly. “Well,almosteveryone has taken turns.” He nods toward the corner of the room where Merrick is passed out in a hospital chair, his big frame barely contained by it. “He hasn’t left.”
“I thought…” I whisper as I squeeze his hand, my mouth unable to form the words.
“Sometimes,” he says slowly, “guys like us need a swift kick in the ass.” Tilting his head from side to side, he adds, “You could have found a less dramatic way to help him get there though.”
“Thanks.” I grin and he returns it, leaning forward to kiss my forehead.
“Reid is gonna be pissed you woke up when he’s not here.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to go tell the nurses you’re awake, but I’ll kick his chair on the way out—give you guys a couple of minutes before all hell breaks loose.”
“Thank you for being here,” I say, swallowing hard, “and for being the only one who wouldn’t react like a crazy person. You’re my favorite family hostage.”
He snorts softly, then squeezes my hand before getting up. “It’s not always a hardship.”
Walking toward the door, he gently shakes Merrick awake, the man practically jolting from the seat as his gaze bounces between us before focusing on me.
“Wren.” Merrick’s voice is a pained rasp as he rounds the bed and drops to his knees beside me. His fingers encircle my hand as his eyelids flutter closed. “I’m so sorry.” His eyes are bloodshot when they meet mine, dark circles and a couple days of stubble present on his handsome face.
“It was an accident.”
“I shouldn’t have let you leave. I should have?—”
“I’m gonna storm out again,” I say, trying to infuse some levity into the space between us. “Are you going to be around to see it?”
“Yes,” he breathes. “I’m not going anywhere.”
