Page 30 of Comeback
She understands my intention and signs back,Nothing. It’ll pass.
She leans forward slightly, resting one hand against the vanity. Her shoulders are tense, and every breath looks torturous.
It turns out, I’m not good at doing nothing while Sabrina struggles to breathe.
I spot the inhaler clutched in her right hand.
“Did you already take it?”I ask, signing too so she won’t try to talk back.
She nods.I’m okay. My chest feels looser already.
“Should you sit or something?”Aside from the toilet or the edge of the tub, there aren’t a lot of options, so when she nods again, I take her hand and lead her back to my room.
It’s closest and I’m not really thinking about anything except getting her comfortable as quickly as possible. I pull the comforter up to make the bed and she sits on the edge.
She has a dazed look that freaks me out.
“Do you want water?”
Sabrina doesn’t respond and I squat down in front of her.
“Hey.”I drop one hand to her bare knee. Her lashes flutter and her gaze moves to where I’m touching her and then up to my face.
Seconds pass while we’re locked in a stare, neither of us speaking or looking away. My pulse races. I have never felt more helpless.
“Do you want water?”I finally ask again, only moving the hand on her knee long enough to sign the question.
She shakes her head and exhales a long, shaky breath, then aims a wobbly smile at me. “I’m okay.”
The more she says it, the less I believe her. Though her breathing seems to be evening out and the scared look on her face is retreating. I doubt she can say the same about mine. Holy shit. I stand and run my hands through my hair as the adrenaline fades.
I take a seat beside her. My body feels like I’m the one that just went through something. That was intense.
We sit in silence until I can tell that whatever just happened has passed. Her chest rises and falls in a normal rhythm and her fingers unclench from around the inhaler.
“Sorry,” she whispers, blinking and looking around like she’s just realizing where she is. “I didn’t mean to wake you up. I’m usually better at catching an attack before it hits me like that.”
She rubs at her chest as stands.
I move in front of her, blocking her path. “Where are you going?”
“To my room.”
I take another breath, trying to loosen the panic still racing through my bloodstream. “The only place you’re going is the hospital.”
“They’ll just tell me what I already know.”
Right. I guess maybe she knows better than I do, but I’m hard-pressed to believe she should be alone right now.“Does that happen often?”
“It’s been about seven months since the last one.” She offers me a small smile. “I’m fine. Really. You don’t need to worry about me dying on your bathroom floor. Or maybe I should apologize for not dying.”
Does she really think I want her dead? Jesus. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt like more of an asshole.
How did things get so twisted?
I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. I just want to protect my best friend like he’s always done for me.
Whatever my reasoning, I know Brogan wouldn’t want me to let her slink back to her room alone when she obviously just went through something traumatic.
