Page 70 of The Christmas Holiday
Chapter Sixteen
We were back in the original consulting room, waiting for the doctor to return with the results of the scan. Hunter hadn’t said anything, and neither had I. I imagined his silence was because he was pissed at me, but mine was mostly down to nerves, nausea and exhaustion. Right now, I’d have happily crawled into bed and not emerged for at least a week.
‘Hey!’ the doc calledcheerily as he came back in. I hoped this was a positive sign and not just false optimism. ‘So, good news. The scan was all clear.’
Beside me, Hunter let out a breath.
There’s no obvious damage from the accident,’ Doctor Dexter continued, ‘It looks like you probably just took a good whack. The bruise is going down but I would definitely recommend you taking it easy for a few days.’
‘So no, say, bungee jumping?’ Hunter slid his eyes to me, and I tilted my head in exasperation.
‘Frankly, I’d never recommend doing that, but I’d definitely be advising Mia to avoid anything like that right now.’
I smiled. ‘Point taken.’
He smiled back. ‘I’m sorry if I scared you by insisting on a scan. Bumps on the head can be tricky. Sometimes people can look and feel fine but underneaththere’s something not great happening. I just wanted to make sure that wasn’t the case here.’
‘Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to see me at such short notice. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.’
‘Believe me! This is the sort of result I like the most. It’s definitely not a waste of my time. Making sure someone’s safe and healthy is never a waste of anyone’s time. Sandeephas already been in touch, asking how things are going. I haven’t replied yet, as obviously I wanted to wait for your permission, but if you’re happy, I can call him back and fill him in.’
I agreed, happy for him to do so. If I knew Liv, she’d take it more seriously from the doctor than she would from me now she knew I’d already hid the initial incident from her, so it was probably for thebest.
We all shook hands again and he walked us out. The sun was lower now but still bright and I pulled my sunglasses out of my tote bag and put them on as we got back into the car.
Traffic was heavy, as it always seemed to be in and around this entire city, and we rode along for a while, the only sound a local radio station playing quietly in the background. Hunter pulled to a stop againas a snake of brake lights lit up in a trail in front of us.
‘You OK?’ The deep, soft, accented voice broke into my thoughts.
‘Yes. Thanks.’ I shifted in the seat, trying to wake up my backside, which was threatening to go to sleep.
His long, tanned fingers flexed on the wheel and I knew he wasn’t finished.
‘It’s just that… earlier. Well, you didn’t look OK. And I’d like to help.If I can.’
‘Hunter. I’m OK. Earlier I just had a moment. Everyone was deciding things for me. I’m not used to that, and I don’t like it, and for a moment I got a little overwhelmed. But it was just for a moment. And I’m fine now. The doctor said so, so everyone can just relax. Like I said before, it’s all a big fuss over nothing.’
‘Jesus! You are un-fucking-believable sometimes, you knowthat?’ Hunter exploded, yanking on the handbrake with a crunch of ratchets that set my teeth on edge.
‘Excuse me?’
‘You heard me. What the hell is wrong with you?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with me!’
‘Then why the hell won’t you let your past go and finally start believing that some people are just nice. That sometimes people do things for others for the pure and simple reason thatthey like them and care about them, and they don’t expect anything in return for it?’
‘It’s nothing to do with my past, Hunter. Don’t go trying to psychoanalyse me!’
‘It’s got everything to do with your past, Mia. And you damn well know it. It’s about time you realised that and dealt with it!’
‘Oh! Like you’re dealing so well with whatever happened in your past?’ I bit back at him,yanking off the sunglasses as I did so.
He tilted his head up sharply and I saw him swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his hands flexed and gripped the steering wheel in the stationary traffic.
‘We’re not talking about me, Mia.’
‘That’s convenient.’
