Page 29 of Devoured

“Dial number 2.”

She hit the number on the phone.

“Tell Ian to pick us up immediately and have him call Steven.” I shook my head. “I mean Dr. Ridge. He’ll know who I’m talking about.”

“Ian?” Melissa said on the phone. “There’s been an accident with Penny. Can you please call Dr. Ridge and come pick up Penny and James?”

She looked up at me. “He hung up!”

“He’s just doing his job.”

She nodded and grabbed Penny’s hand. “Penny? Wake up. Please wake up.”

I heard the ambulance in the distance.

Come on, Ian. Come on.If Ian didn’t arrive first, Penny wouldn’t be the only one in trouble. Not that I cared about the fact that I was a professor crashing a college party with underage drinking. I’m pretty sure everything I’d done with Penny was worse than that. And I didn’t care about any of it. I just wanted her to wake up. “Penny,” I whispered as I stared down at her lifeless face.

It only took another minute before Ian sped up to the curb outside the frat house.

Melissa was reluctant to let go of Penny’s hand.

“It’s okay, I’ve got her,” I said. “I promise.” And I meant it. I was never letting Penny go again. Not even for a second.

Melissa blinked back her tears. “I’m so sorry. I…”

“It’s not your fault.” I’d put blame on her. And on Tyler. But none of this was their fault. It was mine. I would have stayed there and consoled her more. But there wasn’t time.

“What the fuck happened?” Ian said as he climbed out of the car.

“Open the back door.” I didn’t have time to explain.

He opened the door and helped me get Penny into the back seat. I climbed in next to her, cradling her face in my hands. “Penny, I need you to wake up.”

She didn’t stir.

The car started moving. I moved my hand from the side of Penny’s head and realized my palm was covered with blood. Her hair was matted with it. Where was she cut? I tried to inspect the wound but there was too much blood.

“James, what the fuck?!” Ian yelled.

“Just get us home.” A drop of blood landed on her forehead. And I realized some of it was dripping from my face onto her.Please let it just be my blood. Please.

“Is she breathing?” Ian asked.

I smoothed her hair out of her face and put my fingers along her throat, smearing more blood along her neck. Her heart was beating steadily. “Yes, she’s just unconscious. She hit her head pretty hard.”

“What did you do?”

I finally looked up from Penny. “I didn’t hurt her, Ian,” I said. But it was a lie. I had hurt her. This all happened because I didn’t speak to her for weeks. All I’d done was hurt her.

The tires squealed as Ian took a sharp right into the parking garage beneath my apartment. He tried to help me lift Penny but I held her closer. “I’ve got her.”

The elevator ride felt excruciatingly long.

“Seriously, James what the hell happened?”

I ignored him and stepped out of the elevator. “Get some water and some towels.” I carried Penny into my bedroom and placed her gently on my bed. I knelt down next to her. “Baby, wake up. Please wake up.”

Ian came in with some towels and a glass of water. I grabbed one of the towels and wiped some of the blood off her neck and face. I gently blotted the spot along her hairline. There was so much blood. Why was there so much fucking blood?

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