“Your father and I miss you, honey. Will you be coming home soon?”
Carina sighed as she headed into the kitchen. It had only been two weeks. “I miss you both too, but I’m not coming back. I’m not saying I’ll be gone forever. For now, at least, I’m enjoying the change.”
Understatement of the century. Not being in a town where every second person she ran into looked at her like she was a drugged-up felon was a breath of fresh air.
This time it was her mother who sighed. “Okay. Are you at least making new friends?”
Did the lady at the grocery store count? She used the woman’s first name when she thanked her. Patricia was a patient so she couldn’t really be classified as a friend. And Flynn…
Nope. Definitely not. He was something, but the term friend didn’t quite fit.
“I’m meeting a lot of new people and am very happy.” Yeah, that worked.
She opened the fridge. No food again. At least none that could be scrounged together and turned into dinner. God, she really needed to get better at that. She’d gotten so used to Greg taking care of everything those last few months in Michigan during the accusation nightmare, it was like she’d forgotten how to adult.
“Have you talked to Greg?”
Carina almost rolled her eyes. Her mother had all but fallen in love with the man, and her father hadn’t been far behind. She was pretty sure the two of them had already started planning the wedding.
“I have. He’s been checking in to make sure I’m settling okay.”
She was careful to emphasize the “checking in” part because she did not want her mother getting any ideas about them getting back together.
“Oh, that man is so lovely. Your father and I were so sad when you broke up.”
Another eye roll. Like you’ve said a gazillion times, Mom.
Carina crossed the room and picked up her keys. “I have to go now, Mom. I need to get to the grocery store before they close.”
“Oh. Okay, honey. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
The second the call ended, Carina shook her head. She really did love her mother, but the woman had always thought she knew best when it came to Carina’s life. And her mother’s version of “best” rarely aligned with her own.
She walked into her bedroom, shooting a quick look outside and noticing it had just started to rain. Great. Quickly, she changed out of her sweatpants and into some jeans.
A couple of days had passed since Flynn left. Days of the man tormenting her every thought. Of flashbacks to the best kisses of her life.
Her cheeks heated at the memory.
She had no idea when he was returning, and she didn’t want to text and ask. His job was sometimes dangerous, and she didn’t want to distract him from that. He’d said he’d be away a couple of days, so he should be returning anytime now.
When she’d walked into Patricia’s home this morning, she’d held her breath, hoping she’d see the guy sitting at the table. Maybe leaning against the kitchen counter with that sexy grin on his face.
Perhaps tomorrow. Her heart gave a little thump at the thought.
Quickly, she slipped on some shoes then headed out.
She was turning to lock the door when her gaze caught on the twins in their yard. They were walking up the steps of their front porch. Both watched her closely. And the way they looked at her… it had a chill sliding down her spine.
They’re just teenagers, Carina, she quickly reminded herself.
She turned back and locked the door.
Over the last couple days, there had been one more letter but no egg on the windows. She wasn’t sure she’d do anything about the notes or tell Flynn about them because they were harmless, right? Well, that was what she kept telling herself anyway.
Why she was trying to save the boys from the wrath of Flynn, she had no idea. Some ingrained need to protect kids, maybe? Her own aversion to violence?
Blowing out a breath, she turned to the porch stairs. She’d taken just one step when her foot slid on something wet. She swung her arms to try to save herself but fell down the steps quickly, unable to stop the momentum. Her knee collided with the concrete ground at an odd angle, quickly followed by her head.
She barely had time to register the pain when dots clouded her vision. The faint sound of laughter from the boys next door was the last thing she heard before darkness consumed her.
Carina sucked slow, deep breaths into her chest. It was all she could think of to try to dull the pain. How much time had passed since she’d awakened to find herself in a hospital? She was sure it was only a few minutes, but every minute felt like ten.
Her head and knee ached. Especially her knee. The pain was a constant throb, which had her vision hedging.
She looked for the call button. It was too far. She could probably lean over enough to reach it, but God, just the thought had her breaking into a sweat.
She looked back to the hall, hoping—praying—that a nurse or doctor would enter the room. More minutes passed, and nothing.
Eventually, she shut her eyes and once again concentrated on her breathing.
“You’re awake.”
She jolted at the sudden voice, and a fresh wave of pain shot through her skull, causing her to scrunch her eyes tightly.
The nurse cringed. “Sorry. How are you feeling?”
Carina swallowed to wet her dry throat before focusing on the nurse again. “Not great. Can I get some pain medication?”
The nurse nodded. “I’ll just call your doctor in.”
Carina tried for a small smile but was sure it came off more like a grimace.
The nurse left the room, and less than a minute later, the door opened again. Carina’s lips separated when she saw the woman who walked in.
Flynn’s ex, Victoria.
Really? It wasn’t enough she’d fallen down the steps of her porch, but she had to get this woman as a doctor?
Victoria gave a tight smile. “Hi, Carina. It’s nice to see you again. In this hospital, I’m referred to as Dr. Victoria Astor, and I’m looking after you today.”
Carina gave the woman a small nod.
“Do you remember what happened?”
She frowned. “Um, I think I just slipped on my porch.” It had just started to rain, so that had to be it, right?
“You did. A neighbor across the street saw, said you landed heavily and at a bad angle. She called the paramedics. You have a concussion and five stitches in your forehead. The worst of your injuries was the dislocated patella.”
Well, that explained the knee pain.
“Your knee must have taken the brunt of the impact when you landed,” Victoria continued. “The good news is, surgery wasn’t required and the patella is back in place, but you’ve damaged the tissues around the knee, which has resulted in visible swelling and pain. We recommend you wear a knee brace for at least a week. I can give you the details of a store in Cradle Mountain where you can get one. You’ll have pain for about a month.”
Carina frowned, trying to take it all in.
“It’s about four a.m. right now,” Victoria continued. “In a couple of hours, I can discharge you and you’ll be free to go.”
She gave another small nod, the motion radiating pain throughout her skull. “That sounds fine.”
“Great. Oh, and also, if your car is manual, I’d try to avoid driving it for a couple of weeks.”
Well, that was just perfect, because her car was manual.
The doctor started to turn, but Carina stopped her.
“Could I get some pain medication?”
The corners of Victoria’s eyes tightened. “I’ll send the nurse in with some Tylenol.”
Tylenol? Surely, she could get something stronger?
She opened her mouth to ask, but Victoria was already gone.
When the nurse stepped back in, she handed Carina the pills.
“Any chance I could get something stronger?”
“Sorry, Miss Murphy, this is what Dr. Astor has prescribed.”
Carina opened her mouth, not sure if she was about to argue or ask for a new doctor, when the nurse spoke again.
“Get some rest if you can before you get discharged.” Then the nurse disappeared before Carina could say another word.
Maybe if she just gave it a bit of time.
She closed her eyes, tried to clear her mind, but the pain radiating from her knee kept her wide awake. When the sun finally began to poke through the window, the nurse returned with discharge papers.
“I brought a phone so you can call someone to pick you up. Your cell is dead.”
Someone to pick her up. Like a friend or family member. Neither of which she had at the moment. Not here, anyway. She slid the phone from the woman’s fingers. “Um, do you have the number for Blue Halo Security?”
The nurse’s brows rose. “No. But I can get it for you.”
The woman returned a second later, handing her a piece of paper.
Carina bit her lip as she typed the number and put the phone to her ear.
“Blue Halo Security. Callum speaking.”
“Um, hi.” Carina watched as the nurse left the room. “This is Carina. I work for Patricia Talbot. I was just wondering if Flynn was back in town yet?”
“No, sorry, he’s away right now. Would you like me to get in touch with him? Or leave him a message?”
Her heart sank. He was her only option. She was tempted to ask when he’d be back, but Callum hadn’t willingly offered the information, so she was hesitant. “No. That’s okay. I’ll, um, call back later.”
“Is Patricia okay?”
“Oh, yes. Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think she wasn’t. She’s fine.”
Suddenly, she felt silly for calling. The last thing she wanted to do was make anyone worry about Flynn’s mother, especially the man himself while he was working.
“I’ll call back. Thank you, Callum.”
She quickly hung up, staring at the phone. The pain continued to thrum throughout her body, this time mingling with exhaustion and frustration. Tears pressed at the back of her eyes.
The nurse stepped back inside the room. “How’d it go?”
She quickly blinked away the tears. “Someone’s coming to get me.”
She didn’t know why she lied. Maybe because she felt sorry for herself, and didn’t need anyone else feeling sorry for her, too. Or maybe she was just too tired and sore to say more than necessary.
“It wouldn’t be possible to get another doctor, would it? To get some stronger pain medication?”
At the sympathetic look on the nurse’s face, Carina already knew the answer to her question. “We’ve just had a bit of a rush in the ER. You’re welcome to wait, but it might be an hour or two. Or I can see if a doctor could see you between patients.”
Her heart sank. Squeezing her in would mean a longer wait for others. She didn’t want to do that. And she didn’t want to wait an hour or two, either. All she wanted was to get home, put on her sweats, and hide in bed. Maybe if the pain was still bad tomorrow, she’d come back. “Actually, I think I should be okay.”
The nurse beamed. “Great.”
Once she’d signed the discharge forms, the nurse helped her out of bed. The second she put weight on her knee, she almost crumbled at the severe pain. Getting dressed, even with help, was just as hard. She paused so many times to catch her breath that the process took ten times what it normally would.
She shuddered at the thought of doing this on her own at home.
The nurse disappeared from the room and returned a second later with a wheelchair. When they got to a waiting room near the entrance, Carina stopped the woman. “Here’s fine. My ride will be here in a few minutes.”
“Oh. Okay.”
The second the nurse disappeared, she pushed to her feet. Pain. Mega-pain. It was instant. God, this was terrible. She had to grit her teeth and lock her knees to stay upright. Every step to the nurses’ station had her breath catching in her throat.
When she reached the desk, the lady on the other side barely looked up from the forms she was filling out. “Yes?”
“I was wondering if I could use a phone to call a taxi or car service.”
