Page 68 of Fall With Me (Sugarland Creek)

So maybe I should respect her wishes from before the accident.

But fuck if I don’t want to do that.

When I grab my phone to order an Uber, the screen is black. After Ellie borrowed it to call hers, it must’ve died.

I could ask at the nurse’s station to use their phone to call a cab service, but at this rate, I’ll just hang out here and wait until one of my siblings can pick me up after they’re awake. Plus, this way, I can still feel close to her and be here when she wakes up in the morning.

Hopefully, she doesn’t remember me overnight. I’d like another few days of her not hating me.

“Landen?”

My eyes peel open to Mrs. Donovan standing above me as I lie back in an uncomfortable hospital chair.

Blinking a few times, I sit up and clear my throat. “Hello. Hi.”

“You’re still here?”

“Uh, yeah. Just waitin’ until Noah returns. How’s Ellie doing?”

“Good. They got more of her blood test results back and said she had high-dose alpha-blockers in her system. She’s not prescribed for any blood pressure meds, but of course, she doesn’t remember takin’ any.”

“Do you think someone slipped them to her? For what exactly?” The panic in my voice is evident, but this is alarming. Ellie’s one of the top pro barrel racers in the region, so she causes a threat to many who want to beat her.

“The way Dr. Murray explained it is when your blood pressure drops suddenly, it can cause drowsiness or make you pass out, but in some extreme cases, it can give you a seizure.”

“Oh my God.” I stand, folding my arms, not knowing what else to do.

“He also said there were other concerns with some of the blood test results. Based on how low her blood pressure got, he doesn’t think the dosage of those pills would’ve been enough to do that on their own that quickly. He suggested she might’ve digested something that counteracted the meds or contributed to the side effect of low blood pressure. They’re going to do more extensive testing to find out for sure. Then we’ll at least know she doesn’t have a seizure disorder because if she does, her career would be over for good.”

Shaking my head, I blow out a breath of frustration and anger. “Someone must’ve drugged her. Ellie would never take prescription meds without needing ’em.”

She doesn’t deviate from her routine.

“I agree. But since we couldn’t go with her, I don’t know who she woulda been around.”

I rub along my scruffy jawline, thinking. “I didn’t see her before the race. She’s usually at her trailer until she brings Ranger to the waitin’ pen. And with the junior division also racing, it woulda been crowded with people.”

“Many people who know of her, I’m sure,” she says, and I nod.

“Do you think you could open an investigation into it? If someone drugged her, that’d be a crime, and an officer could question everyone who was there. Maybe someone saw her with a specific person or noticed something off beforehand.”

“Maybe…it’d be worth findin’ out, though.” She gives me a sad grin. “Anyway, Ellie’s getting assessed right now to make sure she can go home this afternoon. Did you wanna see her before she leaves?”

It’s throwing me off how nice her mom is being, but whatever beef Ellie had with me, I guess it didn’t extend to her parents. I’m halfway tempted to ask if she knows Ellie’s reasoning, but that feels too intrusive.

Before I can respond, Noah and Magnolia enter the hospital with the babies, and I wave them down.

“There you are!” Noah scolds when she sees me. “I’ve been callin’ you all mornin’.”

“Phone died,” I tell her.

“You’ve been here all night?” Magnolia asks, scanning around the waiting room. She’s wearing one of Ellie’s backpacks.

I stretch and crack my neck. “Yeah, I slept in a chair.” Though I wouldn’t call what I didsleep. More like twenty-minute interval naps in between trying to get comfortable.

Noah gives Mrs. Donovan a hug and the two speak for a few moments before she takes us down to Ellie’s room. As soon as she sees us, her face lights up.

“Thank God. Have you come to bail me outta here?” she asks.

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