Page 86 of Maxim

“St. Margarite’s get me there, now!” I yell. Artem, to his credit, doesn’t ask questions. He just puts his foot down and drives.

Chapter sixty

Nat

Everything hurts. My face, my back, my head. Each time I close my eyes, I see it. The moment when James’ car exploded in a fireball. I remember the heat, the ringing sound in my ears, and the pain. After, I recall someone yelling at me. Sirens. Then there’s nothing but a blank space in my mind.

When I woke up, I was in this bed, wearing nothing but a surgical gown. I don’t know where my phone is or if anyone even knows I’m here. Fuck. Amanda’s expecting me to meet her this evening. What time is it?

Blinds cover the windows so I have no clue.

It feels like I’ve been in here for hours, but my perception of time is possibly skewed.

Is James OK? I asked the nurse when I woke up as she was dressing a wound on my arm, but she said she’d check and then never came back.

I try to sit up but the slightest movement is agony. Probably from where I was blown back by the force of the explosion. My ears are still ringing, too, and everything sounds muffled.

What even happened anyway? It makes no fucking sense. One minute James was walking toward his car while I checked my phone, and the next… BOOM. Something tells me it wasn’t a freak accident.

God. If James is badly hurt, I’ll never forgive myself. He was only there because of me.

The door opens and a nurse walks in, clipboard in hand. Just as she opens her mouth to say something, Max barrels in, ignoring her. His complete focus is on me.

He’s the last person I expected to see. How does he know I’m here?

The way he’s examining me like he’s checking to make sure I’m still here, fixes a wound I didn’t know I had.

“Baby, how are you feeling?” he rasps. The bed dips when he sits on the edge of the mattress and takes my hand.

“Sir, you shouldn’t be in here, it’s not visiting time!” the nurse reprimands, her lips pursed with displeasure.

Max takes no notice whatsoever. “Are you in pain? Do I need to call a doctor?”

I look at the nurse and cringe a little when I see how she’s looking at him. She’s fucking pissed.

“I’m…OK…I think.”

“Miss Rossi has some superficial wounds as well as damage to her ears, which may lead to long-term hearing loss.” The nurse sounds like she’s reading a laundry list not telling me I could have permanent hearing loss. Max squeezes my hand tightly when a small whimper escapes at her words, then he turns to acknowledge her presence.

“Get the fuck out, now.”

She bristles with anger. “It’s my job to be in here!” I can tell things are about to get nasty and I don’t have the energy to deal.

“Please, I can’t…” My lip wobbles and I close my eyes. Maybe if I keep them shut, all this will go away.

“Malyshka, I’ll make sure you see any specialists you need. Please try not to worry.” I can tell he’s trying to dial it back a bit and I open my eyes again to see him staring at me intently. The nurse has gone. Hopefully not to call security.

“Don’t worry about that bitch,” he tells me, correctly assessing from the worried expression on my face I’m concerned about what the nurse is going to do. “The doctor is on his way to give you an update.”

“What about James?”

Max looks away for a moment, focusing on a painting of a vase of flowers. From the way a vein throbs in his temple, I know he has something bad to tell me.

“Please, I need to know!” My voice breaks.

“I’m sorry, baby, but he didn’t make it. He died at the scene.”

Shock hits me like a sledgehammer. The pain is so overwhelming I can hardly breathe.

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