Page 28 of Big Witch Energy

“You scared me,” he breathed against her lips. “I almost lost you, Caroline. It happened right in front of me, and I couldn’t stop it. Please don’t ever—I almost lost you. Again.”

The agony in his voice was so profound, Caroline couldn’t help but think of the woman on the cliff, the bewildered grief as she fell into nothing and knew she would never see her Emmett again. What Caroline had seen was that woman’s memory, not a dream. Caroline knew that now. She just didn’t know what to make of it. But she would do whatever it took to not feel that loss, to keep Ben from feeling that way, even if it meant facing down whatever the hell was happening in her life at the moment.

He kissed her again, pressing a tiny bit more of his weight down on her and she grunted in pain. It seemed to startle him, and he pulled away from her. The doctor mask fell into place again, and he was all business. He sat back, looking her over.

“All things considered, you’re doing pretty well,” Ben told her. “Nasty bump to the head from where you fell back against the sidewalk. The moped clipped your ribs pretty good. Couple of them are cracked and a few are broken. That’s going to require you to wrap them every day until they heal up. You’ve got a sprained ankle, a wrist that’s not quite sprained but definitely strained, and a heck of a road rash, with which you will become familiar over the next couple of days. That and a veritable rainbow of bruising.”

“That all tracks,” she said, nodding and regretting it deeply. Ow.

Being so close to him twice during a crisis while he showed her nothing but how much he cared about her, wanted her safe—well, it helped break down those awkward walls that remained between them. It was hard to keep someone at a distance once he’d seen her “rainbow of bruising.”

Ben sighed. “Now comes the awkward part. My daughter is the one who hit you. Considering our, uh, history, and the fact that it was my minor child that hit you, I wouldn’t blame you if you asked to have your care transferred to another doctor—while you and your lawyer prepare for the inevitable lawsuit. Between the injuries and me kissing you while you’re my patient, I wouldn’t blame you.”

She scoffed—again, fucking ow. “How exactly are you going to transfer my care to another doctor? Dr. Toller is the only other doctor on the island, and he just announced that he’s on vacation for the next week.”

“You know about that, huh?” Ben asked.

“He was very enthusiastic about announcing that the other night at the bar—The bar! My mom!” Caroline exclaimed. Out of instinct, she tried to sit up so she could get to her mother, but that fire returned, burning her whole body with agony. She shrieked.

“Take it easy,” Ben told her, helping her settle back on the bed while she breathed through the pain.

“That was a mistake,” she wheezed.

“It’s going to be a while before your brain adjusts to the reality of what your body has been through. And I don’t know, I could pay a friend to come stay and treat you while you recover.” Ben said, scrubbing a hand over his face. “And your mom is fine. She’s actually sitting with my kids at the moment, convincing Mina that her life isn’t over and she won’t be blacklisted from colleges for being a murderous criminal.”

“You left your child with my mom, with the goal of encouraging said child?” She laughed, and the pain shooting down from her ribs to her legs stole her breath all over again. Dammit, she had to stop doing that. After a few moments, she was able to concentrate enough to speak, and said, “Please assure Mina that I’m not dead, so she’s at least not a murderer. And I’m not suing you, either. Your kid made a mistake. It happens. And I saw the look on her face right before she ran me down. I think she’s scared herself so badly, you’re not even going to have to yell that loud.”

“Too late,” he said, looking faintly chagrined. “Already did it. She wasn’t supposed to be driving the damned moped at all, much less near Main Square. She was just so excited when our moving pods finally came over on the ferry. And she’s hardheaded when it comes to learning new things, like driving on wet, worn stones.”

“Wonder where she gets that?” Caroline snorted.

“It’s a mystery,” Ben told her. “Anyway, Mina shouldn’t have been riding somewhere unfamiliar, and she definitely shouldn’t have been riding toward people. She won’t be driving anything with a motor in the near future.”

“Don’t be too hard on her,” Caroline told him.

“Well, either way, I’ll make sure all your medical care is covered, even if I’m not the one providing it,” he assured her. “And you will have everything you need at home, and at the bar, until you’re back on your feet.”

Her brows rose, and it was the first physical reaction she’d had all night that didn’t burn like poison. “What does that mean?”

“Hey Caroline, good to see you conscious.” Samantha Vermeer poked her head through the door, her stethoscope swinging around her neck in time with her long dark bob.

“Samantha, sorry, I can’t wave,” Caroline said, grinning at her.

“Well, since this one can’t see other patients today, your state of emergency is turning my day an interesting shade of anarchy,” Samantha told her. “And you’re gonna want to let the family in before they take the waiting room apart.”

“Oh…no,” Caroline breathed. “My family.”

“Do you want to let them in?” Ben asked.

“I guess so,” Caroline sighed. To her surprise, when the door opened, it wasn’t her parents or loud-ass brothers, it was Riley, Edison, and Alice. Her family. She smiled happily as Alice and Riley flung themselves through the door.

“Gentle!” Ben cautioned them as they tried to slip through the maze of medical equipment for something like a hug.

“We understand, Doctor,” Alice assured him, even as she cradled her cheek against Caroline’s shoulder. Riley was quiet, pressing Caroline’s uninjured hand against her face and her forehead against Caroline’s collarbone.

Caroline could only imagine the panic that Riley felt, seeing the aftermath of another loved one’s serious automotive accident. “I’m sorry,” Caroline whispered.

“Nope, she who is struck by a motor vehicle does not apologize,” Riley told her.

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