Page 118 of One Last Shot

Then she swung her legs off the bed, gritted her teeth against the rush of pain to her knee as the blood flowed. But she shoved herself into the sweatpants and was mostly dressed when London reappeared. “I’m going to get into so much trouble for this.”

“No one will know.”

“I think they’ll figure it out when the doc comes in and sees your empty bed.” But London helped her into the chair.

“I’ll call him later.” She looked out the window to the parking lot. “I think that’s Moose’s truck pulling in. Hit it.”

London got behind her, pulled her away from the bed and toward the door.

“Are you leaving?” Janice said.

“Live long and prosper,” said Boo and held the door for London as she pushed her out into the hallway.

“Just ignore Nurse Oolanie,” she said as London hustled her down the hall. But a glance at the empty nurses’s desk loosened the grip on her chest.

London knuckled the elevator button. “I feel like I’m party to a jail break. You should just talk to him.”

The doors opened and London wheeled her inside. “No. I mean... yes, I know, but...” She looked up at London as the doors closed. “It’s so embarrassing. I do this stupid thing where I fall for guys just because they’re alittle nice to me?—”

“Oaken was more than a little nice to you, Boo. You two... you two clicked.”

“Yeah, I thought I clicked with Blake too?—”

“Stop thinking about Blake. This is about you and Oaken?—”

“No, this is about Blake and the fact that I can’t trust myself with anyone. And Oaken and his big life is too... dangerous. And I should have figured that out. I got caught in the crazy idea that he wanted... I don’t know... this life, maybe. I’m such an idiot.”

The doors opened.

Oh no. Press. They congregated in the lobby of the hospital. “Why are they here?”

“I don’t know.”

And then,wait,she figured it out. Huxley stood talking to one of the reporters. Who knew what she was saying, but Boo wasn’t going to stick around. “Cut around to the side exit,” she said to London, who wheeled her past the group and down the hallway to the other exit.

“For the record, he does know where you live.”

“But the press doesn’t. And the last thing I want is some sort of painful showdown for the world to see.” She gritted her teeth, painfully close to her throat closing up. “I just want this to go away. Forhimto go away.”

“Let me go get the car.”

Boo searched the hallway. So far, empty. “Hurry.”

London pressed out of the doors, then lit out into a jog. The woman was quickly becoming Boo’s best friend.

She pulled out her phone and turned it on. Two missed calls, and she recognized Blake’s number.

Great, just great.

Noise behind her made her look up.

The press had moved toward the elevator, and she stiffened, seeing Oaken holding up his hand, moving toward the elevatorbank with Moose.

She ducked her head.Hurry up, London.

London’s Subaru pulled up. She parked at the side entrance and got out, jogged around the car. Boo had already hit the button for the automatic doors. Then she got up on her brace. What she needed was crutches, but London caught her and helped her out, then into the back, her leg up across the back seat.

“Let’s get out of here.”

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