Page 19 of Bloom: Part 2

“Then what is going on?”

I shook my head. “Can you just get everyone out?”

I winced at the sharpness of my tone, the ungratefulness, but this was best. I’d known all along not to form friendships, or any relationships, for that matter. Two people had died when I first made that mistake.

Never again.

6

BLOOM

Ididn’t want an award—I had done nothing to deserve one. But Logan and the bikers insisted I couldn’t turn it down. Jamie finally got me to agree, saying the publicity could be good for our clubs. Maybe the people of Smoky Vale wouldn’t be so quick to judge us now that they knew about my “heroic” deed. After all, we never stirred up trouble for civilians unless we were provoked.

Even so, accepting the award didn’t sit right with me; I hadn’t saved anyone intentionally. If Logan hadn’t been at the hospital on that fucking day, those people would’ve been out of luck. I wouldn’t have given them a second thought.

“Why the long face?” Sven fluffed my pillows and smoothed the sheets while I sat, frustrated, in the wheelchair. I’d told them I could walk, but they insisted on sticking to hospital protocol.

“Finally got out of bed, and they trap me in a wheelchair. What’s there to be happy about?”

“You’ll be discharged in a few days. You can handle the wheelchair till then, right? For today, can you at least try to be happy about the award?”

“Why bother? It’s just a pointless award. I didn’t actually do anything to earn it.” He, of all people, knew my obsession with Dr. Collier was the real reason I’d been at the hospital that day. When the incident went down, I’d been in my session with Dr. Simms because I wanted to be a better person for Logan.

Everyone who had come in contact with me knew my heart was black as night.

“Who cares why you did it?” He stopped in front of me, his hands akimbo. “The fact is that you saved our lives that day, and we’re all grateful.”

“Is that why you’re being nice to me all of a sudden? Because you couldn’t stand me before.”

“Well, you were rude and pushy—”

I snorted. “And that’s changed?”

His cheeks grew red. Why did they do that? “Maybe you grew on me the way you grew on Logan.”

Logan? Since when were he and Logan on a first-name basis? He was Dr. Collier to everyone else but Logan tome. I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t call him that.”

He threw his head back. “What?”

“Logan. You always call him Dr. Collier. Why call him Logan now? You two aren’t close.”

“Uh, oh, well.” He cleared his throat and glanced away. My heart skipped a beat. I folded my hands into fists on my lap.

“Not ‘oh well.’ Why did you call him Logan?”

“It’s perfectly natural to call people by their first names, Bloom. Don’t I call you by your first name?”

“That’s different.”

“How so?”

“There’s nothing else to call me.”

No surname. Just Bloom. On my hospital chart, they had an X in the space meant for my surname.

“This is ridiculous. I know you’re paranoid when it comes to Lo—Dr. Collier, but there’s no need to snap at me for referring to him by his name.”

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