Page 137 of The Catalyst

I scream. “No, Nigel!” Then, his knuckles crack against Martin’s jaw, and everything goes black, my last memory being Oliver’s voice.

“Baby, wake up. You’re not dying on me today.” Darkness welcomes me, but I keep reaching out for him. “You can’t do this. You can’t just tell me you love me just to die on me. If you die, I’ll bring you back just to kill you myself, crazy girl.”

Oh, Ollie.

CHAPTER 55

BETH

An incessant beeping wakes me. My mind is so foggy. It’s not usually like that when I fall asleep. I can barely feel my fingers.

“Crazy girl.” Oliver’s voice is garbled as I slowly open my eyes and look at his handsome face. “Take it slow, okay? You have a concussion.”

The only words I really take in are slow and concussion. Everything else goes in one ear and out the other.

“Where…” I can barely push out that one word as I try to turn my head, but my neck hurts too much.

“You’re in the hospital. You’ll be here for at least a week. Your injuries were extensive.”

Wait. Why am I in the hospital?

“My…neck,” I force the words out even though it sends a sharp pain down my spine.

“Aimee, get the nurse.”

“Why should I? It’s her fault my brother is in jail right now, and hello, the accident was her fault. You heard that Martin guy. She was driving like a crazy person.”

“I swear, I will throw you out the fucking window if you don’t get off your ass and fetch the goddamn nurse.”

“Really, Oliver? You’re choosing this slut overme?” It’s silent for a minute, but then she huffs. “Fine. I’ll get the nurse for yourpreciouswhore, but keep in mind that you’re not the one she’s fucking anymore. That would be my brother. That’s if he ever gets out of jail.”

“What?” I rasp as I open my eyes again, not fully understanding the words even as they say them. Nothing makes sense. I can’t think through the simplest of things.

“Get out or else,” Oliver warns, and I watch as Aimee turns on her heels, flips me the bird, and stomps out of the hospital room.

* * *

A hospital worker,possibly a nurse, walks in a few minutes later, but my comprehension skills are diminished. I can’t decipher what she says or asks me, but Oliver is quick to respond.

“She said her neck hurts,” he answers.

“Let’s see what the issue is.” Slipping on a pair of blue disposable gloves, she pulls on the top of the bed until it’s upright, and I hiss from the pain in my neck the whole time. She reaches around my throat and presses against the sore spot atop my spine. I cry from the pain, and she nods. “That makes sense. She has whiplash from the accident. Her neck will be sore for a few days, but it should improve with time. I would ask the doctor to give her pain medication, but after her test results came back positive, we can’t risk giving her anything. It could harm the baby.”

The room falls silent as I stare up at the ceiling, trying to calm my racing heart. I wish I knew what the nurse was saying.

“You’re pregnant? Why the hell didn’t you say anything!”

“Sir, calm down. Her comprehension could be diminished from her concussion and the whiplash. I doubt she can understand much at this point. Since your wife isn’t talking, she probably has no idea what we’re saying.”

The room is silent again. “You think she’s my wife?” Oliver chuckles.

“If she is anything else, this conversation ends, got it?”

“Crystal. She’s…my wife.” He releases a loud sigh. “How far along is she?”

“We don’t know. All we have is the blood test to go off of. Her hCG levels, the hormone we check to detect pregnancy, are still on the low end, so for all we know, she might not even be aware that she’s expecting. You’ll need to make an appointment with an OBGYN once she is discharged, but I’m sorry we can’t give her anything that will greatly help the pain. She can have some Tylenol, though.”

Reaching under my hair, I rub my neck, trying to relieve some of the pain, but it does me no good. My body is tense with agony and anxiety from not knowing what they’re saying.

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