Page 36 of Tides That Bind

“Her husband.”

Harper gasps “Riley!”

I take a step forward. “What happened?”

The nurse looks between both of us, but then focuses on Harper. “Ma’am, if—"

“It’s okay,” Harper says. At first, I think she’s talking to the nurse. But really her eyes are on me, and it’s only now I realize how tense and taught my entire body is, and how the sight of the torn flesh and gaping wound makes me sway.

Harper is trying to tell meshe’sokay, even though she isn’t. But really, I’m wondering something more. I’m wondering just why it bothers me so much seeing her not okay. My pulse ticks up to an elevated rhythm. I think I’m angry. Right. That must be what this is.

I’m angry she didn’t callme.

And most of all, I’m angry with myself that I made her feel like she couldn’t.

And I can’t blame her for that.

The snap of the latex glove the nurse dresses her hand in brings me out of my own head.

“Is Lucas with Claire?” I ask.

“They took him for an X-Ray.”

Caroline said nothing about Lucas being hurt.

I lean forward, gripping the blanket folded at the end of the bed. “Why?”

“He fell.” Harper hisses when the nurse presses another gauze pad to the bite. "But he’s been gone a long time. Can you go check on him?”

The nurse quickly interjects, “We don’t allow anyone to accompany patients to radiology.”

“He’seight,” I snap.

Harper looks over with a pleading gaze until the nurse’s shoulders drop. “I’ll go see what the holdup is. The doctor willstitch you up. You’ll probably need a round of IV antibiotics. We’ll see what he says.”

“T-Thank you.” Harper slowly turns, swinging her legs up on the bed and tugging the paper gown down.

I take the blanket at her feet, draping it over her bare skin. My eyes linger on the wound and I grimace. “What happened?”

She leans forward, bringing the hand of her uninjured arm to her forehead. “It was so fast…I thought for a second…” There’s a small crack to her voice.

I drop down onto a stool beside her. “Lucas alright?”

“Maybe a broken wrist…”

“Tides,” is all she says and then she starts to cry and I have to look away, now focusing on the curtain that keeps moving gently from people passing by on the other side.

“There’s a guy outside with him.”

“That’s Ben.”

My head flings back to Harper. “Who's Ben?”

“I just met him. He drove us here.”

I drop my head to look in my lap, hating how a probably well-meaning stranger’s actions gut me. Because it should’ve been me.

“Riley, Tides…” her voice completely cracks. “He pushed Lucas out of the way, right to the ground. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

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