Page 64 of Love, Just In

Relief seeps through me before I frantically wriggle my legs and curl my fingers. ‘Why am I in here? What’s wrong with me?’

‘You’re OK. You hit your head and lost consciousness, so they did a CT scan. Thank god it was fine, but because you were so groggy and couldn’t walk, they decided to keep you in overnight.’

I gape at him. ‘I don’t remember any of that.’

My stomach swoops at the seriousness of being sent for a CT scan. And what if they missed something? I once read a report about misdiagnosis and CT scans. My mind continues to wrestle through my foggy thoughts while Zac runs me through what else he knows. The driver of the car that Lindsay hit broke two ribs and the third driver got whiplash. It was a miracle that Lindsay didn’t kill someone. He was taken to the police station and charged with drink driving and dangerous driving before being released on bail.

Zac turns silent and crosses his arms with a sullen expression.

I lie back and close my eyes, caught between wanting to process this and wishing I hadn’t heard any of it. When I glance back at Zac, he’s clutching his head in his hands. That’s when my sluggish brain catches up: Zac Jameson and car accidents.

I sit up on my elbows. ‘I’m so sorry, Zac.’

His face flies up, his lips parting. ‘Don’tyoube sorry. That fucking asshole could have killed you.’ A film of tears coats his eyes, making my heart twist.

‘I didn’t know he’d had that much to drink,’ I say, even though the statement feels a little false. ‘He said they were light beers.’

Zac bites down on his bottom lip. ‘It’s OK. You need to rest.’

But lying in this bed is making me feel the opposite of relaxed. The beeping machine, the tube dangling from my hand, the smell of disinfectant—they’re all a time warp to when I visited my aunt and my grandma during their last days of cancer treatment.

Agitation prickles up my spine, and I push at the sheets with my feet. ‘I want to go home.’

Zac leans forward, his fingers slipping around my forearm. ‘It’s OK, Jose. You’ll get to go home soon. We can ask the nurse when she comes back.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I say again, my face scrunching up. ‘I’m so sorry.’

He turns his head, blinking fast. Then his forehead drops. ‘Last night scared me so fucking much. I don’t know, I …’ His voice trails off, and a yearning to touch him—to wind my fingers through his—surges up through my chest and into my throat, but he’s already moved his hand away.

My head falls back against the crinkly pillow, my eyes squeezing shut.

So, I guess even a concussion isn’t enough to kill these unwanted feelings.

The curtain twitches as someone tries to find the gap. I sit up with the hope that I’m about to be told I can go home, but it’s Lindsay who appears, clutching a bunch of pale-yellow roses.

Zac lurches to his feet. ‘You get the fuck out of here.’

Whoa.

Lindsay holds up his free hand. ‘Calm down, dude. I’m just here to see how she is.’

Zac turns to look at me, his mouth tight.

‘I’m OK,’ I say to Lindsay. I have no idea how to deal with any of this right now.

Lindsay steps past Zac to approach me, resting his flowers on the table. I was picturing him in jail or at least in a pair of handcuffs, but here he is, looking sheepish as hell.

‘I’m so sorry, babe,’ he says, and Zac makes a sound of irritation. Lindsay looks over his shoulder at him. ‘Do you mind giving us a minute alone?’

‘Yes, I do, actually.’ Zac folds his thick arms, his feet rooted to the spot. As a paramedic, he’s good at staying calm in stressful situations, and I’ve never seen him like this. The veins in his neck are pulsing.

‘It’s OK,’ I urge Zac gently, more out of concern for him than in defence of Lindsay. But that’s not how Zac takes it.

His face crumples. ‘Fine. If you’d rather this piece of shit be in here, then go ahead. I’m heading outside for some air.’

‘We might need more than a minute,’ Lindsay says when Zac’s halfway through the curtain. ‘So, take a few deep breaths, all right? It sounds like you need them.’

Zac spins around and jerks right up into Lindsay’s face, seeming three feet taller, even though he’s only got a few inches on him.

---