Page 6 of Where Are You Now
Ava got the tape off, winced, and pulled the needles from the crease in her arm.
A nurse rushed into the room and ran to the counter,filling a syringe.
She approached the bed, and Ava tried to bat her away, but another two nurses had arrived and locked her arm in their grip. The needle went under her skin, and she was out again.
When Ava came to,a new set of IVs was in, and the lunch cart was gone. Her mother, Martha Barnes, was sitting in a chair in the corner, by the window.
“They called me when you woke up agitated,” her mother said, putting her fingers over her lips, tears in her eyes.
Her gray hair was styled a little shorter than when Ava had seen her last, but she was wearing a pair of jeans and a casual button-up like she always did. She put her novel into the most adorable quilted tote made of varying shades of silver and white satin.
“I love your bag,” Ava croaked.
It was good to see her. Ava attempted to count the months since they’d been together, but it hurt her head too badly to get anywhere with the math.
Martha smiled. “Thanks. I made it myself.”
Ava swallowed against a dry, sore throat. “Did you get a haircut?”
Her mom patted her bob and tucked one side behind her ear. “Yes, Tuesday before last. I thought it might be a good look. What do you think?”
Ava nodded, tension in her neck. “I like it.”
Martha grabbed the arms of the chair and pushed herself to a standing position. Then she walked to Ava’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”
“Like crap.”
Her mother chuckled fondly. “Honesty, your strong suit.” She sat on the edge of Ava’s bed. “You’re lucky. It was touch and go, but they stabilized you quickly, and by some miracleyou didn’t suffer any internal injuries. No one can figure out why. It was unbelievable, given the state of your car.”
Goose bumps spread over Ava’s skin.…live out the rest of your life.It was almost certain they’d missed something. How long did she have to find Dr. Phillips before she succumbed to her hidden wounds?
“How’s the driver of the other car?” she asked her mom.
“A lot worse off than you. He’s in ICU.”
She let that sink in. Where had he been going so quickly that he’d needed to put them through this? If it weren’t for him, she’d be partner already.
How life could change in a second…
She took stock of her limbs, wriggled her toes, inhaled deeply—her lungs were working. Was it all in her mind? Had she really somehow actually managed to escape injury?
“So you think I’m okay?”
“Yeah.” Martha shook her head, disbelief on her face. “It’s incredible. You have a fracture in your skull and some pretty deep lacerations on your torso that caused you to lose a lot of blood. And you’ve got a couple of broken ribs, which they say will heal on their own. Other than that, you’re badly bruised and swollen, but everything else is fine.”
They had to be missing something. Why else would she need to find Lucas Phillips? Wasn’t he supposed to have some hand in saving her life? Unless his purpose was solely to save her job, which would make total sense since thatwasher whole life.
Or there was the more feasible idea that she’d been hallucinating, and she really didn’t need to find him at all. Maybe everything had been in her head and the crash scrambled her brain more than they realized. But a tiny ping in her gut told her otherwise. She’d always found success by following her gut. Why should she stop now?
Chapter Three
Three days later, Ava’s swelling was going down enough for her to recognize her reflection again, and her bruises were just beginning to fade. She was discharged with a mound of paperwork, directions on wound healing, and a script to begin physical and cognitive therapy.
“Do I really need therapy?” she asked the nurse.
“To improve the range of motion in your neck, they’ll have you do neck and head mobility exercises. Also, a skull fracture can sometimes impact your balance, so they might have you do some stability work.” The nurse jotted down a few final things on a clipboard. “And besides the physical toll the accident has taken, we have to monitor your cerebral strength, given the swelling you had. You want to be sure that you’re on your game mentally.” She ripped the carbonized paper apart and gave Ava the top copy.
Ava peered down at her discharge paperwork. “I agree that I need to be on my game, but I think I’m just fine.”
