Page 5 of Crash: Love in Scrubs
As I began to turn the knob, I caught movement in my periphery. A flash of something that didn’t belong.
Then…headlights. Coming from the right. Too close. Too fast.
The SUV blew through the red light and slammed into the passenger side, Samaj’s side. Time slowed. My instincts took over, firefighter instincts, mama instincts.
My arm shot across Samaj’s chest. Seventeen years of protecting him. Even when there was nothing I could do. “Hold on, baby.”
The word was still coming out when the SUV slammed into the front passenger side. Metal crunched. Glass exploded. The airbag deployed on Samaj’s side. His body jolted hard, his head snapping sideways.
My world spun. My hands seized the wheel. My chest hit the restraint hard, bruised for sure, but I stayed conscious. Dizzy. Disoriented. But awake. I forced myself to slow my breathing.
One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi, Four Mississippi…
“Samaj!” I turned toward him, heart hammering but slowing as I continued to breathe.
His head was slumped. Blood. On his temple, maybe his lip—I couldn’t tell through the fog.
“Baby, can…can you hear me?” My voice cracked. I reached for him, fingers shaking, already on the prayer line, asking God to cover us.
I could hear the sirens in the distance, but I was fading, darkness creeping in as my eyes fluttered. I blinked fast, trying to stay focused. “Stay with me, Samaj. Please, stay with me.”
His fingers twitched. That was all I saw before the darkness pulled me under.
People began crowding around, yelling that help was on the way. I held on as long as I could, but the spinning came fast. I passed out before they could reach the door.
EIGHTEEN HOURS LATER
My eyes flickered open as I registered the sterile quiet. It was the unsettling kind. The kind that told me it was a requirement and not a request. Then came the beeps. Sharp, annoying, way too loud for the way my head was throbbing. My eyes landed on the white-ass ceiling tiles and that sterile hospital smell.
Damn. Something bad had happened. And I wasn’t dreaming.
“Ugh,” I groaned, dragging a hand to my forehead. My neck felt like somebody wrung it out and hung it up to dry. But I wasn’t paralyzed. I wiggled my toes, took a breath. Okay, still alive.
Which meant...
“Samaj,” I croaked. My throat felt like I’d swallowed a fistful of sandpaper. I tried to sit up, but immediately got hit with a coughing fit.
Strong hands caught me, lifted me up gently. A shiver ran through me that had nothing to do with the hospital AC.
“Hey, hey, calm down. You’re safe.”
The voice wasn’t Samaj’s.
“I’m going to help you sit up. And then I’ll ask you a few questions.”
The more he spoke, the more my body betrayed me and responded. This was a time of crisis. But that low southern, thick drawl made my stomach do flips and my pussy purr.
I coughed harder. Embarrassed. Shocked. Damn near disoriented for real now.
What the hell?
I blinked hard and looked over—and nearly blinked again just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
Standing next to my bed was...Lord.
Toffee skin. Broad shoulders. Beard shaped like he paid top dollar every Friday. His white tee clung to him, showcasing the faint outline of perfect abs. A gorgeous man, pretty-boy vibe, but not soft. He just took care of himself. My brain was trying to catch up, but one thing I knew, he man assisting me was GQ cover fine.
“Can you tell me your name? What day is it?”
