Page 8 of The Promise
“Addison, open the fucking door,” I hear Blake shout the second I step foot in the living room. My heart jumps into my throat. Fuck, did Sinead tellhim?
“Addison, I know you’re there, now open the fucking door.” I stand and debate what to do. He sounds desperate but I’m not sure I have the energy to deal with this rightnow.
Then, he says something that has me rushing to thedoor.
“It’s Addy. She’s inhospital.”
I pull the door back as fast as I can. “Why? What’shappened?”
“I don't know. I just got a call from the hospital. Get dressed; let’s go,” he demands, standing with his hands on his hips, looking at me while Ipanic.
“Addison, getdressed.”
I hear his words but I can’t comprehend what he’s saying. Everything’s a bit of a blur. I fall back onto the sofa and stareahead.
“Fuck,” I hear Blake curse. Seconds later, I feel something hit my lap. When I look down, I have a pile of clothes waiting to be puton.
“Go get dressed,” he says again as he pulls me up from the sofa. I do as I’m told and go to the bathroom. It takes me three attempts to get my leg into my skinny jeans because I’m in such a daze, but I get there in theend.
“Come on,” Blake says as he grabs my hand and pulls me from thehouse.
The journey’s silent. Images of what could be waiting for us roll around my head. What happened? Is shealive?
Blake parks in the first space he finds and we both go running towards A&E.
“Addison Marsh. I had a phone call. Where is she? Is she okay?” Blake shouts in a rush at the woman onreception.
She clicks about on her screen before catching the attention of a nurse behind her, who comes over tous.
“Are you family ofAddison?”
“Yes,” we both shout inunison.
“Okay, come with me and I’ll explain what’s happened.” I can’t see through my blind panic and I root myself to the spot. I cannot go into a room with this woman to be told Aunt Addy’s dead; I can’t doit.
I feel Blake press his side against mine as he wraps his arm around my waist to push me forward towards where the nurse is waiting, holding a door open forus.
I sit down when Blake gently pushes me. We’re in a small room. The walls are a bit drab and there are posters everywhere. There’s one going through the correct steps for CPR and another asking for volunteers to drive patients to and from appointments and treatments, but it’s the one about not smoking when pregnant that gets my attention. I focus on the illustration of the pregnant woman as everything else around me continues to be a blur. Thankfully, the sound of the nurse talking breaks through the buzzing noise filling myears.
“Addison’s going to be fine,” she says, and I burst into tears of relief. Blake’s arm comes around me and I try to keep it together enough to find out what’s happened. “She had quite a severe vertigo attack and fell down the stairs in the theatre. She’s very bruised and shaken but she has nothing more serious than a brokenankle.”
“Can we see her?” I ask, cutting off whatever the nurse was about tosay.
“Of course. I’ll take younow.”
Blake keeps hold of my hand as we follow the nurse towards the bay where Aunt Addy is. The whole time, I try to push away thoughts of how comforting it is to be touching him. It’s too dangerous to think things likethat.
When the curtain gets pulled back, the sight of Aunt Addy takes my breath away. She has a plaster on her forehead, a swollen cheek, a cut lip, and a slightly red face where they’ve tried but done a shit job of cleaning the blood off. I run my eyes down the rest of her to see scuffed hands and a cast on her leg andfoot.
“Shit, Aunt Addy,” I say, letting go of Blake’s hand and rushing towards her. “I was so scared,” I whisper in her ear when I hug hergently.
“I’m fine,” she says, with as much as a smile as she can manage. “Just a few cuts andbruises.”
“You should have called one of us to come and get you,” Blakechastises.
“I thought I’d be okay,” she says, and I don’t miss the look of hope that enters her eyes when she looks between the two ofus.
Blake makes some unimpressed sounding grunt while I shake my head at Aunt Addy so she doesn’t get her hopesup.
