Page 88 of To Ashes and Dust
Please God, don’t remember what happened.
Her coppery lashes fluttered, brows scrunching as she woke. Confusion marred her beautiful face, and her hand rose to her face. She stopped when her IV and the probe clamped to her fingertip tugged at her arm.
“Hey, Kat,” I breathed, offering her a weak smile.
Her tired eyes found me before drifting across the room, and she frowned as if she were trying to make sense of what happened and where she was.
“You’re ok. You’re in the hospital,” I explained.
She groaned, trying to push herself up.
“You have a concussion, Kat.” I reached out to her shoulder, urging her to stay laying down. “Try not to move too much. Just try to relax.”
She slouched back into the pillow.
“Do you remember anything?” I asked, dreading her answer.
She blinked, eyes shifting around. Her voice was hoarse, cracked as she answered. “I... I don’t know...”
“Do you remember what you were doing? Anything at all?”
She parted her lips, but it took a moment for the words to form on her tongue. “I was... I remember I went to get a pizza.”
Relief washed over me before guilt hit me low in the gut. I shouldn’t be relieved that she’d experienced something so traumatic that she may not remember. How long would that amnesia last, though? Would the memories resurface?
“Do you remember anything else?”
She shook her head, her face haggard as she blinked, fighting to keep her eyes open. “Is there a glass of water I can have?”
“Yeah, let me get it for you.” I rose, hurrying to the other side of the bed to retrieve the plastic cup of water on the rolling tray. “Here, let me help you.”
I reached behind her shoulders, helping her sit up just enough to take a sip. She sighed as she drank the cool liquid down before laying back down on the pillow.
“Thanks.” She inhaled deeply, body easing into the pillow. “What happened?”
Guilt curdled in the pit of my stomach. “You were mugged.”
Her eyes flew to me before they drifted back down, and for a moment, she remained silent. Frustration painted her eyes as she struggled to remember, but she didn’t say anything more.
“Does Cody know? Have you called him?” she asked.
“I was going to, but I realized I don’t have his number. Your phone wasn’t on you, so I wasn’t sure how to get a hold of him.”
She looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s so late. How long have I been out? Oh my god, did he—”
The realizations and possibilities started to darken her eyes, and my stomach twisted. “You’re safe, Kat. You’ve been out for a few hours. One of Damien’s friends was heading downtown when they heard you scream. The guy ran off when he got to you. The mugger didn’t touch you. I promise. Damien’s friend called us, and we helped him get you to the ER.”
She remained silent, but thankfully, there was a small amount of relief in her expression as her head eased back into the pillow. I settled back into my chair. I hated seeing her like this, hated how freaked out she looked. “There’s nothing else wrong, just the concussion. The doctors wanted to keep you here for observation. They’ll probably release you once they see you’re awake.”
She drew a deep breath. “I can’t believe this happened.”
Her gaze drifted around the room to the monitors, then down to her arm where the IV was attached. She sighed, a somber darkness flickering in her green eyes. “Thank you for sitting here with me.”
I gave her an incredulous look. “Of course I’d be here.”
She smiled weakly at me, and I was confused by the guilt in those fern-green eyes. “I’m such a horrible friend...”
My brows knitted. “Why would you say that? You’re not a horrible friend. What would even make you thin—”
