Page 97 of Bending Under Pressure

“Yeah. We’ll go back in a few minutes.” He pauses, his eyes searching mine, and then he says, “What happened, Keelan?”

“I don’t know. I mean, things didn’t go well at the wedding, and she was upset, but I dropped her off. She went inside as I was leaving. I was coming back to return her phone, saw she wasn’t there, and we were going to see if she went to the courts. That’s when we saw the cops out at Dead Man’s Curve.” Part of me wants to blurt out how it’s my fault. If I hadn’t taken her racing, she would’ve never been speeding on that road. She would’ve never gotten into a car accident because of it.

He shakes his head. “What did he do this time?”

By the time I finish explaining it to him, he’s furious, and it’s time to go to see Haley. I follow him through a heavy door and down a hallway. We turn and he stops outside the third curtain, which is pulled aside. There’s a cast on her arm. She’s in a hospital gown, so I don’t have to see her dress. There are some cuts and scrapes on her arms and face, but I don’t see whatever caused all the blood.

Haley is staring up at the ceiling, her eyelids slowly opening and closing as if she’s trying not to fall asleep. Rita stands. I can’t tell if she’s happy to see me or not.

“Walter, will you go home and get her a change of clothes?”

He nods and leaves. I walk over to her right side since Rita is on the left. Haley’s eyes shift to mine and a goofy, dopey grin lifts her lips. She doesn’t say anything though.

“They gave her some pain meds, so she’s a little loopy,” Rita explains.

“Am not,” Haley replies without taking her eyes off me. “Why are you all dressed up?”

“Because I thought you might like this instead of a University of Virgina shirt.”

She laughs, but abruptly stops. Her face contorts in pain and she lifts her hand to her head. “That hurt.”

“Sorry, Hales,” I say with too much seriousness.

She holds her hand out and I gently cradle it in mine. “Why? You’re cute. I’ll get over it.” Rita and I both laugh at that. Then she blinks and looks confused. “Why are we in the hospital?” Haley frowns as she looks over herself. “What happened to me? Mom?” The fear in her voice breaks my heart.

“You’r

e okay. You were in a car accident. Remember?” It takes a minute before she nods. “Tell me what happened,” Rita pushes gently.

Haley’s eyes flick to mine. “I was speeding, and I glanced down and saw how fast I was going. When I looked back up, there was a deer, and I tried not to hit it. That’s all I remember.”

“How fast were you going?” Rita asks.

Haley hesitates. “Eighty-five,” she whispers.

Rita sucks in a breath. “Haley, the speed limit is forty-five. Why would you be going that fast? That’s not just a little over the limit. They could take your license, not to mention how it’s amazing everyone that you didn’t die in that wreck.”

“I was upset, and I wasn’t paying attention,” she lies. Her brows pull together and she frowns again. “My head hurts. Can’t I have something for pain? When can I go home?”

“They’ve already given you something. You’ll go home whenever they say you can go home,” she replies curtly. Her mom’s anger falls away, her eyes welling with tears. “I’m glad you’re okay, Haley.”

“I’m sorry,” Haley says as her voice cracks. “Have you called Dad?”

“Not yet. I’ve been too busy worrying over you. I’ll call him and let know what happened. Will you be okay with Keelan until I get back?”

She nods. “I don’t want him to come. If he says he wants to, tell him no.”

Rita agrees, kisses her forehead through her mask, and then leaves us.

“How are you feeling?”

“Everything hurts, and I really want to sleep.”

I press my lips to her forehead, a feather light kiss, and whisper, “I’m sorry.”

She frowns. “Why?”

“You shouldn’t have been out there, especially not without me.”

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