Page 116 of Straight to Me

VP opens the door, stepping outside. My eyes prickle. I need him here, next to me, not standing outside. “Not to worry, Madison. It’s Monday. Your friends brought you in after finding you and Officer Carter in the wreckage. They managed to pull you out and get you straight here.”

He’s more than just my friend.Her words and his departure cause the tears to fall. “Madison, I realise this must be difficult.” She writes something on her notes. “For now, we just need to make sure there’s no further damage, other than the superficial wounds. Is that okay?”

I nod at her, unable to make eye contact. This is all too much. The pain in my body is beyond anything I’ve ever felt before, but I’m awake, sat up and talking. It’s Jack I’m worried for, and VP. Are my injuries that bad he can’t even look at me? Or is being in a hospital weighing heavy on his mind?

The nurse gently rubs my hand that’s closest to her. “The bikie,” she nods to the direction of the door. “He must care about you very much. He hasn’t left your side since you’ve been here.”

It’s reassuring to hear, but why isn’t he herenow? I smile at the nurse who’s just trying to comfort me. “Do you remember anything of the accident? What happened or coming here?”

I remember all of it. I remember Jack’s body laying limp. My hand forced away from his when I felt him squeeze mine. The sound of a final gunshot.

“I remember Jack, uh, Officer Carter, losing control of the truck and us flipping, that’s it.” I don’t say anymore. “How is he?”

“Officer Carter is in an induced coma for now, but he’s stable.” I wipe the stray tears away on the back of my hand. “Perhaps if you feel better later you could see him, when you’re up to it?”

“That would be good. Thank you.”

“No problem. I’ll check in with you later," she lets go of my hand, "oh, and your friend has already chosen your menu for today, so don’t worry about that. He said chocolate pudding is your favourite,” she says with a smile and a wink. I try to raise a smile as she leaves the room, leaving me alone.

A phone pings from the table beside the bed. The cracks and broken screen suggest it’s mine. I reach for it as VP walks back in the room. Initially his face looks comforted to see me, but his forehead quickly creases, and his lips tighten. My mind starts racing.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mads,” he barks, running his hand through his hair. His clothes are still dirty, the blue t-shirt and jeans he wore on Saturday are stained from the carnage. He really hasn’t left this room, that much is clear, which means he’s probably had barely any rest in two days.

“Why don’t you go get some sleep or a shower? You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” he sighs.

My face tightens this time. I feel fractious at his coldness all of a sudden. I pick up my phone to check my messages. “You uh, got a text from Chris whilst you slept,” he grinds through his teeth. I scroll back to yesterday’s message. It’s unopened. He didn’t read it.

Chris: That was rude. Madison, I need to hear from you. Are you with someone else? When you’re home, I need to see you.

VP sits in the empty chair by the side of the bed.

My cheeks flush. “I told him to go fuck himself in my last message.”

He smiles on a huff. “Is that him messaging now?”

I scroll to the new message.

Chris: I’ll be in Preston for work in a few weeks. Perhaps we could meet then?

Bastard.VP’s eyes are watching my reaction. I fear if I say it is Chris he won’t take it well.

“It’s Jess,” I lie.

“Mads?” I look to him. “If anyone asks, I found you and Jack in his truck, brought you straight here, that's it.”

“I know.” Does he think I’m stupid?

“Did the nurse ask you any questions?”

I narrow my eyes annoyed at his sudden interrogation. “She asked me what I remembered.”

“What did you say?”

My blood starts to boil at his apparent lack of trust in me. If this was so important, why didn’t he just stay in the room? “I told her I remembered Jack losing control of the truck and it spinning. That’s it.”

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