“I just can’t, okay?” Tears rolled down her cheeks, shimmering in the hardly there moonlight as she shoved me back.
“Sara, get in the car.” I demanded more sternly. “I’m serious.”
She whimpered, “I can’t.”
I gripped the back of my neck in disbelief because now she was just being plain stubborn. “Why the hell not?” I pleaded, my pulse spiking as I eyed the blood on her dress, total confusion washing over me. “Because you're hurt?”
“Because I’m covered in mud, and the blood will stain your seats.” She cried.
“You think I care about mycar? You are out of your Goddamn mind if you think I’m leaving you out here.” I snapped incredulously.
She took another step away, and panic threatened to swallow me whole.
“Okay. Okay.” I rasped more to myself. “Ambulance. Yeah, we’ll call an ambulance.” I nodded, immediately dialing.
“No, don’t do that.” She lunged for the phone.
I stood tall, keeping the phone out of her reach. “Sweetheart, you’re in shock, but everything is going to be okay.” I promised. “Whatever this is, I’ll protect you, but we need to get you to a doctor.”
“Don’t!” she shouted, just as emergency services answered.
“Hi, we need an ambulan?—”
“No,” she screamed, knocking my phone out of my hand, and it slid across the pavement before it disappeared over the edge of the embankment.
I turned to her, utterly stunned, wondering what the hell was going on. “If you don’t get in my car right now,” I threatened, “I swear to God, I’ll haul you over my shoulder andhiketo the nearest hospital.”
Her lower lip wobbled. “I can’t.”
“You can.”
“Please, Carter.”
“Get in the car.” I begged, pleaded, desperately. “I’m trying to help you. Why won’t you let me? You won’t tell me where you’re bleeding, and I’m seriously worried about how much blood you’ve lost.”
“It’s period blood. Okay!” Sara screamed. “I don’t need an ambulance.”
“What?” I stood there, pure surprise washing over me before I quickly recovered. “And what about the cut on your arm? Why were you in the ditch?” I demanded gently enough.
“No. You don’t get to ask me those questions.” She looked me dead in the eye, and I knew she was hiding something. “And just so we’re clear, I’mnotgoing to a hospital.” She gritted out with more determination than I think I’d ever seen.
“Fine.” I gripped the back of my neck, realizing I needed tochange tactics. “No ambulance, no questions, no hospital.” I opened the passenger door like I was luring a lamb to the slaughter. Nice and easy. No sudden movements. “Will you please just get into the car so I can take you home?”
She nodded, albeit reluctantly, and I blew out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
After a few silent miles, I took the next exit. The heat was blasting, but Sara pulled my suit jacket tighter around herself like she couldn’t get warm.
“Where are we going?” She asked nervously, probably wondering if I was in-fact taking her to the hospital. Part of me wondered if I should.
“I’m getting you something to eat.” I said, already heading towards a drive-through. “Did you eat today?”
After a long moment, she confessed quietly, “I may have forgotten.”
“Sara.” I groaned, not totally surprised because she always forgot to eat when she was stressed out.
“I don’t need a lecture, Kensington.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not trying to lecture you, I just hate knowing you’ve been running on fumes all day.”
