He climbs into the passenger seat and I get in the back. As soon as the door closes, the officer pulls off with sirens blaring, following closely behind the ambulance. All I can picture in my mind is Janine on that bedroom floor, unmoving. It feels like I’m living my worst nightmare come true.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Janine
I can feel the warmth of his hand in mine before I open my eyes. I have no idea where I am, but knowing Emanuel is here fills me with all of the comfort I need. Blinking my eyes open, I try to search for him but the bright overhead lighting is so glaring that I squeeze my eyes tightly again.
“Hey,” he coos.
Shifting my head to the right, I again attempt to open my eyes. When I do I’m met with the most tender, loving expression. I try to smile but that’s when I realize something is covering my mouth and nose. Reaching up with my free hand, I move it aside, realizing that it’s an oxygen mask.
“You might still need that,” he insists, trying to work the mask back over my face. “It’s pure oxygen and your body was deprived of it for god knows how long.”
Even though he’s persistent I nudge it away, shaking my head. “Thank you,” I strain to say. I let out a few coughs that hurt my chest but feel some relief once they’ve been released. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You scared the hell out of me.” He clasps my hand into both of his and brings it to his lips.
“Am I okay?” I ask, realizing that I’m in the emergency room of Williamsport Central Hospital.
He nods. “Some smoke inhalation. No burns. Docs want to monitor you overnight.”
“Angela!” I say, suddenly remembering what happened before everything went black. “Is she okay?”
“She’s doing well. Eric is with her right next door.” His head juts toward the wall indicating my best friend and her husband are just beyond it.
Feeling slightly relieved, I relax against the pillow behind me. I want to ask what type of harm smoke inhalation can do to the baby but am not sure if Emanuel knows she’s pregnant.
“They’ll keep her overnight to make sure she and the baby are all right,” he says as if reading my mind.
I smile up at him through blurred vision. “I love you.”
Leaning down, he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Hey, is this going to win you another one of those Thomas Webster Awards?”
He pulls back and gives me a funny look. “You’re worried about a damn medal right now?”
“Yeah. I was thinking, if you get another one, we can hang it on our wall.”
His eyebrows spike. “Ourwall?”
I nod. “That’s why I was calling you. I wanted to meet for dinner to apologize in person for not trusting in you … for not trusting in us. If it’s okay with you, I don’t want space anymore. I just want you and me ... together.”
At first, he doesn’t respond, just staring at me as his nostrils flare. Then he says, “I wasn’t letting you go in the first place, butterfly.”
He pushes the oxygen mask fully over my head and leans down, fusing our lips together. At first, the kiss is soft, as if he’s feeling me out, but soon enough, he’s deepening the kiss and I lean into it, having missed this feeling over the past seven days.
“I love you, too,” he says once he breaks the kiss.
I gasp as the memory of what actually happened before I woke up in the hospital fully comes back to me. “Did they find who did this?”
Emanuel’s jaw tightens and his eyes darken. “Not yet. The police have been waiting outside to speak with you and Angela about what you saw.”
“I need to tell them.”
He nods. “I’ll bring them in.”
I watch as he walks to the curtain, stepping beyond it to call over the officers.
