With my eyes falling shut, I fall asleep to each slow rise and fall of his chest against my back. To his smooth inhale and steady exhale, letting myself feel it all, knowing the countdown till morning is ticking away.
~
A low grumble sounds in my throat as I crawl around on my hands and knees in the darkness of the hotel room. The sunlight threatens to peek through the curtains, reminding me that the night is over, and morning has shown her ugly face.
Gathering the waist of my torn bridesmaid dress, I hold it with one hand as I use the other to feel under the bed, clumsily fumbling around for my purse. I need to do the walk of shame before anyone else wakes up. If Lainey saw me leave Jim’s room in a torn dress and his old tee, she would never let me forget it.
“Finally,” I mutter, my hand coming in contact with the chain strap of my clutch. I stand, about to turn to leave when I glance down and see Jim crack his eyes open.
Before I can tell my feet to stop, to turn around and go, they are closing the distance between me and the bed. I lean over, planting a lingering kiss to his cheek, relishing the feeling of his warm skin, of his signature scent that enveloped me all night long. “Thank you,” I murmur into his ear before stepping back.
As I turn to leave, his hand reaches out to snag my arm. I look down at the connection, at his thumb grazing my inner wrist before looking back at him.
His sad eyes catch mine, his thumb never stopping its movement until he brings my wrist to his mouth, kissing the skin with a brush of his lips. “I’ll be seeing you, Meg.”
Chapter Five
8 months later
Amuffled ring wakes me from a dead sleep. With my face still buried in my pillow, I blindly fling a hand out to grab my phone off the bedside table, confusion setting in when my palm slaps bare wood. Propping myself up on my elbows, I swipe the matted hair away from my face, squinting through one eye at the red numbers on the clock, panic setting in when I see the time.
No one would call this late unless it was an emergency.
Kicking the comforter down with my feet, I shove the throw pillows away, searching for my phone in the black room. The ringing gets louder with each tossed pillow until my phone is in sight, my heart sinking when I see the number scrolling across the screen.
“This is Meg.”
“Hi, Meg,” a hesitant voice responds. “Sorry to call so late. Um…this is Darlene from The Residences, calling aboutMarissa. She um…she hasn’t been herself tonight. She’s had a high fever all day that we haven’t been able to get under control, she—"
My legs kick the covers to the foot of the bed as I race to stand, scrambling over to my dresser to pull out a change of clothes. “She’s been running high fevers all day? How come no one called to tell me?”
“I am…I’m not sure, sorry. I only work nights. I got here around ten, and I’m just rounding on her now. It looks like day shift gave Tylenol twice. But it hasn’t helped. We were calling to see if you wanted her sent out, or for us just to continue to monitor.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose to keep from cursing. “No, I absolutely want her brought to the hospital immediately. Call an ambulance and I’ll meet them at Grace General.” With an angry tap on the screen, I end the call before opening up my contacts to dial Lainey’s number.
The ringing coils as I peel off my pajama pants, settling for a clean pair of black leggings and my favorite Cubs sweatshirt. I grab a sports bra, opting for comfort over fashion considering it’s two in the morning.
My heart pounds in my throat as the ringing ends and Lainey’s perky voicemail answers. I end the call, and redial her number, turning to head to my ensuite to splash cold water on my face. “Pick up, pick up. Please pick up,” I murmur aloud.
I’m about to end the call and risk waking Jenna’s clan when Lainey’s scratchy voice answers.
“What’s going on? What do you need, love?”
I hear her faintly mumble something to Ryan, his deep voice sounding in the background as she moves around.
“Marissa’s being brought to the hospital right now, can you—”
“I’m out the door in two seconds.”
~
The automatic sliding doors of the ER open with a woosh, a burst of heat and fluorescent lights hitting me as soon as I enter. I let myself past the empty front desk, bypassing the waiting area, and push my way through the double doors of the trauma bay marked ‘Employees Only.’
I’m familiar enough with the layout of the ER that my eyes know to scan the wall for the TV display that lists patient names and room numbers, finding my sister's name in triage bay three.
“Can I help you?” a young ER tech asks as I whiz by him.
“No thanks, I know where I’m going.” I don’t slow down, don’t even bother with a courtesy pause towards him as I pass, my sights set on the doors of bay three. With my hand curled around the steel frame, I exhale a calming breath before gently rapping on the door as I slide it open.
