“Emily!” Dad’s gruff voice tickles my eardrums, and I force my heavy eyelids to open.
A warm hand envelops mine as my eyesight slowly adjusts to my surroundings. The white walls, regular beeping of a machine someplace behind me, and the elevated cot I’m resting on confirms I’m in the hospital. “Dad,” I try to say, but something is obstructing my airwaves. Panic sets in, and my eyes pop wide as I try to move around in the bed.
Dad stands, pressing a button by my bed as he leans in close. “Relax, Emily. You’re in the hospital. You’re hooked up to a ventilator, and you have a tube in your mouth and a feeding tube in your nose.” He runs his hand back and forth over my hair. “Don’t panic, princess. I’ve buzzed the medical staff, and they’ll come remove them.”
The door swings open, and a man wearing a white coat over dark gray pants walks into the room, followed by a woman wearing a blue, cotton dress uniform. “Ms. Parker. It’s good to see you’re awake,” the doctor says, smiling as he approaches my bed. “We’re going to run a few tests, and then we’ll remove both tubes. Try to stay calm.”
A half hour later, I’m free of all tubes with the exception of the one in my hand, which is hooked up to a drip. Dad stayed with me the entire time, and it’s the only reason I didn’t fully freak out. “What happened?” I rasp. My throat is sore, and my voice sounds hoarse.
“Here, honey.” Dad lifts a glass with a straw, holding it up to my mouth. “Remember what the nurse said. You need to take tiny sips.”
I take small sips before pushing his hand away. Dad places the glass on the bedside table, pulls a chair in closer to my bed and sits down. He threads his fingers through mine. “I thought I lost you,” he says, and I’m shocked to see tears pool in his eyes. “You overdosed, Emily, and you’ve been in a coma for three days.”
It all returns to me in a flash, and my heart speeds up. The monitor behind me starts beeping wildly.
Dad smooths a hand over my clammy brow. “You’re safe now, honey. And you need to stay nice and calm. I only just got you back.”
Pain slices across my chest as everything jumbles in my brain.
“Why, Emily? Why did you do this? I thought we were rebuilding our relationship. That you knew you could talk to me about anything? If you were struggling again, you should’ve come to me. I told you no judgment, and I meant it.”
Tears spill out of the corners of my eyes. “I’m in so much pain, Daddy,” I finally admit, because I can’t shoulder this alone any longer. My lower lip wobbles, and big, fat tears plop onto my cheeks. “He… He…” Tears continue to pump out of my eyes as I struggle to draw enough air into my lungs.
Dad lets loose a string of expletives, and if I wasn’t currently fighting to breathe, I’d find it funny. He presses the button, hollering for the nurse, and she comes racing into the room like her butt’s on fire.
Ten minutes later, my breathing has returned to normal, but I feel sleepy. Which sounds crazy. Because I’ve just spent the last three days sleeping, but I can’t keep my eyes open, and I drift into slumber.
When I wake again, Dad isn’t alone.
Beautiful emerald eyes peer into my face, and my heart thumps eagerly in my chest. “Adam,” I whisper.
“Hey, baby.” He brushes his thumb along my cheek, staring at me with so much love I could cry. I’m shocked when his shoulders shake, his lip wobbles, and tears build in his eyes. He cups my face, examining every inch of my features as if he thought he’d never get to look at me again, clearly struggling to keep his emotions in check.
Dad rises. “I’ll grab some coffees.” It’s his way of giving us privacy.
The door closes after him, and silence descends on the room. Adam moves his chair in closer to the bed, his eyes never leaving mine. The air is thick with tension, and I don’t know where to start. His face is an open book. His distressed emotional state clear to see.
“I’m sorry,” we both blurt at the same time, and it helps to break the awkward tension. Our light laughter echoes in the otherwise quiet room.
Adam laces his fingers in mine, and I curl my fingers around his, clinging to him. Delicious tingles emanate from our conjoined hands, shooting up my arm, and I drag my lower lip between my teeth to stop from moaning. Seriously, one tiny touch, and I’m melting into a puddle of goo.
His mouth pulls into a beautiful smile, and it brings tears to my eyes.
“Let me go first,” he says, and his rich, deep voice sends shivers skating all over my body. He bends down, pressing a feather-soft kiss to my cheek, and it’s everything. “I’m so sorry for letting you down, Emily.”
I open my mouth to speak, but he places one long finger against my lips, silencing me. “I need to get this out.”
I nod, and he continues.
“I was so angry at you because I thought you’d told your dad about us. About me dealing. I thought you cared about Molly more than me and you’d ratted me out when I refused to give you any. I know the truth now. That Coach overheard us arguing about it over the phone. That you didn’t betray my confidence.”
Shock settles on my face as the dots join in my head. I’d been too strung out when we last spoke to call him out on his accusation, but now, it makes sense.
“I would never have told him, Adam. I wouldn’t mess with your future like that.” My eyes go wide. “Oh my God. If he knows, does that mean…”
“It’s all okay.” He squeezes my hand. “I’ve told him why I did it, and he’s giving me a second chance.”
“What about the NFL scout?”
