And suddenly, I can take no more.
"Don't touch me! Don't you fuckin' touch me!" I screech, wriggling from Robin's arms and shoving at his chest to get him away from me. I shoot out of my chair as soon as I'm free of that monster's hold and back away from him.
I'm vaguely aware that everyone in the room is staring at me like I've lost my mind, but I don't care. I can't let him touch me - never again. Robin looks stunned, and I resent him all the more. He approaches me cautiously, and I retreat until my back hits the wall, but still he stalks toward me.
"Sweetheart, it's okay," he coos.
I hold out my hand to stop him. "Don't you 'sweetheart'me! Don't you come near me! This isyourfault!" I rant, and I know I sound insane, blaming Robin for Cam's car accident, but itishis fault! He's the reason Cam was driving in the storm - the reason he was distracted.
Robin doesn't relent, he takes two slow steps so he's right in front of me, and when he reaches out to touch me again, I lose it.
Screams rip from my throat, my hands swatting at him in hatred as he tries to placate me, telling me everything is okay and that I don't know what I'm saying. But I know exactly what I'm saying.
"No! Don't touch me! Why are you even here?! You hate Cam!"
Sheriff Chipley, suspicious of the entire exchange, sets his hand on Robin's shoulder in warning, and when Chip grabs my arms from behind me, I realize I haven't stopped hitting Robin. I try to wrench from Chip's grip, but my friend whispers for me to calm down and tightens his hold, and I wince as my injuries are aggravated.
"I'm here foryou, sweetheart! Why are you actin' like this? I love you!" From Robin's expression one might believe that he is truly innocent - genuinely confused at my outburst.
"Youloveme?! You don't love me!Camloves me! He would never hurt me! I hate you! This is your fuckin' fault! I told him what you did to me and he was comin' to confront you! He's hurt because of you!" I scream, and continue to rant, and Chip releases my arms and steps in front of me, his face hard and inquisitive as he grabs one of the sleeves of Cam's hoodie, and shoves it up my forearm.
There is a collective gasp as my wrist is revealed, but my glare never leaves Robin, pummeling him with bitterness and rage.
This is all his fault!
Sheriff Chipley takes hold of Robin's shoulders.
"You need to come with me, son," he mutters, his voice is deceptively calm, professional, and though I don't move my eyes from Robin's even for a moment, I can sense the sheriff's hostility.
Robin, the fool, resists. "She's lyin'! I never hurt her!"
He actually has the nerve to deny it! Fury rushes through my veins, compromising my air, and I breathe so hard my injuries smart with every rise and fall of my chest. Slowly and purposefully, I unzip Cam's hoodie, just enough to reveal my neck, never once taking my eyes off Robin's.
I watch as his expression morphs from anger at my accusation, to fear that he's actually going to be exposed for what he's done. Everyone will know what a monster he is, and I know I'm striking him where it will hurt him most - his reputation.
Dr. Foster is instantly at my side, examining my bruised neck, though I didn't even notice her move toward me. Her lovely features, so much like Cam's, are etched in grief and worry,
"Fuck, Rory," Chip breathes, his eyes wide.
I know they're all shocked. I know no one ever thought that hometown hero and all around golden boy, Robin Forbes, would hurt any girl, and certainly not me, whom he's claimed to love so fiercely. But the marks on my skin tell a different story, and though they've faded a bit since Friday, they still speak volumes. Especially the dark shape of Robin's huge open palm around my throat.
I don't reveal the rest of my injuries - not now, when Cam is fighting for his life. I just need Robin away from me or I wouldn't have caused this distraction at all.
"Robin," Sheriff Chipley says more sternly, "You need to come with me.Now."
Robin huffs indignantly, still glaring at me murderously, but puts his hands up, palms forward, and lets the sheriff lead him out of the room. His mother and sister, eyes wide with shock, follow him without so much as looking back.
"Rory," Chip starts, but I shake my head.
"Not now." My voice is barely a whisper, and my friend nods in understanding.
I stand there, in the back of the doctors' lounge, trying to force my breathing to slow back to normal, or as close to normal as it's been today, as Michelle, her doctor friend, and Chip stand there gaping at me, at a loss for what to do right now.
And then the door opens again, and my heart races in fear that Robin has returned.
But it's not Robin. It's a surgeon, still in his sullied medical scrubs. And as Michelle grips my hand tightly, I immediately wish that it was just Robin returning. Because I know, before the surgeon even shakes his head, that Cam didn't make it.
I can feel it. Deep in my soul, I can feel that he's gone. That my anchor to this world has vanished. And I'm already utterly lost when the surgeon I already hate with every fiber of my being makes that small gesture with his head that confirms that I am truly, forever, alone.
