I squint up at the too-bright fluorescent lights, which only intensify the throbbing behind my eyes. My brain is struggling to process where the hell I am. Stiff sheets, incessant beeping, an awful sterile smell…
Wait. Am I in a hospital bed?
“Jesus Christ, Bree. You scared the absolute shit out of me.”
I wince, my neck protesting as I turn to find Zoey sitting beside me. Her eyes are wide, her face an expression of panic and fury, like she’s torn between hugging and strangling me.
Oh yeah, that’s right. I passed out in the middle of the damn hallway. Just dropped like a rock.
“Sorry,” I mumble. “I’ll try not to inconvenience you next time.”
She snorts, though the concern still lingers in the way her brows furrow. “You can’t even quit the sarcasm when you’re half dead.”
I manage a weak smile. “What can I say? It’s my best quality.”
Her chuckle fades almost as quickly as it comes, and she shifts, her tone more serious now. “Bree, you’re dehydrated and exhausted. Youknowbetter.”
She’s right. Idoknow better. I’m a nurse for god’s sake. How the hell am I supposed to help other people if I can’t even take care of myself?
“I’m fine.” The words don’t sound convincing to me. Hell, they sound exactly like the lie that they are.
“Yeah, sure. That’s why you collapsed during your shift,”she shoots back. “You’re running yourself into the ground, Bree. It’s not fine.You’renot fine.”
I close my eyes for a second. “I know. I’ve picked up too many extra hours.”
What I won’t tell her, what I won’t tell anyone, is that I’ve been purposely keeping myself busy to prevent my mind from spiraling. Because when I’m still, when I have time to think, all I do think about is him.
Zoey’s sigh is softer this time. “You’ll be good to go home here in a bit, but I’ll drive you,” she says. “You have no business getting behind the wheel today.”
I don’t argue. I’m too tired to fight her on this. “Okay, fair enough. Wouldn’t want to addterrible driverto my list of faults.”
She rolls her eyes but snorts a laugh. “Sarcasm and self-deprecation. Your two favorite coping mechanisms.”
I smirk, but the moment is short-lived as a realization smacks me in the face. I never got back to Callan. Or my mom.
“Shit, Zoey. Where’s my phone?” I move quickly to sit up straighter, which is a mistake because the room sways.
“Oh, here.” She pulls my phone out of her pocket. “Don’t worry, I called Mama Bear and told her you were a little woozy. Figured you didn’t want her storming up here.”
“Callan…?” I ask. Zoey knows all about him. She has since the beginning. There was no hiding how obsessed I’ve been, not from her.
She gives me a sad smile. “I did try to call him from your phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I sent him a text instead. I hope that’s okay. I only saw, like, one or two of your dirty messages in the process.”
My jaw drops. “Zoey!”
She shrugs, completely unbothered. “What? It’s not my fault you two have the texting habits of horny teenagers.”
I groan, snatching my phone from her hand. “Please tell me you didn’t open anything you shouldn’t have.”
“Defineshouldn’t have.” She grins, and I resist the urge to throw my pillow at her.
I know she’s just teasing, but the thought still makes my stomach flip. I really hope she didn’t go scrolling back too far. Let’s just say there was a phase when Callan and I were swapping some…veryrisqué photos. Knowing Zoey, if she had seen anything, she’d absolutely let me know all about it. Probably with detailed commentary on his impressive…package.
I unlock the phone, trying to act casual but my heart sinks a little when I see there aren’t any new messages from him. Not too surprising, I guess. It is the middle of the night over there.
“Well, thank you.” I reply, truly grateful. Zoey may drive me crazy sometimes, but she’s the kind of friend everyone needs. Especially when you’re lying in a hospital bed trying not to feel like a complete failure.
“Of course.” She waves it off. Then her eyes light up with the kind of excitement that only comes from a juicy story. “Now, let me tell you what I heard about Lila and Dr. Rhodes…”
