“We don’t know for sure.”
“What the hell do you mean you don’t know?” Gabe demanded as he readjusted the bag’s strap.
Jenna crossed her arms at her chest and shrugged. “Elle doesn’t remember anything about the accident.”
His brows rose. “Nothing?”
She shook her head. “She remembers heading to work this morning, but the rest is a blur.”
Muttering a curse, Gabe ran his free hand over his jaw. “Was there another car involved?”
“It was a hit and run.” The other woman rolled her lips inward, looking nearly as pissed as Gabe felt. “I have a friend who works for SDPD. He said the report points to someone running a stop sign, t-boning Elle’s car on the driver’s side, and then taking off. The officers who worked the accident blew it off as some punk who either had a warrant for their arrest, was drunk, or just didn’t want to stick around for the ticket.”
He didn’t miss the underlying tone of her voice or the frustration in her green eyes.
“You think there’s more to it.”
With her long, red ponytail swishing from side to side, Jenna looked around as if checking to see if they had an audience. The waiting room was surprisingly sparse, but the nurse behind the desk was unabashedly staring up at them.
Noticing this, Jenna grabbed his elbow and led them both away. “Come on.” Her long legs moved quickly. “We can talk on the way up to her room.”
More than ready to see with his own eyes that Ellena was in fact okay, Gabe followed the woman without argument.
When the first of the two elevators opened, a couple with a young child who’d been waiting stepped inside. Gabe started to get on but stopped when Jenna pulled on his arm.
She shook her head. “We’ll take the next one.”
Seeing that there was more than enough room for them all to fit, he looked back at Jenna questioningly.
“Trust me, the conversation we need to have should be a private one.”
Jenna had worked in the Naval Medical Center’s emergency room for as long as he’d known her. She was smart, funny, and had been there for Ellena when he couldn’t be.
When you should’ve been.
Ignoring the direction in which his thoughts seemed hell-bent on traveling, Gabe listened to the woman and waited.
Her insisted privacy did nothing to ease the massive ball of worry settling in his gut. But Gabe knew she must have her reasons for wanting to wait to discuss whatever was going on with Ellena.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the second elevator opened. He released the breath he’d been holding when he saw there was no one else waiting.
Thank fuck.
The minute the doors closed, Gabe turned to Jenna.
“Okay, talk.”
Despite her obvious need to share, a slight trepidation seeped into her suddenly unsure gaze. “Elle’s gonna kill me if she finds out I told you any of this, so you can’t let on that you know.”
The fuck?“Know what?”
“I’m serious, Gabe.” Jenna crossed her arms tightly at her chest. Determination replaced her brief uncertainty as she stared up at him. “The only reason I’m sharing this with you is because I’m really worried about her.”
His stomach fell, and his brow furrowed. “But you just said she was going to be okay.”
“I’m not talking about what happened.” Jenna shook her head. “I mean, I guess I am, but…” Trailing off, she bit her bottom lip as if she were contemplating some big, important decision. “Promise you won’t tell her I told you?”
Hanging on by a thread, Gabe drew in a slow, deep breath and prayed for patience. He let it out slowly as he tried to not bite the well-meaning woman’s head off. “Jenna, just tell me what you know.”
