It was a pathetic excuse for a life, but thankfully, with the help of her own therapist, she’d finally started coming to terms with reality.
Her husband wasn’t coming back.
In her head, she understood it was time to move on. Her heart, however, was having a much harder time letting go of the dream that he’d return. A dream only she wished would come true.
Maybe you’re not the only one.
No, she couldn’t go there. Not again. Her future with Gabe died a long time ago, and if she didn’t stop holding on to the past, she’d never have any kind of future.
So why hasn’t he sent the papers back yet?
Ignoring the voice determined to sabotage her need to move on, Ellena gave up the search and opened her eyes.
Just like when she’d first woken up after the accident—she had no idea how long ago that had been—everything in the dimly lit room appeared fuzzy. The hospital’s familiar antiseptic smell mixed with Gabe’s lingering, masculine scent.
Great. Now I’m smelling him even after I’ve woken up.
Elle blinked several times, frowning when she saw the person sitting in the chair to her right.
“Shouldn’t you be working?” Her voice sounded rough from sleep.
Jenna smiled back at her. “My shift ended forty-five minutes ago.”
“So why are you still here?”
Her best friend shrugged in that casual, laid-back way of hers. “I wanted to come by and check on you. How do you feel?”
“Tired.” Ellena glanced down at the gray sling holding her arm in place. “Shoulder’s sore and a little achy, but my head no longer feels like it’s going to explode, so that’s something, at least.” Grunting, she began scooting herself up the noisy mattress and moving the bed into a more upright position.
Jenna shot to her feet. “Here, let me help.”
“I’ve got it,” Ellena insisted, already sitting up straighter. She glanced at the clock on the wall in front of her and frowned. “It’s really late, Jen. You should go home and get some rest.”
“I see that bump on your head did nothing to ease your stubbornness.”
Ellena scowled at her equally stubborn friend who was in the process of settling back down into one of the room’s two plastic chairs. “Independence does not equal stubbornness, you know. I’m just…” She cut herself off, confused when she spotted the man standing outside the room. “Is that a security guard by my door?”
Jenna gave her an unapologetic nod. “It is.”
Ellena exhaled loudly. “I know you mean well, Jen, but I told you before. No one is after me. This was an accident. Plain and simple.”
“I know that’s whatyouthink.” Jenna added a mumbled, “Even though you can’t remember anything that happened.”
Ignoring that last bit, Ellena gave her friend a look. “Well if you know that, then why did you request a guard to be posted outside my room?”
“I-I didn’t.”
The sudden change in Jenna’s demeanor gave Ellena pause, but she blew it off. Hating how the lingering effects of the drugs were still muddling her thoughts, she asked, “Then who requested the—”
“I did.”
The breath in Ellena’s lungs froze, and she could feel her eyes growing wide as she stared back at her friend. A friend who now looked like the Cheshire cat after eating a big, fat mouse.
No.
At first, Ellena was sure she’d imagined the voice. That it was some sort of drug-induced conscious dream stemming from her earlier thoughts.
But then she saw Jenna’s eyes shift to something to Elle’s left, and she knew.
