Page 63 of Two Favors Repaid

“You know where the call button is, if you need anything. Remember to keep the stitches on your arm dry.”

“Thank you,” Emma said. She pushed off the covers and let her feet hang off the bed. She waited until the nurse closed the door behind her before getting up. She didn’t have any time to waste. She needed to get out of here and find Rob before he did something stupid.

Clutching the back of the open hospital gown, Emma made her way to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror for an instant, which was more than long enough to confirm she looked as awful as she felt.

Red and blotchy.

She wasn’t one of those women you read about who looked pale and beautiful when under stress.

She looked down at her arms, which both sported clean, fresh bandages. She was going to have matching scars when this was over.

She froze as she heard a noise in the bedroom.

“Hello?” she said tentatively.

“Emma, it’s Susan. I’m dropping off some clothes for you. I hope they fit alright.”

“Thanks, Susan, I’m sure they’ll be great.”

“Take your time getting dressed. I’m going to park the car by the ER entrance, ok? I’ll meet you there.”

“That’s fine, thanks.”

Emma unwrapped a small, scentless soap bar and used it to wash herself quickly everywhere she could reach, drying off with the small towel. She gave up on trying to do anything with her matted curls, just bunched them up again into as tidy a ponytail as she could manage. Finally, she made good use of the trial-size toothpaste and toothbrush that had been left near the sink for her.

At the end of the process, Emma felt one hundred percent more human than before. She went back out and found the package of clothes on top of the bed. The underwear was a bit too tight but it was clean and dry and felt wonderful. The was no bra so Emma put on the same one she’d been wearing when she arrived at the hospital. She found a pair of jeans and a light gray cotton V-neck top.

Though the top was made of soft cotton and was the perfect size for her, Emma felt strange in the muted color. The jeans were long, so she rolled them up several times.

Emma left the door to the room open and went to look for the nurse.

“Thank you so much. I’m leaving now,” she said shyly. She was having the worst kind of déjà-vu, having done exactly the same thing just a day earlier.

“Go home and relax, angel,” the nurse replied.

Emma’s stomach knotted up at the use of the endearing term.

Breathe through the panic or they’ll keep you here.

“Do you know what time it is?”

“Yes, of course, it’s almost five p.m.,” the nurse said, smiling. She turned around and started filing away some charts. Emma assumed that was a dismissal.

She followed the signs to the ER entrance, not wanting to keep Susan waiting. It was completely deserted.

Suddenly, a car came peeling up the ramp. Emma jumped back, though by the time she did so the car had already stopped. A slim, middle-aged woman rushed out of the car.

“Help me, please!” she shouted, her voice laced with panic. “My son was run over by a car.”

Emma looked behind her, half expecting to be run over by a team of doctors and nurses. There was nobody around. “I can go call—”

“Please, just help me carry him inside. I think his legs are broken!” the woman cried out.

The woman looked harmless and was slim enough that Emma had no doubt she could take her on in a fight. However, she was still determined to be cautious, so she stood her ground.

“Let me call someone for you,” she repeated stonily.

“Please,” the woman begged.