Chapter 21
Blake’s POV
Time seemed to freeze as I watched the blood in her though and fur legs gave way Terrifying pulp my chest.
way Beneath her. I and there motionlese, Baling something mið að
Tanges caught her before she hit the floor, his face contorted with ferg. How can you do this ed Audrey? She’s a patient, damn in the snice refined throngs the hall Semene get Dr. Evans! Now!
1 stood frozen, unable to move as medical staff rushed past the. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to be faking it, playing for exmpatte) take all those other times. But the blood there whe en much blood. And her face, wewally to carefully composed, had turned the deadly pale.
Nurses appeared with a gurney, their movements precise and urgent. I found myself backed against the wall, watching helplessly as they lifted her ling form from James’s arms. Her hair spilled across the white hospital linens.
Security arrived within minutes, positioning themselves between James and me. The lead guard’s voice carried quiet authority: Gentlemen, this is Mays Clinic. Any further altercations and we’ll have to involve the police.
I barely heard him. My eyes were fixed on the trail of blood droplets leading to the emergency treatment room where they’d taken her james stood on the opposite side of the corridor, his designer suit rumpled, a bruise darkening along his jaw where I’d struck him. The hostility radiating from him was almost tangible.
But I ignored it. I was lost in my thoughts, with waves of fear and anxiety building up in my heart. Three years ago, when I was in a coma, was this how she felt? Waiting outside my room, unable to do anything but watch through the glass as doctors and nurses moved around my unconscious form?
After what felt like an eternity, Dr. Evans emerged from the treatment room, her expression serious. Her white coat was pristine except for a small spot of blood near the hem. “The location of impact couldn’t have been worse,” she announced without preamble. “Her lesion is in the stomach. We’ve already dealt with it, and there’s no major issue. But the pain won’t completely subside for a while.”
At this moment, the treatment room doors opened again. A nurse beckoned urgently to Dr. Evans, who nodded, shifting her gaze between me and lames before saying, “Come in and help move the patient back to her room. Just one person.*
Both of us immediately moved toward the treatment room doors.
“Just one,” Dr. Evans held up her hand, blocking our path.
I’ll go, James said firmly. “I’ve been taking care of her since she was admitted yesterday.”
Dr. Evans started to nod, lowering her arm, but I stepped in front of James, my jaw tight. “I’m her husband.
should be me.”
She narrowed her eyes, coldness in them obvious. “So, you’re the husband who’s been too busy for her appointments?” Her contempt was unmistakable. “Meeting you in person has been… quite the challenge.”
I didn’t quite get her sarcasm. “I’ve been busy. She just had minor health issues, I couldn’t always be there.”
“Minor health issues. Dr. Evans’s laugh was cold and bitter. ‘You really don’t know your wife at all.”
She let out a sigh, finally lowering her arm. “Fine. Go ahead.”
Inside the emergency room, the harsh fluorescent lights made everything seem too bright, too real. Audrey lay surrounded by medical equipment, looking smaller and more fragile than I’d ever seen her. Her eyes fluttered open as I approached, and I found myself searching for any sign of her usual dramatic flair. Instead, I saw only exhaustion and carefully contained pain.
In our three years of marriage, I had never seen/Audrey look so fragile. The thought that my own actions had reduced her to this state made me feel incredibly guilty.
