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“Once he’s been transferred to the ICU, where he’ll stay for at least the next day, his nurse will notify you,” he replied, then he gave us a brief nod and left.
Since we were at the hospital that Styx worked at, he knew where the ICU was, so we all followed him there. Styx spoke to someone at the nurse’s station—I assumed telling her who we were all there for. Then we waited some more.
Finally, a nurse approached and called out. “Lacie?”
“Yes?” Lacie bolted to her feet, dropping my hand as she did. She rushed toward the nurse, leaving me sitting there. Instantly, my heart was mercilessly crushed.
I wanted to go see Max.
No, I needed to see him. But it wasn’t like I had any right. He wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t really my anything.
Yet, simply thinking that hurt. Because somehow, though we had adamantly insisted there would be no feelings involved, he had become important to me. I stared after Lacie as she followed the nurse down a short hall and entered the locked intensive care unit.
“Do you need a ride home?” I heard someone ask me.
I looked up from my tightly clasped hands. “Huh?”
“I know we drove Lacie’s car here. I didn’t know if you wanted a ride home,” Mattie clarified. “The prospect drove the SUV here. We can drop you off on our way back.”
“Oh,” I said as I cast a longing glance down the hall in the direction Lacie had gone. “Okay.”
No, I didn’t want to leave, but how was I going to explain to anyone why that was? Sure, I could say I wanted to stay for Lacie, but it was pretty obvious I was the last person on her mind.
I sedately followed Mattie and Cale out of the hospital and to a waiting SUV. “You take the front seat,” Mattie offered with empathy in her gaze.
All I could do was nod, then I climbed in and gave my address to the guy driving.
As the miles passed, I absently gazed out the window. I was vaguely aware of Mattie and Cale occasionally whispering, but I couldn’t be bothered to care if they were talking about me or not.
When the SUV stopped in front of my building, I got out and turned to the occupants of the vehicle. “Thank you all for the ride.”
“No worries,” the guy behind the wheel replied with a half-smile.
“It was nice meeting you,” Mattie told me.
“You too,” I returned the sentiment.
Cale gave me a stoic chin life, his lips not even making the slightest twitch. Neither he nor Mattie made a move to get out to take my seat.
With nothing left to say, I closed the door and entered my apartment complex.
Numb, I made my way up to my apartment. Once I got inside, I turned the locks and collapsed onto my couch. Only then did the tears really fall.
* * *
Lacie texted me in the morning to tell me that Max had woken up enough to talk to her. I so wanted to ask her if he had said anything about me, but that would’ve been suspicious as hell. She told me she was going to go home to get cleaned up and get something to eat, then go back up there.
I decided that was my opening and I was out of my apartment and on the road in no time.
When I got to the hospital, I located Lacie’s car and parked a couple of rows over where I could see when she came out. I knew I was being a weirdo, but I couldn’t just waltz in there. Not until I knew if he could forgive me. Then I’d figure out a way to bring it up to her once I had my answer.
It wasn’t long before I saw my friend walk out to her car. My heart ached for her because she looked frazzled.
The second she drove away, I got out and hurried inside.
My chest constricted the closer I got to the ICU. With each step, I prayed I was doing the right thing.
“Max Windsor?” I replied when I rang the bell and someone asked who I was there to see. The doors unlocked and I went in.
