Rain pelted against the hood of my car and sweat dampened my brow, my upper lip, and the backs of my knees in hot, uncomfortable pinpricks. At the same time, I trembled, skin coated in goosebumps from the chill. I was alive.
Then shock settled in and my hands began to quake.
I’d spent my whole life being strong. First for my dad after my mom split, then for myself when I was all alone in the world. I didn’t want to be strong anymore. I didn’t want to do it all on my own. I wanted someone I could trust to lean on, and maybe that’s why I took the news about Liam’s leaving so hard. I thought he was the one I could trust to always be there.
But now, none of that seemed important.
I was scared and alone and all I wanted was his arms around me to tell me it would be okay.
I fumbled in my purse for my phone to call emergency services to help with my car and report the accident, and to call Liam and apologize for overreacting. God, I wanted to apologize. But my phone was dead and I’d left my charger at his house when I’d raced out. The tears spilled over then and I banged my head against the steering wheel.
I forced myself to breathe normally—in through my nose and out through my mouth—until I calmed down enough to think rationally. Someone would have reported the accident. Someone would see my car stuck on the side of the road and they’d call the state troopers. I’d just need to wait until someone came out to check on me. Then I’d figure out what to do from there.
It didn’t take long for the flash of someone’s headlights to shine into my front window. Certainly faster than I thought their response time would be, considering the torrential downpour. Their lights were shining into my eyes, so I couldn’t see who it was, but it didn’t matter. I was grateful.
Unable to keep my head up any longer—crashing from the adrenaline, I guessed—I slumped against the wheel again as I waited for whoever it was to come to me. Normally, I would have gotten out to meet them, but I wasn’t sure I could walk, let alone do so in the early morning in the rain.
My door flew open. “Charlie?”
The sound of Ember’s voice sent a shock throughout my whole body, giving me enough energy to sit up. “Ember?”
For a second I was legitimately afraid I’d died. My thoughts were like sludge and it didn’t occur to me that there’d be any other explanation.
“Jesus. Are you okay?” I started to move to get out, but she stopped me. “Wait until I can check you over really quick. Do you feel any pain anywhere?” Her fingers came away bloody as she inspected the wound on my head I only just realized was there.
I reached my own hand up and found a sizable bump on my temple that was freely bleeding. “It’s just a bump. I’m okay.” When there were no significant injuries, she helped me to her SUV to finish the exam rather than wait in the freezing rain. She must have gotten the emergency call when I’d gone off the road. I spotted the semi driver talking to a cop in the distance. I’d have to remember to thank him.
She frowned. “You’re okay when I say you’re okay. Stay still while I examine you.” As her fingers poked and prodded, I stayed as still as possible.
“I’m fine. I promise.” The sight of blood cleared my thoughts a little.
“What are you doing out here, Charlie?” Ember asked quietly as she bandaged the wound.
There was no point in trying to hide anything from her. She’d had too much experience dragging out the truth from her mischievous siblings for lies to work on her. “Liam and I had a fight.”
She sighed and pulled me in for a hug, then shoved me back firmly to glare. “And you thought the smart thing to do would be go for a drive in the middle of a damn hurricane!”
I nearly rolled my eyes, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it. “This is Florida, there’s always a hurricane.”
“Be serious. You could have been killed. I’ve had to see a lot as an EMT, but what I never want to see is someone I love at a call.” It was her serious tone that sobered me up.
“I’m sorry, Ember. I would never want to put you through that. To be honest, I was just driving. I didn’t know where else to go.” I hated to admit that, to be so vulnerable with anyone, but Liam seemed to have opened a damn of emotion I’d never realized had even been there.
Ember took my hand with hers. “You always have somewhere to go. With me, or with Layla. We love you, Charlie, so much. That’s why we’re friends. We don’t have Liam’s abs or his dimple, but we love you and you’re always welcome with us.”
I laughed, but it caused my head to ache and I winced. “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.”
“We’re gonna take a ride to the hospital to get that checked out, then you’re coming home with me.”
I opened my mouth to whine about going to the hospital, but one stern look from Ember had me shutting it. No wonder the twins shut up whenever she barked an order. She had the mom glare down pat.
** *
Layla was waitingfor me at Ember’s apartment by the time we finished up at the hospital. I felt bad for making them cater to me at the crack of dawn, but at the same time, I don’t know what I would have done without them. Which only made me dissolve into tears on Ember’s loveseat. Quiet tears, that is, because the twins were asleep in the next room.
“Do you need more ibuprofen?” Ember asked as she leaned over to check the ugly ass bandage on my head.
“No, Mom, I’m fine.” Then I sighed. “Speaking of, I have something to tell you guys.”
