"I know, I know. I'm sorry," I cut in. "I should have called."
"Where are you?" she demands, slightly calmer now. "Dr. Patel said something about Walker taking you somewhere?"
"I'm in Montana," I say, still amazed at how surreal that sounds. "At Sebastian's family ranch."
The silence that follows lasts so long I check to make sure the call hasn't dropped.
"Laney?"
"Montana," she repeats incredulously. "Okay, start from the beginning, because last I heard Cheryl coded, you had a meltdown, and you quit your job by throwing your badge at Henderson."
I wince at the accuracy of her summary. "That about covers it. Sebastian found me at my apartment afterward. I was... not in a good place. He suggested getting away from everything for a bit."
"And you just... went to Montana. With him." It's not quite a question.
"Yes."
Another pause. "So it is serious then?"
"It… is," I tell her.
"Oh honey." Her voice softens. "Is it helping? Being there?"
I glance toward the window, where I can see Sebastian's silhouette on the porch steps. "Yeah," I say quietly. "It definitely is."
"Then I'm glad." She sighs. "Just don't ever do that to me again, okay? I was about five minutes from calling hospitals to check for Jane Does."
"I promise." The tightness in my chest eases slightly. "So... how bad is it? At the hospital, I mean. Is everyone talking about my meltdown?"
Laney's laugh has a sardonic edge. "Oh, no. They're way too busy talking about Sebastian throwing Harper against a wall in the cafeteria."
I nearly drop the phone. "He did what?"
"Yeah, that's the hot gossip. Apparently Walker went full caveman on Harper, had him pinned to the wall and everything. Dr. Patel had to physically pull him off."
"What the hell happened?" I demand.
"All I know is Harper said something, and suddenly Walker had him against the wall looking like he wanted to rearrange his face. At least that’s what Chanelle told Odette who told Ria who told me."
The image of cool, controlled Sebastian losing it enough to physically confront Harper is almost impossible to picture. "Holy shit."
"I've got to go, my break's almost over," Laney says. "But call me tomorrow, okay? I want to know you're alright."
"I will," I promise. "And Laney? Thank you. For caring enough to worry."
"Always," she says simply, and the line goes quiet.
I set the phone down, mind spinning with this new information. Sebastian confronted Harper? Physically? I can't even. Ignoring my untouched tea, I head for the door.
I find Sebastian sitting on the cabin's porch steps, his elbows resting on his knees as he watches a small herd of horses graze in the distant paddock. His profile is relaxed but thoughtful, completely at odds with the image forming in my mind of him slamming Harper against a wall.
He glances up at the sound of the door closing behind me, his expression instantly warming. "Everything okay with your friend?"
"Laney's fine," I say, settling beside him on the wooden step. Our shoulders almost touch, and the scant inch between us feels charged with electricity. "She was worried when she couldn't find me after everything."
"Understandable." He shifts slightly, closing that inch between us until his arm presses against mine.
Watching the horses for a moment, I try to gather my thoughts. A gray one lifts its head, ears pricked toward us as if it senses the conversation that's about to happen.
