Page 13 of Doctor’s Forbidden Match

I want to argue, to say I failed, but the words won’t come. All I can do is nod as a doctor approaches with a clipboard and a sympathetic smile.

Chapter 4

Hannah

The emergency doctor, Ridge Thorne, examines my ankle and asks questions while a nurse takes my vitals. Blood pressure, temperature, pain level on a scale of one to ten.

Mia, Jaina, and Karyn stand near the door, giving me space but staying close. I’m grateful for their presence.

“Seven,” I lie. It’s closer to a nine.

Doctor Thorne meets my gaze, and I get the ‘I-don’t-believe-you’ look. “We’re going to get you some strong painkillers, and then we’ll need X-rays and possibly a CT scan to see what we’re dealing with. I suspect a fracture, but we need to confirm.”

I nod quietly, exhaustion washing over me now that I’m still and away from the director and cast.

He orders the tests, and a nurse appears with medications. She first puts in an IV, then injects medication into the vein. Within a few minutes, the pain reduces. My head feels light and floaty.

“Better?” the nurse asks.

“Much. Thank you.”

They wheel me through sterile, white hallways for X-rays, then a CT scan. The halls are relatively empty; just nurses or a tech passing by. I keep my gaze down to avoid anyone seeing me and leaking it.

The machines shift around me while I lie perfectly still, staring at the roof, trying to stop my mind from racing about what this means for tomorrow.

After what feels like hours, but is probably only forty-five minutes, I’m pushed into a private room. The space is surprisingly big, with cream-colored walls, a large window overlooking the town’s main street, and light streaming through half open blinds. It’s the best view I’ve ever seen in a hospital, not that I’ve been to many.

Two nurses help me transfer from the wheelchair to the bed, supporting me while I hop on my good leg. The bed is comfortable; they put pillows under my leg to prop up my injured foot.

“The doctor will be in shortly with your results,” one nurse says. “Do you need anything else? More painkillers? Water? Extra blanket?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

They leave, and I’m alone with Mia, Jaina, and Karyn, who have been hovering in the corner. Their faces are etched with concern, and their loyalty makes my heart clench. But I can’t let them stay for this. Witness whatever news is coming.

“Okay, you guys need to go,” I say. “I’ll be fine. They’ll probably just give me a boot or something and send me home.”

But what I’m really thinking is... I need them gone before the doctor tells me this is serious. Before everyone knows.

I can’t control what happens to my body. But I can control the narrative. I can control how many people know, how fast it spreads, how bad it sounds when it reaches Dain’s ears.

All three women exchange looks.

“Hannah…” Mia starts.

“I’m serious. You’ve already done so much.” My throat thickens with emotion. “Thank you. Really. But you don’t need to stay any longer.”

“We don’t mind…” Karyn begins.

“I know you don’t. But you have lives, families. It’s…” I check the clock on the wall. “Past dinnertime. Go home. I promise to call if I need help, and I already have Channing to drive me back to the house.”

They look unconvinced, but after another round of protests and reassurances, they reluctantly agree to leave. Before they go, though, Karyn disappears and returns with her arms full, holding a few bottles of water, a bag of trail mix, a pack of chips, and a small bouquet of flowers in paper that she must have gotten from the hospital gift shop.

“Just in case you get hungry,” she says, setting everything on the tray table beside my bed. “I thought they might make the room less depressing.”

I stare at the flowers, a variety of pinks, whites, greens, and yellow, and my chest tightens. These women barely know me. They’ve spent one day with me, and they’re bringing me flowers and snacks and staying hours past their shift.

“Thank you,” I manage, blinking rapidly, fighting back tears. “Seriously, thank you all so much.”