Page 129 of No Greater Oblivion

“He was driving against traffic…flew past the passenger side door…my foot. It got caught.”

“Did it happen on your way to the restaurant?” I look around the room and find a box of tissues and an unopened water bottle on the nightstand. I grab a wad of tissues and wet them before cleaning up the running makeup as best as I can. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? And where’s your phone?”

“I lost⁠—”

“Brent has it,” Clodagh interrupts. “And her purse as well.”

Karina doesn’t react at first. After a moment, she looks at me and says, “Please don’t tell my parents.”

“Kay, I’m not going to tell them right now because they’re only going to make a scene in the emergency room. But everyone is still at the restaurant waiting for you; we have to tell them something.”

“No.” Her voice is firm if not slightly erratic. “I said no. Don’t.”

Clodagh and I exchange looks in silence. She tilts her head and I follow her out into the hall. Lyss isn’t here, which means she must be in the waiting room with everyone else.

“I’ve made a call up to psych and one of my colleagues is on his way down. I’m hoping she’ll consent to an evaluation.”

“An evaluation? For what? She broke her foot.”

“And she’s practically comatose. Look at her,” Clodagh says. “You’re the first person she’s spoken more than a few words to since she got here. I’m concerned.”

“She’s in shock, Clo. An hour ago she was riding the high of an amazing performance and now she’s broken her foot…” The moment I say the words aloud, something dawns on me. “Oh my God…her foot.”

She understands my concern immediately. “Broken in several notoriously difficult places for healing. Thankfully, she avoided the need for surgery.”

“Recovery?”

She hesitates a beat before continuing. “I’m not so concerned about the phalanges—her toe bones. Those fractures are smaller and less severe. They should heal without issue. However, her metatarsals are different.” She holds up her hand to demonstrate. “They’re the long bones in the middle of the foot and crucial for weight-bearing and balance. Almost every single one of them is fractured. It’s a miracle her sesamoid bones weren’t crushed either.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means movements crucial to ballet, like rising to the tips of your toes, would become nearly impossible. At this point in time, I do not feel confident in her ability to dance again after this.”

My heart drops. Instinctively, I look over my shoulder and find Karina exactly where we left her a few minutes ago. Stone faced and silent.

“Does she know?”

“I think she does. After we removed the shoe and she saw the damage, she’s been quiet ever since.”

My poor Kay…

“There’s something else you should know.” Clodagh reaches forward and pulls the door halfway closed. She lowers her voice. “She lied about the motorcycle.”

“What?”

“When they first got here, Brent said it was a cyclist.”

“She could’ve gotten them mixed up, Clodagh, look at her—she’s traumatized. I doubt she was paying attention.”

The doctor in front of me gives a firm shake of the head. “No, Dahlia. I was there, in the emergency room with Alyssa when they came in. I heard everything. They both said it was a cyclist. And another thing,” she says. “Karina tried to lie about where her phone is. Brent has it and she knows he has it.”

“What reason could she possibly have to lie about those things?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Her implication makes my blood run cold.

“I’ve worked in a hospital for almost as long as you’ve been alive. I’ve seen everything. And I know when a woman is keeping a secret for her husband.”