Page 64 of Bless My Heart

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HAZEL

I look down at my phone and am surprised at the name I see.

Wes.

I hadn’t heard from or seen him since last week when he walked out of my class the day Jordan stopped by.

I guess it makes sense. He has to take the class again anyway, so he doesn’t need to show up to mine. I guess I was hoping he still would, though. Which is stupid. I can’t keep pushing him away and expect him to come crawling back every time.

My stomach twists nervously when I see his name on my phone. I hesitate over the words Slide to answer. Should I answer? What does he want? What if something is wrong?

That last question makes my thumb slide across my screen.

“Wes?”

There is silence for a minute.

“Hazel,” he says, barely above a whisper. His voice sounds rough and scratchy. Almost like he was … crying.

“Wes? Is everything ok?” I strain to hear the noise in the background. People are talking. Some beeping sounds. But I can’t make out where he might be.

“No.” He pauses, and I wait for him to give me more details. “Shit, I shouldn’t have called. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

I rush to stop him before he hangs up. “No, no. Wes, talk to me. What’s wrong?” I want to make sure he’s ok. I want to make sure he isn’t hurt or something. I’ve never heard him sound like this. Even when he was yelling at me for breaking up with him, his voice didn’t sound this vulnerable.

“My sister,” he says.

“Stella?” I question, wondering what could have happened.

“Yeah.” He takes a deep breath before continuing. “She passed out and hit her head on the concrete. She’s bleeding. I’m in the ambulance with her now on the way to the hospital.”

“Oh my God. Wes, I’m so sorry. Is she going to be ok?”

“I don’t know,” he chokes out. “I just … I needed someone to talk to, I guess. And you were the first person I thought of.” My heart swells at his confession. He is still thinking about me. I shouldn’t be happy about that, especially in this situation, but I can’t help it.

“Do you want me to meet you at the hospital?” I ask.

Silence.

Maybe I shouldn’t have offered that.

“Would you?” he finally asks.

“Of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I say, already slipping on my shoes.

“Thank you, Hazel.” Then he hangs up.

There’s only one hospital even remotely close to Brunswick, so I know where he’s headed.

My heart is beating a mile a minute.

I’m worried for Stella, but I’m also about to see Wes again for the first time in two weeks. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act around him. I’m not sure how I want to act around him.

Twenty minutes later, I pull into the parking lot of the hospital. I run inside, asking the first person I see where I can find Stella Mitchell. I’m eventually directed to a waiting room down the hallway in the ER.

“Wes?” I ask, turning a corner into the room.