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“Dislocated shoulder. Lots of bruises. A bit of mental trauma, but I’ll live,” Adrienne’s smile was weak and her voice tired.
Harmony ran up to Adrienne and stopped short. “Can I give you a hug? Does it hurt? I have Hello Kitty bandaids in my backpack. Do you need one?”
“I have enough bandaids for now, but I might need some later. You can hold my hand.” Adrienne reached out.
Harmony grasped her hand tightly.
“Your girl?” The nurse asked.
Adrienne shook her head and opened her mouth.
“Nieces,” Alana said.
I met Dustin’s gaze, and his raised eyebrows reflected mine. She was either pretending she didn’t see us kiss, or was far more understanding of the concept you can love more than one person than most adults. Either way, she was probably going to take over the world when she was old enough. Or next year.
“Well, I’ll let you tell them what happened and catch up.” The nurse patted Adrienne lightly on her good shoulder. “She’s got her prescriptions and our contact information. Call us or bring her back here if there are any complications, but she should be fine. Stay safe, hon.”
“Thank you.” Exhaustion radiated from Adrienne.
My impulse to take her away from all of this surged even stronger. I settled for asking, “What happened?”
Her laugh was strained. “For as many ways as I’ve told the police, I should ask them to give you a copy of their report.”
Dustin gently tugged Harmony away. “Go get that bandaid,” he said. “So Addie has it later.”
She nodded and ran to her backpack.
“Short version, Sean ran me off the road.”
At Adrienne’s words, I balled up my fists.
“Is he here? Can we see him?” Dustin asked before I could.
“He is, but you probably can’t,” Adrienne said. “He’s got a police guard. And a shattered femur. As soon as he can be moved, they’re extraditing him to Washington, where he has warrants for assault.” She dragged in a shaky breath.
I was simultaneously sick and furious at the implication. But she was all right and out of his reach. I wanted to take her away, hide her from the world, and pamper her. Keep her safe. Tell her how much I loved her.
Harmony ran up to Adrienne, several bandaids clutched in her fist. “Here you go. These will help.”
“Thank you.” Adrienne took the presents and tucked them into her purse. She looked at Graham, her face taut with stress. “Can I…?”
“Luna has the guest room ready, and she can grab some of your stuff for you. You can stay with us as long as you need.” Graham stepped behind her and grabbed the handles of her wheelchair. “Let’s get you out to the car if you’re ready.”
Adrienne glanced between Dustin and me. “I don’t know why you’re here, but it means a lot that you are. Between the trauma and the police and the injuries and the painkillers, though… I need sleep. Catch up later?”
“Sure.” I stepped close enough to squeeze her fingers. “Get some rest.”
Dustin brushed his lips over her cheek. “We’re here.”
Graham rolled Adrienne out of the emergency room.
Dustin turned to me. “I have to put them to bed. And give them a multi-vitamin since I let them eat vending machine food for dinner. You’ll be in the office tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” And probably for a while. I wasn’t one-hundred percent positive yet, but I was pretty sure I was staying with the company for a while. I gave him a quick kiss, and it felt more natural than I’d ever expected. “We’ll catch up then.”
What a roller coaster of a night. Now that I had answers—resolution—adrenaline settled heavily inside. Dustin was right—about a lot of things, but one specifically—there was always a chance tomorrow wouldn’t get here.
Fear wasn’t going to keep me from experiencing today again.
