Page 24 of Mad Boys


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The bed area next to mine was empty when I came back. The curtains were open and the bed was freshly made. Aubrey glanced up as they wheeled me back into the bay. “We can get you dressed,” she said. “Results will be in shortly. Or we can wait until they actually release you.”

I was on the fence about that. We’d sent Yvette to sleep and promised to text as soon as we knew what was happening.

“Where…” I started, but Aubrey made a face and I couldn’t blame her. There was almost no improvement in how hoarse I sounded. Maybe I should give my voice a break, at least until my throat didn’t feel littered with broken glass. I pointed to her phone, mostly ‘cause I had no idea where mine was.

She handed it over and I typed in a message in the notes:

Where is Douchebag Two?

She glanced at the words then over at the empty area next to us. “He was discharged. They gave him a list of warnings to watch out for, except he sounded fine. Looked more cranky than anything else.”

But he’s okay?

A gentle smile softened her face. “He’s fine. He’s still a prick. He also still thinks he’s in charge.” With a roll of her eyes, she shook her head. “All that said, he didn’t hesitate to go into the building not once, not twice, but at least three times that I saw, and he went back for you.”

Oh.

“That doesn’t mean he gets forgiven,” Aubrey said with a sniff, as she leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know what he and his pair of Douchebag Brothers will need to do for that, but I guarantee you, groveling will be involved.”

I stared down at the phone for a minute, then typed in:How bad?

Aubrey’s smile fled. “It’s toast babe. All of it. Gone. The building, from what I hear, might still be standing but the interior is gutted…our clothes, the computers, the coffee maker…” The last she said with genuine mourning. “They’re all gone. We can replace them, even get new pictures printed, but between the fire and the water? Not much is going to be salvageable. Not that we can get in there at all. Sydney texted to say that they’re investigating it.”

I frowned.Arson?

When I held up the phone, Aubrey lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. The sprinklers didn’t work. The fire alarms didn’t go off when they were supposed to, and it was chaos…maybe it was just a bad accident…”

But she didn’t think so. I sighed, then looked around the cubicle.

“Clothes?” At her question, I nodded. She closed the curtains then helped me into what looked like newly purchased clothes. They still had the tags on. When she had time to shop, I had no idea. It was good, though all I could smell was smoke and fire. It was in my hair and my skin. I’d washed my hands, but it didn’t chase the scent away.

After an eternity, Jesse came back. “I didn’t forget you,” she said with a smile as she hustled in. “We’re going to get you ready for discharge, but we need to go over some things first. I take it you’ll be with Miss Crosse?”

“Yes,” Aubrey said, leaning forward. For the next ten minutes, Jesse went over the discharge paperwork with us, including what symptoms to watch for and what constituted an immediate trip back. She also reminded me that I needed to do a follow-up with a primary care physician.

Once she was done, I signed everything. “Stay here for a minute and I’ll get the wheelchair. Do you want to bring your car around?” she said the last to Aubrey.

“Calling a ride-share,” she said, holding up the phone. “They’ll be here in ten.” I wish it was Dix, but he’d already gone back to L.A. I’d been so confident I’d be fine—famous last words.

She smothered a yawn while we waited, then, courtesy of Jesse, she rolled me outside via a quiet exit. Apparently, some press had gotten word about the fire. We shoved all my hair up under a hat, but hopefully we could avoid attracting any attention.

Once in the car, we both sagged into the seats. I rested my head on Aubrey’s shoulder and she sighed. We weren’t heading back to the school. Our destination was a hotel in Monmouth that was over thirty minutes from the school and forty-five from the hospital.

Privacy.

“We’re already checked in,” Aubrey said when we got there. She even had two card keys in hand. Wait, that made sense: she set up a retreat zone before following me to the hospital. The fact we were checked in meant we went straight across the lobby to the elevator and then up to the top floor.

Oh, she got us the penthouse. Or what passed for one. When I gave her a look, she rolled her eyes.

“We deserve this, thank you very much, and you need to rest. It’s this or whatever they are doing for emergency housing back at the school. Since they already canceled our first three days of classes while they get everything sorted, we have time.”

Classes weren’t supposed to start for another two days…how much time did they need? Then again, arson, so everything was gone.

A sigh escaped me. All the music I’d been working on. Some photos. Most of it was replaceable.

Most of it.

In the room, I almost sagged again, because my guitar cases were waiting for me.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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