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I cup my hand over the IV site. “Let’s talk to Samuel first before you remove this. Okay?”
Two state troopers enter the room. One of them is a woman, her brown hair pulled back in a no-nonsense bun. “Jessica Smithson? We need to ask you a few questions about the accident.”
My hand is still covering the IV needle, which is why I notice the trembling in Jess’s hand intensify. She’s not looking at the woman. She’s staring at the male officer.
He’s tall with short, dark-blond hair and hard blue eyes. There’s nothing noteworthy about him, other than a small scar on his chin.
Jess pulls her knees to her chest, ducks her head, and gently rocks. My heart clenches. She’s having a flashback.
I can’t tell if the cops triggered it or something else did.
“Ma’am, we need to talk to you about the accident,” the male officer says.
My eyes are still locked on Jess, but I hear the rustle of his uniform as he steps closer to the bed.
Jess’s trembling intensifies. I feel so goddamn helpless, not knowing how to end her inner torment.
Still not looking at the officer, I raise my hand to tell him to stop. “She’s having a PTSD flashback,” I tell him. To Jess I say, “Jess, you’re safe. You’re in the hospital. You’re not wherever you think you are. Can you describe the room to me?”
She doesn’t answer. She doesn’t even acknowledge I’m here. It’s not the first time I’ve felt this helpless when it comes to PTSD destroying someone I love, and I can’t imagine it will ever get easier.
“Can you question her later?” Kellan asks them. “She told us a deer darted in front of the truck, and she swerved to miss it.”
“Is she okay?” The woman officer doesn’t seem to have heard my brother’s explanation. She’s staring at Jess. Both officers are staring at her.
“No.” I don’t feel like explaining, especially since I don’t know what’s going on.
But I bet Kellan does.
I glance over my shoulder and see the distrust on his face. That’s nothing new when it comes to cops. But there’s another emotion there, a protectiveness that’s also nothing new—when it comes to his family and close friends.
“We’d prefer to hear it from her ourselves,” the male cop responds, his tone stiff.
“Well, you can’t. Not right now.” I keep my voice soft, but that’s mostly for Jess’s benefit, and not for his.
“We’ll wait.” The female cop’s tone is not quite as unbending as her partner, but it is still all business. Her eyes remain locked on Jess, her eyebrows pulled together in what seems to be concern.
“It might be better if you two wait in the hallway,” Kellan says. “We don’t know if something about one of you caused this.”
I nod. “He’s right. And maybe if only one of you comes back to ask her questions, that might help too.”
The cop responds with a nod, concern unwavering on her face. “We’ll wait in the hallway, and you can come get me once she’s ready to talk.”
Both officers step out of the room. I have so many questions I want to ask Kellan, but I know he won’t tell me anything, even if he does have an idea what caused the flashback. Jess has obviously asked him to keep whatever they’ve discussed between the two of them. To keep me out of the loop.
I just wish she would open up to me the way she does with my brother.
Just wish I didn’t feel like the outsider in my relationship with her.
11
Jessica
June, Present Day
Maple Ridge
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