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“I didn’t want to leave Ali alone. Isn’t that what you said?”
“Right. Well, I’m back.”
“You go,” I said with enough force that my insides seized. I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Seriously, Cope, go. I’ll stay here. I want to make sure someone comes to start an IV, anyway.”
I pleaded with my eyes, and he brushed my hair away from my forehead a second time. If I could talk, I’d tell him it was a losing battle. My bangs always fell forward.
“If you’re sure. I won’t be gone long. Just until I can get the judge to grant a continuance.”
I didn’t have the strength to argue or stop myself from falling to sleep. Even breathing took too much energy. I closed my eyes and let the darkness engulf me, dreaming that he leaned down and kissed my cheek.
I woke again when someone came in to start the IV. “You’re going to feel a lot better really soon,” a different voice said. I didn’t care enough to try to open my eyes. I just hoped she was right. “Here we go,” she murmured. A warm, happy feeling blanketed me, and I went back to sleep.
I had no idea how much time had passed when a man came in and introduced himself as the doctor. He asked me many of the same questions the nurse had. At some point later, I felt the bed moving. “Taking you to X-ray,” a soft male voice said.
I slept off and on as they moved my body around. Whatever was in the IV definitely did its job, because I was feeling no pain.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a room and Cope was seated in a chair next to the bed, looking at his phone.
“You’re awake,” he said, setting his cell down and leaning forward.
“Why are you here?”
“Nice to see you too, Ali.”
I smiled. Thank God I could without feeling like my body was going to crack in two.
“To answer your question, I’m here because you were in an automobile accident this morning. Do you remember what happened?”
I closed my eyes. I remember sitting at the red light, waiting for it to change so I could pull all the way out into the intersection. After that…nothing.
“Why am I here?”
“They want to keep you for observation, given you can’t remember the accident. As far as injuries, a broken arm is the worst of it.”
I looked down at the cast wrapped with bright-pink fabric on my left arm.
“They’ll have to see how well you heal before they decide on surgery. By the way, Chloe is on her way here.”
“She is? Why?”
“You’re going to need help, Ali. She also has your medical power of attorney, not that it’s needed now. I strongly encourage you to appoint someone here as her second, just in case.”
I closed my eyes. “I wish you hadn’t asked her to come.” I turned my head away.
“Hey now.” He waited for me to look at him before he said anything more. “You were in a serious car accident. You aren’t going to be able to function on your own once you’re out of the hospital. I didn’t ask Chloe to come. The minute I told her what happened, she said she’d be on the next flight out.”
I turned my head away again so Cope couldn’t see my tears.
“Ali,” he said with a soft voice. “What’s going on?”
“Your car.”
Cope stood, came around to the other side of the bed, and sat in a different chair. “The last thing I care about right now is my car. Yours is running fine, by the way.”
I laughed, and my eyes almost rolled back in my head. “Jesus,” I groaned.
