Page 80 (1/1)

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked into the hospital roo more tiny black sutures than I could count, and her chest being wrapped up in what appeared to be h to make e done to her when I was trying to get her out of that tree, but now that the carnage to my beautiful best friend was laid out in front of me, it made my stomach turn and my hands curl into fists

Her eyes wouldn’t focus on me and I couldn’t tell if that was fro to the nurse as delicately handling her, Eed fro an eye on her because of her erratic behavior and her unwillingness to leave Sutton alone for reed that E to be said about how a s this way back hoed her up and put her on the street, regardless if she was ready to be unsupervised or not

After the nurse left, Em curled up on her side on the bed away from me She wouldn’t talk to me and refused to look inand told her I would be happy to go and get her anything she needed, but all I got in return was stony silence She was shuttingThere was no way in hell I was going to let that slide, so after a fewto her back I took off my shoes, pushed my hair out of my face, and climbed up onto the narrow bed behind her She flinched when I wrappedthat wouldn’t be broken, but she didn’t pushclear and true in an to shake in h everything you’ve been through, Eether"

I whispered the words into her inky hair and was stunned when she responded back with, "You can see es that are even worse The nightmare is carved into o all the way to le day, so it won’t ever go away No h it"

"I’ I told Cyrus, only the time frame with Emrys was infinite I hated that I wanted to be the one he leaned on forever as well, but we didn’t get that, at least we didn’t get that just yet

She lapsed back into silence but so, lean body started to uncoil as I ran entle word I could think of It felt like cal a wild horse down that had broken free of its tethers She was obviously skittish and afraid, but she needed the contact and the reassurance to know she wasn’t alone and that someone else was there to keep her safe I rolledwoht about the two creatures havingthere with her The light in the roohttime shadow I don’t think she ever fell asleep, but she never responded to anything else I said to her as we lay there in the encroaching dark The nurse caot was a negative head shake in return At the rowled, and finally a norled little giggle and toldto eat I took it for the dismissal it was and climbed out her bed to my feet I wasn’t surprised at all when she followed suit and told me she was headed back to Sutton’s rooht alone since she was the reason he was laid up in the ICU with a hole in his chest

I didn’t bother trying to tell her it wasn’t her fault I knew she wasn’t in a place to listenjust like I hadn’t been when she dove in to save ret Eventually, she would be ready to grab onto so all the way under, but today wasn’t that day and I seriously doubted tomorroould be that day either

I followed erly and hold onto her side Erace, but now she was barely shuffling along The dae done to her was more than the ether This experience had altered the way the woman carried herself That brokefor any kind of solution to get her back to her nor that, suddenly all the medical personnel around us leapt into a flurry of activity It was like someone had sounded an alarm only the doctors and nurses could hear They all scrambled out of doorways and from behind desks in a mad rush toward one room on the ICU floor

Emrys tripped a little bit in front of me, so I reached out a hand to steady her She brushed ave me a panicked look over her shoulder "That’s Sutton’s rooait was still aard and not as fluid as it normally was, but there was definite purpose in her steps as she picked up the pace andhat seeency medical staff Just as we reached the doorway, only to be told not to coear, Lane ca down his paper facemask with obvious tears in his eyes