Page 86

Who was I? I wondered.
Then it came to me. Oh, yes, I’m Millicent Davis and I live with my worthless perv uncle.
No, that’s not right!
My breathing started picking up as I thought harder, racking my brain.
Why was I in the hospital and what led me here?
I’m Millicent Montgomery.
That led me to the question: Where’s Castle?
I panicked and started scrambling out of bed when a nurse barged into the room and told me to calm down.
“But my husband...” I explained, “He was in the accident too. Where is he right now?”
“Lie down, Mrs. Johnson.”
Mrs. Johnson?
“Your husband is fine, but he’s still unconscious. The doctors are doing their best.”
“What day is it?” I asked.
“Tuesday.”
The accident happened on Sunday. That meant I’d been out for about forty-eight hours.
“Do you have any other close family that I could call?”
Did I have any close family?
Theo!
“Yes,” I said.” But can I please make the call? It will only take two minutes.”
She passed me a look filled with sympathy, and I didn’t care if I was being pitiful as long as I got what I wanted. After giving it some thought, she nodded and led me outside to the public phone.
My entire body hurt, but I had to do this. I dialed Theo’s cellphone number. Thank goodness for my excellent memory that I could remember the digits. A few minutes ago, I had a hard time remembering who I was.
He answered on the second ring, “Hello.”
“Theo.”
He went completely silent for a moment, and then I heard soft sobs filling the other end of the line. “Millie...?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Oh god, Millie...you’re alive.” He sobbed for a minute longer and then composed himself. I never knew Theo could cry. I’d never seen him cry, not during the months that I had lived with the family. Warmth filled my chest.
“Are you alone?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m in my room. Is Castle alright?” I could hear the worry in his voice. It seemed like he would rather not learn the truth if Castle didn’t make it.
“Yes. I’m yet to see him, but the nurse said he’s fine.”
“You are on the news, Millie. They are showing us a badly crushed car. This is breaking news that every channel is covering. Austin didn’t make it, so we assumed...”