Page 34 of Falling for the Bosshole

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The waiting roomat Sinai General Hospital was as cold as it was sterile. Ana shivered. She knew the coldness was coming from within her soul. Thankfully, the taxi ride from the airport to the hospital was relatively short, although it felt like an eternity as she battled with the demons in her brain.

She had no idea what was in store for her once she got there. All she knew was that she needed to be there for Lash. Overwhelming guilt engulfed her. She regretted ignoring his whispered plea during curtain call about wanting to talk. If she had listened, he wouldn’t have followed her to the airport and gotten into that accident. Her impulsive nature was to blame. She realized that everything stemmed from her wounded pride. He hurt her deeply, but that wasn’t reason enough to deny him the chance to explain himself.

She wondered if she would have reacted the same way if her heart hadn’t been so heavily invested in Lash. If it were any of her past boyfriends, she would have listened to what they had to say even after she had made up her mind to end the relationship.

“This is all my fault,” she blamed herself, wishing she could turn back time.

The nurse at the lobby of the hospital directed her towards the Trauma Care Center. Ana rushed over only to find out that Lash had been brought to ICU.

“Are you family?” the receptionist asked.

Ana shook her head. Lash had no family that she knew of, but he had to have someone who would represent him in cases like this.

“My name is Ana, Ana Garcia, and I’m his friend,” she volunteered, hoping it was enough to get some information.

Every minute that passed was torture. She couldn’t get any information, and she desperately needed to know how he was. The frustration was too much to bear. She wanted to scream at the tight-lipped receptionist. Making a scene won’t help, she thought as she burst into tears.

“Why doesn’t anyone tell me anything,” she wailed. “I just want to know if he is alright,” she sobbed.

The receptionist came out from behind the table and placed an arm around her shoulder.

“I understand how you feel. I would tell you more if I had that information,” she consoled.

“Please, please, I just really need to know how he is doing,” Ana begged hoarsely.

The receptionist gently brought her to the waiting room. “Stay here, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Ana glanced at her watch. Only five minutes had elapsed since the receptionist left, but every second was excruciating, as it was long. She jumped to her feet when a nurse in scrubs and a facemask entered the room.

“Miss Garcia?”

Ana nodded. Her eyes showed all the torment she was feeling.

The nurse came forward and handed her a plastic bag. “Reception said you’re Mr. Mancini’s girlfriend. These are his personal effects. Please keep them in the meantime.”

Ana was surprised. She never mentioned anything about being Lash’s girlfriend. But someone was finally here that she could talk to. She silently thanked the receptionist at the lobby

“How-how is he?” the tremor in Ana’s voice was plain to hear.

“Mr. Mancini is currently in surgery. His MRI showed swelling in the brain,” the nurse informed her.

“When-when will we know for sure if…”?

“Miss Garcia, in cases like trauma to the head, there is no way of telling. The surgery is to relieve the pressure inside. The doctors are doing everything possible. Mr. Mancini is young and strong, so the prognosis seems hopeful. We’ll know more after the surgery is done,” the nurse explained.

Ana was left alone once more with the package the nurse had handed her. She opened the bag and realized it contained the clothes he had worn at opening night, his leather shoes, and his watch. The sight of his clothes was enough to trigger more tears.

She pulled his shirt out from the bag and got a whiff of his cologne. The soft fabric in her hand was the last thing that touched his skin. She buried her nose in the shirt, then held it next to her heart.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.

She moved to fold the shirt intent on returning it to the bag with the rest of his things when something fluttered to the ground. It must have been inside one of the pockets. She bent down to retrieve it and realized it was a piece of stationery paper folded into half.

Curious, she opened it. It was a note with Lash’s handwriting. It read …

Ana,