Page 32 of Healed Heart

Because I’m slowly believing that something took Lindsay from me.

And it wasn’t psychiatry.

ChapterEleven

Angie

After I’m done with the morning’s classes, Tabitha grabs me.

“Did you hear about Ralph?”she says.

My heart jerks at the name.“No.What about him?”

“He’s in the hospital,” she replies, her eyes wide.“Someone beat him up pretty badly.”

I gasp.“What happened?”

“No one knows for sure,” she says.“Just that he was found unconscious in his studio early this morning.”

“Who found him?”I ask.“He lives alone.”

“Eli did.He dropped by Ralph’s place this morning.”

“What for?”

“He had to return a book he borrowed on the way to school.He said it was the weirdest thing.Ralph’s door was unlocked.When he didn’t answer, Eli tried the door and decided to go in and leave the book.He found Ralph.”

Chills skitter through me.“Is he…?”

“He’s stable,” Tabitha says.“But someone worked him over pretty good.”

“Where’s Eli?”

“He’s at the hospital with Ralph,” Tabitha says.“Apparently Ralph doesn’t have any family, so Eli felt he should stay.”

“We should go to the hospital.”

“What for?”Tabitha asks.“I thought you hated Ralph.Said he was a dick.”

I sigh.“First of all, I don’t hate anyone.And second, yeah, he’s a dick, but he’s a classmate, and if he doesn’t have any family…”

My words come out jumbled.

Jason walked me home last night, but then he went back to his place.All I can think about is whether he had something to do with this.

But why would he?

Why would Ralph be involved at all?So he saw Jason and me kissing.So he emailed HR.If he really wanted to make trouble for Jason or for me, he wouldn’t have stayed anonymous.

Then again, people do strange things all the time for inexplicable reasons.I learned this in my psychology classes.The human mind is a complex maze of emotions and thought processes that even the individual themselves might not understand, let alone an outsider.

Tabitha’s voice cuts through my thoughts.“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.Just thinking.”I give her a faint smile.

She doesn’t look convinced.“You’re not holding yourself responsible for this, are you?”

I cock my head.“Why would I?”