Page 42 of Heavy

“Can you spell that for me?”

“R-O-N-A-N, B-Y-R-N-E.” My hands are shaking, and I can’t believe how worried I am.

“Please give me a moment,” she says before the phone cuts to music.TastebySabrina Carpenterplays and I nearly scream. How could she put me on hold? Do I not sound frantic?!

The music ends. “Ma’am?”

“Yes—yes I’m here.”

“No one by that name was admitted here. Would you—” I hang up and start searching for the police station. There’s only one in this small town, and the thought of him being there terrifies me even more than the hospital.

Just as I press the dial button and raise the phone to my ear, a hand wraps around my wrist. I gasp, and the moment my phone slips from my fingers, it’s caught mid-air… by Ronan.

As soon as I hear “Maple Falls Police Department,” I suck in a sharp breath.

He puts the phone to his ear. “Misdial, sorry.” Then ends the call.

If he weren’t holding onto me, I might actually collapse. Every inch of my skin feels like it’s on fire, fear pouring out of me. I’m sick with worry while he just stands here, calm as ever, like nothing even happened.

A bruise is darkening on his temple, and there’s a fresh cut along his bottom lip. But I can’t take in much more because I’m locked onto his eyes, desperate to read whatever they’re telling me. They look tired, maybe even worried? I can’t quite tell.

“You’re awfully loud for someone who drank as much as you did,” he groans, stepping closer and nudging me back. I’ve been pacing by the side of my bed while making those calls, and when the mattress presses against the backs of my knees, I lose balance and drop onto it, sitting down hard.

My chest rises as I stutter, “W-Where were you? Your face… are you okay?” I have my chin lifted to keep my eyes on his face, and not at his bare chest.

A sigh escapes his lips as he places a hand on my head, gently turning me around to face the window. There’s not much room between the bed and the wall, but when he nudges me forward, I notice a blanket and pillow on the floor.

“You were breathing weird when I came in,” he says, releasing my head. I just stare at the makeshift bed on the floor—I’d looked right past it without even noticing when I woke up. “So I slept there the last few hours to make sure you didn’t die.”

After a beat, I turn back to him. His eyes, heavy with exhaustion, meet mine. “Water,” he demands. “Drink some. You’re capable of walking, so you can take care of yourself. Take Tylenol, eat a slice of pizza, and go back to bed.”

He lifts his hand, fingertips tracing a slow line down my neck. The touch is gentle, but it terrifies me because when a lion stalks its prey, it’s slow… deliberate. Just like his caress. “Don’t hit anyone ever again, Cal, do you hear me?”

My bottom lip trembles, and I suck it between my teeth.

“I’m more than happy to be your violence.”

Then he turns and walks out of the bedroom, the slam of my door echoing behind him like punctuation to the silence he leaves. I’m left sitting here, unsure of what I’m feeling. Attraction? Fear? Self-hatred?

I think all of them are tangled up in me right now, and the mix makes me feel sick to my stomach.

“Damn, girl, I thought you’d be out for at least seven business days.”

I groan outwardly through the phone. “Shut up, Gene.”

She giggles cutely.

I slept for another seven hours, which doesn’t shock me with how badly I felt. Both mentally and physically.

“I called so soon because I wanted to let you know I’m fine and ask exactly what happened after you dragged me out last night.”

I’m sitting on the dock down by the lake, my feet kicking water onto my bare thighs. When I walked out of the house, Ronan was still asleep—or at least, he was still in his room. His door was closed, and his bike was parked out front, which told me he hadn’t left, at least.

“Well…” She hesitates, and I’m curious why. It isn’t like she figured I’d not ask, right? “You basically told me that the guy that came up to save you like you were some damsel in distress was your step-uncle. Eamon’s brother, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then when I got you into the car, you told me…” Her hesitation has my cheeks heating.