Page 7 of Ma Belle Marguerite (Hidden Secrets #1)

I break myself out of the trance I feel myself in. “Can one of you come with me to tell me this man’s information so we can log him into the system while the nurse assesses him?” I ask.

“Josh, are you sober enough to go with her?” Blue Eyes asks the other guy, who I now know as Josh.

“Yeah, man, I’m good. Stay with Rex. Don’t let him out of your sight,” Josh tells him.

Wait, Rex? It can’t be my Rex. I move to look around the tall men, and my heart skips a beat.

Blue Eyes tries to step in front of me, but not before I catch a glimpse of the face that I once dreamt about every night.

It is Rex, my high school sweetheart, who broke my heart.

I feel like all the air has been stolen from my lungs as I just stare at his body on the stretcher.

How can this be happening again? Why is this happening to me again ?

“Umm, Isabella, hello?” Josh waves his hand in front of my face to get my attention.

“Oh yes, sorry, let’s go to my computer.

” I turn around quickly and walk to my desk as fast as possible.

I need to sit before I faint. Holding the arms of the chair, I try to steady myself as I lower my body into the seat.

I haven’t even been back a week, and there he is, right before my eyes, and injured to boot.

“Wait, do I know you?” I ask Josh. He doesn’t look familiar to me.

“No, ma’am. I just read your name tag.” He points to my chest, where my name tag, which I forgot about, is hanging from my lanyard. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“Oh, right, I forgot.” I feel my cheeks heat at the embarrassment and wave him off. “I’m ok, thank you.” He doesn’t look like he believes me but lets it drop.

“I have his wallet. Do you need his health card?” He digs through his jacket pockets and pulls out a wallet I recognize. It’s the same one I gave Rex in high school, but it looks a lot worse for wear. It’s tattered and close to falling apart. I can’t believe he kept it all these years.

“Oh, uh, yes, please.”

“Here it is.” Josh places a card on my desk. “Can we hurry, please? I need to see what’s going on.”

Taking the card and entering the information into the computer as quickly as my trembling fingers can go, I run down the list of questions I need to ask on intake.

Soon, we get to a question that makes me pause.

I look up at Josh, unsure if I want to know the answer.

“Is his next of kin still his father, Martin?” What if he is married or engaged and hasn’t updated his information?

Pausing before he answers, “Yes, Martin is still his next of kin.” Josh looks at me curiously before adding, “Phone number and address are all the same too.”

“Okay, thank you. What happened to Rex—I mean Alexander—tonight?” I try to keep my eyes on my computer screen so Josh can’t see my thoughts, as I’m sure they are written across my face. So he isn’t married, it seems.

Focus, Bella!

“I’m not sure. I just know he was in an accident,” Josh talks quickly, looking towards the nurse who is still assessing Rex.

“Okay, anything else the doctor may need to know?” I ask quietly.

“No, I don’t think so.” He looks back at me, clearly distracted, and I hand him Rex’s health card.

A picture falls to the ground as he opens the wallet to put the card away. I lean over to pick it up from under my desk, and my jaw drops. My hand shakes as I stare at a picture of Rex and me from my prom. Why does he still have this in his wallet?

Josh clears his throat as I stare at the picture in my hand. I look up at Josh and see him staring at me with his hand out impatiently. “Sorry,” I mumble as I pass him the picture back.

“Thank you,” I hear as Josh leaves me sitting at my computer in a daze.

My world feels like it has just been turned upside down again. I knew I would be running into Rex at some point in this small town. I just hadn’t imagined it would be like this, or so soon.

I let myself look over to the stretcher where he is still lying unconscious, and it’s as if there was no time lost between us at all. While he looks a bit older, his appearance, from what I can see, hasn't changed much. Seeing his face has so many old emotions flowing through me.

Then, the doctor comes through the doors from the back rooms and speaks softly to the men surrounding Rex.

The next thing I know, they are rushing Rex into the back. I find myself struggling to breathe. I can’t face this now. It is too much for one person.

First, I lose Adrien, my husband, best friend, and father of my children, to a car accident. Now, I’m watching the one who was the love of my life, who broke my heart all those years ago, be carted away on a stretcher for the same reason.

Just seeing him lying there has me wanting to forgive and forget, but I know I need to be stronger than that. But I still want to run after them and see what is happening. There are so many unanswered questions that may remain hidden.

Life just likes to play cruel games with my heart. I don’t know how much more I can take.

My mind begins to wander while I wait for a glimpse into the back and to see what is happening. What has Rex been doing all of these years? Does he still work for his father? Did he have any kids? Wives? Did he think of me or move on completely?

Martin always wanted Rex to take his place when he stepped down as leader of the local Mafia, but Rex never wanted anything to do with it.

That was why we were going to leave this town together when we were young and naive.

We had plans, hopes, and dreams of a life free of this town and the trouble within.

Rex said he had to convince his father to let his younger brother Cole take his place as heir.

Then, he was supposed to come to live with me and find a job while I went to college.

We wanted to have a normal, everyday life together.

The white picket fence, two or three children, the whole shebang.

I was supposed to work at the hospital like I am now, and he would have attended trade school.

He always loved working with his hands. He had talked about opening his own garage.

Was that all a lie? I can’t help but wonder what might be different if I had went down that path instead.

Did he give in and do what his father wanted?

The sound of doors banging brings me back to the present, and I look over to see the nurse headed back to her triage room. Will she tell me what’s going on back there? I decide to ask her before I change my mind.

She looks up as I enter her room, gazing at me with a tired look on her face. I almost feel bad for the interruption, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

“So, how is Alexander? Is he going to be okay?” I ask her, hopeful that she will share information with me. I know there is the whole ‘patient confidentiality’ thing, but maybe she’ll let it slide this time.

“He is going to be okay. Looks like a concussion and bruised ribs from the seat belt.” She looks at me curiously. “Do you know him?”

“I remember him from high school,” I lie.

If she doesn’t know, then less to explain.

“I was just curious because something similar happened in Victoria.” I try to keep it vague so she doesn’t ask more questions, but hopefully, enough information that satisfies her curiosity.

“Thanks,” I say swiftly as I turn to get back to my desk before she can ask me anything else.

I really should learn her name since we will be working together often. I didn’t even think to ask or read her name tag. This whole situation has me so distracted.

I spend the rest of my shift staying in my corner of the emergency department, trying to forget about who is in the back room and the emotions trying to bubble up. Still, my eyes wander, waiting for Josh or Blue Eyes to come out. I can’t bring myself to go in there and see for myself.