Page 53 of Possessed By You

“Mr. Scott, have you realized what’s happened? Do you know where you are?”

“The hospital.”

“And clearly, you know who she is?”

“My wife,” he says, deflating into the pillow. He’s exhausted.

“Okay, you will be admitted for at least five more days. We’re going to wait it out and see how you respond to meds and some rest.”

“No, I can’t.” He looks at me. “I have—”

“I already talked to Tiffany. We’ve worked something out.”

“I need to work.”

She scowls. “You need rest, Mr. Scott. You’re not going anywhere.”

He glares at her as she checks his vitals and injects more pain medication into his IV.

“On a scale of 1-10, how bad is the pain?”

When he doesn’t answer, she laughs and glances at me. “You’ve got a stubborn one here, don’t ‘cha?”

Unable to help myself, I agree with her, which earns me a glare from him, although there is no true malice underneath it. He’s in good spirits, all things considering.

“Well, you’ve been asleep for a long while so my guess would be you’re going to be very happy when this pain medication kicks in after a few minutes.” She turns to me. “The doctor told me to check up on you tonight as well. Remember, if you’re spotting, that’s normal. If there’s more, make sure to find me.”

My eyes dart to Benjamin. I cross my arms over my body, chilled to the bone. “Will do.”

“I’ll bring you some blankets and pillows. That loveseat reclines.”

“Thank you.”

She shuts the door gently, and Benjamin repeats the question he asked before she disturbed us. “How badly were you hurt, Darcy?”

The fear on his face tells me he already knows. I don’t need to speak to confirm it. I know my loss is etched into my very person right now.

He takes a moment to focus on the bedding, and I notice his chest extending wider and wider, like he’s unable to catch his breath.

His eyes, reddened around the edges, pierce me, so much emotion barely held at bay.

“When?” he asks.

“In the ambulance.”

His face contorts, pained. “I tried to—”

“I know you did. I know you tried to help me.”

“I should never have been so cruel to you. The stress…”

I shake my head, refusing to let him blame himself for any of this. “It wasn’t your fault.”

He swallows, looking unnaturally panicked. I’m not used to seeing him at a loss. “Were you in pain?”

“I didn’t know until I woke up in the hospital.”

“I’m sorry, Darcy. I know—”