“Well, is it true?”
“Yes, but I’m sure it’s an overreaction. I lost consciousness for a short bit, probably less than a minute, and my pupils were a little dilated. While I’ve assured them I’m fine, they’re still insisting that I get my head checked out.”
“You should be lying down, Mason.”
“Rose, I’m fine. I’ve lost a little blood. I have a killer headache, and my side hurts some. Otherwise, I’m perfectly okay.”
“You are not fine. Why haven’t they given you stitches yet?”
“They said they were going to wait until after my CT scan.”
I hopped off the table and pulled several paper towels out of the holder and held them under running water. “What happened?”
“A car passed me, then stopped abruptly, but mine didn’t slow down when I stepped on the brakes. So I ran off the road to avoid rear-ending the car. I tried to miss the pole, but when I swerved, the tires hung up on some gravel. I clipped it with the left front end.”
“Your brakes didn’t work?”
“They must have gone out.”
I walked over to the exam table and set most of the paper towels down, then started wiping his cheek with the one still in my hand. “And your head?”
“The air bag went off, but I still hit the door.” He reached up and grabbed my hand. “You don’t have to do that, Rose. The nursing staff will do it.”
“I have to do something.”
He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “I know.”
I looked away, focusing on wiping off the blood. “So, why didn’t you call me?” I tried not to sound accusatory, but it was hard to hide my hurt feelings.
He hesitated. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I should have. But I lost my phone in the accident, not to mention I knew what I looked like. I didn’t want to scare you.”
I tossed the bloody paper towel into the trash and picked up another wet one. “Well, you scared me worse. I imagined all kinds of terrible things.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. What can I do to make it up to you?”
I gave him a stern look. “Promise to call me immediately if you’re ever in an accident again.”
A soft smile lit up his face. “Okay. I promise.”
“Have you called your mother?”
“Not yet. For the same reason.”
“You need to call her, Mason,” I said as I continued to scrub.
“I will. After I’m released. Our family has given her enough to worry about.”
I scowled, but I understood his reasoning. How many times had I avoided calling Violet after all of my scrapes?
He was silent for several seconds while I continued to scrub. “With the breakin last night and then our shenanigans later, I never got a chance to ask you how your investigation into Neely Kate’s cousin’s disappearance is going.”
“Slow. We found out some things, and Neely Kate told Joe, but he said it still wasn’t enough to do anything. At this point, I’m counting on his promise to have someone start looking for her tomorrow if we haven’t found her or if she hasn’t turned up.”
“Well, that’s something, right?” he asked. “What did you find?”
“She got a job not too long ago at a new club—”
The doors swung open, and a man wearing scrubs entered pushing a wheelchair. “Time for your CT scan, Mr. Deveraux.”
He gave me an apologetic grimace. “I’m sorry. Will you fill me in when I get back?”
“Of course. I think I better check on Neely Kate and make sure they haven’t stuck her in quarantine.”
“Good idea. She might be in some trouble. She really should have thought of some other distraction.” He climbed into the wheelchair, and the orderly pushed him into the hall, with me at his side.
I stopped with them at the elevator. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“Let me know if Neely Kate needs help.”
“Okay.”
I watched him get on the elevator, then went into the waiting room, where Neely Kate was talking to a hospital security guard. The waiting room was still in chaos, but it was much calmer than when I’d made my flight.
“Is Mason okay?” Neely Kate asked as she saw me approach.
I nodded. “They just took him to radiology for a scan. Joe was right. He’s going to need stitches. But otherwise, I think he’s okay.”
One of the security guards snapped his fingers in Neely Kate’s face. “Hello, I’m talking to you.”
“Excuse me?” She shot him a condescending look. “You did not just snap your fingers in my face.”
“Getting a statement out of you is like squeezing glue out of a dried-up bottle.”
“Well maybe if you weren’t so rude, I’d be more willing to cooperate.”
“You caused a panic!” He raised his voice, then looked around to see if anyone had noticed before continuing in a calmer manner. “I think we should call the Henryetta Police Department to take you in for questioning, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” Neely Kate screeched. “Do I look like a ma’am to you?”