At that moment, if the person who had hit her car were standing in front of me, I would have killed them. Hell, for all I knew, the accident could have been Sam’s fault, but my anger didn’t care. My fist clenched as I held back a curse by grinding my teeth together.
It was then that I noticed her eyes had opened. The same sweet colors I saw every time my own lids lowered looked at me in sleepy confusion.
"Jordan," she croaked just as those dancing eyes began to glisten with unshed tears.
Her lips trembled and I couldn’t take it.
My breathing became erratic, and my heart pounded furiously. I couldn’t stand there and watch what would happen next, what always happened. I refused to see her turn to stone like in my dreams.
Abruptly, I turned away from the most special woman I had ever known and walked out of her hospital room. I scarcely noticed that Liz and Alex had stopped talking and were staring at me.
I hurried by, my legs making long strides down the corridors. I barely registered the people that called out to me in irritation as I pushed past them roughly. I felt seconds away from a panic attack, and I refused to lose such control.
All I could think about was getting away. Away from Sam and the accusations I would see in her eyes, and more importantly, away from the disgrace and agony I felt for letting her down.
8
Alex
I watched Jordan rush by a wide-eyed Liz and disappear into Sam's room. As anxious as I was to see her, I would talk to Liz first and let Jordan have a moment alone. Maybe he would do the same for me when he was finished. There was so much I wanted to say to Sam, but it would have to wait. First, I just needed to make sure she was okay.
"Hey Liz, how is she?"
Liz turned away from watching Jordan storm by and looked at me with one eyebrow raised
I shrugged. "He's just worried. So am I, so can you tell me what happened?"
“Thanks for coming."
She looked away and took a deep breath before turning back to me. Her blue eyes narrowed, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I wasn't sure if you would come, and I’m not completely convinced that I did the right thing by calling you."
I placed my hands in my jean pockets, as my shoulders hunched. I knew what she meant. She wasn't sure if we could be trusted.
"I'm glad you did.”
Liz pursed her lips in anger. "Truthfully, I’m more than a little pissed at you both. You hurt my friend."
I looked down at the floor and nodded. Hell, I was pretty pissed at myself as well, so I understood.
"But…”
My head jerked up. Liz’s blue eyes locked on mine.
“I know you care about her."
"You do?"
Liz nodded. Her angry expression had softened, and I was surprised to see a slight smile playing on her lips.
"There are a lot of things you three need to work out and some things you should know, but first I have to tell you what’s going on."
"Okay," I said, a little confused about the things I should know part, but I wanted to concentrate on Sam first. "So, what happened?"
"Car accident, like I told you on the phone. Some guy lost control at an intersection and slammed into Sam's car, luckily on the passenger's side."
"Was the guy drunk or something?"
Liz shook her head. "No, it was just a case of not paying enough attention. The man was in his late eighties. I heard the police say something about taking away his driver's license."
I just nodded, not knowing what to say. It sucked that I wouldn't be able to see them throw some asshole in jail.
"So, how is she?"
"Doing pretty well, actually. She was unconscious when they pulled her out of the car, but thankfully, there was no severe head injury. The doctor thinks she passed out from shock. Her left arm is broken, as well as her left ankle from banging into the driver’s side door. And besides a few bad bruises, scrapes and burns, the rest of her is doing fine."
Liz said all of that in a matter of fact tone, as if she wouldn't have to think about what all of that meant. She wouldn’t have to think about how close her friend came to being seriously injured or worse. The shine of unshed tears told me I was right.
I knew how she felt. Even though Liz just told me that Sam's injuries weren’t that serious, my heart continued to race. I needed to see her for myself.
I reached out, placing a comforting hand on Liz's shoulder. "Thanks," I said and started for the door.
"Wait, there's something else I need to talk to you about," Liz called just as Jordan burst out of Sam's room.
Not giving Liz or me a single glance, Jordan stormed down the hallway, almost taking down a nurse in the process.
"What was that all about?" Liz asked.
I turned away from watching Jordan’s retreating form to look at her. "I have no idea."
I was stunned, but also a little worried. I hoped he hadn't upset Sam. Before I could go check, Liz stopped me again.
"Wait," she said urgently.
"What?" I snapped, getting frustrated. What could be so damn important? I needed to see Sam.
"Um, there's something else."