Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Harrison
“You really need to be nicer to people, Harrison,” Athena said as we walked out of the hospital.
“What do you mean? I saved her from being killed. What the hell else do you want me to do?”
“That was heroic of you. Maybe there’s hope for you yet.” She smirked. “That poor girl is in a strange city, all alone and spending the night in the hospital.”
“And? Do you know how many people are here all alone? People travel alone, Athena. And she’s not alone. She has all the nurses and doctors there to keep her company and the other patients.”
“I know. But I feel sorry for her.”
“Why? Because she doesn’t know how to pay attention while she’s walking? She’s a grown woman, Athena. She knows better. Or at least she should.”
As soon as I returned to my office, I told Jeremy I didn’t want to be disturbed and shut my door. Taking a seat behind my desk, I turned my chair around and stared out at the city. I couldn’t stop thinking about how Adalyn said she had one last thing to do before she left. What on earth was she doing here in the first place? Thank God I was in the right place at the right time, or she could have been killed. I let a smile cross my lips when I thought about her attitude toward me. She was beautiful last night and even more so today. I would have fucked her in a second if the circumstances were different. One time and then I’d never see her again. She’d return to Seattle and resume her life there, and I would go on with mine. It couldn’t be more perfect.
I snapped back to reality, turned my chair around, and began working, making up for all the lost time I had today being a good Samaritan.
Adalyn
As soon as I settled into my room, and before I called Carly to tell her what had happened, I broke down and sobbed. I’d held it in too long and felt like I was losing my mind. This last incident of bad luck was the final straw.
“Excuse me, Miss Banks?” An unfamiliar doctor spoke as he entered my room.
“Yes?” I sniffled as I reached over and grabbed a tissue.
“I’m Dr. Keith, a psychiatrist here at the hospital.”
Great. Why not?
“I was looking over your chart, and it says you were injured when a man saved you from oncoming traffic. Is that correct?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Is there something you would like to talk about? Perhaps why you were crossing a busy street when you shouldn’t have been?”
I dried my eyes, and it hit me. He thought I was trying to kill myself. Shit.
“I was looking for something on my phone, and I wasn’t paying attention. If you’re insinuating that I was trying to kill myself, you’re mistaken.”
“Well, I come here to find you having a breakdown.”
“I’m crying because I’m in pain. I have a very low pain tolerance. My foot and my head hurt.”
“I see you traveled to New York alone. Is there a specific reason for that?”
Was he fucking kidding me?
I had to think fast because if I told him about the ring and all the bad things that happened to me, he’d throw me in the psych ward.
“I had just broken up with my boyfriend and needed a little vacation.”
“Was it a bad breakup?”
Oh my God!
“No. It was mutual. I initiated it, and he agreed. We’re still friends. You make it sound like people who travel alone have serious mental problems.”
“No. No. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I sometimes vacation alone. I find it therapeutic.”
“Okay then. Are we done here?”
“Yes. Take care of that ankle. It was nice talking to you.”
I gave him a fake smile as he walked out the door. Taking the pillow from behind my head, I placed it over my face and screamed. After I got that out of the way, I picked up my phone and Facetimed Carly.
“Hel—Are you in the hospital?!” Carly exclaimed.
“You will never believe what happened to me today.”
I told her every detail from the moment I stepped into the jewelry store to the moment I was almost roadkill.
“Wait. Go back to the hot guy part.” She grinned.
“Carly,” I sighed. “I was almost killed today because of that damn ring.”
“I’m sorry, Adalyn, but I warned you. You should have stayed here and thrown it into the Sound like I wanted you to. But no, you had to go off and try to find Mary, who may not even be alive, and look what happened. You need to get rid of that ring first thing tomorrow. In fact, leave it in your hospital room, don’t look back, and get your ass back on a flight to Seattle.”
“I can’t leave it in my room. They have all my information and will send it back to me!”
“Oh yeah. That’s true. Well, there must be a courtyard or something there. Leave it there and run.”
I looked up, and Athena walked into the room.
“Carly, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”