Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
LILY
The medic gestures toward the ambulance. “Can you walk?”
I look at the ambulance, then at the crowd of people still gathered around. Dan is being loaded into the other ambulance while police are still talking to the witnesses.
“No.” I shake my head, then immediately regret it as pain spikes through my skull. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“You need stitches.”
“I’ll go later. Just give me a minute.”
The medic frowns. “You’re showing clear signs of concussion. You shouldn’t be left alone, and you really shouldn’t wait on those stitches.”
She doesn’t look happy about it, but she can’t force me to go, and right now, all I want to do is go home.
She says something else, but I don’t hear it.
All the voices are blending together, muffled and unimportant.
A gauze is pressed to my lips, but I pay it no attention beyond lifting a hand to hold it in place.
My skin feels too tight, my limbs disconnected from me, like I’m inhabiting a body that doesn’t belong to me.
I should be paying attention to what the medic is saying, but all I can think about is Ronan, and the way he looked at me before he walked away. Someone says my name, and a hand touches my arm. I recoil from the touch.
“Lily, it’s me.” Cassidy’s voice, low and gentle.
I blink up at her. When did she get here?
“You need to sit down.”
“I’m already sitting.”
“Somewhere that isn’t the wet ground.”
I don’t resist as she helps me up and steers me to a nearby bench.
“When did you—”
“Mark called me. He told me what happened and said you looked like you were about to pass out. I got here as fast as I could.”
I try to focus on her face, but everything keeps tilting.
“You’re very pale. Are you dizzy?”
I open my mouth, but no words come out, so I swallow and lick my lips. Pain flares. “Maybe? I … I don’t know.”
“You’re shaking.” Her voice is sharper now. “Maybe you should go to the hospital.”
I stare down at my hands. I’m still clutching the bottle someone gave me earlier. It has mini waves splashing up the sides of the label.
“Lily?”
I suck in a breath, then another, but my lungs don’t feel like they’re working right. My skin is too hot and too cold all at once.
“I want to go home.”
She studies me for a second, then nods. “Okay. Do you need help standing?” She doesn’t wait for me to reply and loops an arm around my waist, guiding me to my feet.
The ground lurches. My stomach flips. Cassidy curses under her breath when I sway, and tightens her hold.
“You with me?”
I nod, although I’m not sure it’s the truth.
She guides me to her car, and helps me onto the seat, then reaches across to clip the seatbelt in place. When she closes the door, it seals out the noise, but it doesn’t stop the pressure in my chest or the sensation that I’m still spinning.
Cassidy gets in beside me. She doesn’t start the car right away.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I think she means Dan.
My head tips against the widow. The glass is cool against my burning skin. The throbbing in my cheek makes it hard to think.
“I don’t …” I close my eyes. “Cass, I don’t feel right.”
“You’re in shock.” She starts the engine. “We’re going to urgent care.”
“No. I just want to go home.”
“Lily, your lip needs stitches. Look at it.” She flips down the visor and angles it so I can see my reflection in the vanity mirror. “It’s still bleeding through the gauze. I’m not taking you home until someone looks at your face.”
I don’t have the energy to fight her. My head hurts too much. “Fine.”
The car moves. I watch the world outside pass by, twisting into shapes and colors that don’t make sense. Streetlights blur into long streaks, and buildings lean at wrong angles.
I close my eyes. Open them again. Try to focus. My fingers curl against my thighs.
Cassidy keeps glancing over at me, eyes filled with worry.
The urgent care center is loud and bright. The lights drill into my skull as Cassidy guides me through the automatic doors, one hand firm on my elbow. A nurse takes one look at my face and gets us into a room quickly.
The doctor is a woman in her fifties with kind eyes and steady hands. She examines my lip, my nose, and presses gently around my cheekbone. Each touch hurts. She shines a light into my eyes, making me follow her finger.
“Concussion,” she confirms. “Moderate, I’d say. And this lip definitely needs stitches.” She looks at Cassidy. “She shouldn’t be left alone tonight. Wake her every few hours, check her pupils. If she vomits, has trouble waking up, or complains of severe headaches, bring her to the ER immediately.”
Cassidy nods. “I’ll stay with her.”
The stitches hurt. Five of them, pulling my split lip back together. I focus on breathing, staying still, and not thinking about Ronan’s blood-covered hands.
When it’s done, the doctor hands me a prescription for pain medication and antibiotics.
“Ice it regularly. Rest. And seriously, if anything changes, if you feel worse, go straight to the emergency room.”
Back in the car, Cassidy turns to me.
“Are you okay?”
I open my mouth, then close it. “It feels like my brain is stuck.”
She makes a frustrated sound, then reaches into the console for a tissue. She holds it out. I stare at it.
“There’s some blood on your chin.”
I take the tissue and dab at my face.
“Lily, you’re scaring me.”
I blink at her. My head feels sluggish and slow. I know I should say something to make her feel better, but I can’t think of anything. She sighs.
“Let’s get you home.”
She starts the car. I let my eyes close, and stay that way for the rest of the ride.
“Come on, let’s get you inside.”
It takes me too long to realize we’re on my street. I press my fingers to my forehead. “I don’t know what’s supposed to happen now.”
Cassidy unbuckles her seatbelt, unclips mine, then opens her door. “One step at a time, okay?”
She circles the car and pulls my door open before I can move. Her hand closes around my wrist, firm but gentle.
“One step at a time,” she repeats.
I step out. Cassidy keeps one hand on my arm, and walks me inside the building, into the elevator, and up to my floor. Once we’re in my apartment, she guides me to the couch.
“Sit. I need to call your mom and let her know what’s happened.”
“No.”
“Lily, she needs to know before the town gossip reaches her.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You have a concussion and five stitches in your lip.” She sighs. “And your mom deserves to know her daughter was hurt.”
“Tomorrow. I don’t want her fussing today.”
She glares at me for a second, then nods. “Okay. Now, sit there and don’t move. I’m getting you some ice and your painkillers.”