CHAPTER 2 #2
What was she supposed to say?
Oh, we've known each other since we were kids, and we used to spend the winter vacation together at his town until he broke my heart a few years ago, and that's why I hate everything related to hockey, Canada, and Christmas.
Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. She didn't talk about what happened with Kieran, and she didn't want to start now — especially when the walls of this place had ears.
— His family is friends with mine — technically, his family worked for hers, but now wasn't the time to get attached to details — Just want to make sure he is okay.
That was true, and she hated herself for it too.
Hated that she still cared even after everything that happened.
Hated that it had taken her long months to completely recover from that last trip to Canada, and now it seemed like all the suffering was forgotten just because of the possibility that he was hurt.
Why did she have to be such an idiot when it came to Kieran Ward?
— I'm not an idiot, Rila. This is bullshit, and I know that something else is going on — Blake rolled her eyes, but her face softened — But I also know that we all have things about our lives that we don't want to share.
Like the reason why she transferred her residency here. She never said anything about it, and Rila didn't think she would do it anytime soon.
— I can't give you access to the chart, but I can ask you to evaluate the neurological function of the patient staying in room four at the VIP area — Blake grabbed a name tag from one of her white coat's pockets and handed it to her — You’ll need to show this to the security guy at the section entrance.
The navy blue name tag had the MedHarbor Hospital logo — a heart with an ECG tracing in the middle — in deep red and “authorized medical staff” in white underneath.
— Give it back to me when you're done, and don't tell anyone about this, please.
— Thank you — she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around the blonde's body and squeeze her — Don't worry, I'll bring it back.
Blake exhaled a laugh and hugged back before putting her hands on Rila's shoulders and gently pushed back to look at her face.
— Don't make me regret this — her brows pushed up a little — And when you're ready, I'll love to hear about what really happened between the two of you.
— Maybe when we're both too drunk to remember the conversation on the next day — because she certainly wouldn't access those memories while sober.
— Deal — Blake smiled sweetly and let her go — I have to go in, I'll meet you at the ER in an hour.
Rila gave her two thumbs up while walking on her back to the elevators.
She didn't remember the way to the fourth floor, her brain seemed to have shut down. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears and felt her heart pounding against her ribcage. When she realized it, she was already getting out of the elevator and turning left, heading towards the VIP wing.
Just like Blake said, a security guard who looked more like a refrigerator was standing in front of the double doors that led to the rooms in that section.
There were only four presidential suites, and they were reserved for famous and important people that needed to stay away from curious eyes and ears.
Like Kieran Ward.
Rila showed the name tag to the mountain of man, and he stepped aside, allowing her to enter the bright and empty corridor. The place was completely silent, only her ragged breathing could be heard.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Inhaling.
Exhaling.
Did she really want to do this? See him? What would she see anyway? Why didn't she google it to get an idea of what to expect? God, she was an idiot.
— For God's sake — muttered to herself and felt her throat tighten with anxiety as she walked down the hall.
The door was open.
She stopped one step before the light wooden doorway, summoning all the courage she had before tilting her head to the side so she could see something inside the room.
She didn’t need to go in. She didn't want to. Just needed to see if he was alright and move on.
The room was illuminated by the late afternoon sunlight thanks to the two huge windows on the wall parallel to the door. A small sofa and a brown leather armchair were the first things that appeared in her vision field.
Rila couldn't see more than that in her position, so she had to get a little closer. That's when she saw the bed. And the man lying on it.
He held the cellphone in front of his face as he typed quickly, totally concentrating on what he was doing.
His brown hair was messy and shorter than the last time she saw him.
The sides were trimmed, a few longer strands at the front fell onto his furrowed forehead, and his square jaw was covered by a layer of perfectly shaped beard.
Stupidly, her toes curled at the memory of the sensation of that roughness against her inner thighs.
He had also gotten bigger, his black hoodie-covered shoulders were wide enough to take up a good portion of the hospital bed. She bet he wouldn't fit on the conventional stretchers.
Rila was holding her breath, her body still, too afraid to attract attention with the slightest movement.
He wasn't hooked up to any monitor. No bandages, cast, or medication bag. He was fine.
Ok, she could get out now.
Satisfied to see that he wasn't a bag of broken bones, she started to turn and had only half of her back visible by the door when she heard it.
— Can I help you with something? — goosebumps covered her arms. His voice remained the same, deep, warm, and slightly hoarse.
She bet that even with the three meters separating them, he could hear her heart pounding like a hummingbird's wings. Shit, if it continued like this, she would become a patient and need a cardioversion.
Rila thought about just keeping walking as if she hadn't heard him. However, the way she had frozen on the spot made it pretty clear that she had indeed heard him.
She wanted to escape, but more than that, she wanted to see his reaction. To see if he remembered what they were to each other. To see if she still affected him the same annoying way he did to her. And mostly, she wanted to see if he had any regrets about that night.
A dark and twisted part of her wanted Kieran to regret it, that he had been as miserable as she was. It wasn't fair that she was the only one to carry a scar on her chest.
These bitter feelings were what made her turn around.