Chapter 37
Raleigh
I REGISTER THE DISTANT buzzing of my phone at the same time that Dalton shifts in bed beside me. The next moment, Dalton leaps from bed and curses. My heart begins to beat furiously, and I know before even opening my eyes that something’s happened.
“What is it?” I ask the darkness.
“Raleigh, it’s bad,” Dalton says from across the room. “There’s been some sort of accident. I missed a call from Amanda, but she texted me.” Dalton returns then, turning his screen toward me.
Amanda: I bet you’re asleep but something massive is about to break. I can’t say much out of fear of confidentiality, but you might want to get yourself down here to Nashville General as soon as you read this.
I immediately reach for my phone and let the horror wash over me. All the pleasure and happiness from mere hours ago washes away as I furiously scroll through the notifications on my lock screen.
There are no words to form as heavy anxious breaths threaten to take me over. Dalton is quickly there with a hand on my back giving me the small window to choke out the truth. “She’s in the hospital.”
That soothing hand freezes for only a moment before he bolsters me. “Let’s go,” he says before finding my hand and helping me from bed. I quickly rove toward my dresser and throw a sweatshirt over my pajamas.
I’m moving on autopilot. It’s only 4:45 a.m and my head is having a hard time processing what’s happening. All I know is that Mae is hurt and I need to get to her. Grabbing my phone, I’m halfway to the front door when Dalton stops me.
“You need to wear shoes, Raleigh.” I hadn’t realized I was barefoot. I scan the room quickly finding my slippers where they’d slipped off earlier. They will have to do.
Meeting Dalton back at the door, I find that he’s gathered my purse and car keys. I nod in passing, not sure what I could say.
Out in the lights of the hallway and then the elevator, I finally start to wake up a bit more. Dalton’s hand finds my lower back and moves in calming circles as we descend. He has his phone in his free hand.
“What happened?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he answers sternly. “Did anyone try calling you?”
Of course, my damn phone.
Quickly fishing it out from my purse side pocket, I gulp in horror as I slide through texts with Mae and Theresa.
The elevator door opens and Dalton swiftly moves me forward. “Do what you need to do, I’ll get us there.”
I don’t know if I respond. I don’t even know how we get to the car. All I do know are the messages in front of me, the roadmap of how my best friend could end up in the hospital in the middle of the night.
2:34 a.m.
Theresa: What the hell is going on?! Trenton tried calling Mae and she just up and left. Is she coming to you? We were just writing and listening to Emmy Tenny.
Theresa: She’s had one or two to drink. Not so much that she seemed drunk to me, but she was a fit of emotion when she left. NOTHING GOOD EVER HAPPENS AFTER 2AM!
2:40 a.m.
Missed call from Mae.
Voice Message from Mae: “Hey Raleigh, I know you’re busy.
.. At least I hope you’re busy. Wink. Wink.
You’ll never believe this but the resident low life in my life wants to talk to me.
I’m going over there to give him a piece of my mind!
Don’t try to talk me out of it, and don’t tell Dalton.
I’ve got this. Oh, and I promise I’ll be safe.
2:43 a.m.
Missed call from Theresa
Theresa: She just called me. Going to give him a piece of her mind. I would have gone with her but she says she has it under control???? I pray she got a hold of you or Dalton to go with her. I hate everything about this.
2:46 a.m.
Missed call from Theresa.
3:24 a.m.
Mae: Okay, maybe you should talk me out of this *grimace emoji
3:53 a.m.
Mae: Okay… I sat for a while, I’m just going to head back to my place. I feel kind of bad for leaving Theresa hanging. I’ll text you when I get home safely.
4:18 a.m.
Missed call from Theresa
Theresa: Girl, where the hell are you! I tried Dalton’s cell. Mae’s not picking up. I’m freaking out. She said she was coming back but hasn’t shown up!
4:44 a.m.
Missed call from Theresa.
Now
The messages end there, but three more calls from other interested parties have come through since I got out of bed.
Thank God for Dalton. He sped through traffic and said not a word to me.
He has his job and I have mine. Now that I have the information, I need to start acting on it.
Slipping a hand across the center console, I rest my hand on Dalton’s thigh and squeeze once, then twice.
Knowing he’s right beside me, I try not to dwell on what we might find at the hospital and instead turn to the next call that’s coming in.
After answering to an exec at the label who was mortified that images of the wreck had already surfaced, I quickly shoot off a text to Theresa and then furiously type out a message to Trenton’s manager.
He doesn’t deserve my time via phone call, especially since we’re practically drifting up to the ER doors.
My hand hovers over the car door handle. Looking up at the red emergency logo on the door, I feel the tears coming on.
”Raleigh.” A stern voice raises up behind me. “This isn’t your fault.”
I don’t necessarily believe him, but I don’t want him to worry so I leave him with a slight nod and then force myself out the front door.
I’m met with a growing swarm of photographers. How these vultures got here before me, or even found out the details, I’ll never know. I ignore them all and don’t even take the time to tell them off.
I’m met by hospital security at the door. They take my ID and then swiftly breeze past me to force the journalists out of the way of an emergency vehicle coming up the drive.
Through the hectic energy, a soft hand finds mine.
I find Amanda when I tear my gaze away from the officers doing their job outside.
I envelope her into a hug and hold her there for a moment, allowing myself to catch up with my location.
“She’s sedated while they run a few more tests, but she’s stable,” Amanda whispers, grasping me tighter. “She looks worse off than she is.”
“What happened?” I ask, wiping my nose on my sleeve as I pull away.
“Amanda!” Dalton calls as he races to catch up. He’s fought the flood and arrived behind the gurney that was brought through the doors moments ago.
Amanda looks between the two of us before moving to readjust her pony tail as if she’s suddenly become very nervous.
“I can’t extend every detail, but it was a drunk driving accident,” she says with a grimace, and her eyes dart between the both of us waiting for a reaction.
My stomach drops out from under me, and I fear I might be sick.
“Mae, wasn’t the one—”
“No, no!” Amanda assures, reaching forward to rest two steady hands on my arms. “There was alcohol in her system but it was at a legal level. Mae wasn’t the driver at fault either.
The other gentleman…” Her words trail off for a second.
“I’m afraid he’s in surgery. He ran a light and T-boned her on her driver’s side. ”
I’m about to ask if we can go back, but Dalton puts a steadying hand at my back and asks for me. “Can we go in and see her?”
“You’re not family,” Amanda says. There’s a sadness coursing through her as she continues. “You’ll have to wait until she wakes up and they move her to a room.”
An announcement over the intercom calling for nurses alerts Amanda, and she’s pulled away from us. “She’ll be awake soon! I’ll be sure to have someone collect you,” she calls, turning on her heel and hurrying toward a closed door.
Left in the middle of the emergency room with nothing to do but wait, I turn to Dalton and look up at him with pleading eyes.
What I’m pleading for exactly, I have not a clue, but he cups my face in his hands and gently tilts my cheek into his chest. He holds me there for a few moments before we’re approached by another hospital official and are escorted to a different part of the building.
In a new waiting room now, curled up beside Dalton, the minutes pass by as hours. The chairs are uncomfortable and the air is still. With nothing but my own thoughts coursing through me, I lean my head against Dalton’s shoulder and close my eyes.
The sound of his voice buzzes against me. “You can get a few more minutes of sleep if you need to. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”
Realizing that I had in fact started to doze off, I straighten and pull away from the comfort of Dalton’s warmth. A flash of last night and how he was able to completely scoop me up into his arms comes and goes as a door to the waiting room opens and a doctor steps out.
I’m on my feet in an instant.