My chest squeezes tight as Dr. Nelson turns to Zane. “Mr. Teager, I’m sure you’ll take good care of your wife. We’ll see you both soon.”
The doctors take off, turning my world upside down, and I know my life is never going to be the same. Mom’s face floats before me, her empty eyes, staring back at me but not really looking. Her gaze stays vacant, expressionless, as if she doesn’t recognize me at all.
“Vienna! Calm d-down.” When Zane squeezes my hand lightly, I realize I’m trembling like a leaf lost in the storm of life.
“They’ll drill a hole into my head.” I gasp as my hand goes to the back of my head. “Will they cut all my hair?”
“Hey, d-don’t think ab-bout all that.” Zane brings my hands down, putting them in my lap. His soft grip stays as he urges me to look at his kind face. “Jus-st calm d-down.” He even takes a few deep breaths, and I follow his movements. “Focus on what th-the doctor s-said. You’re in good hands.”
Before I can say anything more, Mary pulls the curtain aside and walks in. “Mr. Teager, can you please fill out some forms?”
Zane nods and slips out of the room after giving me a glance and a small smile.
I’m still struggling with my emotions when my cell phone rings. My insides flutter when I find my handbag now hanging from the edge of the bed.
Zane placed it closer to me.
Thinking about his caring side, I take my phone out and call Ivy.
“Vi, where are you? Joe is behaving like an asshole boss, asking every two minutes about you.”
I can hear Joe’s muffled voice in the background as Ivy openly insults him.
“I’m at the hospital, Ivy.”
“Hospital! What happened? You fainted again? You need to eat nutritious food, Vi.” Ivy continues to blabber. “You just stay there. I’m coming right now to get you, okay?”
“No. Wait!” I rush out when I hear her marching footsteps. “I’m not alone. Zane is already here.”
“Zane?” She pauses for a beat before asking incredulously, “Your fake husband? How did he end up there? Please don’t say you called him instead of me. That would be a deadly blow to our friendship.”
I know she isn’t exaggerating. Her voice is so serious that, for a second, I worry she could really pounce on me through the phone if I tell her I called Zane.
“I didn’t. Someone dropped me here, and the hospital called him because they had his contact details from the last time.”
“Okay…that’s better. Are you sure, Vi? You really don’t need me?”
I pinch my lips. Soon I’ll tell her everything, but right now I’m struggling to believe this is happening to me. I wish someone would rush into the room and tell me there was a mistake in the report.
“Vi, are you there?”
“Yeah. I’m here. And thank you for the offer, Ivy, but I’m just about to leave the hospital. Zane is doing the final paperwork with the nurses.”
Ivy clears her throat. “So there’s a silver lining to your fall. The sexy hunk came running to your rescue, and you got to spend the day with him.”
I snort despite all the bad news crushing my mood. “You are one crazy Cupid.”
“My name is Ivy Hart. What else do you expect from me?”
5
ZANE
“And one here.” Mary points at the bottom of the page, and I sign the last paper. “I’d advise you to sort out the issue of Mrs. Teager’s health insurance soon.”
I nod, knowing that her words come from a good place in her heart. The nurse finally hands me Vienna’s discharge papers and a CD case on top of it. Her MRI scan.
I tighten my jaw as her worried face crawls above all my thoughts.