We marched out of the bathroom. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me except for the ones that mattered.
Jake’s.
I cast a longing look up at his office, but his back was to me.
Donna pulled me onto the elevator. We hurried out to her car, and she drove like a mad woman to the nearest hospital, where she helped check me into emergency.
The nurse at the check-in desk looked me over. “You should have stayed on the scene and had the paramedics look you over.”
I shrugged.
Donna sighed. “Should-haves aren’t going to help us right now. She needs to see a doctor. Is the wait long?”
The nurse sighed. “I’ll try to get her in as fast as I can. Smoke inhalation is dangerous. Take a seat. I’ll work on bumping her up. Give me fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you,” Donna said.
She led me to the seating area, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and pulled me in close. I rested my cheek on her shoulder and closed my eyes.
How had it all gone so wrong so quickly?
I’d thought I would walk into Jake’s office and tell him about the accident and how I’d sprung into action. I’d really believed that he would be proud of me. Perhaps he’d react as strongly as Donna and take me to a hospital after, but I wanted to see his face when I told him the thrilling tale of the crash and the miracle of everyone’s survival. I was proud of myself.
Now I just felt hollow.
As promised, the nurse had me into emergency to be checked out within fifteen minutes. Donna never left my side. She peppered the ER doctor with questions as he looked me over, and he was patient with her. Before he left to run my bloodwork and look at my chest scans, he gave Donna some wet wipes and asked her to clean me up a bit.
I sat while she wiped my cheeks and arms. Her tenderness made me cry all over again.
“Hush,” she whispered, brushing my hair off my forehead. “It’s all going to be okay. You’re okay. Does it hurt anywhere?”
I shook my head.
“Then why all the tears?”
My voice broke. “Jake.”
She grimaced but hid her emotions quickly. “Tell me what happened.”
Between sobs, I told her everything. I deeply appreciated that she never said I told you so or commented on his behavior at all. She just listened while she cleaned me up, being careful not to touch my palms. When I was done, she pulled up a chair and sat in front of me while I sat on the edge of the hospital bed.
“Gabi,” she said softly, “I’m sorry.”
“No pep talk?”
She shook her head. “Not right now.”
I wiped my eyes with my thumbs. “Thank you.”
“You’re gonna be okay.”
“I just feel like such an idiot,” I admitted. “How can I be in love with a man who can be so kind and good one minute, and so mean and heartless the next?”
Donna pursed her lips. “I don’t know. Wait. Did you say in love?”
I cried harder and nodded. “See? Stupid.”
“You’re not stupid. He’s the stupid one. He’s the one with the emotional control of a hippo.”