I see a spark of a challenge and swallow hard.
Do I believe her?
My eyes drop to the bandage. “Tell me what happened.”
“I don’t know what happened, Julian. That’s the problem. The last thing I remember, I was working on my paper. The next moment I wake up here, and everyone thinks I tried to commit suicide.”
Jamie frowns, and I see the fear blossoming on her face. “It’s the same as the night I had food poisoning. I don’t remember what happened, just like then.”
My eyes lock on hers, and I hold her hand tighter as a new worry bleeds through me. “So, you think someone is drugging you?”
Fuck, if that’s what happened…
It takes me a moment to absorb the fact, and it makes a new wave of shock explode inside of me, leaving me feeling confounded.
“It’s a possibility.” Placing her other hand over mine, she gives me a pleading look. “Please look into it. Can you check the security footage from the dorm?”
Her breaths begin to speed up, and wanting to calm her down, I pull my hand free and wrap my arms around her. “I’ll have the security team check everything.”
She grabs hold of my back and muffles a sob against my neck. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
I close my eyes because hearing how desperate she is for someone to believe in her is gutting me. I just hope I can find something. Otherwise, we have a big problem if Jamie did really try to kill herself and doesn’t remember any of it.“Are you sure?” I ask the head of security after he told me they didn’t see anything out of place last night. “Show me the footage.”
“Right through here, Sir.” He gestures to the monitor room.
I take the offered seat and watch the screen as the footage from the night of the incident plays.
Please. Let there be something.
I spend hours going through footage of the cameras we have in and around the dorm. By the time I finish, and there’s nothing more I can do, my heart feels heavy.
Not knowing what to think, I feel like a zombie when I walk away from the security center toward my car. Driving to the hospital, the heaviness only grows until it feels like it might suffocate me.
I’ve been in situations before where I had to tell someone something they didn’t want to hear, but this time it’s different. I can’t be a chairman and hide behind my title. Jamie deserves more than that.
Walking into the hospital, I clench my fists, and when I get to her room, I close my eyes for a moment before I push the door open and walk inside.
“Julian!” At the sight of me, a hopeful look instantly blooms on her face. “Did you find anything?”
I glance at Miss Sebastian, and when I see the same expression of hope on her face, I feel awful that I’m about to let them down.
Sitting on the side of the bed, I take hold of Jamie’s hand before I raise my eyes to hers.
I don’t know what she sees on my face, but it makes her shake her head. “No.” Her chin begins to quiver, and all I can do is pull her into a hug. “The toxicology report will show there’s something because it wasn’t me,” she says, holding onto the last bit of hope she has.
“Shh…” I hold her tighter and press a kiss to her temple. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll all help you get through this.”
Shoving hard at my chest, she pulls away from me. “Leave.”
“Jamie…”
“Leave!” she screams. “I want everyone to leave. Just leave.”
I look over to Miss Sebastian, not sure how I should handle this.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Miss Sebastian states. “You can’t be on your own right now.”
“I didn’t try to kill myself,” Jamie shouts and grabbing hold of her shirt, she bends over as a cry rips through her.
A nurse comes rushing into the room, and the moment Jamie lays eyes on her, she darts to the other side of the bed to try to get off.
Miss Sebastian shoots up and grabs hold of Jamie’s shoulders as I move out of the way so the nurse can get to her.
A scream echoes in the room as the nurse injects Jamie with something to calm her, and all I can do is stand by and watch.
I haven’t felt this helpless in a long while. Five and a half years to be exact.
The nurse leaves after Jamie quiets down. She stares blankly at the ceiling as I sit down on the bed beside her and take her hand again.
Reaching my other hand to her face, I brush some of her hair away and whisper, “We’re going to help you. You’re not alone.”Chapter 13JamieWaiting for the results is torturous. The last forty-eight hours have easily been the worst of my life, and that’s saying a lot.