She gives my hand a squeeze, then gives me a very stern look. “I don’t blame you for this, Drew, but I can tell you blame yourself regardless of what you’re saying. You’ve been through so much and now this. I just . . . Ugh. I don’t know what I’m trying to say, but I do know that Bailey has to get better.”
“She will, Harper. For now, you should get some rest. You smell a little too.” She giggles. “Where’s Cal?” I ask, noticing his absence. She lowers her gaze to the floor.
“He’s stuck in a meeting out of town. He said he’ll try to make it here this evening.”
Fucking asshat.
“I know it’s not my place, but I think that’s bullshit. There isn’t anything more important than being here for you. If he loves you, he’d be here.” She stiffens.
“He does love me. I told him to take care of his stuff,” she says defensively. I throw my hands up in surrender.
“I’m just saying. You need support, and he should be here.” A tear slides down her cheek. I reach out and wipe it away. “Go get some rest, Harper. There isn’t anything you can do for her right now either. She’d want you to take care of yourself.”
“Okay,” she whimpers.
I release her hand and stand.
“Where are you going?” she questions.
I throw her the best smirk I can manage. “I’m going to take that shower you said I need. Then I’m going to make some calls and get some things lined up for Bailey.”
44
Bailey
My eyelids flutter. I’m fighting with every ounce of strength I have to open them. Hazy light filters in through the barely visible crack. But the exertion is too much, and darkness descends yet again.
Where am I? How did I get here?
Soft muffles scratch at my subconscious, but I can’t make out words or decipher who the voice belongs to. My brain flips through a series of memories like flashes of light.
Standing in my apartment.
Heading to the club.
Drew.
Monica . . .
Monica. That’s why I’m here.
Memories crash down upon me. Suffocate me. Seeing Drew with Monica, finding Reese . . .
Drinking.
Drinking until I forgot.
Then what?
My memory is hazy. It hurts too much to think.
I saw Reese . . .
He took me to the bar. The private one in the VIP section.
Monica was there.
My back muscles tense as my fists clench.
She poured us drinks.
Lots and lots of drinks. And then it did its job. It faded. Everything faded.
Did I pass out? Is that why I’m here? No. There’s more . . .
Think, Bailey.
What happened after you drank?
You saw Drew coming. Yes, that’s what happened. I saw him looking for me. Reese led me to his private table.
My eyes flutter open, every part of my body quivers.
Am I hurt? I try to move my arms, but they feel too heavy to lift.
The door opens, and I see a doctor walking in.
“Hello, Ms. Jameson, I’m Dr. Bell.”
“Is everything okay?” I croak out.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, approaching my bed with a clipboard.
“I’m fine. What’s going on?”
“Due to the tox report we ran, there might be some questions that need to be asked.”
Tox screen?
“What do you mean, tox report?” I know I drank, but this man’s words make no sense. “Why would I need to have a tox screen run?”
“When you came in, you weren’t responsive. Your alcohol level was three times the normal limit, but it was the drugs that had us worried.”
“The drugs?”
“Yes, we found cocaine as well as narcotic painkillers in your system.”
“I don’t understand,” I croak out, because I truly don’t. I didn’t do drugs.
I wouldn’t have done them.
Would I?
45
Drew
I sit quietly in this chair, waiting for my turn to see her. We’ve been told she can have visitors for a short period. At first, I wasn’t going to be allowed in as I’m not family, but since I’m fronting the hefty bill for the rehab facility in Arizona, her sister pulled some strings and put me on the list.
I have no idea what I’m going to say to her. The question of why comes to mind, but I know why. Monica. Well, in all fairness, what she walked in on probably looked like I was a willing participant. Regardless, there is no reason big enough to ever be in this position. As much as I care about her, and I do, very much, I can’t have something like this happen ever again.
“Drew.”
I look up to see Harper standing above me. She looks conflicted. I cock my head to study her.
“What’s up?”
She continues to stare at me. The look of contemplation on her face has me anxious.
“She doesn’t want to see you.”
The truth of those words hurts more than if she’d slapped me across the face.
“I don’t know why she’s being so stubborn. I told her it wasn’t your fault and she needs to hear you out. I don’t feel like it’s my place to set her straight. She needs to hear it from you. I—”