“He’s in the hospital.”
“Well, obviously. Which one?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll have to call Lachlan,” she said. “Can I have his number?”
I rose and paced about. My heart raced again. “What good will visiting him do?”
She seemed far away and hadn’t even heard my question. “Holy shit. You’re fucking kidding. Just his legs? Or all over?”
“I think it’s his legs. To be honest, I didn’t get that much detail. All this other crap blew up at the same time.”
“Give me Lachlan’s number.” She held her hand out.
A breath trembled out of me. The thought of Harriet speaking to Lachlan freaked me out. It would crush me if he didn’t ask about me.
I scrolled down to his name and picture in my contacts. He wore a playful little smile—a reminder of our happier times.
Apart from missing him as much as I would an arm, I worried about him. Then there was Britney. A chill ran over me as I thought of her scheming to snag him into a relationship.
Leaving Harriet to talk to Lachlan, I entered my tiny bedroom, where strewn clothes and other messes reflected my sudden chaotic state.
I sat on the edge of the bed and buried my head in my hands. Harriet’s murmurings came through the doorway. He’d picked up. Lachlan rarely took calls unless absolutely essential, so that made me sit up.
After I heard her say, “Bye,” I raced out.
She passed me my phone. “He picked up right away and said your name as though he’d been dying to hear from you.”
Warmth shot through me. “Seriously? You’re not just saying that?”
She shook her head. “When I told him who it was, he sounded a little disappointed.” She shrugged. “Maybe more surprised. He told me what I needed to know. I’m going to apply for a job at that hospital. Today.” She moved around quickly.
“Why?”
“Because I am.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“Not really. He did ask how you were, though.”
“He did? What did you say?”
“I told him you hadn’t stopped crying.”
I frowned. “You’re fucking joking.”
She shook her head. “It’s the truth, and I told him he was a jerk for blaming you.”
“How did he respond?”
“He didn’t say anything after that.” She grabbed her bag. “Can you take Ava to dance class?”
Since it was Saturday morning, I needed to be at the Artefactory to help hang paintings for our opening, but I said, “Sure.”
“Thanks, sis. And hey… he misses you.”
“Did he say that?”
She shook her head. “I can just tell. Catch you later.”
“We’ve got a big opening next week. And you’re coming.”
“Maybe. I’m not a fan of that arty-farty scene. But we’ll see.”
“You’d better. I’ll need you there.”
“You can count on me.” Harriet kissed me on the cheek.