When I Was Theirs

60. Emmy

60

Emmy

M y doctor is a kind man.

He shoots a mildly amused glance at Jared, lounging in the chair. “I feel like we have two patients. When was the last time you slept?”

“I sleep.” Jared is examining the way he tilts my neck, assessing the swelling. “You don’t have to worry about me, sir. I’d rather you focused on her.”

“I assume you’ll be staying with Emmy when we discharge her tomorrow?” Wilson crosses the room to make a note on my chart. “She shouldn’t be alone.”

“I—,”

“Yes.”

My pulse begins to race at his steady tone. He meets my wide-eyed stare with his own, coolly challenging look. He doesn’t look away. “She’s not going to be on her own.”

“Good.” Wilson flips the chart closed. “I’m satisfied that your healing is progressing as expected, Emmy. But as we talked about, there may be other, longer-term symptoms.”

Panic attacks. Negative thoughts. Flashbacks. “Can’t wait.”

He frowns. “This was a highly traumatic event. You’re very lucky physically, but please don’t underestimate how you feel in the coming weeks or months. I’ll give you some contacts when I discharge you that you can reach out to for support.”

“This is a marathon,” Jared murmurs. “Not a sprint.”

“Exactly.” Wilson almost smiles. “Everyone heals at their own pace. Some require less time, some need a little more help, but nobody’s journey is the wrong one. Is there anything you need to know?”

“Um.” I glance at Jared. “Will I need to speak to the police again? Sorry, doc. I know that’s probably not something you can answer.”

“They said they’d call with any update.” Jared’s fingers slip into mine. “Don’t worry about that. Time to focus on you, Em.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Wilson leaves us with more instructions on painkillers and exercises for my neck. Jared flicks through the paperwork again as soon as he’s gone, silently mouthing as he reads.

“You’re going to stay?” My quiet words make him look up. He rubs at his jaw, the dark stubble overgrown. I kind of like it.

“You shouldn’t be on your own.” He sounds uncertain.

We’ve developed a routine here. But outside… outside is different. “If you’re okay with that?”

I think I’m more than okay with that. “At your apartment? Or mine?”

My chest clenches at the thought of going back.

“Up to you,” he says gently. “No pressure either way.”

I think it over for a few minutes.

“Mine,” I say finally. “I’m not… I don’t want him to push me out.”

Jared clenches his jaw. “Never going to happen. We’ll work through it, Em. If it’s too much, you can stay with me, and we’ll keep trying until you’re comfortable. Either way works.”

Then he looks down. “I might need to run a few errands. I’d rather do it now than leave you alone. Is that… okay? It might be a little while, but I’ll be as quick as I can.”

My throat suddenly feels as though it’s narrowed again. “Sure. I’ll be fine.”

He studies my face. “I’ll be back soon. I wouldn’t go, but it’s important.”

“Okay.”

I miss him as soon as he’s not in the room.

Oh, Emmy. You’re in trouble.