Mara narrowed her eyes. “So, she’s going to help you? Does she think you’ll get better?”
“I don’t know, Mara. It’s too soon to tell. Stop worrying.”
Mara crossed her arms and probably would have given him an earful if Raina hadn’t cleared her throat just then.
“Okay, I know you guys are all dying to know what we’re having, so we won’t keep you in suspense. Bennett tends to lose track of time when he’s working on something, so we might as well just go ahead.” Raina ate the last orange slice and delicately wiped her fingers on the napkin her husband held out. She turned to her sister, who was spreading icing on a small cake. “Ri, is it done?”
“Almost… Okay, now it’s done.” Ridley lifted the cake and winked.
Raina grinned. “I decided to use my newfound ninja baking skills to make a pink or blue cake. So, you won’t know until we cut the first piece. Who wants to cut the first piece? Mark, would you like to?”
He took a step forward, but then glanced back at Julia. “I’d better let Mama Bear do the honors.”
Julia rubbed her hands together and stepped forward. “I’d love to. I wasn’t blessed with any baby girls, but a granddaughter would be just as good.”
Mark rolled his eyes fondly behind her back.
“Okay, here’s the knife. Let’s do this. Drumroll, please!” Ridley motioned to Elliott, who banged a loud staccato rhythm on the table.
Looking back, Matt couldn’t be sure what had triggered him. Perhaps it was because the room was so quiet before the loud sound or because his shoulder was still aching from earlier. He was always on edge when he was in pain. Either way, the sudden loud sound hit his eardrums like a bomb going off. Matt dropped to the floor and rolled. He hit the leg of the table. A second later, something shattered. Instinctively, he covered his head with his arms.
Everyone went silent. Then there was a sudden cacophony of voices.
“What the hell?”
“Did he fall?”
Mara kneeled next to the table. He looked up from the cradle of his arms and their eyes met. Her face fell.
“Oh, my god. Matt.” She stopped, obviously overcome. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”
Adrenaline was still flowing through his bloodstream so strongly that Matt started shaking. As much as he wished he could just sink into the floor, the best he could do was wrap his arms around himself and hold on.
Once his heartbeat slowed a little, he turned and looked at the shards of glass on the floor next to him. He could hear his friends whispering back and forth. Probably trying to figure out how long he was going to be under their table. The first wash of shame settled in the pit of his stomach.
“I’m going to ask everybody to take a step back and give Matt some space.”
Elliott’s deep voice cut through the chaos until everyone fell silent. All Matt could hear was the steady whoosh of his own breath sawing in and out of his chest. There was a soft crunch and he flinched. Eli knelt next to him but didn’t touch him.
“You want to take a minute outside, buddy?”
Matt nodded quickly, hating the desperate relief that flowed through him when he realized that Eli wasn’t asking any questions. He climbed from beneath the table and stood slowly. There were pieces of broken crockery near his foot.
Eli nudged it aside. “Don’t worry about that. You just go on out and get some fresh air. No one will bother you.” His words held both comfort and a promise. Matt looked up, stunned to see no pity reflected in Eli’s gaze.
He walked to the back door, not meeting anyone’s eyes. As soon as the cold, fresh air hit his face, he gasped, taking in a lungful of freezing air.
Breathe. Just breathe.
* * * * *
“YOUR LAST APPOINTMENT is here. Also, you might want to check your messages.” It was Friday evening, and Georgia handed her the file for her next patient.
Penny groaned when she saw the name. She was not in the mood to deal with Mr. Grabby-hands Eisenberg today.
“You might need this.” Georgia held out her hand. Penny’s cell phone sat on her palm.
“You found it! I’ve been looking for that all day.” Penny snatched up her phone and let out a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure how people had survived before technology. Her entire life was in her phone. She hadn’t been looking forward to having to buy another one.