I simply drove faster.
RAELYN
"Are you in any pain?"
"Just a little. The meds they gave me are working wonders."
"Well, that's good." Haleigh winced as she looked at the bruises on my face. "Looks like you're gonna have a nice shiner once the swelling goes down."
"Yeah, I hit the window pretty hard. Ended up getting a few stitches." I brought my hand up to my face and gently touched the bandage on my temple. "But I guess it could be worse."
"It most definitely could’ve been worse." Anguish filled her eyes as she said, "You could've been killed."
"Oh, it wasn’t anything that serious. Just a little fender bender," I argued. "Besides, after all the crazy stunts I've pulled, there's no way I'm going to let a silly accident take me out."
"You're probably right about that." Haleigh sat down on the edge of my bed. "Have you spotted any hot doctors?"
"Why are you asking about hot doctors? I thought you were head over heels about Locke."
"A little eye candy never hurt anyone."
"In that case, I might've seen one or two, but they pale in comparison to our guys."
"I figured as much. Speaking of our guys ..." Haleigh leaned in close as she whispered, "Have you called Lynch to let him know you're here?"
"No, and I'm not going to."
"What?" Her face twisted into a disapproving frown. "Why not?"
"Because he has a lot going on, and there's no use in worrying him over a little bump on the head."
"Hmm ... Why do I get the feeling there's more to it than that?"
"Because you always think I'm hiding stuff."
She giggled. "’Cause you usually are!"
"Well, I'm not right now." I motioned my head over to Mom and Dad, who were busy talking on their phones. "Besides, I think we have enough going on at the moment."
"Yeah, you're probably right, but you should call him as soon as everything settles down."
"I will. I promise."
"Good." An excited smile slipped across her face. "Did I tell you that Rocky got adopted last night?"
"He did?"
Rocky was an older lab mix that had been at the shelter for months and months. He was one of the sweetest dogs there, but no one had even considered adopting him. Everyone thought he was too old to take a chance, so I couldn't have been happier when Haleigh said, "Yep, an older couple came in just as I got there. Apparently, they have a big farm and thought he'd be the perfect watchdog for their baby goats."
"That's really great. I'm glad Rocky found a good home."
I was so caught up in our conversation that I'd forgotten we were waiting on my CT scan results, but I was brought back to reality when one of the doctors stepped into my room. My heart sank the second I saw his face.
He had the same expression the nurse had two years prior. Haleigh stepped over to my mother, giving the doctor room to stand near my bed. "Hello, Ms. Thomas. I'm Dr. Avery Grant, one of the neurologists on staff here at the hospital."
"Hi, Dr. Grant. It's nice to meet you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, too."
"Hello, Dr. Grant." My father walked over and extended his hand, "I'm Jack, Raelyn's father, and this is Theresa, her mother."
"It's nice to meet you both." After he shook Dad's hand, he turned his attention back to me and said, "I came by to discuss the results of your CT scan."
"Okay."
"I must warn you. They are a bit concerning." My heart sank into the pit of my stomach when he added, "The scan revealed a rather large aneurysm on the left lobe of the brain."
"Oh, we've known about the aneurysm for some time now." I’d heard people talk about having an out-of-body experience, but I’d never encountered one—until now. I felt like I was in a tunnel, far away from that hospital room, but I could still hear my father. “Our family practitioner discovered it when she was twelve or thirteen, but she said it wasn't anything to be concerned about until Rae was in her fifties or sixties, and even then, she didn't think it would be an issue."
"In most cases, she would be correct.” Dr. Grant showed no feeling when he spoke. It sounded like he was reading straight from some medical journal as he explained to my father, “But your daughter’s has grown to the point where it is concerning."
“Concerning how?”
“When these weak spots grow larger, like Raelyn's has, they can rupture and cause internal bleeding in the brain, which can often be fatal."
“Damn.” Dad looked over at me, and my chest tightened with guilt when I saw the distraught expression on his face. I wasn't surprised that he was so upset. My father was a fixer, and sadly, this was one thing he simply couldn't fix. But that wasn't going to stop him from trying. He was still staring at me when he announced, "Rae's mother had a degenerative vascular disorder that affected her heart. Do you think that's what caused this?"