Get a hold of yourself, Piper.
The large door is open a sliver, and I hear talking behind it. Peering over to Brad for his thoughts if we should enter, he cringes and bites the inside of his cheek in question. The three of us waver in the hallway, not wanting to interrupt anything, until the door springs open, and a nurse startles back.
“Can I help you?” she asks.
She’s cute and young, making me second-guess Tanner’s reasons for not calling me.
“We’re here to see Tanner McCain,” Brad informs her.
She smiles.
“Brad?” Tanner yells, indicating we’re at his room.
I place my hand on my stomach when it flips just from the sound of his voice.
“Yeah, it’s us.” Brad looks at the nurse. “Can we go in?”
“Yeah, I was just going to get his personal belongings at the nurses’ station. Go on in.” She steps out of the way, slowly appraising me and Taylor, before she heads down the hall.
Brad walks in first, his hand linked with Taylor’s. Tanner lights up when he spots Brad, but when he catches me following, his eyes beam. His reaction is everything I hoped for, but it still doesn’t change my insecurity about him not calling.
“What’s up, man? Shit. How are you?” Brad asks Tanner.
Truthfully, Tanner appears fine to me. His face has a few scratches, maybe a bruise here or there, but no casts or braces. Why couldn’t he call me last night?
“I fucked up my back.” His vision peers over to me and his hands fist the sheet.
I stare to the floor, continuing with the awkward space between us.
“Hey, Piper.” His voice is so soft that I barely hear it.
When my head picks up, Taylor gasps next to me just as quickly.
“Hey, Tan,” I say, following Taylor and taking the seat next to her.
“How bad? Are you out?” Brad panics, pacing the floor “Shit, man, we got Georgetown next week.”
“Coach was here about an hour ago. Doctor told him that I could be out for the season.”
I watch as Tanner’s hands ball the sheet. He’s trying to conceal how upset he is by this news. Any of us would be.
“What?” Brad screams, tossing his hands in the air. “We have no shot without you. We’re screwed.” He violently shakes his head from side to side.
“Jeez, Brad. Don’t make me call the psych ward on you,” I joke.
Brad glares over to me.
“I’ll do whatever I have to. You know it won’t take me long.” Tanner presses a palm on the bed and winces from pain when his body shifts.
“You’d better, man, because . . . damn,” Brad continues his childlike tantrum. He’s putting pressure on Tanner to force his body to heal before it’s ready, which will only jeopardize him in the long run.
“Here you go.” The bubbly nurse sashays into the room with a plastic bag her hands.
I’m fairly certain she exaggerates her bending over to place it on the table.
I rub my palms against my pants and watch Tanner’s reaction to her. He only thanks her and smiles before turning back to Brad with a short glance my way.
Brad snatches a brown envelope from the bag, tearing it open, before Tanner can get his hands on it. Brad tosses Tanner’s wallet along with his keys on the table.
When Brad pulls the phone out, he laughs and then hands it to Tanner. “Whoever Ashley is, she’s been trying to get a hold of you all night.”
Brad continues to be amused while I struggle to breathe. Taylor reaches over and grabs my knee, squeezing it, but I breathe deep and release. It’s just not fucking working. My worst fears are coming true.
“There must be, like, ten missed calls.”
Tanner’s eyes flick to mine, and I once again divert his stare, enjoying the scenery of the linoleum floor much better.
“Give me the phone again. Let’s count,” Brad prods.
My heart falters.
Standing up, I never look at Tanner. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” My voice is weak and broken. God, I hate that he’s done this to me.
“Wait up, Piper,” Taylor calls out.
I don’t stop.
By the time I reach the door, she must realize that she needs to make an excuse. “I haven’t eaten breakfast, so I’m going to find a vending machine.”
Neither Brad nor Tanner respond, and soon, we’re both outside the door of his room. I lean against the wall and sink down to the ground. Placing my head in my hands, I pull a little on my strands to knock some sense into myself. How did I allow my feelings for Tanner to go this deep? I should have kept my guard up, never stepped over the line.
Taylor’s purse falls to the floor, and then, her ass is right next to mine. As much as I want to be indifferent to Taylor, her interest in my love life is nice.
“Just because girls call him doesn’t mean he calls them back.”
The ache in my stomach lifts from her advice.
“What?” I ask. What she said actually makes sense.
“Maybe she’s one of those stalker chicks. Maybe he slept with her a long time ago, which sucks, but it doesn’t mean he’s seeing someone else.” She squeezes my knee firmly between her manicured nails. “Hey . . .” She patiently waits for me to lift my head. “I have a pretty good intuition with people, and the boy through that door loves you.” She smiles her perfectly white teeth.
With her confession, my cheeks heat from embarrassment because I’m a sensible girl. I like to think I have a good head on my shoulders with a lot of common sense.
Standing up, I wipe off my butt from the dust of the hospital floor. “You’re right. Thank you, Taylor.”
I nod my head, and her face beams.
Crap, I really should be a little nicer to her.
“No thanks necessary. Now, I’m going to go in there and manipulate your brother to leave, so you can clear up this miscommunication.” She turns around and disappears through Tanner’s door.
I overhear her sweet and whiny voice wrap Brad tightly around her finger. Before I blink, the two of them are exiting.
Brad turns to me with a confused expression across his face. He’s probably speculating why I’m just standing there. “Hey, Pipe. We’re going down to the cafeteria. Come on.”
He swings his other arm forward, but I don’t join them.
“Nah, I’m good.” My stomach rumbles, and I place my hand over it to hopefully disguise the sound.
“We’ll bring something back?” Taylor offers.
Brad scrutinizes me but says nothing.
“That would be great. Just a yogurt is fine.” I smile.
Brad slowly nods his head. “You sure?” he asks.
“Yes. Thanks, guys.” My phone rings in my pocket, and the distraction is perfect. “Hello?” I answer.
Brad’s about to step forward.
“Hi, Mom,” I say.
That makes Brad step back to Taylor.
“We just found out. He’s fine. We didn’t know. We wanted to get here as soon as possible.” I’m answering the questions my mom is spitting at me.
Wanting no part of my mom’s third degree, Brad chuckles and turns around, leading Taylor down the hall.
“Okay, I’m going in there now. I’ll let you know, Mom.”
She continues to ramble in my ear about how we all need to protect one another and make sure we take care of Tanner.
“I will, Mom, promise. Let me call you back when I have more information.”
Thankfully, my quest for details appeases her, and she allows me to hang up.
When I walk into the room, Tanner condescendingly smiles at me, and I glare, taking a seat in the chair across from him.
“Where are the other two?” he asks, muting the blaring ESPN on the television.
“Went down to the cafeteria.” I focus on the floor, unable to look at him.
“Then, why are you so far away? Come here.”
The sweetness from his voice makes my feet flitter to move.
“Who is Ashley?” I whisper.
My arms wrap around my stomach when he releases a deep breath.