Page 53 of Chains
Chapter Twelve
Autumn tried tosit up, but the pressure in her head made her sink back down. It was like an axe had been planted in her brain. She tugged the blanket closer and burrowed deeper into the couch. Then a moment of panic hit her.I have to get to the clinic! What time is it?She glanced at the clock on the bookshelf, then bolted up. It was nearly one o’clock in the afternoon. How could she have overslept this long?
Ignoring the pain in her head, Autumn pushed up from the couch and shuffled into the kitchen to get a glass of water to wet her parched throat. When she spotted the half-full vodka and the two empty bottles of red wine on the counter, she groaned.
Cinder meowed and rubbed against her legs, then padded over to the pantry.
“Oh, God. Did I forget to feed you last night?” Moaning with every step she took, Autumn opened the pantry door, pulled out a box of dry food, and poured it into Cinder’s bowl. She glanced at the shelf and counted ten cans of wet food, then let out a breath of relief: she hadn’t forgotten to feed her sweet cat the night before.
After downing two glasses of water, Autumn trudged up the stairs. She turned on the faucet in the master bathroom and splashed cold water on her face just to feel something refreshing. Glancing in the mirror, she groaned at the reflection of her eyes—a lattice of pink over the white.
“You’re a total mess.” She turned away and shuffled to her bed. “How am I going to function today?” Without thinking, Autumn picked up the receiver of the landline phone and dialed the clinic. There was no way she could properly do her job, so for the first time since she’d bought the clinic, she’d have to call in sick.
“Dr. Jenkins,” Mark’s voice said.
Confusion stabbed at her brain. “Uh… sorry, Mark. I thought I called the clinic. This is Autumn.” It felt as if her mouth were full of cotton. She glanced at the bathroom and wished she’d brought a glass of water with her. The room was spinning a bit, and Autumn didn’t think she should try and stand up.
“Hi, Autumn. Are you okay? You sound a bit funny,” Mark said.
“I’m not feeling very well today. I won’t be able to come to the clinic. Can you and Marian handle my patients?” Autumn scooted back on the bed until she hit the headboard.
“The clinic’s closed. I’m the doctor on call.” A small hesitation. “Do you have a fever?”
“Why’s the clinic closed?”If only I could get this fucking drum to stop beating in my head.She pressed her fingers against the right temple.
“Youare out of it.” A small chuckle crackled through the phone. “It’s Saturday—we close at noon, remember? I picked up two of your patients this morning, and Marian spotted the other three. I was actually going to give you a call to check up on you. Marian said you were probably doing wedding stuff.”
The wedding.Autumn’s stomach lurched.Bret called it off—he dumped me.“I overslept, but I’m actually feeling pretty sick now. I really have to go.”
“Do you need anything? Kim can drop by if you want some help.”
Kim Jenkins was a sweet woman and always willing to help. With two small kids and another one on the way, she seemed to have oodles of time to devote to her husband and keeping a well-organized home. Autumn didn’t know how Kim did it all and still maintained her cheery disposition.
“I’ll be okay. It’s probably a twenty-four-hoursomething or other. I gotta get to the bathroom.”
“Uh… okay. I’ll call you later to make sure you’re all right.”
“Thanks,” she managed to get out of the bed and stumbled into the en suite.
A short while later, she lifted her head from the toilet and dragged herself over to the sink and washed up. Three aspirins later, Autumn lay on the bed, trying to summon some small amount of energy. The events of the night before blitzed through her mind, and she couldn’t believe Bret wasn’t man enough to break off the engagement in person… or even in a damn text.The jerk sent his brother over to do the dirty deed. His brother—Chains.The corner of her mouth tugged up a little. Chains had tried to be so supportive in a very awkward situation. Autumn could tell that he hadn’t wanted to be in the middle of their relationship, but he’d come over to console her anyway. The brotherin the outlaw clubhad done that, whereas the brother with the white-collar job who owed her an explanation had passed the buck.
She grabbed the phone and typed a quick text to Bret.
Autumn:What the hell?
It seemed like forever until the small response beep sounded.
Bret:Things just haven’t been working between us.
Autumn:So u sent ur brother to break off the engagement???
Bret:U seemed to have a rapport with him.
Autumn:But u and I were the couple. U should’ve been man enough to talk to me.
Bret:I just don’t want to be married.
Autumn:Why the fuck didn’t u tell me that b4 I put deposits on everything!
