Page 139 of Time To Learn

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Laura

There’snothing I loathe more than hospitals.

I have to physically force my legs to obey me as Mum pulls up in front of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and we all jump out of the car. No sooner has Ailith taken my hand than she pulls me along behind her, and we rush through the sliding doors. But as soon as we do, the smells of dashed hopes, crippling sorrow, and unending despair—the exact ones I’ve encountered in hospitals in the past—hit my nostrils, and I want to bolt around and flee as if I was a wild horse.

Breathe, Laura.

There it is again. That strange, yet familiar voice that’s been whispering in my mind, always hovering in the background. Always urging me to move forward whenever I’ve wanted to escape a situation. Always encouraging me—never allowing me to turn my back on a difficult situation. A normal woman would probably think she’d completely lost her marbles—hearing voices is definitely not normal—but somehow, it’s never bothered me. Besides, it’s only one voice, and not very often. Only in times of stress.

Get a moveon.

I take a deep breath as the three of us stop at Reception where a young nurse sits, tapping away on her desktop. My heartbeat refuses to slow down, and as the metallic taste of anxiousness creeps up my throat, I try not to let it beat me down. Instead, I focus on the woman in front of me. The one who, I hope, holds the answers that I need. Her face is covered in freckles, enhancing her youth, but as I wait for her to speak, she exudes a sense of calm that must come from years of practice in her profession.

When she gives me a friendly smile, I blurt out, “Kristian. I need to seehim.”

Her baby-blue eyes turn confused, but sympathetic.

“I need his full name, please.”

“Errm…”

Frowning, I push some strands of hair away from my forehead. Why can’t I remember his last name? Or has he ever toldme?

Bloody hell, I’m supposed to be his girlfriend, and I don’t even have the most basic knowledge abouthim.

“Miss?”

Crap, now she’s frowning atme.

I blink rapidly as I try to sort out my confused thoughts, but it seems near impossible. A lump forms in my throat at the thought that I won’t be able to go to him, but lucky for me, Mum comes to my rescue.

“Østergaard,” she answers, “Kristian with a K.” She places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“He’s Danish,” Ailith pipes up softly next to me. The nurse smiles quickly down at her, and finally, I find my voice.

“He was almost run over by a car in the city a couple of hours ago, I think. Hit his head.” I swallow hard. “Please, I…I need to be withhim.”

The nurse nods as she types and glances up atme.

“I can’t give out any information to you unless you’re family.”

Her hands hover over the keyboard, no doubt expecting me to reassure her at once. I wet my lips, gearing up to start acting like a mad banshee, when Mum’s hand presses down on my shoulder, stillingme.

“He’s my son-in-law,” Mum reassuresher.

My head snaps in her direction.

“Yes, he’s my daddy,” Ailith saysnext.

I turn my head in her direction, feeling both grateful and thrown by the deviousness of the women in mylife.

“Oh, really?”

Quickly, I catch my bearings and straighten my back as I look down at the nurse. I don’t like the look of disbelief she aims at me, but at this moment I welcome it as it finally manages to pull me out of my stupor.

“Newlyweds,” I squeak before clearing my throat. “Satisfied?”