Page 86 of Some Sort of Happy (Happy Crazy Love 1)
Thank God. I didn’t even hesitate before pressing Accept. Even if she just wanted to yell at me, at least I’d hear her voice.
“Fuck. I’m such an asshole,” I croaked.
“What? Sebastian?”
My heart stopped. The voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Skylar’s. “Yes. Who is this?”
“It’s Natalie.”
Gray fog clouded my vision, and I steadied myself with one hand on the counter. Why was Natalie using Skylar’s phone to call me? Was she so mad she didn’t even want to hear my voice? Or had something happened to her? “What’s going on? Is Skylar OK?”
“She’s OK. But she had an accident.”
“Oh my God.” The room spun, and for a second I thought I might get sick. I caused it. I caused it. This time it’s real. “A car accident?”
“No. She slipped and fell on some wet cement stairs outside a restaurant. She broke her wrist and hit her head pretty good, but she’s fine now.”
“Jesus.” I grabbed a handful of my hair and tugged on it. So it wasn’t a car accident, but it was still your fault. She went to the restaurant alone and you should have been with her. “Where is she?”
“She’s at Munson. But she doesn’t want to see you.”
“What? Why?” You know why, you stupid fuck.
“I don’t know. She didn’t elaborate, and she’s exhausted and loopy from the pain meds, but when I asked if I should call you, she said no, she didn’t want to see you and that if I called you she was never speaking to me again.”
“Fuck that. I’m coming.” I looked around for my keys. I hated hospitals more than odd numbers, but nothing could keep me from her.
“No! Please don’t.” Her tone was desperate. “Look, I called you because I knew you’d want to know, and I’m guessing she’ll eventually speak to me again after I tell her I did, but really—she’s got a bad enough headache right now. Whatever’s going on with you guys will have to get sorted out another time.”
My throat was squeezed so tight I didn’t know if I could even talk anymore. “OK. Thanks.”
We hung up, and I considered my next move for less than two seconds.
Skylar was hurt. I needed to be near her.
Despite the rain, I drove fast, praying hard that Natalie had been truthful with me and that Skylar’s injuries weren’t worse than she claimed.
At Munson, I parked and raced into the lobby without even hesitating outside the doors. Looking around wildly, I spotted the info desk and charged up to it. Once I got Skylar’s room information, I headed for the elevators, my stomach churning a bit at the hospital smell in the halls. Forget that. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is her. I forced m
yself to inhale deeply. Again, and again, and again. After a minute, one elevator door opened and Natalie stepped out.
“Sebastian.” Her eyes went wide. “What are you doing here?”
I squared my shoulders. “You have to let me see her.”
“She’s finally sleeping. Please don’t go up there now.”
My posture deflated a little. “Are you sure she’s OK?”
“Yes.” She looked at me, chewing on her bottom lip. “You look awful. What’s going on with you guys?”
“I fucked things up.” I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, not sure why I’d just blurted that out to Skylar’s sister but oddly relieved that I had. “I fucked things up and now she’s hurt and it’s my fault.”
“What? She slipped and fell, Sebastian. She was wearing ridiculously high heels and it was raining. How can that be your fault?”
Tears formed and I pressed a thumb and two fingertips over my eyes, embarrassed. “It just is. I know it.”
“Good grief. Come on.” She took me by the elbow and turned me around. “Let’s go get a cup of coffee. It won’t be as good as mine, but maybe it’s drinkable.” I let her steer me down the hall and around two corners, then over to a table in the near empty cafeteria. Dejected, I sank into a chair. “Don’t move,” she said.
