Meant to Be Immortal (Argeneau #32) - Lynsay Sands Page 0,63

Cummings. I don’t approve of this at all. I really think you should stay overnight for observation,” the gentleman whose name tag read Dr. Pearson said firmly.

“I understand.” CJ shrugged out of the gown they’d urged her into when she’d first woken up, and pulled on her blouse in its place. She’d stripped for so many doctors over the last three and a half years she felt no discomfort at all standing around in only her panties and bra in front of this one and the nurse with him. “But you’ve done tests and scans, and even an MRI for heaven’s sake, and found nothing wrong. I’m sure I’m fine, but I’ll return if I have any symptoms. Anything at all.” Pausing in doing up her buttons, she frowned and lifted the collar of her shirt to get a closer look at the spot of blood there. “Damn.”

“It’ll wash out,” Nurse Becca said reassuringly, and then smiled as she added, “Consider yourself lucky that a couple of splotches of blood is all you have to worry about. Had you not woken up when you did, you’d be without clothes at all. I was about to start cutting them off when you opened your eyes.”

“Cutting them off?” CJ asked with surprise. “I hit my head. Why would you need to— Never mind,” she interrupted her own question. She didn’t really care, but supposed it made it easier to check for other injuries and probably to attach heart monitors and whatnot if necessary. Finishing with her top, she pulled on her pants next and then peered at her bare feet and said, “I had boots.”

Nurse Becca was holding them out before CJ finished the statement and she wondered that she hadn’t noticed her holding them.

“Thank you.” CJ took her cowboy boots from the woman. Pulling out the socks she’d tucked into them a good seven hours earlier when they’d asked her to change into the hospital gown for the X-rays and myriad other tests they’d insisted on, she quickly donned them as well as the boots. Straightening once she was done, CJ glanced to Becca and asked, “My purse?”

“There was no purse when you were brought in,” Becca said with a shrug.

“Oh,” CJ said weakly, and then started toward the door.

“Ms. Cummings,” Dr. Pearson said, following her. “I can’t make you stay, but you will have to sign a release before you go, relieving us of any responsibility should your refusal to stay be detrimental to your health.”

“Yes, fine, I’ll sign a release form,” CJ agreed.

“Good, good.” He sounded relieved, but then added with a small frown, “Although I think you should really wait here at least until the police come to interview you. They’ve been notified and will want to question you about the vehicle that hit you.”

“Waiting isn’t necessary. I’m going straight to the police station from here anyway,” CJ assured him, concentrating on keeping any sign of the headache she was suffering off of her face. She didn’t want them to change their minds and insist on keeping her whether she wanted to stay or not. CJ had always hated hospitals and doctors and avoided them like the plague. Besides, she had things to do here in Sandford, and that didn’t include lying around in a hospital bed being monitored when she was okay other than a skull-splitting headache that a couple of aspirin would no doubt fix. Which made her think of her purse, because she had a bottle of aspirin in it, but it wasn’t here. Hopefully, Mac, Decker, and Bricker had it with them wherever they were. Her car was probably with them too. Which meant she’d need to call a taxi.

“Mrs. Vesper mentioned that there’s a taxi service in town,” CJ said moments later as she signed the release form Dr. Pearson had brought to the nurse’s station.

“Yes,” Becca agreed, looking a little confused as to why she’d bring that up.

“Do you think someone could call them for me? I’ll need a ride to the police station.”

“You don’t wish to go with your man and his friends?” the nurse asked with surprise.

CJ glanced up sharply from the release form, her gaze sliding between Dr. Pearson and Nurse Becca. “My ‘man’ and his friends?”

“Yes. The handsome young fellow who carried you in,” Dr. Pearson explained. “He was in the emergency room with you when you first woke up.”

“Yes, he was very worried about you. Wouldn’t leave your side until you ordered him out when we started