and tears slid out. The one thing I cared about, no one could fix. When I opened my eyes again, everyone was gone but Alex and the doctor. He was sitting next to me, his face stone as he watched her work. I didn’t look, didn’t care about my leg. When she finished, she checked the ankle of the foot that had been stuck in the grate and wrapped it with a bandage.
“Take this.” She handed me a pill and glass of water.
“What is it?” I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. The stitches pulled and I winced. Alex reached down and helped lift me.
“It’s for the pain. You might not feel it right this second, but that was a very nasty tumble you took and your leg is going to be sore for days.”
“No. I need to get to the airport.” I shook my head and felt dizzy. She leaned forward and looked at my eyes.
“Did you hit your head when you fell?”
“I don’t know.” Nausea built in my stomach and I swallowed. “I don’t feel right.”
“I think you have a concussion.” She dug through her bag and pulled out a flashlight. She waved it in front of my eyes and I groaned and held up a hand. With gentle fingers she felt along my head. “No cracks or blood, thankfully. You’ll need to have someone wake you every hour. I don’t want you flying until I’ve checked you in the morning.”
“You don’t understand. I have to leave now.” I tried to move but a wave of queasiness had me lying back against Alex.
“I do understand. Wait until the morning and I’ll do a quick check. Take the medicine and get some sleep.” She handed me the glass of water and watched as I took the pill. Once I had, she stood up and looked at Alex. “You understand how important it is that she not leave?”
He nodded his head and I knew I was defeated. When the doctor left, Alex scooted me farther in the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
I laid there on my side with my fists tucked under my cheek and tried to make sense of what had happened. Alex came back with a warm washcloth, a T-shirt, and a bowl. After locking his door, he helped me slide the dress off before wiping up the blood. I hadn’t realized how much there was until he had to go get another washcloth. I watched his face as he worked and reached out to wipe a smudge off his cheek. When he was done he slid the T-shirt over my head and situated me back under the blankets. I heard him slip out of his shoes before he crawled into the bed next to me.
He didn’t say anything while I cried. I was riddled with guilt and grief. I was scared I wouldn’t make it back in time to see my dad again. And the tears felt never ending. Alex stroked my hair through all of it. I had no idea how long I laid there and cried, but eventually I had nothing else in me. I felt hollow, like a piece of me had been scooped out and thrown away.
“Where’s Cathy?” I should have asked before now. One more thing to feel guilty over.
“She’s here.” He sighed. “She had gone downstairs to grab a friend and Becca had followed her. Neither of them thought you’d leave the VIP room.”
“I’m not mad. I was just worried.”
“You’re worried about them.” He snorted. “They’re fine. I doubt Cathy will ever go back to a club. I’ve never seen her so upset.”
“I’m sorry.” My voice was so hoarse I had to clear my throat and say it again. “I’m sorry I caused so much trouble.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He nuzzled my hair.
“I kicked a photographer in the nuts.”
He grunted a short laugh. “That’s my girl.”
“I really need to get to my dad.” I squeezed the hand of the arm he had wrapped around me. Even though I thought I’d cried all my tears, I got choked up again. “I left him when he needed me most.”
“We’ll leave in the morning.”
“You’ll come with me?” I whispered the question.
“Samantha, you’re never going anywhere without me again.”
“What about the bathroom?”
“Okay. You can go some places without me.” He chuckled. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“You were busy.” I hiccupped again.
“I have something for you.” Carefully, Alex dislodged me from his arm and walked across his bedroom. When he came back he