Leilani freezes. “The emergency room?”
“Mr. Bamford has been in an accident,” the nurse says.
Leilani jumps to her feet, ignoring the pain in her body and runs out of the room barefoot. She barely notices the feel of the cold linoleum on her feet. The hall is too bright, and everything seems to be spinning. She stumbles into the emergency room and grabs Robert by the shoulders.
“Where’s Waylen? What happened? Is he going to be okay? What did the doctors say?” she asks breathlessly.
Robert grabs her by the hands to steady her and leads her to a chair. “Mr. Bamford is going to be fine,” he says. “He has a cut on his forehead and a mild concussion. He’s getting stitched up now.”
Leilani tries to control her breathing, but waves of guilt twist her stomach into knots. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t asked him to get me a cupcake, she thinks. This is all my fault. I selfishly wanted to get rid of him, and I almost lost him forever.
“Can I see him?” she asks.
“He’ll be out soon,” Robert says. He glances down at her feet and frowns. “Mrs. Bamford, you’re not wearing shoes.”
Leilani looks down at her bare feet in surprise. They look pale and vulnerable on the hard, bright floor. She feels forgetful and foolish, and she wonders if it’s because of the pregnancy or the toxin in her body. She wonders if someone is still dosing her with the poison. Could the toxin affect the baby?
Her mind wanders, and Robert taps her on the shoulder. He offers her a pair of soft, fur-lined boots. Before she can put them on, door swings open, and Waylen emerges. He struts across the emergency room with cold confidence. Despite the gauze on his forehead, his presence is commanding and hypnotizing. Leilani jumps to her feet and rushes to his side, burying her face in his wrinkled shirt.
“Please tell me you’re not hurt anywhere else,” she said into his chest.
He pulls away from her and looked her up and down. His mouth twitches when he sees the flower in her hair and settles into a frown when he looks at her bare feet.
“Where are your shoes?” he asks.
“I-I forgot them,” Leilani says, taken aback by his cold tone. “They said you were in the emergency room, and I panicked.”
“Well put some shoes on,” Waylen snaps. “You look ridiculous.”
Leilani slides her feet into the boots. By the time she gets them on, Waylen is already halfway across the room. He glances back at her but doesn’t wait. He rushes out of the room with his hands in his pockets, and she has to chase after him.
In the elevator, he presses his back against the opposite wall. Leilani can’t help but remember all the times he’d wrap his arms around her from behind or use the temporary privacy to kiss her. Soothing jazz plays in the background, but the atmosphere is tense and awkward. She tries to meet his eye, but he won’t even look at her.
She wonders if he’s angry, but she can’t think of anything she’s done to anger him. What else has changed, she wonders. The realization hits her suddenly, and she feels her stomach twist. Leonie’s pregnancy is the most recent change, she thinks. Her scalp feels prickly, and a sudden cold sweat pops up on her forehead. She closes her eyes and takes a deep, calming breaths. As soon as the elevator dings, she rushes out and waits for Robert. Waylen doesn’t seem to notice that she’s not following him anymore.
“Robert, I need you to tell me the truth,” she says. “Is it really just a mild concussion?”
Robert nods.
“Well, did the doctor mention any side effects?” Leilani asks. “I know severe concussions can cause amnesia, but what about the mild ones? Can they affect a person’s memory? Or their personality?”
Robert smiles, pityingly. “He’s not suffering from amnesia, Mrs. Bamford. But I suppose there could be some um temporary changes in personality.”
Leilani raises her eyebrows. Something about Robert’s words seems off, and she can’t shake the feeling that he’s not quite telling the truth. She sighs and walks back to her room. Waylen is sitting on the sofa with a laptop opened on his lap. The sun from the window lights him from behind, casting his face into shadow. He doesn’t look up at her.
Leilani sighs loudly and sits down next to Waylen. His posture stiffens immediately, but he doesn’t look up from his screen. Robert knocks at the door and passes Leilani a paper bag.
“Here’s your cupcake, Mrs. Bamford,” Robert says.
Leilani opens the bag expecting a mess, but it’s perfectly neat. The flimsy plastic box isn’t smashed or cracked, and the icing on the cupcake isn’t even smeared.
“How bad was the accident?” Leilani asks confusedly.
“The car was totaled,” Robert replies.
“But you and the cupcakes are completely fine?” Leilani asks.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Waylen glance up from his screen, but by the time she turns to look at him, he’s looking down at his computer again. They’re both acting so weird, she thinks. What’s really going on here?
“It’s just one of those coincidences,” Robert says with a quick but meaningful look at Waylen. “Anyway, why don’t you enjoy your cupcake?”
Leilani bites her lip but decides it’s pointless to argue. Clearly, the men are keeping something from her, and they seem determined to hide the truth. She struggles to open the plastic cupcake box, cracking the thin plastic in the process. She rolls her eyes and takes a bite of the cupcake. The cake is rich and sweet, and the cream cheese icing is just slightly tangy.
She intentionally leaves a bit of icing on her lip. Waylen looks up from his laptop and stares at her without moving a muscle. In the past, he would have licked it off her, but now he sits as motionless and cold as an ice sculpture. Leilani sighs and licks her own lip. She finishes the cupcake, but it seems dry in her mouth.
She gets up and looks out the window. There’s a carnival in the park near the hospital. Thousands of colorful lights flicker on the merry-go-round. As the ride begins to spin, the lights blur together, creating a dreamy, colorful rainbow. She sighs, watching the horses trapped in an eternal chase. No matter how many times the merry-go-round spins, the horses will never get any closer to each other.
“When can we leave the hospital?” Leilani asks without looking away from the carnival.
“When do you want to leave?” Waylen asks.
“The sooner, the better, it’s stuffy here,” Leilani says, turning to look at him.
“Fine,” Waylen says. “I’ll have Robert discuss it with the doctors. They’ll probably discharge you tomorrow anyway.”
Leilani smiles and nods. She never thought the Bamford estate would feel like a safe-haven, but she’s suddenly eager to return. Waylen frowns and glances at his watch.
“It’s getting late,” Waylen says as he stands up. “I’ll ask someone to take care of you on my way out.”
“Wait, you’re leaving?” she asks.
“Of course,” Waylen replies.
“Why not stay for dinner?” she asks, hating how desperate her voice sounds.
“No, I have other business to attend to,” he says. “Stay here and follow the doctors’ orders.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.