“Hi,”Regan says, I can hardly make out her scratchy voice before she starts coughing. Colt is immediately there, handing her water. She takes a long sip before clearing her throat.“What’s going on?”
“You’re in the hospital,”Molly explains. “There was an accident. You were hit by a car.”
Regan processes that, nodding slowly. If she remembers that night, she doesn’t show it. It doesn’t register as good or bad on her face.
“Am I okay?”
Molly smiles.“You are.”
Regan exhales, her shoulders visibly relaxing as she leans back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. And then, then she says something that guts me clean through. The first person she thinks of coming out of a coma...
“Where’s Declan?”she asks.
Molly freezes, just for a second, before glancing at Colt. His jaw clenches as he grips her shoulder.
“He’s probably at work right now,”he hedges. Then, carefully,“Regan, you and Declan broke up.”
“Broke up?”Her brows knit together, and my stomach fucking drops.“When?”
Molly hesitates.“Um… what’s the last thing you remember?”
Regan’s face scrunches in concentration, and I swear I can hear my heart pounding in my skull. My breath is coming too fast. Because if she thinks she’s still dating Declan, then I’m completely, utterly fucked.
“Christmas… and the brewery... I remember it opening. The new one we built in town,”she says.
Molly hesitates again, then nods. “It did.”
And I see it—the moment Regan starts to realize something is off. That she’s missing time in her memories.
She nods, more to herself than anyone else.“I don’t know what I remember last… it all feels a little fuzzy.”Her eyes dart back to Molly.“What month is it?”
“Um, it’s the end of April…”
“April…”She whispers the word to herself before leaning back again, lips pressing together as she works through it.
Molly and Colt exchange glances, both watching her carefully like they aren’t sure if they are pushing her too hard or upsetting her.
“She seems to be handling this well,” Scarlett murmurs.
Cash grunts in response.
But I can’t stop looking at her. Can’t stop seeingher. She’s alive. She’s awake. She’s right there. She might not know the month, but this is better than most in my experience.
Then, like she hasn’t already sucker-punched me into the goddamn ground, she sits forward again, and her next words nearly fucking kill me.
“Will you ask Declan to come visit? I’d like to talk to him.”
Molly freezes. Colt’s jaw tightens.
And me?
I feel like I might throw up.
But Molly forces a nod.“Yeah. Of course. Is there anyone else you’d like to see?”
Regan shakes her head.“Cash and Lawson if they can make it but maybe not today. Do I get to leave soon?”
“I think the doctors want to keep you a few more nights for observation.”