One phone call couldn’t hurt, and if she didn’t like the lawyer or anything he had to say, there was no need to mention it to Addison.
A while later, the nurse came back in and made Charlotte get back into bed. “Your blood tests are out. Most of them are good, but the doctor doesn’t like how dehydrated you’re looking, so I’m going to hook you up to this IV. It should bring those numbers back up.”
Charlotte made a face and stuck her arm out. “How long is this going to take?”
Nurse Roberts flicked the needle and gave her another sympathetic smile. “Hopefully, not long.”
After inserting the drip and making sure it was secure, she left Charlotte and pulled the curtain shut behind her. Charlotte sank back against the bed and brought her free arm over her head. She stared at the ceiling for a while and tried to imagine that she was somewhere—anywhere—else.
She was on a beach, sipping on a mojito and reading a good book.
She was in the ocean, with the sun on her back and clear blue waters stretching as far as the eye could see. Charlotte was beginning to relax when a monitor began to beep, and she saw ateam of doctors and nurses race past her bed. There was a loud cacophony of voices and a strong smell lingering in the air.
Addison and Mason came back and wedged themselves in between Savannah and Emily.
Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut and hummed to tune out the rest of the noise.
Stay calm and stay happy. Forget about everything else.
Eventually, everything quieted down, and Charlotte’s head began to feel heavy. She heard her mom whispering and smiled. Then, someone pulled the cover up to her chin and tucked it in. Charlotte forced one eye open and saw everyone trickle out, with her mom pausing to pull the curtain shut behind her. Emily stopped before it was completely closed and gave her daughter a bright smile.
Left alone to the mercy of her thoughts, Charlotte sank lower against the bed and pulled the cover over her head.
Pretending she was somewhere else could only do so much.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t ignore the fact she was lying in a hospital bed—at the same hospital that claimed her father’s life while she fought for the life of Addison’s unborn child.
Fate had a twisted sense of humor.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Annie? I’m headed out. Dinner is in the microwave.” Libby waited to hear a response, but when nothing happened, she sighed. She stepped out from behind the kitchen counter and reached for the sweater hung up behind the door. After checking to make sure the oven was switched off and the containers were properly sealed, she snatched her purse off the counter.
Libby was shoving her feet into a pair of sneakers when Annie’s door creaked open. She came out in a pair of sweatpants, a hoodie, and her rhinestone pink headphones on her head. When she spotted Libby, Annie yanked off the headphones and shoved both hands into her pockets.
“Where are you going? You never go out this late.”
Libby shifted from one foot to the other. “Ms. Ricker—Charlotte. She’s in the hospital. I’m going to go visit her.”
Annie raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you and Ms. Ricker become friends?”
Libby zipped up her sweater and shrugged. “Since we started talking whenever I picked you up or dropped you off at school.”
Annie folded her arms over her chest. “Don’t you think that’s a little weird? Being friends with my former drama teacher?”
Libby sighed. “We can discuss this later. I really should go and check on her.”
Especially because Charlotte had sounded freaked out on the phone.
She’d barely been able to make out much of Charlotte’s rant, but knowing her sister, mother, and friends were there helped. After offering Annie another strained smile, Libby spun on her heel and patted her pockets for her keys.
She was halfway through the door when Annie’s voice stopped her. “I’ll come with you.”
Libby glanced at her over her shoulder. “What?”
“I love Ms. Ricker, and I want to be sure she’s okay,” Annie replied with a lift of her chin. “Let me just change into a pair of jeans and put on some shoes. I’ll be two minutes.”
Libby opened her mouth to protest, then snapped it shut.
