Indiscretion: Volume Four (6 page)

“Thank you for being so understanding.” I followed them out of the showroom, practically herding them out of there, locked the door, and raced down Main Street toward the job site.

Running in my heels under the hot summer sun wasn’t the easiest thing, but my cardio had significantly improved since I’d been taking so many fake jogs lately. I was sure the extra-curricular activities in the bedroom with Max helped, too.

Max…

Dread was a black pit inside my stomach, not a completely unfamiliar feeling to me—the nausea, the tightness in my throat, the fear gripping my heart. I’d felt all of this before…the day of my mom’s accident. I guess some things, once experienced, could never be pushed to the back of your mind, no matter how hard you tried.

I broke out in a sweat as I ran down the street. When I approached, I saw a crowd of people gathered around the fence surrounding the Richfield job site. My gaze bounced from one spot to another trying to simultaneously take everything in.

No, Max. Please no…

I raced up to the entrance, short of breath, and pushed through the crowd to get to the fence line, uncaring of who was in my way or what I had to do to move them. When I finally reached the chain link fence surrounding the job site, I gripped it hard and I began screaming for Paul. I had no idea if he was here, injured himself, or if he’d even recognize me. But in my panicked state it was all I could think of to do.

Why I didn’t just call for Max, I don’t know. Maybe I was afraid he wouldn’t answer.

My voice grew hoarse, my throat raw as I continued to scream into the devastation in front of me. A large steel girder was lying on top of a section on the corner of the building, a pile of rubble and other building equipment crushed underneath. Dust rose up into the air from piles of debris. The interior of the building was exposed now because of the missing section. How could this have happened? My hands went to my face as tears welled in my eyes.

I fell to my knees, my breaths shallow and coming too fast. Darkness edged the corner of my vision and my heart beat so hard it was almost painful in my chest. I struggled to catch my breath as the legs of the people on either side of me jostled me in all the excitement going on around us.

A few minutes later, Paul moved into my blurry vision. I used the fence to help me stand. He was running toward me, his expression pained, and he was covered in dirt and dust. Seeing him didn’t help squash the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

Oh God, please tell me Max isn’t lying under all that rubble
. But I knew. Before Paul even had the chance to confirm my gut feeling, I knew that Max wasn’t okay.

Chloe

“What happened?” I yelled over the sound of the chaos around me. “Max...he’s not…under there is he?” I gasped for air as my eyes glazed over with unshed tears.
Keep it together. Don’t lose it here. Save it for later.

“Christ, no,” he said with a horrified expression. “They took him to the hospital. He got hit with some debris when that went down.” He pointed behind him at the demolished section of the building. “I’m not sure how badly he was hurt. It’s been chaos here.” His eyes were wide and panicked. “I can’t get over there now, I have to make sure everyone else on site is accounted for.”

“I’m going over there! I’ll call you when I know something!” Without waiting for a reply, I turned and sprinted in the direction of my place to get my car. The drive to the hospital felt agonizingly slow, second only to my drive home from college after learning that my mom had been killed.

I was barely able to tamp down the despair simmering just below the surface. The dam threatened to break, but I knew if I let it, there would be no resurrecting that wall. I’d be swept away and hurtled under water, not knowing which way was up, which was down. I had to remain strong.

I’d seen the destruction and if Max had been anywhere near there when that happened, I didn’t see how he could’ve been ‘okay’.

When I finally reached the hospital, I squealed into the first spot I saw and raced through the ER doors, scanning the room—for what, I wasn’t sure. Max sitting comfortably in a waiting room chair? Not going to happen. I raced up to the nurses station and sagged over top of the counter.

“Can I help you, miss?” the nurse at the desk asked, a little peevishly, presumably not impressed by my abrupt entrance.

“Yes, I’m looking for Max Richfield. He was in an accident in Bar Harbor.” The panic in my voice was evident.

She gave me a bored look. “I can only give information to the next of kin. All I can do is confirm that he was brought here,” she said, then went back to work, tapping away on the computer.

Next of kin? Oh god, that didn’t sound good. As my knees threatened to buckle underneath me, I steeled myself to hold on a little longer and blurted out the only thing I could think of. “I’m his wife!”

The nurse raised a sceptical brow, her eyes flickering to my left hand. “Mrs. Richfield, is it?”

I nodded furiously, trying to win her over with a pleading expression.

“Okay,
Mrs. Richfield
,” she said unbelieving. “Through those doors, second door on your left.” The nurse pressed a button and a set of double doors opened up beyond the waiting room.

“Thank you,” I breathed, then rushed through the now open doors and hurried to where the nurse had directed me. Surely it must be a good sign that she was letting me back here. I rounded the corner into the hospital room and stopped on a dime when I saw the empty bed.

Empty? Where the hell was he?

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I raised my hands to my face, covering my mouth and nose. Where was he? Had something happened and they rushed him into surgery? Or worse, had they moved him down into the...

I couldn’t even bring myself to finish the thought.

I jumped when a toilet flushed to my left, and I spun to see Max slowly shuffling out of the attached bathroom, dressed in a hospital gown. Before considering that it might not be a good idea, I ran over to him and threw my arms around his neck. He wobbled back a bit, unable to keep his balance, but I didn’t let go. The wave of relief that coursed through me was overwhelming.

“You’re okay! Oh, thank God!” The tears began to run down my cheeks. I could no longer stop the well from overflowing. Suddenly reality hit me, and I knew in that instant that if he were to leave my life, in whatever fashion, it would devastate me. The tears continued to spill, and I sobbed against his chest uncontrollably.

“Hey, hey. It’s alright, I’m okay,” Max said in a soothing tone. He placed his hands on each of my arms, moving me away from his body to get a better look at me.

Suddenly self-conscious, I wiped at the tears under my eyes and tried to regain my composure. I glanced up at Max, for the first time realizing that he had a bandage around his head and a bruise beginning to color the side of his face.

I grimaced. “Oh, I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I reached up to gently skim my fingers over the bruise.

“Not at all,” he insisted and gave me a small smile. He closed his eyes briefly and added, “I need to sit down, though. I’m a little lightheaded.” I took his arm and helped lead him over to the bed. “Are you okay?” he asked me once he was settled.

“I should be asking you that.” I gave him a still wet, wry smile, then frowned. “Look at you—what happened?” I couldn’t help the way my hands fluttered around him, wanting to help in some way.

He exhaled a long breath. “I’m not even sure. One minute I was walking from the build to the trailer, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up under pieces of drywall and two by fours.”

I gulped, trying not to picture it. “I went by the site before I came here, and it looked like part of the building collapsed. I have no idea if anyone else was hurt.”

“Shit, I’ve got to get over there.” He ran his hand through his hair, then moved to get up off the bed, squeezing his eyes together tightly.

“Wait! Are you allowed to?” I felt useless, unsure of whether I should try to keep him here or let him go. Though I wasn’t sure I’d have a say in either choice.

“I’m okay,” he promised, but his voice was struggling like he was weightlifting and not simply trying to lift himself off the bed. He winced, finally stopping and holding onto the bed rail.

“What did the doctor say?” I asked sternly, inserting some authority into the situation before I pressed the nurse button in a panic.

He had his eyes closed for a moment. When he returned his gaze to mine I lent him an arm, helping him to rest back into the bed.

“I got off lucky. Just a concussion.” He let out a relived breath. “Although, I have to take it easy and see the doctor next week for a follow up.” It was obvious he was trying to play it off like it was no big deal, like the fact that he couldn’t walk three feet without getting dizzy was normal.

“You know, my sister had a concussion a few years ago. I had to wake her up every few hours and make sure she didn’t overdo it. Any chance the doctor gave you similar instructions?” I raised a brow.

Max’s face went red, embarrassed, I presumed, that I’d seen through his effort at nonchalance.

“He may have mentioned something like that,” he admitted, begrudgingly. “I’ll figure it out. Paul can probably swing by the hotel suite or something.”

“No, I’ll help you,” I blurted out without thinking. If anyone saw him at my house that would be a real issue for me. He’d be laying around most of the time, though, so it shouldn’t be too hard to keep his presence a secret.

“You’d do that?” He looked at me in disbelief.

“Of course I would,” I said vehemently. “I’m not so completely heartless that I would just use you for sex and not help you in your time of trouble.” Lame attempt at a joke...note to self: comedy is not your forte.

He laughed a bit, then stopped abruptly, grimacing and bringing his hand to his bandaged head .

Okay, my ass.

“The last thing I would ever refer to you as is heartless,” he countered. “Although I would really appreciate it if you’d help me out.”

I was relieved he hadn’t fought me too hard. He wasn’t up for the argument, but I wouldn’t have let it rest until he had agreed. “My place isn’t huge and I can guarantee you room service at your hotel would be better than anything I could ever come up with, but if we stay at my place I can come and go as I please. I wouldn’t have the same luxury if we stayed in the hotel.”

“Believe me,” he said, sincerity in his eyes, “there’s no place I’d rather be.”

I knew a blush was creeping into my cheeks, so I tried changing the subject. “So did the doctor say you could go, or do they have to do any more tests or anything?”

“I have to fill out some paperwork, I think. The doctor said he’d be back in a few minutes.”

“Okay, you take it easy.” I patted his arm. “I’m going to go talk to the nurse. I’ll be back.”

After speaking with the nurse and tracking down the doctor, I got my marching orders and went back to the room to collect Max. He was laying back in bed with his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful that I stopped in the doorway, hating to disturb him, so I just took in the gorgeous specimen that he was. Even with a bruise on his face and a bandage on his head.

When I’d first found out who he was, I had figured him for a pompous rich playboy. But in all the time we’d spent together, I hadn’t seen anything in him that supported those thoughts. I was ashamed at myself now for ever even thinking it.

“See something you like?” Max grinned, one eye popping open as if he’d caught me.

My answering smile was soft, unabashed. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“I wasn’t sleeping, just taking it easy—doctor’s orders.” He tried winking, but with the bruise on his face, it was clear it pained him.

I chuckled and folded my arms. “Remember that when you’re complaining a few days from now that you’re bored.”

“I think we’ll find plenty to do, don’t you?” he asked suggestively.

“Oh no mister.” I shook my head. “There’ll be none of that until the doctor says you’re fully on the mend.” Max’s expression changed to one of disapproval, which I simply ignored and handed over a thin stack of papers. “I have this paperwork for you to fill out, and after that we can get you dressed and get out of here.” I rounded the bed and plucked a pen from the bedside table, handing it over as well. “I’m going to track down a wheelchair. I’ll be back in a few.”