A few minutes later, a doctor comes in the tiny room. He tests my eyes and feels around for any weird bumps. He wants to do a CT-scan, but I tell him it’s not necessary.
“I didn’t want to come. I feel okay. My head is already getting better.”
“I’d feel better if we do a scan.”
“She definitely needs the scan,” Raf speaks up. I roll my eyes and he acts like he doesn’t notice.
“It won’t take long. Have you had any strange symptoms? Blurred vision, nausea, confusion, dizziness…excessive fatigue?”
“No, but everything went black when I was first hit. I don’t know how long.”
“Not good,” the doctor says.
“It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, but I’m still worried about her,” Raf says.
The doctor nods and writes a few things on his chart. “I’ll see how soon we can get you back. Jessica will be back to take you,” he says and then leaves the room.
Jessica comes in and says the technician is backed up and offers me a drink. I shake my head and she turns to Raf, offering him a drink. Her eyes say that if she could, she would strip him down and swallow him whole. I groan and turn to my side so I don’t have to watch her eye-fucking him any longer. I don’t blame her. He is so beautiful and now that I know what he feels like…my face flames and I feel my eyes welling with tears. I’m suddenly exhausted. How am I going to survive living next door to Raf now that I’ve slept with him? It was the best night of my life. I’ve fallen for the unattainable once again, the worst possible option for me.
Except he makes my feelings for Luke look child’s play.
I wipe my tears away quickly, silently cursing myself for getting emotional. It’s just too much. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but everything is falling apart.
Jessica leaves the room and Raf is quiet for a moment. He puts his hand on my shoulder and I keep facing the wall. I can’t look at him.
“Gabi? Are you okay?”
I know if I answer, I’ll give away that I’ve been crying, so I lie still and pretend that I’m falling asleep. He jostles my shoulder.
“Hey, I don’t think you’re supposed to fall asleep.”
When I still don’t respond, he crawls into bed behind me, spooning me, and there’s no way I could sleep with how awake his body makes me.
He puts his lips to the shell of my ear and when he speaks, liquid rushes between my legs.
“It’s going to be okay. We’ll find whoever did this.” His lips brush across my skin and hair and he holds me tight, making me feel safer than I should.
My breathing levels out and when they come to take me for the scan later, I’m calm and ready for whatever is next. I don’t know how I became dependent on my enemy, but it seems I have. In more ways than one.
The results of the scan show no visible signs of a concussion, but to be on the safe side, I’m given pain medication and told to come back if I show any signs of the long list of symptoms Jessica reads off. Nearly three hours after we arrived, I’m released.
We walk upstairs to my mom’s room and she’s waiting for us, discharge papers in her hand. When the nurse comes back around, she wheels Mom out and Raf runs to pull the car around so she won’t have to walk far.
When he pulls up, he rushes around to help her into the car even though I’m there to help her.
“Thank you, Raf,” she says.
I turn so she can’t see me flush and I get in the backseat. He’s right there, helping me like I’m an invalid too. I try to convey with my glare that I don’t want my mom knowing I’ve been in the hospital too, but either he doesn’t get the message or he chooses to ignore me.
The first thing he says when he gets in the car is, “Gabriela was assaulted in your driveway.”
“What? Gabi? Why didn’t you tell me? Are you okay?”
“I didn’t tell you because I’m fine. If Raf would’ve waited two seconds, I could’ve gotten around to it.” I glare at him in the rearview mirror.
His eyes narrow and I shake my head at him, angry that he’s butting in.
“Did you see who it was?” she whispers, turning all the way around to try to read me.
My skin is hot and my head is still hurting. I lean my head against the window. “No, I didn’t. And I’m fine. No cuts or breaks or concussions…”
“We have to watch her to be sure about the concussion,” Raf says.
“Where were you hurt?”
I point to the back of my head and her cheek sucks in on one side, eyes flashing.
“Is that why your dad left in such a hurry and you’re the one taking us home?”
“Yes.” Raf doesn’t elaborate the point and we’re quiet the rest of the way. When he pulls up to our houses, he pulls into his driveway instead of ours and I lean up against the backseat to protest.
“Gabi, I’ve already talked to Stefen about this. We’ll stay with them for a few days, at least until it feels safe to go back to our house.”
I fall back, too exhausted to fight it. I don’t know how to deal with Raf after our night together if I’m in his space non-stop. This is a disaster waiting to happen. And what about our parents? They’re
