Page 33 of Fighting Fate
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The ER is packed. Willow is physically freaking out with her leg bouncing and her hands clutching at the hem of her sweatshirt. Not that I can blame her. There’s a condom lost inside her, and even after trying to get it out ourselves, we couldn’t.
“Maybe you shouldn’t fidget so much.”
“I’m mortified.” She shakes her head down at her lap, allowing her long hair to curtain her face. “Some doctor is going to have to fish a condom out of my vagina. I’m going to be one of those stories that gets shared around the hospital.”
“It’ll be fine.” Surely this can’t be some out-of-the-ordinary situation. Right?
I can’t help but feel like an asshole for not realising something was wrong in the act. The fucking thing was a fucker to get on. I should’ve known it was going to split. Now we’re sitting in a crowded waiting room with Willow as close to tears as I’ve ever seen. Until today, I hadn’t ever imagined her crying.
“We’ll get this fixed together…I promise, ’kay?” Lowering my lips to her ear, I inhale her soft almond-and-cherry scent, allowing it to seep deep into my lungs. “We’re going to get it out, and it’s going to be all right.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing but a situation.”
A crooked half-smile tugs at her soft lips. “You know, my brother is a surgeon at this hospital. His girlfriend used to work here too. My best friend is a nurse…”
That definitely renders me speechless. Awkward just got really fucking…mortifying. Wrapping my arm around her, I tuck Willow into my side. Even though she tries to push away, I hold my ground on this. We both know she wants the comfort, or at the very least, she can hide out.
“Are they working tonight?”
Please say no.This isn’t exactly how any man wants to meet their girl’s brother. I know that if it were Orla, I’d probably throttle the dude and possibly have to bleach my brain.
“I don’t know…” A groan vibrates from her before she adds, “Fuck, word gets around this place, and next thing you know, we’ll be sitting at dinner and Jamie will be telling everyone about it…fuck…”
Ignoring her dinner remark, I focus on trying to make this better for her. Even though her choice in condoms is the problem. I fish my phone from my pocket and search for another hospital close by as I tell her, “It’s not too late to go somewhere else.”
Just as I say it, a petite nurse comes out of the double doors with an iPad in her hand. It’s obvious she knows who Willow is because she comes directly to her.
“Thank God.” Willow breathes a sigh of relief, getting to her feet swiftly.
“You all right?” the nurse asks her, looking between the both of us, confused.
“No, Beth, I am not okay.” Willow follows the nurse with a tense walk.
When we get to the double doors, she pauses. Her cheeks are beet red, and her hair is still a just-fucked mess even after almost two hours. The girl is stunning, even dishevelled like this. Big blue-hazel eyes greet mine when I brush her hair from her face.
“I’ll be all right with Beth,” she tells me.
“I’m sure you will.”
“You don’t need to come with me.”
“No, I don’t, but I want to. I told you we would fix it together…”
“Yeah, but—”
“I’m a man of my word, Lo.”
Besides, it’s the right thing to do. My father always used to say that when a real man starts something, they see it through to the end. I’ve lived by that my entire life, and it has never steered me wrong. Today is not the day I go back on my morals.
“Come on, doll.” I coax her through the doors with my hand on her nape.
I enjoy touching her, and it oddly makes me happy when I feel her relax beneath my touch. It makes me think Willow likes it too. More than she cares to admit.
“Okay…” The nurse closes the door behind us before gesturing at the bed. “What’s the problem?”