Page 57 of Any Kind of Life
“Well, we like to forget the past and move forward. What’s the point in always looking back? You used to fuck her, so what?”
“We’re…getting off track here,” Rachel said, reading over the news article again. “Is she going to be okay?”
“I hope so. She’s in intensive care. Medically induced coma.”
“Fuck.” Rachel lowered her head to her hands. “I’m so sorry, Paige. If I’d known, I’d have called before now.”
“I couldn’t get in touch with you. I’ve been too busy to worry about who knew and who didn’t. When I’m not with her, I’m here trying to look after myself.” Paige wasn’t doing very well when it came to looking after herself, but she was trying. “I just…I need her to wake up so we can start the healing process.”
“What happened, Paige?” Rachel reached out a hand and pulled Paige down beside her. “I know we’ve had our differences, but please, talk to me and tell me what happened.”
“Someone attacked her. At the bar. Stabbed her twice in the stomach.” Paige took a deep breath, exhaling slowly through her nose. “I-I found her. She was just lying there…dying.”
Tears slid down Rachel’s face, her bottom lip quivering. God, Paige hated seeing people upset. But it just showed how fond of Juliet people were.
“But the main thing is that she’s alive, and she’s going to wake up soon. I just know she is.” It was Paige’s turn to comfort Rachel, a hand placed on her knee. “You know what she’s like. She hates missing anything, so she won’t be asleep for long.”
That brought a laugh out of Rachel, but it was true. Juliet knew everything that went on in this city. “You’re right. She does. She gets terrible FOMO.”
“I guess when you’ve been a high-profile lawyer for so long, you tend to know everything about everyone.”
Rachel turned to Paige suddenly, searching her eyes. “Are you okay, Paige?”
Oh. She hadn’t expected that. Or the sympathetic look Rachel gave her. “Y-yeah.”
“Are you sure?” Rachel dipped her head when Paige tried to lower her gaze. “I know you want to be strong for everyone around you, but this is me. I have no ties to any of you. Not anymore. If you need to vent, get angry or upset, you can do that with me.”
Paige appreciated that, she really did. Still… “I’m just…numb at the minute. I’m trying to make sense of everything in my head, but I just can’t.”
“I think that’s going to take some time.” Rachel shifted on the couch, moving closer to Paige. “But when you’re ready to make sense of it, you will. Maybe once Juliet is awake. I’m not sure you’ll be able to do much until then. You surely can’t focus on anything else.”
“You’re right. I can’t.” Paige laughed. “I almost forgot to brush my teeth this morning. That’s how out of it I am. And I forgot to have dinner last night. By the time I realised, it was just easier to curl up in the chair next to Juliet’s bed and sleep.”
“You need to take care of yourself, Paige.” Rachel looked back at Paige, her eyes soft. Red and puffy, but still soft. “Is there anything we can do for you? Maybe batch cook some food and bring it over?”
“I really appreciate that, but I’ll be okay. Everyone has lives to get on with.” Paige relaxed a little, truly thankful that Rachel had shown up here. As she was about to offer her a cup of coffee, Paige’s phone started to ring in her hand. It was Henry again.
“Hey, H. Can I call you back?”
“That’s okay. I know Rachel is there. I just wanted to let you know that there’s a delivery guy downstairs with flowers. I tried to take them from him, but he seems very dedicated to his job. He looks okay, though. Legit, you know?”
“Right. Okay.”
“He’s on his way up. Put the chain on and ask him to leave them in the corridor,” Henry said. “Just to be on the safe side.”
“Thanks, Henry. I’ll text you later.” Paige locked her phone and got to her feet. She spied through the peephole again, putting the chain on the back of the door, when a guy approached with a huge arrangement of flowers.
Paige opened the door a little, smiling back at him. “Hi. Could you just leave them out in the corridor? I’ll collect them when you’ve gone. I’m…sick at the minute.”
“Of course, love.” He placed them down, took a picture of them to confirm delivery, and then smiled back at Paige. “Lovely flowers. Feel better soon.”
Paige watched him leave, the ding of the lift letting her know he had gone back down to the main lobby. She unhooked the chain, took them inside, and slammed the door shut quickly. Rachel stared back at her with her brows raised, likely wondering what the hell was going on.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. We’re all just a bit on edge at the minute. Whoever attacked Juliet is still on the run.” Whoever, Paige wanted to laugh out loud. But she wouldn’t dare risk the investigation by giving Cara’s name away. No chance. “I’m sure they’ll catch them soon. They can’t hide forever.”
Rachel stared back at Paige in disbelief. “Do you want to come and stay with us at the loft? Maybe you’ll feel safer there.”