The Seat They Never Saved And The Offer I Finally Took Chapter 03

The Seat They Never Saved And The Offer I Finally Took Chapter 03

That afternoon, after I handed over the first batch of files at work, the room suddenly spun.

My forehead burned. The stomach cramps that had started in the cold the night before returned.

I forced myself to clear my desk, then took a cab to the downtown hospital.

In the ER, the doctor checked my temperature and frowned. My fever was 102.2 degrees, and I had acute gastroenteritis. I needed an IV right away.

I shook all over as the nurse tried to start the IV.

My veins were so small that it took two attempts.

Alone in the cold treatment area, I watched the IV drip. The minutes seemed endless.

My phone vibrated. Thinking it was something from work, I unlocked it with my free hand.

Mason had sent a voice message.

My finger hit Play by accident. His irritated voice came through the speaker.

“Claire Bennett, what are you sulking about now? It’s Chloe’s birthday. We’re all at the karaoke bar waiting to cut the cake. You’re avoiding us on purpose, aren’t you?”

I stared at the message without replying.

So it was Chloe’s birthday.

That explained the seafood feast at lunch and the karaoke that night.

I closed my eyes and rested against the back of the chair.

Two hours later, the last of the three IV bags finally emptied.

I headed out of the ER, pale and pressing a cotton pad against the back of my hand.

At the corner by the billing desk, a familiar commotion reached me.

“Doctor, look at her! She’s bleeding so much!”

I stopped and turned to the side.

A few yards away, Nathan and Mason rushed down the ER corridor, one on each side of Chloe.

Ellie followed, so anxious she was almost crying.

Chloe clutched her right index finger, her eyes red.

The doctor glanced at the cut.

“She nicked the skin with a paring knife. She doesn’t even need stitches. Have it cleaned over there and put a Band-Aid on it.”

He sounded matter-of-fact and faintly exasperated.

Nathan refused to let it go.

“How can she not need stitches? She’s fragile. What if it gets infected? Can’t you get a specialist to see her?”

Mason chimed in, demanding a full examination.

From behind a pillar, I watched the ridiculous scene.

Yesterday, I’d hauled five suitcases through pouring rain. Today, I’d sat alone getting an IV with a 102.2-degree fever.

Chloe had barely nicked her skin cutting a cake, yet all of them had rallied around her.

I wanted no part of it. I turned to leave through another exit.

“Claire Bennett?”

Mason spotted me immediately.

He strode over and seized my wrist.

He caught the spot where my IV had just been removed. Pain shot through me.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, frowning as he looked me up and down.

Nathan heard him and turned. His expression darkened instantly.

After reassuring Chloe, he strode toward me.

“Claire Bennett, this is going too far.”

Nathan’s voice was tight with anger.

“Fine, you didn’t come to Chloe’s birthday. But following us to the hospital? Are you only happy when you’ve ruined things for everyone?”

I looked at Nathan’s face. I knew it so well, yet he seemed like a complete stranger.

“I didn’t follow you,” I said calmly.

“You’re still lying?” Ellie rushed over and pointed in my face. “You can’t stand seeing Chloe happy. You came here to play the victim and make us all sick!”

Leaning against the wall, Chloe spoke weakly.

“Claire, if you’re mad at me, just say so. You don’t have to do this to get Nathan and Mason’s attention.”

Her words set off Nathan’s anger in an instant.

“Listen to how understanding Chloe is!” Nathan looked at me with disappointment. “You’re usually reasonable. Stop making a scene. Go home before you embarrass yourself any more.”

The three of them stood protectively in front of Chloe.

An unbreakable wall.

I eased my wrist out of Mason’s grip. The cotton pad dropped to the floor, and a bead of blood appeared at the puncture site.

But I didn’t feel the pain.

Something inside me had gone completely numb.

I looked at Nathan. My voice was soft but clear.

“Nathan, I have a fever of 102.2. I just finished getting an IV.”

Nathan froze. His gaze dropped to the blood on the back of my hand, and panic flickered in his eyes.

He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something.

I didn’t let him. I walked around them and headed for the door.

“Think whatever you want.” I walked into the heavy snow without looking back.