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want a shower!” I admitted with a nonchalant shrug.
    “Well, let’s get you out of here then,” He smiled and I couldn’t help it. My breath hitched.
    “Spencer McLaren,” Nurse Foreman chided, “if you want me to let Zoe break out of here, you need to give us a minute to get her up and dressed and then you can take her home.”
    “Um…sorry, but…”
    “What is it, Zoe?”
    “Um, clothes…I don’t have―”
    “All taken care of,” Spencer announced with a wicked smile.
    “I don’t―” Nothing was making sense. Spencer hadn’t left my side since I’d woken. How could he have taken care of everything?
    “Kane went and got your bag for you. He also fixed your car and it’s now sitting in my driveway,” Spencer explained thoughtfully.
    I’d known him a long time. He was the person I trusted above all others with my life. He was my rock. My life line. Now he was my knight in shining armour. But as long as I’d known him, I’d never seen his caring, kind, and considerate side. Experiencing it firsthand knocked me sideways.
    “Th-thank you,” I stuttered.
    “Spencer―out! Zoe needs to get dressed,” Nurse Foreman shooed him. I couldn’t stifle the laugh. The pout on his face was priceless…like a small child who didn’t get his way.
    I watched as he shuffled out. I was scared, but now wasn’t the time to fall apart. I needed to be alone before I let fear and reality beat me.
    “Zoe, sweetheart. I know this is scary and hard, but it’s time to get up and get dressed. Bathroom’s just through there if you need it.”
    “Thanks.”
    As I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I realised how badly battered I was. Maybe I’d been pretending that it wasn’t as bad as it really was. Maybe it was a self-protection mechanism. Maybe it was denial. Maybe it was just naivety. But seeing my bare legs and how banged up they were made everything real. I’d never been more thankful to Nurse Foreman. I didn’t want anyone seeing me like this. It was bad enough I had to see me like this. I didn’t want someone else to. Especially not Spencer.
    “Here’s your bag.” Nurse Foreman smiled, setting my overnight bag on the end of the bed. “I’ll let you have a minute. Just buzz if you need me.”
    I waited until she was gone before I started sorting through my bag. It took barely a breath before I was overwhelmed. When I’d packed for my weekend I hadn’t planned on anything going wrong. Instead I’d packed to impress. Now I was fucked. Actually it was worse than that. I know I’d promised myself I wouldn’t fall apart until I made it to the privacy of my hotel room, but I couldn’t hold it back.
    “Fuck it!” I swore crudely as the contents of my bag ended upside down on the floor. “I hate this!”
    And then came the tears. The fat, ugly tears. The snotty sobbing. I couldn’t hold it back. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to stop the torrent. The more I cried and gasped for breath, the more my ribs ached. Sliding from my bed, I ended up on the floor. I didn’t even care about the cold. It seeped into my skin and froze my bones, but I didn’t care. Instead I sat there, sifting through the pile of skinny jeans, fitted jumpers, and lacy lingerie. I don’t remember what had possessed me to pack them, but there they were, staring back at me. Taunting me. I cried harder and harder.
    When the door burst open, I didn’t even have the strength to be embarrassed. I knew my hideous hospital gown was gaping open. That my legs were on display for the world to see in all their bruised and battered glory. But I couldn’t care less. Right now I couldn’t summon the strength to care.
    “Zoe!” Spencer’s voice was panicked. “What happened? Did you fall?”
    Before I had time to respond he’d swept in, scooped me up in his arms and had me in a bundle in his lap, clothes scattered around us. “I didn’t fall. I…I just…” I couldn’t get the words out. They were stuck in