Page 133 of When Wrong Feels So Right

; “We pulled you out of the wreckage, Andy and me,” Bobby explained. “You were unconscious, but fortunately we didn’t have to wait too long for the ambulance. They got you here in record time. You suffered a lot of internal injury, and they rushed you into surgery.”

That explains the damn pain.

“Dennis?” I asked, forcing my eyes to stay open.

“Yeah, we had to save him, too,” Bobby said. “Although I tried to convince Andy to just leave the bastard there. He was awake when we got there, and he didn’t look like he had suffered as much damage as you had. At least that was the case before Andy broke his nose.”

I groaned, and Bobby smiled. “Completely an accident,” he winked. “Dennis accidentally hit his face against the steering wheel when we were pulling him out. At least that’s what we’re going with.”

I coughed in laughter and winced when the pain reminded me that there were some luxuries I couldn’t enjoy, at least not right now. Bobby grabbed my hand and patted it gently.

“Andy’s outside, if you want to see him,” he said.

I looked at him, tears welling up in my eyes. I did want to see him, but I still couldn’t get the image of the naked woman at his apartment out of my head. I didn’t know how to talk to him about that, and I would have to, eventually.

“You do know it wasn’t his fault, right?” Bobby asked.

“I saw –” I coughed, clearing my throat. “I saw her, Bobby. That woman.”

Bobby nodded. “Yeah, crazy Hannah, I know,” he said. “He told me. She drugged him, Andrea. She’s one crazy, messed up woman, and she’s strung up on him bad. This was just one of the many extremes she goes through to get what she wants.”

I looked away, a tear running down my cheek. I wanted to believe him, but the explanation sounded far too ridiculous.

“He’s been here since they brought you in,” Bobby said. “I’m not exactly the biggest fan of your relationship, but I’ve never seen him care that much before. There’s got to be something there.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

Bobby sighed and leaned back in his seat. “I’m thinking of repainting the garage.”

***

It took me a week before I could finally sit up properly, and in that time, I tried hard to find some way to forgive Andy for what had happened. He was outside every day, sitting quietly in the waiting room, from the minute visiting hours began until they ended. He never came in, giving me the space, I needed, even though I wouldn’t have stopped him if he had tried. It was Bobby who was trying to convince me to talk to him, forever the loyal friend, even though he had his reservations.

I guess my brother saw how serious Andy really was and was slowly changing his mind.

On the day the doctors told me that I was good to go, and could be discharged whenever I wanted, I finally gave in. The truth was, I missed Andy. A lot. I knew the whole naked woman in his apartment incident was just one crazy bitch’s idea of getting back at me, and I needed to get past this. I wasn’t punishing him. It was just really difficult to get the image out of my head.

Andy popped his head through the open door, giving me a weak smile. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he hadn’t slept for days. I didn’t know whether I should be flattered or concerned.

I beckoned him to me, and he walked in, gently closing the door behind him.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“Better,” I replied. “The stitches still hurt a little, but at least I can talk.”

“The doctors told me about the injuries,” he said. “I’m sorry about all that.”

“Hey, I’m just glad to be alive,” I smiled. “A couple of hours more and I would have died in the wreckage.”

He stood by my bed, keeping a bit of a distance between us, as if not really sure whether he should come closer or not. His eyes searched mine, and I could see a hint of tears somewhere there.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice breaking. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’m so sorry.”

I held my arms out to him, throwing away any doubt in my head that I wanted to spend every waking moment of my life with him. I began to tear up when he leaned in and embraced me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, tight.

“I’m so sorry,” he kept saying.