Page 172 of Tell No Lies

Minutes, or maybe hours, passed before we pulled into the hospital parking lot. We jerked forward as we came to a stop, and instantly the doors before me opened. Worried faces took me in quickly and slid the gurney out. The sensation of movement was somewhere in the back of my mind, but I could only stare forward.

I wondered why I was still sitting up. In shows, the person in the ambulance is always lying flat. My mind continued to focus on this mystery, completely ignoring the chaos around me.

When I decided it was because none of this was real, things became easier to understand.

I was now in a small room with various cords and tubes being hooked up to my body by an efficient nurse. Brandon had disappeared. Maybe he wasn’t real either.

The nurse turned to face me with a smile on her kind face. “Aubrey?”

My only response was to continue staring at her.

“Aubrey, can you hear me?”

What a strange dream.

My hand was being lifted. I looked down and saw her fingers around my wrist. “Aubrey. You’re in the hospital. Do you understand?”

I wanted to wake up. This dream made me feel funny. Dizzy and confused.

“I need to change you into a gown. Can you do this yourself, or do you need my assistance?”

My focus returned to her face. She was staring intently at me.

“The sooner we have you changed, the sooner your brother can come back in.”

Brandon.

He was here.

Knowing this suddenly made me miss him. I needed him with me.

I moved my head in what I thought was a nod.

“Alright, let’s get you standing up. Sound okay?” She was looking at me, apparently waiting for something.

My body moved automatically, and a few more minutes later, I was sitting again in a strange, cloth gown.

One finger was tracing the abstract pattern when the door opened. “Aubrey? Are you okay?”

I lifted my gaze toward the voice. Brandon was looking at me like I might disappear. He turned to the nurse, but I couldn’t hear their voices.

If Brandon is really here, is this whole thing real? Was I really just attacked in the studio by my friend?

The thought broke chills out across my skin.

“What’s happening to her?” Brandon’s voice filled the small room. He was suddenly in front of me, clutching my face in his hands. “Aubrey! Calm down!”

My body was shaking, convulsing painfully and completely out of my control.

After a blink, I was staring at the ceiling. Had I fallen?

Noises were growing around me, but I didn’t know where they were coming from. I felt a stabbing pain in my arm and let out a sob. Nothing made sense. My entire body throbbed in pain, and I was just so exhausted.

I felt my eyes falling just before I felt something warm on my face. I focused solely on finding the source. I looked around but only saw the creamy ceiling tiles.

Carter’s face jumped to the edge of my vision. I turned my head toward him, feeling even more confused. When had he gotten here?

“Aubrey! Listen to me. I need you to breathe.”