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“We’ll let you rest now. Thank you for talking with us. If you remember anything else, give me a call.”
Morgan thanks the officers and walks them to the door. When it’s just the two of us again, she flies back to her chair and shimmies in her seat.
“Damn. Hello hot cop, Gage.”
“You mean jerk cop, Gage.”
“Uh no. I mean hot-ass cop. Literally, did you see his ass? How is a guy that tall and have an ass like that? He’s so buttoned-up and grumpy. I bet he lets loose in bed.”
I giggle a little as she looks off into the distance dreamily. The movement sends a shooting pain to the side of my head and I groan and close my eyes. A yawn follows and my eyes slowly close and reopen. Before I can let myself succumb to the exhaustion Morgan squeezes my hand.
“Get some sleep. I’m going to crash in that empty bed over there and tomorrow we’ll beg for them to release you before your parents arrive.”
That tidbit catches my attention. “My parents?”
“Yeah. Be glad your dad is a logical man. He explained to your mom that driving would get them here later than if they took an early morning flight. They land at like noon or something.”
“Morgan, you have to get me out of here before my mother arrives. Can you imagine the dramatics?”
“Already on it. I told the doctor and nursing staff we have a crazy mama bear coming our way and it would be in everyone’s best interest to release you before then.”
Smiling, I close my eyes and wait for sleep to come.
Chapter 10
Sophia
“Honey, take this.”
Swallowing down the whine on the tip of my tongue, I accept the tablet from my mom’s hand. Since they walked in the door, she has been showering—read: smothering—me with attention. I know I worried my parents, and the way my dad has been scowling, I’ll be getting an earful on keeping them in the dark when it comes to important parts of my life. Specifically my safety.
“Dad, please sit. Your pacing is stressing me out.”
“Thomas, you’re wearing a path in the flooring.”
Reluctantly, he settles down in the oversized chair across from where I’m perched on the couch. I haven’t seen either of my parents this worried since we waited for my mom’s test results after a cancer scare when I was in high school. Knowing I’m responsible for the looks on their faces kills me. Both have tried to reassure me that none of this is my fault but I’m not so sure.
“Where are the police? Are they even investigating this?” Dad’s voice booms and it’s such a different sound than these walls have heard. Usually it’s giggles and women yelling at horrible reality shows that filter through the house.
“Daddy, please. Detective Randel will be here soon.”
I fight back tears, the stress of this all too much. Plus my head is in a constant state of thumping, and I just want to crawl under my covers and sleep. Other than Morgan and Maribel checking on us, the rest of my housemates have given a wide berth for my parents.
“Maybe you should get some fresh air. I can text you when he gets here,” I suggest but I’m shot down with one look. I doubt my parents will be leaving my side anytime soon.
Saved by the doorbell and Morgan’s voice carrying from the main floor. She appears in the living room with Detective Randel and Officer Castillo following behind. Now that I’m not looking at him through a fuzzy head, I’ll give it to Morgan. He is handsome but not my type; I tend to be more attracted to the bad boy look. I doubt Officer Castillo would allow a tattoo to grace his body or date a woman who sports multiple ones beneath her clothes.
“Hello,” Detective Randel greets and turns his attention to my dad, who is now standing, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. The two men shake and, although his shoulders are still scraping his earlobes, my dad’s face looks less stressed. “Sophia, how are you feeling?”
“Better now that I’m home, thanks. Let me just move so there’s more room for you to sit.”
Shifting my body, I move to a sitting position, my parents both coming to sit next to me leaving the chair my dad was in empty for the detective. I know they need to hear that the police are doing something to figure out who I saw last night. That the person is responsible for me ending up in the hospital’s emergency room for hours. If I’ve learned anything during this process it’s that it isn’t likely. In fact, the question is probably more like, did something really happen? Did I imagine a person outside our house and scare myself so much I simply fell? I woke this morning wondering if I had made it worse than it was, simply because I’ve been in a constant state of fear for months.
For the next few minutes, I tune out the recap Detective Randel gives my parents. He’s kind enough to not throw me under the bus for not reporting things immediately. Although Morgan scoffs a few times at the mention of Campus Safety, it isn’t until he mentions Rowdy that I join the conversation.
“I told you last night, Rowdy is my friend. I don’t believe there is a mean bone in his body or that he would even have the wherewithal to send me random texts from various numbers.”
When Officer Castillo speaks, he surprises me. “I agree with you, Miss Brooks. We met with him this morning and my gut says he’s not the guy. That doesn’t mean he isn’t, but I tend to agree with you.”
