Greg shot out a hand to steady me. “It’ll impact your depth perception. You’re going to have to relearn how to move your body in space. It’ll probably take some time, time during which you shouldn’t drive and should exert extra caution on stairs.”
My heart pumped blood that felt like sludge through my veins. “How long?”
“Weeks. Months.”
Air pulsed through my nose as I thought of my new car. With my hand still covering half my face, I sat on the firm mattress. “Can I still shift?”
“I pumped you with quite a lot of Sillin, so you might not be able to for a while still.” He tipped his head toward August. “Shouldn’t be too long, though. August can already shift again.”
“Completely?” I asked, watching August’s jean-clad knees.
“Yes.” August’s voice was as tight as his locked joints.
After a beat, I asked, “Can I go home?”
“Yes.” Greg rose from the bed. “I’ll go get all the paperwork in order.” His hand dropped to my shoulder and squeezed lightly. “If you have any questions for me, you have my number.”
Lowering my gaze to the shiny linoleum, I nodded.
Once Greg left, August crouched in front of me to capture the attention I was withholding from him. His hands coasted over my kneecaps that were wedged together, the bones grinding into one another. I hadn’t yet seen the rest of my body but sensed I’d lost too much weight.”Dimples . . .”
“Is Jeb back?”
August sighed, probably not wanting to discuss my uncle right now. “He’s at the inn with Lucy, putting it in order. Liam gave it back to them.” August tried to tow my hand off my face, but I resisted. “You don’t have to hide from me.”
I didn’t say anything . . . I couldn’t. The lump had grown too much to speak around it.
“Ness . . .”I turned my face away and stared at the dancing boughs of the oak tree, trying to settle my churning thoughts.
August’s knees clicked as he rose. For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then, “Can you ask Sarah to come back in here? Just Sarah. No one else.”
A moment later, his footfalls petered out. While I waited for her, I wondered if she’d already glimpsed my face without the bandage.
When her lavender-and-silk perfume replaced August’s heavy, heady scent, I turned. Making sure no one else was in the room and that the door was shut, I lowered my hand and exposed my ruined face.
Her gaze didn’t waver in surprise, didn’t widen in horror. It remained steady on mine. I guessed she’d known what to expect.
“You know what’s insane?” she finally said, blowing a puff of air out of the corner of her mouth. “It’s how ridiculously pretty you still are in spite of your battle scars. Here I thought I’d finally have a chance to outshine you.”
Tears tracked down both my cheeks. My left eye was inept at capturing images but not at producing tears.
“Oh, sweetie.” Sarah dropped down on the mattress, making it bounce a little, and then she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me close.
“I know it’s stupid to be angry about this, seeing as I could be dead, but it sucks,” I whispered.
Sarah pressed away. “It’s not stupid. You’re allowed to be angry. I don’t think it would be healthy if you weren’t.” She combed a lock of hair behind my ear, exposing more of the horror.
“Everyone’s going to stare.”
“Everyone already did.”
“But not for the same reasons.”
“You’re right. Most people are probably going to wonder how you got your scars. Better come up with a good story that doesn’t involve a duel with a massive wolf. You don’t want to frighten the townspeople.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Her perfect eyes and her smooth skin.
“I can’t drive. Not for a while. Depth perception,” I added glumly.
“Good thing I’m an exceptionally great chauffeur and we go to the same school.”
“Sarah . . .” I pressed my trembling lips together. Tears circled around them and dripped down my chin, plopping onto my hospital gown.
“What?””You’re not going to spend your days driving me around.”
“Why not? I love driving, and surprisingly enough, I love spending time with you. It’s a win-win for me.”
A knock on the door had me quickly wiping the tears on my sleeves and finger-combing my hair to shroud half my face.
“Ness?”
Jeb . . .
“Should I let him in?” Sarah asked quietly.
I nodded. “But just him.” I didn’t want to see Lucy. If she’d even come.
Sarah hugged me again before getting up and letting Jeb inside. “Do you want me to stay, Ness?”
“No. I’ll call you when I get home.”
“I meant in the room. I’ll be out in the hallway. It’s a real party out there.”
I grimaced. “Can you get everyone to leave? I don’t-”
“Say no more. Your wish is my command. Bye, BB.”
“BB?”
“Short for Boulder Babe.” She winked before pulling the door open.
I eyed the red jacket. If I hadn’t been scarred, it might’ve amused me to wear it, but now . . . now people would surely laugh if I donned it.
“Ness!” My uncle barreled past Sarah and reached my bed before she’d even closed the door. He hugged me so tight it squeezed an oomph from my lungs. “I think I’ve aged a decade in the past week. Between you and Lucy.” He didn’t mention Everest, but I sensed my cousin was never far from Jeb’s mind.
“I heard you got the inn back.”