I scowl. “I don’t want the MRI.”
“It’s not about what you want. The doctors are not going to release you ‘til they know you’re okay. You were knocked out, William. It’s a given that they’re going to do an MRI. I’m sure it will be soon…okay?”
I stare at her, folding my arms over my chest. “Has Alex replied to your text yet? I’m very worried about Jenna.”
Mia hesitates and looks toward the door, but she doesn’t answer me.
“Are you waiting for Adam to come back so he can give you permission to tell me whatever it is?”
She gives me her mad look. “I don’t need Adam’s permission. Yes, Alex texted me. They’re okay. They, are, uh, back in Orange County.”
I sit up, more questions pouring into my mind. Why hasn’t Jenna checked to see that I’m all right? Why hasn’t she even answered her damn phone?
I open my mouth to start asking when suddenly Adam returns holding various objects he didn’t have before. Mia, however, is watching me closely. “You okay?”
“No,” I reply.
Adam steps closer to the bed. “Your dad and Kim just left to go get your truck, but they gave me some stuff your friends brought from the campground. Your phone…” He brandishes it, and I reach up and snatch it out of his hand. I check the text messages.
Nothing. Nothing from her at all.
He sets a weird-looking lacquered box on the meal tray in front of me. “That isn’t mine,” I say.
Adam gestured to it. “Sure it is. It’s your prize, Sir William. They got Doug to cough it up.”
I picture Doug coughing and things coming up—and gross as that image is in my mind, I can’t see him coughing a box out of his mouth.
I give Adam a look and he laughs. “It’s the tiara. The council required Doug to produce it, according to the terms previously agreed upon. Once he did, they voted to exile him on the grounds of his cowardly attack on you. You can also choose to press assault charges on him.”
I look at my phone again. “The only thing I want to do right now is talk to Jenna.” I start to get up from the gurney, but Mia stands in front of me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“No, you don’t, buster. You can’t get up right now. The doctor hasn’t cleared you. In fact, I’m guessing that they’re going to admit you for the night.”
I push her hand off my shoulder and stand. “No, they fucking are not,” I say.
But Adam’s there and he pushes me back down on the gurney. “Down, boy,” he says. “And be nice to Mia, please. She took good care of you while you were knocked out.”
I mumble my thanks and move to stand up again. “I’ll just step out to call—”
At that exact moment, the doctor walks in to check for a head injury. I have to do lame things like squeeze his finger, then follow his finger with my eyes as he waves it in front of me. After that, he looks into my eyes with a small flashlight, which I loathe.
“I am not staying here,” I say before he can speak. He’s inputting things into a tablet—my chart.
“We need to run an MRI and ideally keep you for observation. We’ll have this discussion after I have that MRI in my hand. How’s that?”
“I need to make a very important phone call!” I say, attempting to get up.
“Mr. Drake, you can’t get up and walk around. You’re a patient here until you’re released.”
“Then I’m releasing myself. I’ll just—”
Adam’s at my side again, resting a heavy hand on my shoulder. “You’re not releasing yourself. You’re staying right here ‘til you have your test.”
I shove his hands off me. “Stop touching me, damn it! I want to know where Jenna is and why she’s not here.”
The doctor is looking from Adam to me and back again. Mia steps forward. “I think the sooner we can get his MRI, the better.”
The doctor nods. “I’ll see what I can do to bump him up in the queue.” He steps out shortly after that, and I try one more time to stand up. Adam prevents it and I take a swing at him.
“Jesus, Liam, calm the fuck down!” He bats my fist away before it can connect.
“No, stop this bullshit. I need to talk to Jenna. I need to know why she’s not here. She’s probably very worried about me.”
“She’s okay.” Mia steps forward. “She’s, um…well, she’s with Alex, who told me that Jenna was really shaken up by your injury. She may be blaming herself. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, but she insisted that Alex take her straight home instead of coming here.”
Silence.
None of us say anything for a long time. “But why wouldn’t she come? Why wouldn’t she want to be here for me? I’ve been there for her…through all of this.”
Mia shakes her head, and I know her well enough to know that the look on her face is her sad look. “I’m sorry, William. I just don’t know what’s going through her mind right now. But she’s safe and she’s not in any danger. I’m sure that she cares about what’s going on with you and would want you to get this test.”
“Fuck the test,” I mutter.
“I promise we’ll take you straight over to her house when we get you out of here, all right?” Adam says. I glare at him, a ball of rage starting to burn in the pit of my stomach. “You can take her the tiara…”
“Right now, I want to shove that tiara up your—”
“Boys!” Mia holds up a hand. “Adam, why don’t you go grab us some food? I think William’s feeling a bit hangry right now. I’ll keep him company, and maybe he’ll calm down.”
Adam leaves, but I don’t calm down. All I can think of is that Jenna is at home, going about her day, not even considering that I’d want her to be with me.
I put my face in my hands, aware that the headache is still there but dulling gradually.
“I’m sure she’d be here if she could.”
That sounded familiar. I’d heard that from Dad and Britt a lot when I was growing up. Almost word for word.
And I’m reminded…reminded of those times when Mother had arranged to come get me and something would come up—sometimes days in advance, sometimes at the last minute. Our plans for dinner, or the park, or the museum…