Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Actually, she wasn’t so sure of that.
And he’d found her once. Maybe he could do that again.
Her heart started to race just as Monica came in and her phone began ringing again.
“Want to answer that, love?” Monica picked up the phone and held it out to her. “I stuck it on charge for you.”
“Thank you,” she said hoarsely as she saw it was Maggie calling her.
“Maggie?” she asked, a sob breaking free. “Oh, thank God.”
She was so bloody glad that her friend was calling. Where had she been? Why hadn’t she been answering her calls?
“Indie? What is it? What’s wrong?” Maggie asked urgently.
Shoot. She should have tried harder to pretend everything was okay. But she couldn’t do it. She was so tired.
And she didn’t know how much more she could take.
“I’m in the hospital,” she told her as Monica left the room. “Billy found me, Maggie. He, uh, he hurt me.”
She heard Maggie take a sharp breath. “Oh God . . . are you all right? The baby?”
“We’re both okay,” Indie reassured her. “But, Maggie, I know I shouldn’t ask. But I . . . I need you. Can you come home?”
“I will. I’m coming. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Is everything all right? I’ve been trying to call you. Well, before this happened I had been calling,” Indie said to her, worried about her friend.
“No, no . . . something happened. I’ll tell you later, you just need to stay calm and stay there.”
Indie told her what hospital she was in.
“Got it,” Maggie said quietly. “I’m coming.”
Indie lay back after Maggie ended the call, staring at the ceiling. She knew it was weak, but she needed Maggie here. She couldn’t do this on her own. Where was she going to live? She couldn’t go back to the apartment.
And what about her job? Her boss couldn’t keep it open for her and she had no paid leave.
Stop stressing.
It’s bad for you and Button.
She put one hand over her tummy and drew the other one to her mouth so she could suck her thumb.
If she could get out of bed, she’d probably have hidden in the cupboard in her room.
Everyone would think she’d gone bonkers.
Sometimes . . . she thought she had.
14
Indie nearly cried with relief when Maggie stepped through the door and into her hospital room.
She didn’t know how her friend had gotten here so fast but she was so happy to see her.
Where would she be without Maggie?
“Hey, Maggie-May,” she said in a hoarse voice.
“Hey, Indie-Loo.” There was such pity and worry in Maggie’s voice that it hit Indie hard.
I can’t do this.
I can’t have her looking at me like that or I’m going to break. And if I break, there might be no putting me back together.
But, as usual, Maggie seemed to read her like a book.
Maggie put her hands on her hips and gave Indie a sassy look. “You know if you wanted me to come home that there are less dramatic ways to do it.”
“As if I’d want you to come home,” Indie replied. “Now I’ll be tripping over your shoes every time I come through the door and having to listen to teeny-bopper music.”
“It is not teeny-bopper music!” Maggie protested.
“I agree with the girl in the hospital bed,” a good-looking man said as he walked into the room. “It’s teeny-bopper music.”
Indie stiffened. Maggie had warned her that she had some guys with her and Indie recognized him from the tabloid photos she’d seen.
He had dark hair and a friendly smile, but Indie still felt a jolt of fear.
God, was this her life now?
Was she going to be scared of all new men?
Maggie and the first guy were bickering as a larger man stepped inside followed by a third guy.
Three guys? The third one hadn’t been in the photos. She tuned back into the conversation happening around her as she kept reminding herself that these guys were Maggie’s friends.
They weren’t here to hurt her.
The dark-haired one sat on the chair next to her bed. What had Maggie said their names were? One was Jack and one was Ian.
She hadn’t mentioned a third.
“Gross, what is this shit?” he asked as he lifted the lid on her lunch.
“I’m not sure it has an identity,” she told him as Maggie took hold of her hand.
Indie held on tight even as she tried to keep any emotion from showing on her face. Maggie gave her a concerned look.
“Did you eat any of it?” the third guy asked, walking over.
“No,” Indie croaked out. “It all tastes like paste.”
“How do you know what paste tastes like? Oh my God! You used to eat it at Kindy, didn’t you?” Maggie shook her head as she ran her gaze over Indie.
Indie was guessing that she looked terrible. Indie studied her back, suddenly her eyes narrowed. Was that a bruise on her face?