Page 115 of Don't Think

A deep voice cuts through the silence, startling me out of a sleep I didn’t even realize I’d fallen into.

I’m apparently not the only one though. Ana is slumped sideways, her head resting on the armrest, and Nora’s curled forward, her face buried in her hands.

I scramble to my feet, still feeling groggy, so I stumble slightly.

“Th-that’s me,” I say frantically. “Is… is Allie okay?”

He gives me a kind smile, nodding slowly. “Yes, she’s going to be okay,” he says, then gestures for me to follow him.

I glance over my shoulder at the girls when Ana waves her hand, silently telling me to go ahead. Turning around, I follow behind him while he guides me down a narrow hallway where the smell of bleach and hand sanitizer hits me like a punch to the gut.

He stops in front of a door and opens it slowly, holding it for me. My heart leaps into my throat when I walk in and realize it’s just an empty room and Allie isn’t here.

I quickly turn around just in time to watch him close the door gently behind him. Before I can start asking the million and one questions bouncing around in my head, he holds a hand up.

“Allie’s fine,” he reassures me, his voice steady. “It was touch and go for a little while, but she’s fine. She’s in recovery now.”

A weight lifts off my shoulders knowing she’s okay—that’s all that mattered this whole time. I could sit in that waiting room for hours, as long as I knew she just needed to rest, but why did we need to come into an empty room for that?

My eyebrows pull together. “If she’s fine, and she’s in recovery…” I gesture around the empty room. “Why did we need to come in here?”

His face softens, and he sets his clipboard down, then leans his back against the counter.

“I brought you in here because I also need to inform you about something else,” he begins, his voice sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Mr. Windsor, but with the abdominal trauma, it’s likely that you and Allie might never naturally conceive a child.”

My words are caught in my throat. Not exactly sure what to say to that, but he thinks I’m her husband. The only thought bouncing around my head right now is howAllieis going to feel about this.

He slowly walks toward me and places a calm hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I don’t have better news,” he says softly. “Allie should be awake in a few hours. I’ll find you when she’s ready.” Then, he slips out the door, leaving the silence to suffocate me.

I close my eyes, drawing in the deepest breath I can. Then I press my palms into my eyes, squeezing so hard that everything goes black.

How the hell isshegoing to handle this?

We never talked about children, but given the time we’ve spent together and how she talks about her girls, I just assumed she wanted more. My feelings here don’t matter, I’m in it for the long haul either way, but Allie?

Her entire world might flip from this.

And I’ll be right there to pick up every single piece of her soul that chips off.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Allie

I slowly peel my eyes open, trying to let them adjust to the harsh fluorescent lights hanging above me. I blink a few times, willing the pressure in my head to ease while a spike of pain radiates through my eye sockets. It feels like I’ve downed ten glasses of wine, and now I’m clinging to the worst hangover of my life.

When the blur finally begins to fade, I glance down and see wires. Everywhere.

Heart monitor leads spill over me, a blood pressure cuff is tight around my arm, and an IV drip hangs from my left forearm.

I try to shift in the bed, but a searing pain rips through my abdomen, making me want to double over, but I physically can’t.

What the hell happened?

I search my mind, desperate for answers—but it’s blank. I remember going to breakfast, making up with Nora, us singing in the car.

Then it all hits me at once.

Screeching tires. Nora’s screams. Blood. Everywhere.