Cure for the Common Breakup Read Online Free PDF Page A

So she did the only thing she could under the circumstances: She hit the call button, and when the nurse arrived, she announced, “Bring the consent forms or whatever I need to sign. I’m discharging myself, effective immediately.”
    Before the nurse could start arguing, the door swung wide again and a firm, feminine voice rang through the room: “Simmer down, crazycakes. No one’s going anywhere.”
    This time, Summer couldn’t hold back her tears. “Emily?”

chapter 3

    â€œI ’m kind of insulted that you’re surprised to see me.” Emily shooed the nurse away, handed Summer a box of tissues, and pulled up a chair to the bedside. “You crash and burn—literally—and just expect me to go about my business? I don’t think so.” Even after a long flight and zero sleep, Summer’s former stepsister maintained her deceptively ladylike poise. “Besides, I had a feeling you’d try a jailbreak.”
    Summer clawed at the back of her hospital gown. “You’re not supposed to be here. You’re supposed to be on some fancy film set, telling everyone what to do.”
    â€œWell, aren’t you lucky that I decided to take the red-eye and direct all my bossiness at you?”
    â€œWhere’s Ryan?” Emily’s husband could always be counted on to support a jailbreak.
    â€œBack in Vancouver, telling everyone what to do in my absence.” Emily grabbed Summer’s hands and pried them off the fabric. “Stop thrashing around. You’re going to rip the rest of your spleen in half, and then you’ll never get out of here.”
    â€œOh, please. When have a few gushing head wounds ever stopped us from having a good time?” Summer squeezed a wad of blankets in her fists. “Speaking of which, we’ve never been to New York together. Let’s freshen up, grab the train to Manhattan, and find someplace fabulous to catch up over a cocktail.”
    Emily stared at her. “What’s going on with you?”
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œSomething.”
    â€œNothing! I’m just tired of wasting away in bed like an invalid. Let’s go do something fun!” Summer couldn’t hold still.
    â€œYou’ve been through a lot.” Emily adopted the soothing, condescending tone the medical staff had been using. “Let’s check in with your doctors and see if we can get something to help with the agitation.” She reached for the call button.
    â€œI’m not agitated!”
Summer grabbed the plastic water pitcher and hurled it at the vase full of roses, which toppled off the table and shattered on the tile floor in a spray of water and glass shards.
    There ensued a long silence. The only sound was the muted clicking of the IV monitor.
    Emily rose, strode over to the bathroom, and came back with a stack of industrial paper towels. “Clearly, you’re not agitated in the least.”
    â€œGet me out of here.” Summer closed her eyes while Emily mopped up wet rose petals. “Please. I’m begging you, Em.”
    Emily tweezed a hunk of glass between her thumb and index fingers and dropped it into the wastebasket. “I will consider it. But you need to stop throwing stuff. If I wanted drugged-up divas hurling vases at me, I would have stayed in Hollywood.”
    â€œFair enough.” Summer paused. “But technically, I didn’t even throw it in your direction.”
    â€œKeep it up.” Emily pushed the rose petals into a pile. “I’ve got a 5150 with your name all over it.” She glanced up. “Where is everyone? Where’s your dad?”
    â€œPoetry conference in Ireland.”
    Emily opened her mouth, then obviously thought better of what she’d been about to say.
    â€œHe’s giving the keynote speech, Em. You know the rules. Keynote speech trumps daughter.” As did NPR interviews, Pulitzer Prizes, nights at the bar with