Cut Read Online Free PDF Page A

Jessie had extended and Melanie had thrown back in her face. She would have gladly finished putting up the stone wall between them, except Melanie was suddenly in the hospital.
    But if her sister died…oh God. Jessie wrapped her arms around her middle. The thought felt like someone hit her in the head with a lead weight. The alcohol amplified every worse-case scenario and personal regret Jessie would feel if this didn’t turn out right. She tried not to think that way. It would all be fine and they would go on ignoring each other.
    Daniel slowed the car. The big red letters of the Emergency Room sign blurred. Brent got out. Jessie lurched forward and her seat belt restrained her.
    â€œYou have to unbuckle the belt first,” Daniel said.
    â€œI know that,” she said, and unbuckled the seat belt. Casually, she stepped out of the car as if she could keep it together.
    Brent waited at the curb. He was so tall and lean. Her gaze went right to the foreboding expression on his face. She giggled at the sight of him.
    They walked into the ER together, or rather, Brent upheld her. Jessie overcompensated by standing erect and drawing back her shoulders too far.
    The uniformed guard spoke with Brent. They got visitor passes and access to continue. Jessie prepared herself best as she could, but some walks down a long hallway you couldn’t prepare yourself for—even with the strong armor of alcohol to numb the senses.
    She kept her thoughts on Melanie, though her body veered into Brent. With each step he reinforced her walk. He put his hand on her back and guided her to the elevator. They stepped on and Brent pressed the button. The elevator jolted her feet from under her. She flew into Brent’s chest.
    â€œChrist,” he muttered. “This was a bad idea.”
    â€œI can do this,” she said and moved off him. “Except…”
    â€œExcept what?”
    He seemed impatient with her. She raised her chin. “Nothing.”
    â€œFine.”
    She caved and said, “I don’t want to see Luke.”
    He laughed. “I wouldn’t either if I were you.”
    â€œCould you try to be nice to me?”
    â€œThis is me being nice.”
    â€œYou’re not very good at it.”
    A grin crossed his lips. “I’m much better at other things.”
    Flutters erupted in her stomach. Inebriated? Yes. Dumb? No. She grabbed the wide metal rail and put space between them. Her fingers bore down and she wished she could take this rail with her to hold onto. The elevator stopped and the doors opened.
    The spooky quiet greeted them. Faint beeps played out from other areas of the floor. The space leading up to the Intensive Care Unit smelled like caffeine and cleaning products. Never had she stepped through such intimidating doors. Whatever lay on the other side wasn’t good. People didn’t land in the ICU to recover from minor surgery. They came here to fight. To hold on. To survive. Could she herself survive something like this? She didn’t know.
    A nurse sat behind a gray counter and greeted them with a tired smile. She gave Jessie a double-take, but said nothing, except for asking them to sign-in. Jessie took the pen and wrote her name. Brent shook his head at the large scrawl and took the pen out of her hand. Jessie looked up.
    Forget the issue of my signature , Jessie’s heart pounded beneath her chest—Luke stalked towards them.
    Jessie’s courage fled.
    Her brother-in-law looked pissed. Then again, that’s how she remembered he always seemed to look. She glanced back at Brent. He too, wore a similar perpetual look of annoyance. They looked eerily alike and Jessie didn’t know why, but she wanted to laugh.
    Brent put a firm hand on her arm. “Try to act normal,” he said.
    She shrugged off his hand.
    Luke stopped in front of her. “Brent,” he said, taking his time to let his gaze drop to hers. He studied her for a moment with