hard before he stepped back and squared his broad shoulders.
Finally , Megan walked up to Ry an ’s side, her eyes taking in his face as she bent closer to kiss him. He looked a bit pale, but seemed otherwise absolutely fine , and she felt a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. Everything would be all right . A wave of gratitude wash ed over her and stung her eyes with tears. Ry an would be ok ay , and everything would return to normal . The horror of this day would be nothing but a reminder of what a lucky woman she was to have him on her side.
Nothing can change that, she thought fervently as she walked back to the two men with her heart at peace.
They were walking out as the door opened and the nurse from the cafeteria appeared, her lovely face beaming as she saw them.
‘ Hello again . ’ Green eyes sparkling, she watched Meg and Matt with a friendly expression . ‘I’ll be keeping an eye on him for you tonight. At least , that is what I was delegated to do. ’ She walked o ver to the machines monitoring R y an ’s heartbeat and inspected the screen . She nodded in satisfaction. ‘I think it will be an easy job, very uneventful.’
They chatted for a bit, but a strange sense of foreboding refus ed to leave Meg as they finally bid their good - byes. S he felt uneasy , as if an unexpected shadow had passed across her own personal sun, blocking out its light and warmth. Something had changed . The police and the fact that her boyfriend had just been shot were worrisome, but they weren’t the source of her turmoil.
As they walked back to the lift and down to the waiting car , she felt a subtle shift, barely palpable , yet refusing to let go. Megan felt as if something fateful were about to happen , and she was unhappy to be clueless as to what that something could be. She knew it was something that would affect her very deeply and irrevocably.
She had to be patient and hope for the best . Her overactive imagination seriously needed to be reined in. With this self - prescribed medication and a determination to remain cool , she straightened her shoulders and followed Rupert into the dim interior of his luxury car. Time for madness could come later.
Six
‘It must have been so horrible!’ Meg’s mother’s voice was shrill and panicked. Meg had already given up on trying to calm her down, realizing that the best way to deal with her panic was to just let her burn herself out. ‘And you’re sure that Ryan ’ s all right?’
She never would call him Ry . He had always been Ryan Harper in her mom’s eyes , and this put him in a very special category that required more respect than she would have given any other young man his age , i ncluding Matt , who simply failed to live up to her idea of what a true Harper should be like.
‘He’s fine , mom, really , ’ she assured her for the tenth time, trying to be patient. Ever since she had arrived at her parents ’ house an hour ago, she’d had no reprieve from her mom’s frantic questions.
‘I wonder if you should have stayed at the hospital, Meg an . ’ Her mom eyed her over the rim of her whisky glass sparkling with ice cubes. She usually didn’t drink much, but today seemed to be an exception. ‘ To make sure everyone knows you are truly devoted to him, you know.’
‘I think it’s pretty obvious that I care, M om .’ Megan had to try very hard not to snap at her mom, and she pressed her lips into a tight , annoyed line. Her mother’s obsession with Meg’s status as Ry an ’s girlfriend had driven her crazy for a long time.
Does she really expect me to stay at the hospital with the Harper s, putting on a show of devotion in the hopes of be ing accepted into the ir exclusive club? If so , she’ll be dearly disappointed . She bitterly dismissed the idea of explaining to her mom how inclusive and friendly everyone had actually been to her, especially after the accident. If she made the mistake of sharing that, the next question
Finally , Megan walked up to Ry an ’s side, her eyes taking in his face as she bent closer to kiss him. He looked a bit pale, but seemed otherwise absolutely fine , and she felt a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. Everything would be all right . A wave of gratitude wash ed over her and stung her eyes with tears. Ry an would be ok ay , and everything would return to normal . The horror of this day would be nothing but a reminder of what a lucky woman she was to have him on her side.
Nothing can change that, she thought fervently as she walked back to the two men with her heart at peace.
They were walking out as the door opened and the nurse from the cafeteria appeared, her lovely face beaming as she saw them.
‘ Hello again . ’ Green eyes sparkling, she watched Meg and Matt with a friendly expression . ‘I’ll be keeping an eye on him for you tonight. At least , that is what I was delegated to do. ’ She walked o ver to the machines monitoring R y an ’s heartbeat and inspected the screen . She nodded in satisfaction. ‘I think it will be an easy job, very uneventful.’
They chatted for a bit, but a strange sense of foreboding refus ed to leave Meg as they finally bid their good - byes. S he felt uneasy , as if an unexpected shadow had passed across her own personal sun, blocking out its light and warmth. Something had changed . The police and the fact that her boyfriend had just been shot were worrisome, but they weren’t the source of her turmoil.
As they walked back to the lift and down to the waiting car , she felt a subtle shift, barely palpable , yet refusing to let go. Megan felt as if something fateful were about to happen , and she was unhappy to be clueless as to what that something could be. She knew it was something that would affect her very deeply and irrevocably.
She had to be patient and hope for the best . Her overactive imagination seriously needed to be reined in. With this self - prescribed medication and a determination to remain cool , she straightened her shoulders and followed Rupert into the dim interior of his luxury car. Time for madness could come later.
Six
‘It must have been so horrible!’ Meg’s mother’s voice was shrill and panicked. Meg had already given up on trying to calm her down, realizing that the best way to deal with her panic was to just let her burn herself out. ‘And you’re sure that Ryan ’ s all right?’
She never would call him Ry . He had always been Ryan Harper in her mom’s eyes , and this put him in a very special category that required more respect than she would have given any other young man his age , i ncluding Matt , who simply failed to live up to her idea of what a true Harper should be like.
‘He’s fine , mom, really , ’ she assured her for the tenth time, trying to be patient. Ever since she had arrived at her parents ’ house an hour ago, she’d had no reprieve from her mom’s frantic questions.
‘I wonder if you should have stayed at the hospital, Meg an . ’ Her mom eyed her over the rim of her whisky glass sparkling with ice cubes. She usually didn’t drink much, but today seemed to be an exception. ‘ To make sure everyone knows you are truly devoted to him, you know.’
‘I think it’s pretty obvious that I care, M om .’ Megan had to try very hard not to snap at her mom, and she pressed her lips into a tight , annoyed line. Her mother’s obsession with Meg’s status as Ry an ’s girlfriend had driven her crazy for a long time.
Does she really expect me to stay at the hospital with the Harper s, putting on a show of devotion in the hopes of be ing accepted into the ir exclusive club? If so , she’ll be dearly disappointed . She bitterly dismissed the idea of explaining to her mom how inclusive and friendly everyone had actually been to her, especially after the accident. If she made the mistake of sharing that, the next question
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