Learning to Live

Chapter 14

White ceiling.

My bedroom's ceiling wasn't this white.

I blinked and turned my head. Ugh. A wave of dizziness hit me, roiling my stomach. I closed my eyes until it passed.

Sam was sleeping on a chair next to my bed.

I blinked. What? Sam shouldn't be here. He should be at work. Right? What day was it anyway?

He didn't look comfortable, his chin rested on his chest, and his body folded uncomfortably into the small chair. His dark hair was messy, the shadow of a stubble darkened his jaw, and the skin beneath his eyes looked almost purple.

"Sam?" My voice came out raspy. I cringed at the smell. My rancid breath almost made me gag. Ew. I desperately needed toothpaste.

Sam stirred. He cracked his eyes open, then shot up in his seat. "Sapph? You're up?"

"Yeah," I said, my groggy brain finally registered. I was in a hospital. "Why am I in the hospital?"

My entire body felt like it was run over by a freight train. My head throbbed, and my stomach was queasy. The sense of something wrong happening was like a heavy rock in the pit of my stomach. "What happened?"

He sighed, rubbing his face. His white shirt was crumpled. He must've come straight from work. Something was definitely wrong.

"You've been drugged," he said. "Yesterday, at the party. Someone spiked your drink and..."

My eyes widened. What? He noticed my expression and sighed. "Okay, why don't you drink something? Do you want water?"

I looked down at my body, my heart stuttering. "Was I...?"

"No! Thank God, no," he said. "Nothing happened to you."

I blew out a breath, but the sense of wrongness lingered. "I don't remember anything."

The last thing I remembered was... Hunter. Hunter went to get my jacket, but he took a while. And then Jake.

"Jake?!" I asked, trying to sit up despite the wave of dizziness. "That asshole spiked my drink?"

"Okay, settle down tiger," Sam said, pushing me down gently. He stood up, his features eased up into a smile. He hugged me to him. I breathed in his familiar scent. "I'm glad you're okay."

"That asshole! I'm going to break his nose," I cursed, irritated. I couldn't believe I was careless enough to get spiked. By freaking Jake. That damn idiot.

"Okay," he said, looking relieved. "I see you're doing just fine. Lia's been here the entire night."

"Where is she? Where are the boys?" I asked, sitting up a little. Sam gave me some water. It soothed down my throat and settled in my stomach, already making me feel better.

"The boys are home. I made them go change. They stink," he said, sitting back in his seat. "Lia didn't want to leave. Wild horses couldn't drag that girl away. She went down to grab us some coffee."

"Right." I still couldn't believe I was drugged. No matter how much I tried, all I remembered was getting away from Jake, and then nothing.

Muted light spilled in from the big window to my right. The sky looked gray and depressed. The smell of disinfectant and a faint hint of fabric detergent. Someone walked past the door outside, their steps echoing and their voice urgent.

"Your boyfriend was here, too," Sam said, his hazel eyes twinkling.

"Oh." Sam didn't know I had a boyfriend, yet. I hadn't told him, and I doubted either of my brothers would have. I cleared my throat.