Free Forever Loved (The Forever Series) by Deanna Roy Page B

it would be anything but normal. I felt fine.
    She peered at it. “Hmm. Up again a bit. You been out of bed a lot?”
    I shook my head. “I feel fine. I was walking earlier. Maybe I just did too much.” It was a lie. My chest felt like it was being crushed. But I wanted to go home.
    She tapped the temperature into her iPad. “Let’s take it a little bit easier, just to be sure.”
    “I will.” God, I could not jeopardize going home. I was already going crazy.
    Dad locked his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. “Sure you don’t want to come back with us? I don’t know why you couldn’t finish up in New Mexico like you planned.”
    I had to keep all my stories straight about why I had transferred. “I have a better shot at grad school here.”
    “Sure was nice having you closer to home.”
    “It’s nice here. I can see why Corabelle would like it,” Mom said, diplomatic as always.
    My phone beeped and I practically lunged for it. Surely Gavin would be off work soon, or at least have a moment to let me know when he could bring my clothes.
    But the number was unfamiliar.

    Hey — a hospital just called to schedule an interview. Said you gave them my name. Thanks. Tina.

    I smiled. I hoped she got the job, if she wanted it. I pictured Sabrina in her paint-splattered dress and stifled a laugh.
    “Good to see you happy,” Dad said. “You haven’t smiled enough lately.”
    I would have said it was Gavin, and new friends, but I let it go. The last thing I wanted was to invite Dad to start bashing him again.
    “You know, I ran into Alaina the other day,” Mom said.
    I stiffened at the mention of Gavin’s mother. “Oh?”
    “She got a little flustered. We haven’t really spoken for a while.”
    Since the funeral, probably. Gavin’s departure had pretty much ended the friendship between his mother and mine. “Where was she?”
    “At the grocery store. I think she must have started going to Wal-Mart since I never see her at Peppers.”
    “You think she’s avoiding you?”
    My dad snorted. “She ought to be.”
    “Arthur,” my mom said. “She’s not responsible for how Gavin acted.”
    “She’s responsible for how she raised him.” He sat up. “No-account fool.”
    “Dad!”
    “I’m not going to sit here and let that self-centered jackass jerk my daughter around again!”
    I threw the sheets off and held the back of my gown closed as I snatched my phone from the side table. “I need to take a walk.” I stalked to the door.
    “Corabelle! You heard the nurse!” My mother’s voice hit a rare fever pitch.
    I turned back around and went into the bathroom instead, slamming the door shut. I sat on the floor by the toilet and dialed Gavin’s number. I knew he was working, but hoped he could get away for just a second. He’d been so available the last few days. I didn’t understand why suddenly I could barely get him to respond to a text. Maybe he was up to his elbows in a car motor.
    The connection rang continuously until his voice-mail message came on. I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes as I listened to the recording, picturing him saying the words, his lips, the scruffy jaw. When it beeped, I said as quietly as I could, “Hey. Having a tough time up here with my parents. Hope you’re okay.”
    The cold floor seeped through the cotton gown and I shivered. Crying was not an option. I had to get well. But I was frozen in time, waiting for Gavin, just like I’d waited four years ago.
    I wanted to go home. I’d do whatever it took. But the cold and the need to cry triggered another moment of panic as I couldn’t take in a breath. I sucked in, triggering a coughing fit. I moved to my knees and snatched a towel from a rack, pressing it to my face to keep as quiet as possible. Terror flashed through me as my abdomen heaved and pushed, refusing to settle back down. I forced myself to breathe, to relax, to slow down. After what felt like forever, it settled again and I gulped