LAUREN'S POV

“How did you get here?” Tessa asked, her voice sharp with concern as her eyes darted across my body, scanning me from head to toe like she was afraid I’d vanish if she blinked.

I shifted slightly on the hospital bed, trying to sit up despite the dull ache that pulsed behind my eyes. The IV line tugged gently at my arm, reminding me I wasn’t going anywhere soon. “I… I passed out,” I said softly, the words barely making it past the dryness in my throat. “On the road. ...