Aiden winces as he adjusts himself on the uncomfortable hospital bed. The doctors have put his foot in a bulky cast now. I sit beside him, my hands fidgeting uncontrollably as waves of concern wash over me.
“How are you feeling?” I ask softly. I reach out a hand to take his, but I hesitate. I can’t help the spike of guilt that stabs me when I remember how this all happened in the first place.
Aiden offers a crooked smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’ve been better,” he admits. “That doesn’t matter, though. Are you okay? Did that man hurt you?”
I let out a quiet laugh. “I’m not the one in a hospital bed, remember?” I murmur, regret staining my voice.
Aiden looks at me with intensity. “Carol. You don’t blame yourself, do you?”
Tears begin to prick the backs of my eyes, unbidden
