All the Broken Pieces: (Broken Series Book 3) Read Free

biggest hypocrite on the planet.
    So I made the damn coffee and kept my trap shut.
    When the pot stopped gurgling, I grabbed two of the small foam cups from the counter—briefly frowning at them and wondering why the hospital wasn’t using paper ones—before turning to speak to Lauren’s back. “How do you take your coffee?”
    “Black.” Her voice was shaky, uneven.
    I poured the sub-par coffee into the cup and idly wondered if there was a decent coffee shop nearby where I could find something that couldn’t be used to remove rust from a bumper. Given the lack of options and the necessity to stay close, this stuff would have to do for now. Maybe once everyone arrived I would make a run to the nearest Starbucks.
    At least that would be helpful, unlike my awkward silence.
    After pouring a steaming cup for myself, I returned to the table and placed her cup in front of her as I took the seat Clay had just vacated. “It isn’t gonna be the best cup of coffee you ever had but it’s something.” I offered weakly.
    Her hand wrapped around the warm cup and I watched as goosebumps broke out on her arms. She shivered slightly and lifted the coffee to her trembling lips. Her hand shook so much I worried she’d inadvertently pour the scorching beverage on herself.
    “Are you cold? You have goosebumps.” The room actually was a little chilly but I was more concerned that she was in shock.
    “I don’t know.”
    I frowned, watching her. “You don’t know if you’re cold?”
    She shook her head, sending deep red strands of hair flying around her pretty face. “Can’t really feel anything. It’s all numb. All of it.”
    Shit. I knew that feeling all too well.
    She sat the cup back on the table just as her entire body shuddered violently, one of those bone-deep shivers that I recalled more vividly than I cared to admit. She was in shock.
    I stood and stepped to the door, peeking into the hallway and breathing a sigh of relief when I saw a nurse scurrying in the other direction. I called out to her and waited in the doorway while she reversed course, a pleasant smile on her face. She was more than a foot shorter than me, with skin the color of mocha and wearing blue Scooby Doo scrubs. Her stethoscope had a stuffed Scooby hanging from it.
    “Can I help you, hon?” she asked with a thick southern drawl.
    “Yes, ma’am.” I told her, smiling in return. “I was wondering if I could get one of those heated blankets for my friend in here.” I nodded toward the waiting room and she stepped back, peering through the glass. “She’s shivering all over and I think it would really help.”
    The nurse—Monique, according to her nametag—reached out and gripped my hand, patting it. “Sure thing, sweetie. You just sit tight and I’ll be right back.” Her hand slipped out of mine and she took off through the secured double doors across the hall.
    I stepped back into the waiting room to check on Lauren and found her with her head once again resting on her folded arms, her eyes closed and her shoulders shaking.
    I was just about to go to her, the urge to put my arms around her almost overwhelming, when the doors across the hall opened with a whoosh and the friendly nurse appeared, a thick blanket under one arm.
    She stepped into the room with Lauren and I, wordlessly handing me the blanket that was so warm steam was pouring off it. Before she turned and left, she handed me a small card with her name and information on it, whispering. “If either of you need anything else, dial that number and ask for Monique.”
    With one more flash of her dazzling smile, she was gone.
    Feeling somewhat buoyed by my pleasant interactions with the nurse, I stepped over to Lauren and unfolded the blanket a little so that I could drape it over her shoulders. I left it folded over as much as possible so it would hold its heat longer and gently lay it across her back, tucking it over her slumped shoulders.
    She breathed out a soft sigh, her eyes