“Soon. Bye.”
It wasn’t until Alex showed up at my doorstep after my marriage that I realized how much I’d missed her in my life. While I knew I couldn’t lie to her about the situation with Abbi, I wasn’t sure I’d ever work up the nerve to tell her the real reason I’d gone to rehab. I never wanted to see the disappointment on her face when she learned the truth.
An email came in from John as I sat at my desk. He was sending me a script to read, and it was supposed to show up sometime tomorrow. At least that gave me something productive to do. My phone dinged with a message.
Abbi: Leaving the office now. Be home soon.
I thought about telling her how I’d be waiting for her but decided I’d take a picture to show her. Stripping out of my clothes, I made my way out to the backyard and laid back on one of the loungers. With my phone in one hand, I started stroking myself. Not too much, I didn’t want to finish without her here, but enough to show what she was in for. When it started to feel a little too good, I took a picture and sent it to her. I wanted her to see how hungry I was for her, what she did to me.
I knew she was likely on her way home by the time she saw it and couldn’t answer. I hoped with each passing minute that the thought of me out in our backyard, jerking myself off, made her slick with need.
Minute by minute passed without any sign of her. After thirty more minutes, I called her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Next, I called her office to see if maybe she hadn’t left, but there was no answer there either. Now I was starting to get worried. We weren’t far from the office, and it never took this long for her to get home. Even though this was the first time she’d driven and adding extra time for being cautious, she still should have arrived home by now.
Walking inside, I got dressed and called Catherine to see if she knew where Abbi might be. I didn’t want to text.
“Hello, Jenner. What can I do for you today?” she answered with a smile in her voice.
“Can you tell me where Abbi is? She sent me a text message almost an hour ago saying she was on her way home, and she’s not here yet. I’m starting to get worried.”
What if the picture I sent her made her get into a wreck?
Her tone instantly changed. “I saw her pulling out of the parking lot in your car when I left, so she should be home by now. Have you tried calling her?”
“Of course, I have, but she doesn’t answer.” I started pacing around the living room, kitchen, and outside areas. “I knew I shouldn’t have let her drive herself to work. What if some paparazzi flashed her, and she wrecked?”
“I seriously doubt that happened. There were none here when I saw her leaving. Do you want me to come over?”
“No, you should get home to Jackson. I’m sure I’m overreacting, and it’s nothing. She probably stopped to pick up something for dinner and . . . ” I had no idea why she wouldn’t have told me or answered her phone.
“I’m sure that’s all it is. She should be happy. I’ll be her supervisor from now on.”
“Did you fire the other one?” I hoped she had. No one deserved to treat my Abbi badly.
“No, I didn’t fire her, but Abbi won’t have to work with her any longer, so she shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe she wanted to celebrate.”
And maybe we were grasping at straws.
“Thanks for everything, Catherine.” If she didn’t have any information, I wanted to keep trying to get a hold of Abbi.
“Anytime. Have a good night, Jenner.”
She hung up, and I tried to call my wife another ten times without her answering. Just as I was about to get in my car and trace her, her name popped up on the caller ID.
“Oh my God, you’ve had me worried,” I answered.
“Jenner?” Abbi cried out.
Instantly, I stopped dead in my tracks. “I’m here, baby. What’s wrong?”
“I was in a wreck. Someone ran me off the road, and I went down this . . . this embankment. They're taking me to the hospital in an ambulance.”
My heart nearly stopped at her words. Had it been the paparazzi?
“Are you okay? What hospital are they taking you to?” I continued toward the garage and was already starting up my car when she answered.
“Cedars Sinai. I think I broke my leg, and I’m pretty busted up,” she answered quietly before a sob broke out.
“I’m already on my way, baby. I’ll be there before you know it, so just hang tight, okay?”
“I’m sorry about your car,” she hiccupped.
Switching gears as I flew past the gate, I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles were white. “I don’t care about the car, Abbi. All I care about is you being okay.”
“I’m going to have to call my brother,” she cried.
“We’ll do it together once we get you home. Okay? You’re fine, right?” I needed her to reassure me again. I wasn’t sure if she was crying because she was in pain, from being scared of what happened to her, or for some other reason, my speed brain couldn’t figure out.
“I think so. I really wish you were here.”
“I wish I was there too, but I promise I’ll be there quickly. I’m already on the road.”
“Be careful,” she barked out in a voice that was full of worry and fear.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’ll be there in a few. Just hang tight and let them know I’m coming if you get there before me. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I heard her take in a deep, shaky breath. “Thank you, Jenner.”
It killed me that she felt the need to thank me when all I wanted in the world was to be there right by her side and have her in my arms knowing she was going to be okay.
“There’s nothing to thank me for. Now, sit back and let them take care of you, and before you know it, I’ll be right by your side.”
“I’ll try,” she sobbed.
Never in my life had I driven faster than I did that night. I put my hazards on in the hope that if the police spotted me, they would understand there was a reason I was driving like a bat out of hell.
Pulling up to the entrance, I threw the keys to the valet as I hopped out, shoving the ticket into my pants pocket as I rushed inside to find Abbi. The only problem was I’d never been to the hospital, so I had no idea where I was going.
Sprinting to the front desk, I panted out. “My wife, Abbi Jenner, was in a car accident and was brought in. Where can I find her?”
A little old lady with gray hair and cat-eye glasses smiled up at me before she typed something in on her computer. “She’s still in the ER. Would you like a map?”
“Please,” I all but begged.
I watched as she highlighted on the piece of paper how to get from where we were to the ER. I didn’t think I could have been further from it if I tried.
“Thank you,” I added as I snatched the paper out of her hand.
“You’re welcome. I hope your wife is alright.”
Me, too.
This was my fault. I should never have let her drive herself to work. I should have hired a driver or made her order an Uber. After walking around in what seemed like circles for twenty minutes, I finally found the ER. A woman with a deep scowl sat behind Plexiglas as she busily typed. After standing there for a few moments without a response, I cleared my throat. She looked up at me briefly before she went back to typing.