One Heart to Give (Heart's Intent Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

seemed to be even more anxious than she was. What was going on between Claire and Matt? When she had the chance she’d have to ask him. It could be her imagination.
    It took her twenty achingly long minutes to get to the hospital. She ran into the emergency room after she parked her car. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill freely. She fought them. They were a sign of weakness and she refused to give into them. Matt would be fine. He would . If she kept telling herself that she might actually believe it.
    “I got a call from a…” What was that woman’s name? Damn it, she forgot. The woman hadn’t been helpful, and she had a name that wasn’t easy to remember too. “It started with an L. Lisa… Laura…” She was usually much better with details. Dani waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. Matthew Price was brought in. I’m his emergency contact.”
    The nurse handling admittance in the emergency room typed away at her computer. She was probably used to frantic people in search of their loved ones. She didn’t appear fazed at Dani’s inability to remember the other woman’s name.
    She stood up and gestured. “Follow me. I will take you to Mr. Price.”
    Dani trailed behind her until they reached a set of double doors. The nurse lifted her identification card and held it against an electronic panel. The doors slid open to let them on the other side. Dani followed her down a few halls and into an exam room. Loud steady beeps from monitors filled the entire area. Matt lay upon the bed, still and silent. What was visible of his body appeared to be an immense bruise of various shades of purple and blue. His eyes and the entire top of his head were covered with white gauze, and his left arm was splinted and wrapped.
    “What happened?” Dani turned to the nurse. It hurt to look at him. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
    The nurse shook her head. Her mouth was set into a firm line. “I’m not at liberty to say. I’ll let the doctor know you’ve arrived.”
    She hated not having answers. It was a simple question. The nurse should be able to tell her what happened to him. She might not be able to disclose his exact condition, but surely she knew how he came to be injured in the first place. Dani reined in her frustration. It wouldn’t do any good to interrogate the nurse. The answers would be given to her as soon as the doctor came to see her. Until then, she would remain patient.
    “Will Matt regain consciousness?” Dani could feel tears threatening to fall again. “He looks so…is he in pain?”
    “He is sedated and has been given something for the pain. He’s comfortable.” The nurse shook her head again. “I can’t give you any more details. I promise I’ll let the doctor know you’re here. He can explain it in more detail and tell you what we need from you.”
    Dani grabbed a chair and pulled it up to his bedside. She lifted his uninjured hand into hers and held it against her cheek. “Please have the doctor come in as soon as possible. I need to know what is wrong with my friend.”
    The nurse nodded and left the room.
    “What’s going on Matt?” She rubbed his hand with hers. She wanted to hug him tight against her and not let go. “What mess did you get yourself into?”
    Matt had been her friend since the early days of college. They even went to the same law school together. After leaving her hometown of Hope Beach, and a foster family she’d been happy to forget, Matt had been a breath of life she’d not realized she needed. She’d been so lonely until she met him. He’d been her rock, the center she’d been craving to keep her balanced. Dani had grown up in a series of foster homes and never had a stable home life. Her last set of foster parents were not the loving sort, and she’d been ready to run as soon as she graduated. Only one person would have kept her in town, and he’d found someone else to