CHAPTER 43: Giving in to my denials

MILES:

Everything happened so fast. One moment, Meredith was behind me, and the next, she was on the ground with scraped knees. Seeing her nearly get hit by a car constricted my heart, and the fear of losing her cut off my breathing. If anything had happened to her, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. My heart told me I was meant to protect her, but my brain questioned why I was so overwhelmingly concerned, to the point of tears and anger.

"Meredith, I won't repeat myself," I scolded, not caring about the gathering crowd and cameras. She obediently handed her shoes to Brandon.

I carried her to the car, and she clung to my neck, too stunned to speak. When we arrived, I laid her gently on the seat. Her knees were badly scraped, and the more I looked at them, the more my heart ached, not my anger.

"How fast can we get to the hospital?" I asked.

Brandon checked his iPad and responded, "The closest hospital is twenty minutes away."

"That's far!" I exclaimed, my concern for