Harriet groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to shake off the haze of unconsciousness. Her surroundings came into focus, and she immediately noticed a familiar figure beside her.
"You're awake," a woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, highlighted with subtle chestnut brown tones, greeted her. She closed the magazine she was reading and stood up. "Let me just call the nurseâ"
Harriet stopped the woman by grabbing her wrist. "W-what's wrong?" the woman asked, her brow furrowing in concern.
Harriet winced as she tried to sit up, and the woman rushed to help her. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, brushing her hand over the IV attached to Harriet's arm.
Harriet groaned in pain. "Jeez, Zoey," she muttered.
"I'm sorry," Zoey quickly apologized, lowering her gaze.
Harriet sighed, leaning back against the hospital bed. "Why are you here? Aren't they here?" she asked, scoffing to herself. Why the hell did I even survive? Was drinking poison not enough? Her thoughts darkened as she recalled her past actions.
"Ms. Maggie just stepped out to talk to your doctor. She'll be back soon," Zoey explained. "I just came along with her."
Harriet glanced at Zoeyâtall, fit, standing at about 5'7. She shrugged and scoffed inwardly, wondering why she even cared that her mother's secretary was here.
Zoey cleared her throat, a little awkwardly. "Right, I was supposed to call them..."
Harriet chuckled softly. "You don't have to leave. There's a button for that," she said, showing Zoey the call button attached to the bed.
"Oh, right. They use that," Zoey said, laughing as she sat back down in the chair she had been occupying before Harriet woke up. "Ah, rich people," she joked, settling back in.
Harriet shook her head, shutting her eyes. She swallowed hard, then opened them again, sensing someone's gaze on her. "Why are you staring at me?" she asked, locking eyes with Zoey.
Zoey raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a smirk. "Because I have eyes, duh," she said, rolling her eyes as if Harriet had asked the most obvious question in the world.
Harriet clicked her tongue, ready to snap back, but Zoey cut her off, mumbling, "You know, you keep worrying your family." Zoey leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her chin propped on the back of her hand, legs crossed casually.
Harriet frowned, confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Zoey shrugged. "I heard Riley rushed to the hospital to see you on the same day you, well... tried." She paused, her voice softening. "She had an accident too. Bruises on her knees, hands, and jaw. She was franticâworried sick about you."
"What?" Harriet murmured, her mind racing to picture her younger sister.
Zoey offered a faint smile before sighing deeply, stretching her arms above her head. As her shirt lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her abdomen, she continued, "You know how much your sister cares about you. I just hope you'll think about how they feel before you do something like that again. But," she added with a casual shrug, "at the end of the day, it's your choice. You're an adult."
"What do you even know about it if you haven't experienced it firsthand?" Harriet scoffed, irritation creeping into her voice as she felt Zoey was overstepping her boundaries.
Zoey laughed lightly as she unbuckled the strap of her leather watch. "Oh, trust me, I've been there, done that." She lifted her left wrist, revealing the deep, jagged scars etched into her skin.
Harriet's throat tightened at the sight. What the fuck?
Harriet exhaled a deep sigh, shutting her eyes as frustration coursed through her veins. Her hands clenched into tight fists. Why? Why does it never work? Every time I try, something stops me. What the hell is wrong with me?
The weight of her past clung to her like a second skin, refusing to fade. Even now, the memories haunted her. She opened her eyes, staring at her hands, flexing them slowly. Were they even real? Was any of this?
A sharp, almost probing gaze pulled her attention to the side. She frowned as her eyes met Zoey's warm brown ones.
"What's with the look, Zoey?" Harriet's voice was sharp, more out of habit than malice.
Zoey tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "Don't you have anyone to talk to, Doc?"
Harriet raised a brow, chuckling bitterly. "What are you trying to say? That I'm a loner? Because I'm not."
Zoey shrugged, crossing her arms with infuriating ease. "Could've fooled me."
"What?" Harriet snapped, glaring at her. "And why are you even still here?"
"Your mom asked me to stick around." Zoey's tone was calm but firm. "She worries about you. And, frankly, so do I. You need to stop wasting your life, Harriet. Things happen. Things you can't change. No matter how many ways you try to punish yourself for it, it won't fix the past."
Harriet swallowed hard, turning her gaze away. "You don't understand," she muttered, her voice cracking. "You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love and know it's your fault."
Her mind dragged her back, unwillingly, to the memory of Sophie. Sophie Reed, who had protected her at the cost of her own life. The screech of tires, the blinding lights, Sophie's arms shielding herâit was all too vivid, even after a decade.
Zoey sighed, her expression softening. "It seems like money and success can't fix everything, huh? Look at you, Harriet. Are you even living?"
Harriet let out a hollow laugh. "Living? If this hell is what living feels like, I'd rather not. It's pointless. I'm just... surviving. Barely."
"That's because you let it be pointless." Zoey's voice remained steady. "You can have a million people trying to pull you out of this darkness, but if you don't want to help yourself, nothing will ever change."
Harriet turned her glare on Zoey. "God, you talk too much. Can you just stop pretending you've got all the answers? Like you're some wise guru? Just... stop."
Zoey clicked her tongue in mock irritation. "Fine, just trying to help."
"Well, don't." Harriet's tone was firm, bordering on hostile. "This is my life. Stay out of it."
Zoey tilted her head, studying her for a moment before smiling faintly. "That's the problem with you, Doc."
"Zoey," Harriet warned, closing her eyes. "If you don't shut upâ"
"You'll what?" Zoey cut in, a challenging gleam in her eyes.
Harriet paused, groaning in defeat. "Why did Mom even let you stay here? Seriously, just leave." She waved her hand dismissively.
"That's not happening, Doc." Zoey's voice was laced with mild amusement.
Harriet rolled her eyes, slumping back into her seat. "Fine, then make yourself useful. Get me some food. I'm starving."
Zoey raised a brow, staring at her incredulously. "Did you justâ"
"On second thought, never mind," Harriet interrupted. "You'd probably poison it."
Zoey chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're afraid I'd poison you? This, coming from someone who just survived surgery after poisoning herself?"
A wry smile tugged at her lips as she added, "You're a walking contradiction, Harriet Pierce."