Releasing a deep sigh, she goes to push herself up. Only to groan, loudly, and fall back into the couch. God damn, she is sore all over and feels a bit nauseous in addition to the pain and the cloudiness in her head.

She freezes when her apartment door opens, because who the hell –

“Caroline? Your door is unlocked. How many times do I have to remind you to lock your door even if you’re home?” It’s Hannah, only she doesn’t sound like Hannah usually sounds. She thinks if she didn’t feel like her head was spinning, she’d easily be able to put her finger on whatever’s off. “Only what I wonder is what in the world you’re doing here when you promised Abbie to be at her party today. Do you know how upset she was all afternoon?”

It’s anger, she realizes. Quite possibly the most anger she’s ever heard in Hannah’s tone, directed at her.

Oh, fuck. She flicks her eyes to the clock under the television, and – yes, she had entirely missed Abbie’s party. Remorse twists its way into her stomach, winding itself around everything else.

Honestly, in the utter calamity of the afternoon – being rushed to the hospital, dealing with the police that had then met her at the hospital to discuss the charges her firm was bringing against Shawn, before being treated and passing out at home – anything else had slipped her mind.

Hannah’s voice gets closer as she can hear her storm down the hall. “You told Abbie so many times that you’d be there and I know you had a big meeting today, but you shouldn’t have promised. She already has one adult who never keeps his promises; you can’t do that to her. And this is just what I was afraid of! As soon as you knew –”

Hannah turns the corner into the living room, abruptly cutting herself off and not finishing that thought as her eyes land on Caroline, who sits up, attempting to gear up to push herself up to stand.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave Abbie hanging, I swear, I just…” She trails off, helplessly, and on top of the Vicodin-induced dazed feeling she can’t quite completely get rid of and the soreness and exhaustion, it’s guilt she’s completely wracked with but feels helpless in terms of how to excuse it.

Hannah’s cheeks are flushed, either from the chill outside or the anger that had carried her here – or both. But her gray eyes widen as she takes Caroline in, her hands flying to cover her mouth in shock.

“What happened to you?!” From pissed off to panicked in only moments, Hannah’s tone is higher pitched than she’s ever heard it.