I pray to God, to my dad…hell, to whoever will listen that she will be alright. It’s impossible to imagine a scenario where she isn’t.
The rig comes to a stop, the doors are thrown open, people in white lab coats and red and maroon scrubs swarm in, waiting as I jump out and let the paramedics unload Kay, the wheels of the gurney hitting the asphalt with a loud clunk!
My sneakers pound against the tile floor as I rush to keep up with the flow of people hurrying inside the emergency room, the smell of antiseptic filling my nostrils as medical jargon and statistics about Kay’s condition are volleyed between the EMTs and doctors.
My gut rolls and I have to swallow down bile at the thought of her having an injury so catastrophic it’s considered a condition.
Two blue doors swing open as they push Kay into an open trauma room. I follow, almost certain I’m not supposed to, but I don’t give a fuck. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.
Four-legged Equidae may not be able to stop me, but a dark-haired nurse in U of J-red scrubs has no problem keeping me from taking my place at Kay’s side where I belong. “Stop right there, hotshot.”
I glare down at the nurse, my gaze going to the palm splayed in the universal sign of her command then back to her face again. She can’t be serious.
“You good, Vic?” one of the other nurses calls out, and I swear the edges of her lips curl in an I dare you to try me smile in response. She’s tall—then again, most females seem tall when compared to the one being worked on a few feet away—but I could easily move her.
“Yeah.” She nods, never taking her eyes off me. “I got this.”
I narrow my eyes, adding every ounce of intimidation behind my glower. Her smile only grows until I can see a line of white from her teeth.
“If I can put a Kraken in his place on the reg, a little football player doesn’t scare me.” The humor behind her words washes over me, loosening some of the panic trying to strangle me like a noose. It probably helps that she referred to me as little when I can’t ever recall being called that in my life.
“Now, Mr. Nova…” She glances over her shoulder to check the status of things, and I experience another stomach cramp at the sight of Kay’s wound being flushed with saline when I follow her gaze. With the hospital’s association with the school, it comes as no surprise she knows who I am. “Can you tell us what happened to Kayla?”
I swallow and have to work to clear the football-sized ball of emotion stuck in my throat before I can answer. It only gets worse when I see a doctor holding up a curved needle in preparation for stitching Kay’s head wound closed.
“She was punched.” I throw my arms up, holding my hands out to display my innocence. “It wasn’t me,” I rush to get out.
“Never thought that for a second.” She places a comforting hand on my bicep, her blue eyes softening. Based on the paramedics’ reactions earlier, that was the last thing I expected her to say, especially with such absolute certainty. “What about the gash?”
Again my eyes flip up to Kay, my foot rising to take a step closer of its own accord. As if anticipating it, the nurse—Vic-something—shifts with me, keeping me in place.
I have to shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans to prevent myself from balling them into fists as I recall the details my friends filled me in on. I’m only one step inside the room, but it’s obvious I’m not even supposed to be that close. I can’t risk losing that small liberty due to someone thinking I’m threatening the staff when my fury is fully directed at one Liam Parker.
“She hit her head on a table when she fell.” I have to pause and clear my throat once again. “I didn’t want to risk moving her, but I tried to stop the bleeding with my shirt, and I touched her face gently, trying to get her to open her eyes but…but…she never did.” My words come out rushed, breaking off at the end, the fear of what this could all mean getting the best of me.
Tears sting the backs of my eyes, but I blink them away, refusing to let them