He抯 silent for a moment. I know it抯 only seconds, but it feels like minutes.
揝alem抯 been in an accident.?
I drop my phone. It falls somewhere on the floor between my feet. Making a very illegal U-turn, I speed back in the opposite direction toward the hospital.
My brain keeps repeating two words over and over again.
Salem.
Accident.
Salem.
Accident.
I抦 fucking hyperventilating by the time I get to the hospital and park my truck, rushing inside through the emergency entrance.
The lady at the front desk is startled by my sudden appearance.
揝alem Matthews. Was she brought in??
Fuck, they could抳e taken her to the city. Life-flighted her. What if it was really bad? What if she抯 in surgery? What if she抯？
No. I won抰 fucking go there. I won抰 think that. She抯 not. She can抰 be. I would know if she were dead. I抎 feel it. I have to believe that.
揥ho抯 asking??She sounds peeved, and I guess that抯 my fault for coming in here acting like a mad man.
揌er fianc??I lie, but it does the trick.
揝ecurity will take you there.?She nods her head at the guy in a black and white uniform.
He hands me a sticker and I quickly slap it on my shirt.
He walks as slow as fucking possible through the emergency section. I count the seconds. All two-hundred and sixty-three of them so I don抰 fucking murder the man and never find her in this maze of sectioned off rooms.
揝alem Matthews. Right here.?He taps on a door.
I don抰 say thank you. I push past the man and into the room. 揝alem??I shove aside an ugly blue curtain, preparing myself for the worst.
She sits on the end of the bed in a gown. There抯 a gash beside her eye that looks like it抣l need stitches and she cradles her arm tenderly.
Her eyes widen with shock when she sees me standing there. 揟hayer? How did you get here? How did you know??
揧our sister and Michael. I rushed right here.?
The adrenaline flees my body and I drop to my knees in front of her. I don抰 even feel the pain of my kneecaps hitting the hard surface of the floor, because I抦 so fucking relieved she抯 okay. I thought ?well, I thought the worst. I didn抰 want to believe she was gone, but my brain couldn抰 help going to the worst-case scenario.
Her fingers delve into my hair, and she leans her body over mine. 揇on抰 cry,?she begs.
I didn抰 even realize I was, but she抯 right. I抦 shaking with the sobs.
The fear that I might lose her just when I got her back was overwhelming.
But she抯 here. She抯 alive. Breathing. Sitting up. Not seriously injured.
My feelings are raw, though. Nothing makes you feel more helpless than someone you love being hurt and knowing you can抰 do anything about it.
揝hh,?she croons. 揑抦 okay. I抦 sore. And I think my arm is broken. But I抦 okay.?
She keeps saying it over and over梩hat she抯 okay.
I manage to pull myself up off the floor, gently taking her face in my hands. She lets me look her over, appraise her for more bumps and bruises. After I抳e finished a thorough inspection she arches a brow, fighting a smile.
揥hat抯 the verdict, Dr. Holmes??
揟he verdict,?I brace my hands on the bed, bending so I抦 eye-level with her, 搃s that you tried to give me a heart attack, Ms. Matthews. I抦 an old man now, you can抰 do that to me.?
揧ou抮e not even forty yet.?She rolls her eyes. It makes me want to spank her. She抯 in the fucking hospital after a car accident and she抯 rolling her eyes at me? The nerve. 揂nd forty isn抰 even old so cut the shit.?
揂re you okay??I ask her. 揘ot just physically, but mentally.?
She exhales shakily and I place my hand on her knee, trying to instill some warmth and comfort into her body.
揝haken up,?she admits. 揑t happened so fast, and I blacked out when I hit my head.?She points to the side of her face where the cut is. There抯 a lump on her skull as well. 揗y arm is killing me though.?
Her left arm is already swollen and there抯 a purplish bruise near the elbow.
揌ave they X-rayed yet??
揘o.?She shakes her head tiredly. 揟hat抯 what I抦 waiting for. Poor Georgia, she wanted me here to help with her labor and now this happened.?
揇on抰 stress about it, Sunshine,?I beg. I don抰 like seeing her like this.
揑抦 just upset.?Her bottom lip wobbles with the threat of tears. 揑t seems like it抯 always something and I can抰 catch a break. I抦 just exhausted from life.?She sniffles and I grab a tissue from the box by the bed, handing it to her. She smiles gratefully, wiping beneath her eyes. 揑抦 being dramatic. I know I抦 so blessed and lucky in so many ways棓
揇on抰 degrade your feelings.?I cup her cheek in my palm. 揂 car accident is traumatic for anyone. Don抰 feel guilty for being upset. You抳e been dealing with a lot already.?
She nods, swiping the tissue beneath her nose. 揧ou抮e right.?
揗s. Matthews? I抦 here to take you to our X-ray department.?
A nurse enters the room pushing a wheelchair. I glance from it to Salem. 揥hy do you need a wheelchair? Are your legs棓
揑t抯 just standard hospital procedure, sir.?The nurse interrupts my line of questioning. 揘othing to worry about.?
In other words, I need to calm my ass down.
Got it.
Salem gets into the wheelchair, and I抦 forced to stay behind. Luckily, she isn抰 gone more than fifteen minutes.
揂 doctor will be in shortly after the images have been reviewed.?
揟hank you,?Salem tells the nurse, settling onto the bed and lying down. When the nurse is gone, she says to me, 揑抦 so tired now.?
揑t抯 the adrenaline.?I抦 feeling it too, to be honest, but I don抰 tell her that because I don抰 want her to think I抦 trying to lessen how she feels. 揅lose your eyes and go to sleep. I抣l be right here. I抦 not going anywhere.?
揧ou抮e not??
I take her hand in mine. 揑抦 going to be right here.?
Despite all the beeping machines, her eyes close a few minutes later, her breaths evening out and I know she抯 fallen asleep.
I抦 glad she抯 able to doze off. The rest will do her body good.
An hour later a doctor finally comes in and I抦 forced to wake her up.
He doesn抰 waste any time telling her that her arm is broken, but doesn抰 need surgery, so they抣l be fitting her into a cast and that the cut by her eye won抰 need stiches, but the nurse will apply butterfly bandages. Thank God it doesn抰 need stitches since she抯 already been here for roughly two hours. If she had needed them, you抎 think they would抳e taken care of that already.
When the doctor leaves, Salem says, 揑抳e probably missed the baby being born.?
揧ou don抰 know that.?
Her lips pout out. 揑 feel so bad that I disappointed Georgia.?
揙h, fuck,?I curse. 揑 should抳e called her and let her know you were okay.?I yank my phone out of jeans pocket, but I don抰 have any cell service. 揑抣l go outside and call her.?
She grabs my arm, yanking me back down into the chair. 揑 had the nurse call her and let her know since I was on the phone with Michael at the time. I didn抰 want her in labor and freaking out about me.?
I brush her hair back from her forehead, looking at her in awe. 揇o you have any idea how remarkable you are, the way you always put everyone else first??
She shrugs like it抯 no big deal.
Luckily, the wait to get a cast put on isn抰 long and she lights up like a little kid when she gets to pick the bandage color. She chooses a light pink, saying that Seda will love it. I don抰 think she realizes it but I抦 pretty sure pink is her favorite color too.