Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 437(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
The EMTs arrived on the scene before the fire trucks.
“How are you feeling?”
“Relax as much as you can. You’re doing great.”
The ride in the ambulance was chaotic as an EMT asked me questions while another worked with Lance, who was coming to but couldn’t respond easily. “We’re going to intubate you,” the EMT said. “This is fairly routine for smoke inhalation injuries. Just a precautionary measure to keep your airway open.” It was a struggle to watch them put that tube down his throat, but I didn’t give a fuck what they had to do as long as he was okay.
When we arrived at the ER, I answered another series of questions while hospital personnel took Lance off for treatment and testing, leaving me on my own in an exam room, and so overwhelmed, I struggled to work out what to do next.
I should check in with Jaxon, who’d texted to let me know he was taking Frat Cat to the vet.
But first, I needed to call Lance’s parents. An EMT had given me Lance’s phone to get ahold of them, and I talked to his dad briefly to let them know what was going on. They were on the road to visit family, a few hours out already, so it would take them a while to get back here.
As I’m about to pull out my phone, I hear a familiar voice from the hall. “Which room did they say?”
The hell?
I hurry out the door, spotting Ryan and Marty heading toward me in jackets and loincloths, earning looks from the personnel and patients in the hallway. I want to call out to them, but it’s a strain to get words out right now, so I flag them down, and Ryan kicks up his pace, jogging over, Marty following.
“How is he?” Marty asks, still a few yards away.
“They said everything would be fine, but I figure they tell everyone that. And he was unconscious for a minute, and they intubated him to make sure he was getting oxygen. I think he might’ve passed out again…or they gave him a sedative. I can’t remember. Then they came and put me here. And…”
“Hey, hey, you’re good.” Marty steps to my side, resting his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t have to explain everything at once. We’re here to help and make this easier for you.”
“Easier? Nothing is gonna be easier right now.” I hate that I just barked out my frustration at a guy who’s only trying to be helpful, especially since I wasn’t expecting Marty, of all people, to be the one trying to soothe my anxiety.
“That’s fine,” he says. “Bad wording on my part. Let’s all take some breaths together.”
As he guides us back into the exam room, I mutter, “Take some breaths? That’s not what I need right now. I need Lance to be okay.” When the door closes behind us, I spin toward them, my gaze drifting to their loincloths. Ryan’s jacket isn’t even closed, and I can only imagine what the others waiting in the ER thought when they saw him in this state. “What are you two still doing in those? You look like you just got back from a Tarzan convention.”
Ryan glances himself over as if unsure what I’m referring to, as Marty says, “We came right from the party. Given your text, pants weren’t exactly a priority.”
“How did you even get back here? Don’t they have security?”
“I told them we were brothers,” Ryan says. “Then this clown started rambling, trying to explain why we looked so different.”
“It sounded ridiculous,” Marty snaps, sounding more like his usual dickhead, pain-in-the-ass self.
“Ash and Colin are stepbrothers,” Ryan says, “but they don’t go around qualifying it. Plus, it’s none of their business. They don’t know us.”
Marty shakes his head. “This is not important right now.”
Weirdly, their spat has helped me relax—at least as much as I can under the circumstances.
“I told them we were brothers too,” I admit. “Seems to work in movies. They took Lance back for tests to assess his injuries.”
“And you’re okay?” Ryan asks.
“Other than freaking out about him, yeah. Brianne said they might want to do some tests for me as well, but the nurse who checked me out didn’t seem too concerned.”
“Who the hell is Brianne?” Ryan asks.
“One of the EMTs.” No idea how the hell her name suddenly came to me like that, but I’m barely thinking straight.
“Well, you still got some black and gray smudges on you.”
Brianne had given me some wipes and helped me with some of it, but I’ve clearly missed some spots.
“Not my biggest concern,” I tell Ryan. “And I need to call his parents again. I told them I would once we got situated here.”
“Marty was right, though. Maybe take a few breaths first.”
I’m as annoyed as when Marty suggested it. “Their son’s in the hospital, and they’re probably freaking out because—” I bite my tongue. I can’t betray Lance’s confidence and reveal what I know about his brother. Yeah, his parents would be a mess even if Lance was their only child, but given their history with Kacey, I can only imagine how painful it must be knowing he’s injured and that it’ll take them a while to get to him.