CHAPTER NINE
“What the hell is going on?”Fawn demanded. “Why does River need a doctor? What injuries?”
“You—”
“Tell me what’s happened to River?” she bit out, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She hadn’t liked the sound of Declan’s side of his telephone conversation at all.
“Apparently, he wasn’t conscious when Danny broke into your apartment.”
It felt as if a fist had struck and then penetrated Fawn’s chest, and it was now attempting to forcefully pull her heart out. “River was unconscious?”
Declan nodded. “But River said it was only for a very short time.”
Fawn was too agitated to appreciate Declan’s placating tone. “Any amount of time is too long in River’s case.”
“What is his ‘case’?”
“What was Danny’s assessment of the situation?” she demanded instead of answering him.
“He said River told him he felt dizzy, and then he blacked out. Danny says he must have hit the coffee table when he collapsed because he has facial injuries?—”
“Call Danny back and tell him to take River to the hospital immediately. Specifically, St. Anges’s. The same hospital River went to yesterday.”
“Not until—” He fell silent when Fawn reached out and grasped the front of his black T-shirt.
Which she then used to pull herself up until their faces were only inches apart. “I said call Danny back and have him take River to St. Agnes’s right now!” she repeated through clenched teeth.
“Why?”
“Because I fucking said so!”
“That isn’t an answer,” Declan reasoned.
“Right now, it’s the only one you’re going to get.”
Declan studied her for several obviously frustrated seconds before finally nodding. “Fair enough.” He reached up to gently release the death grip she had of the front of his T-shirt before putting her away from him to take out his cell phone. “I’ll tell Danny of the change of plan. Shall I also tell him we’ll meet the two of them at the hospital?”
“Yes,” Fawn confirmed tightly. “Although maybe not you. After all, you were shot only ten days ago,” she added with a guilty grimace of realization. “There’s absolutely no reason why you need to go too. Okay,” she accepted that arrangement after asingle glance at the harsh implacability of Declan’s expression warned her against continuing with that argument.
Declan held her gaze while he put a second call through to Danny, and while he issued those new instructions to the other man before then ringing off as abruptly.
“Well?” Fawn prompted when Declan made no attempt to walk toward the elevator.
“I understand you’re worried about your brother?—”
“An understatement!”
Declan inclined his head. “But you need to get yourself together before we get to the hospital, or you’re going to make the situation worse.”
“It can’t get any worse than it already is,” she assured him grimly.
Declan stepped into her space, the hold he took of both her arms preventing her from moving away. “Danny assures me this isn’t a life-or-death situation.”
“Danny can’t possibly say that with any authority.”
“He trained as a medic in the military.”
“This isn’t an in-the-field situation.”
