The truth was written all over his face. She’d never seen her brother so pale. So worried. So completely consumed with pain that he didn’t crack a smile at her or try to make her laugh. She faintly registered the fact that he was in scrubs. There must have been so much blood. Blood that would have stained his clothes and his skin as he did everything he could to help save Stone.
Somewhere behind her, the strangest high pitched whine started. The eerie sound was otherworldly, and it worked its way down deep into her heart.
Hawk wasthree steps awayfrom her when the room started spinning.
Two steps awaywhen the whine stopped and was replaced with a pain-drenched sob as it tore free from her throat.
One step awaywhen she started falling.
Mae collapsed into her brother’s arms. He didn’t speak. He didn’t try to tell her the worst of her fears weren’t true. He just held her.
And she knew. The truth soaked into her bones, and the world around her faded away.
“Breathe, Mae. I need you to not fall apart right now. So, just take a couple of deep breaths and pull it together.”
“Tell me he’s okay. Tell me he made it!” she screamed into his chest, not caring that the emergency room had fallen to a hush while other people watched her come apart.
“Shh. He’s in surgery. I don’t have any more information than that. But he’s here. The doctors have him now.”
“W-what hap-pened?” Her chest burned.
“I’ll tell you what I know, but we have to go upstairs. I was just coming to see if anyone was waiting down here.” His head swiveled around the room. “You came by yourself?”
“Y-yes.”
“Goddamn it, Mae. I told you to wait for someone else. You shouldn’t have driven?—”
“I love him, Hawk. You think I-I’m waiting after you t-tell me he died in your arms? That his heart restarted but no one was sure it would stay beating?”
Hawk shook his head. “I don’t like that you didn’t listen to me, but I understand. We need to go upstairs. There’s a private room I was able to get for us.”
“What about everyone e-else?” She wiped at her eyes while her brother helped her stand. God, her legs were shaking. How the hell would she even be able to get upstairs?
“You good? Want to sit for a minute before we go?”
“No. We should go. What if they’re looking for you to give an update about him?”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Three
“Tell me what happened.” She watched her brother’s face change. His eyes dropped to the floor in the elevator.
“I left the building and started jogging down towards Dolly’s. I knew he’d be close to coming back around if he was running the same path he usually does. I was at the hardware shop when I saw break lights. I didn’t know if it was Stone for sure, but something about the interaction was off.”
“Interaction?”
“He was talking to whoever was in the SUV. They must have had the passenger side window down. One second he was standing there, the next… I saw the gun and just froze. For a second, I froze, Mae. I’m so sorry. Stone collapsed to the ground and the car took off.”
The elevator slowed, then stopped, as the doors opened onto the fifth floor. A giant sign stating INTENSIVE CARE UNIT loomed above them. Two massive doors were to their left, but Hawk wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the right.
He pushed open a regular door and led Mae inside to whatwas very clearly a private waiting room. So private, with its extra soft looking furniture, that Mae wondered if this is where they put the families they thought they’d be breaking bad news to. It was warmer there. Soft music playing. All things that would help with shock, she realized.
“Sit. I doubt they’re going to have an update for us any time soon.”
Mae nodded, her body moving towards the chair while her mind stayed an hour away, on Ford Avenue in Silver Springs.
“If you were right there, you must have seen something to identify the vehicle. Do you know who it was?” Mae asked as Hawk sat down next to her, handing over a Styrofoam cup of something piping hot. Her stomach lurched as she set it on the small table next to her.
