Blowing through several red lights to keep up with the ambulance, I take a deep breath as I pull into the hospital and park up front to meet the EMT’s as they get Raven out. Following them inside through the emergency room doors, the doctor meets us and begins helping wheel her towards the ER, but stops to tell me I’m not allowed to go back.Fuck that, I’m not standing out here.
“Look, I won’t go into the exam room, but I am going back with her. I’m all she’s got,” I plead with him, clasping my hands together, literally begging. They share a look before jerking their heads for me to follow.
“Don’t make me regret this. So help me, you pull some shit and I’ll have you hauled off and banned so fast,” the doctor threatens, and I just nod in response.
They walk into a room, and I stand outside looking through the windows of the doors as they cut what’s left of her clothes off her body. The nurses quickly start hooking her up to differentmonitors while the doc spits out orders and gets to work. It’s hard to hear most of what’s going on through the closed doors, but being able to at least hear the faint beeping on the heart monitor is keeping me from losing my shit.
Walking a hole in the floor as I pace back and forth, my phone vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I look down and see a text from Zeke.
Uncle Z-
We’re about to leave here and take Reyes to get his truck from the side of the road. Then we will get her bike loaded into his truck as well. Please text him and let him know what’s going on with Raven. I know y’all want to be there with her, but one step at a time.
Me-
Fine. I’ll text him.
Closing his thread, I take a deep breath and open Reyes’ thread to try and see if I can get him to calm down.
Me-
Hey, they’re working on her now. I don’t have any news, but I’m not letting her out of my sight. I promise. Get your truck and have her bike cleaned up. I’m here when you’re done, bro. Any news on Luis?
Reyes-
No. Zeke and Eddie are on it. Plus pulling cam feed from the nearest places by the shop. You make sure our girl pulls through. She doesn’t get to leave us. You got it? I’ll try to calmdown some, just keep me posted. Also, we need to talk.
Me-
You got it. God… talk about what? NVM we will do that in person.
Closing the thread, I slide my phone back into my pocket. Looking through the windows, I move back as they begin pushing Raven through the doors.
“We’re taking her for a CT and MRI, as well as getting an X-ray on her arm and leg. We want to make sure we have an idea of what all is going on before we start surgery. Her condition is stable, but she’s not out of the woods yet. I’ll have the nurse bring you a chair so you can sit here until we come back,” the doctor informs me. Nodding in reply, I push my hands through my hair and let a sigh out. The nurse brings me a chair, and I sink down into it, letting my head hang down.I gotta stay positive. For her. For my brothers. We will all make it out alive. We have to.
After what seems like forever, the doctor comes and lays his hand on my shoulder. Looking up at him in a panic, I stand, the chair scooting back from the quick movement.
“How is she?” I ask before he has time to give me an update.
“She’s stable. She has a couple of cracked ribs. Her legs got a lot of the road rash along with some on her arms and back. Luckily, the clothing she was wearing took a lot of the impact from the pavement. We will be able to stitch up the deeper areas.” The doc motions to her arm, which is now in a purple cast, and continues, “She has a hairline fracture of her wrist and a small bleed on her brain, which is causing some swelling. We’ve put her in a medically induced coma for now so she can recover while we monitor her,” he says with a sigh.
“Can I go in and sit with her now?” is all I can manage to ask. Gripping my shoulder, he gives me a small nod before he walks away.
Walking in, I pull the small cushioned chair up to her bed and grab her hand, rubbing soothing circles like she’s always liked.
“Please come back to us, Angel. I need you. We need you. I refuse to do life without you. We’re going to find Luis and bring him back to you–back to us. I love you so goddamn much, and you don’t get to leave me until you hear me say it! I want to look into those blue eyes, with those small specks of gray in them, and tell you how much you mean to me; shit, to all of us! We’re better because of you,” I say, the tears finally setting themselves free again. Resting my head on our joined hands, I close my eyes, praying to whatever devil there is that her and Luis make it out of this alive.I need my dark angel.
Chapter 5
Reyes
After getting Raven’s bike loaded into the back of the truck, me, Eddie, Zeke, and Marco work on getting all the stray pieces picked up off of the road. It’s early morning, the sun barely showing itself, but the last few hours have felt more like weeks. Looking around, I take a deep breath, and really take in the scene around me. This shit is bad! The fact she’s hanging in there speaks for itself. I knew she was strong willed, but to survive a crash like this?Whoever her guardian angel is was definitely watching over her.
“You good man? I can’t even imagine the shit storm playing in your head right now,” Marco says as he walks up to me, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, I guess. Just ready to get this part over with. I need to see her, physically, to see for myself that she’s still alive. Damien telling me she’s alive does fuck all for all the thoughts running through my head,” I reply, picking up the last few bits and throwing them in my truck. We finish up, and start movingto pile in our vehicles, but I freeze as I’m stepping up into my truck. Narrowing my eyes, something catches the sun and blinds me for a second when I try to focus. Seeing her helmet across the highway, my eyes widen, and I jog over and pick it up. It’s all scraped up, the visor hanging loose.Fucking hell.Walking back towards my truck, I toss it in the passenger seat, releasing a shaky breath with it.
“She’s going to pull through,” Marco’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “That’s the only way to think. She needs you guys, and if she wakes up before we find Luis, she’s going to rain hell down on this city. Me and Naomi are here if you guys need anything. I’m sure she’ll be up at the hospital before too long. She’s beside herself.” He grips my shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
