I saw the recognition flash in his eyes just as the medics anda few of the firefighters arrived at her car. I looked at one of the medics as I dropped down into the muddy grass, shouting over the wind and rain. “She’s got a pneumothorax! I decompressed with a fourteen-gauge needle with return of normal breath sounds, but she’s slipping!”
The next thing I knew, Trey was pulling me away from her Jeep as the medics and firefighters got to work.
And all I could do was stand there and watchhelplessly…hoping what I’d done was enough to get her through.
Chapter 33
“Please be okay.Please be okay. Please be okay.”
It was a desperate, broken whisper as I chased the ambulance that was racing Haley to the hospital. My hands trembled on the wheel, and I couldn’t breathe—not until I knew she was okay.
Ineededher to be okay.
I replayed every moment after finding her, questioning if I had done enough. Was there more I should have done? Did I give the medics all the details, or miss something crucial?
When the ambulance pulled into the parking lot, I whipped in behind them. I didn’t give a shit about my half-assed park job, jumping out of my car and rushing to follow them through the ambulance bay doors.
As soon as they wheeled her in, a few nurses, along with Dr. Wileman, met them—they’d clearly been made aware of who it was. They had the lab and portable X-ray standing by as well, and leading the pack was Marie, looking ready to fight anyone who tried to get in her damn way.
The nurse manager, Michelle, and Dr. Tomblin came barreling around the corner a moment later. Their eyes went to me, then to the door that the others had just disappeared behind. Michelle moved first, going into the room.
When I heard Dr. Wileman’s voice calling out orders as the door shut, I took an instinctive step forward, but Dr. Tomblin placed her hand on my shoulder to stop me. “Blake…”
I forced myself to meet her gaze. “She–She…” My breaths sawed in and out, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.
“Is ingoodhands,” she said, rubbing the rain-soaked sleeve of my coat. She didn’t know the extent of our relationship—no one did except Marie—but she knew we were close. “Trey called before they even left the scene to give us a heads up that it was her, and he said you’d been there. Talk to me.”
“Uh, there—she…a pneumothorax,” I stammered, not taking my eyes off the door. “I-I did a needle decompression in the field.”
“Did she have any other injuries you could see?”
“A, uh…” I gestured to my head. “A small gash on her brow.”
“Anything else?”
I shook my head, unable to think straight. “N-No, not that I could tell. Just some—some scrapes and bruises.”
“Alright. Take a breath.” She eyed my soaked, muddy clothes and shoes. “Central supply has scrubs you can change into. You should get dried off.”
“Not now. I don’t—I don’t want to go anywhere.” I raked my fingers through my wet hair. “Not until I know something.”
The minutes felt like hours as I stood there.
Five passed.
Then ten.
Then fifteen.
A storm of worst-case scenarios whirled through my head—then, suddenly, I heard my name. “Blake?”
That voice was a hammer-blow. My body went rigid, dread twisting like a knife in my gut.
I slowly looked over my shoulder to see Wes being led through the triage doors by Courtney, accompanied by both his mom and Morgan. They must have contacted her mom when they found out it was her coming in on the ambulance.
As if this moment couldn’t get any fucking worse.
“Hi, I’m Claudia Tomblin, medical director. You must be Haley’s family?”
