I glanced at the bedside table. My phone charger was plugged into the wall, but my phone wasn’t attached. “I guess I left my phone in the car or something. If it’s so important, why didn’t you just come over sooner?”
“We couldn’t leave.” A tear slid down her cheek, causing me to notice her puffy, bloodshot eyes.
My heart plummeted. “Who is it?”
“Mom and Dad.”
My brain refused to catch up. “What? MomandDad?”
“They were in a car wreck.”
My voice rose, instantly cracking. “A car wreck? Are they okay?”
She shook her head. “No, but they’re alive.”
“What happened?”
“We’re not sure. We got a call…” She paused, her gaze focusing on the bed, my bare chest, and then Schwint. “Get some clothes on and get out of bed. Quick. I’ll be in the living room. I’ll fill you in on the way to the hospital.”
Evenwith Caitlin’s hesitation as Schwint slid into the backseat of her car, we were on our way within three minutes of her announcement that our parents were in the hospital.
Caitlin hadn’t even completely pulled out of the driveway before she turned on me. “Why didn’t you go in to Panaderia this morning?”
“The voice just left yesterday. Mom said to sleep in this morning and rest, in case the migraines come back. She said I could start again tomorrow.”
“The voice is gone?”
“Can we not worry about me right now? Tell me about Mom and Dad! How bad are they?”
More tears instantly fell. It had been years since I’d seen Caitlin cry. “They’re both in a coma in intensive care. The doctors say they’re in critical condition, but they’re stable at the moment.”
I couldn’t speak for a second. Her words seemed impossible. They didn’t make sense. “They’rebothin a coma?”
“The doctors expected Dad to die within a couple of hours. Mom’s in a little better shape, but not much. I guess she’s not technically in a coma. They just have her unconscious to make sure that swelling goes down or something. I don’t understand it exactly. They said it’s a miracle that they’re still alive.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and glanced over to me. “Of course, they don’t know that Christina, Cynthia, and I have been taking turns healing both of them.” She glanced at the road, then back at me for enough time to give me a glare. “That’s part of the reason we need you. We’re draining fast. Especially me. I got there before either of the others, and I started with Dad as soon as they would let me in. Luckily, Cynthia got there not too long after and took over for me so I could go to Mom before Christina got there.”
Schwint interrupted from the backseat. “You guys can heal people?”
Caitlin glanced in the rearview mirror and opened her mouth. I cut her off before she could say whatever mean thing she was getting ready to spew toward him. “Not fully. Not like you’re thinking. With some minor stuff, cuts, a few broken bones, that kinda stuff, yes. With more serious injuries, or with lots of multiple injuries, it takes more time and more power. The closer to death someone is, the more difficult and longer it takes.” At my own words, the reality of what shape Mom and Dad must be in hit me, and my eyes burned as tears threatened to fall. I looked back at Caitlin. “What happened?”
She shrugged. “We don’t know. I haven’t seen Panaderia yet. They were already admitted to the hospital and Dad was in surgery before the police got ahold of us. They said they’d been trying to call you too.”
“What do you mean, you haven’t seen Panaderia?”
“That’s where it was. I’m assuming they got to the bakery around four, like normal. Cynthia said they told her to sleep in since she’d gotten home late from a date, so Dad went in with Mom. Fine time for both of you two to finally develop love lives!” A car blared its horn, and Caitlin jerked back into our lane.
I reached over toward the wheel. “Do you want me to drive? You’re exhausted and crying.”
She slapped my hand away. “I’m fine. Do you want me to tell you or not?”
When I didn’t answer, she continued. “We haven’t got the full report from the cops yet, but whatever it was, happened in the lot when they were parking. The police said something about a car slamming into them from behind.” She glanced over at me again. “It shoved their car through the wall of Panaderia. The front of it busted right through.”
I gaped at her. “A car hit them into the building?”
She nodded. “They think so.”
“What do you mean they think so? How do they not know?”
“The police said it was a hit and run. No other car in the lot.” She let out a ragged breath. “Finn, they were in that car for hours. It was one of the bakery customers that called in the accident to the police.”
