“Lay down,” I tell Lio, stroking his forehead. “Try not to fall off the bed, okay?” I tell him when he does, but his eyes are fluttering shut, and he’s sweating heavily.
I detach the extension cord and let it fall to the ground outside before pulling the sliding door shut.
“Sloan,” Jessica urges, giving me a desperate look, so I climb into the driver’s seat.
I turn the key, but all I get is a sputter, a feeble attempt from the engine.
“Come on,” I mutter, my voice laced with urgency. I try again, twisting the key with more determination. Another sputter, and then silence. The van refuses to cooperate, and frustration begins to creep in.
Gritting my teeth, I give it another shot. “You can do this, old girl,” I encourage, my foot pressing down on the gas pedal. Theengine groans, but it still won’t come to life. Panic starts to well up inside me.
“Sloan! There is no time left.” Jessica is now sitting beside me, not helping my nerves, while Lio is coughing in the back.
“Come on, Van-essa. You can die after this. I give you permission to go, but now I need all you have left. Do it for me.” With one last surge of determination, I turn the key again, silently begging the van to start.
Miraculously, the engine roars to life, coughing and wheezing as if it’s been roused from a deep sleep. I let out a relieved breath, but there’s no time to waste. I floor the gas pedal, praying it won’t give out on me now.
The van rattles and groans as we speed toward the hospital as fast as the old lady will allow. Lio’s breaths are shallow when I shoot a quick glance into the rearview mirror. His eyes are closed.
I can’t lose him.
I won’t.
Jessica’s voice is a constant, frantic presence in my ear, urging me to go faster. “Hurry, Sloan, please!”
I push the van to its limits, weaving through traffic as I race toward the hospital.
Finally, we arrive, and I screech to a halt in front of the emergency entrance. I rush to the back of the van, my hands trembling as I slide open the door. Lio is unconscious and doesn’t wake when I shake him gently, so I get my arms under him and lift him out.
Tears blur my vision as I burst through the hospital doors. “Help!”
“What a shit show of a day,”Nash mutters as we walk up to the house.
It’s the first thing he’s said to me today, still pissed at me for keeping him from Sloan.
But I know better. He will see reason.
I’m just trying to keep him safe.
I was a fool, just like Hunter and Nash. I can admit that. She was so good, she had me for a second. But the truth always comes out, whether you want it to or not. And the truth is, she’s a crazy, gold-digging, amoral whore, trying to use my dead wife, brother, and my sick child against me to gain money.
Of course, she didn’t want to take the check. She already had other plans with us, which would have been far more lucrative if we’d fallen for that nonsense. She just waited to have us all wrapped around her fingers to drop the bomb.
As we get inside and hang up our jackets, my phone’s shrill ring pierces the air, yanking me out of my thoughts. I glance at the caller ID and dread courses through me as I see the well-known number of the hospital flashing on the screen.
Is it time?
I quickly answer the call, my heart pounding with anxiety. “Jones,” I answer gruffly, mentally preparing myself for what’s to come.
On the other end, a neutral woman’s voice tells me, “Mr. Jones, we need you to come to the Down East Community Hospital immediately. Your son, Lio Jones, has been brought in.”
Shock courses through me, and I can barely find my words. “What happened? Is he okay?” My heart is pounding as I rush over to his room, only to find his bed empty, but Hunter is asleep on a chair next to Lio’s bed, his body slumped forward, and his head resting on the foot of the bed.
The voice on the other end remains calm as she explains, “He’s stable, but we need you to come in to discuss further matters with his doctor.”
“Who brought him in?” I ask her, barely containing my anger. I already know the answer.
That crazy bitch.
