“Jake, do you know if her knife was in her car?” I asked.
“Her knife?”
“She keeps a large knife under the seat in her car. I was wondering if it’s still there.”
“Carbon, do you know if they found a knife in Ariel’s car?” Jake asked.
“I haven’t heard anyone mention anything about a knife. Why?”
I pointed to the blood spatter on Ariel’s sleeves and hands. “I’m wondering if she had to use it. If she did, then that blood isn’t Ink’s.”
“I’ll find out,” he said and stepped away as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
I tried to listen to what he was saying, but Ariel groaned, and I became solely focused on her. “It’s okay, baby. I’m here. Try not to move.”
“Hurts,” she mumbled.
“What hurts?” Jake asked.
“Head.”
Before either of us could stop her, she rolled onto her back and turned her head, revealing hair matted with blood and dirt.
“Oh, fuck,” Jake hissed. “That’s a lot of blood,” he said shakily.
“Here,” Mason said and pulled his shirt over his head. “Use this.”
Jake took it and immediately held it out for me. I took the shirt and pressed it against my daughter’s head, causing her to cry out in pain. “I’m sorry, baby. We have to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.”
“Ink,” she mumbled. “Help Ink.”
Ink.
“Do you know where he is?” I asked, but she didn’t respond. “Ariel?”
“Is she okay?” Jake asked, not bothering to hide his panic.
As a mother, I wanted to scream no, but I inhaled deeply and answered as a nurse. “She lost consciousness again. It’s common in head injuries. She’s breathing, and her color is good. I need you to keep a check on her pulse while I’m holding pressure. It may fluctuate in speed, but let me know if it changes from the normal thump, thump, thump.”
Jake gently held her arm in his hands and kept two fingers pressed against the pulse point in her wrist until help arrived, which was sooner than I expected. I later learned it was easier to reach us from the opposite direction.
They had her stabilized and ready to move within minutes of arriving. “Mom, are you riding with us?” one of the paramedics asked.
Ink.
“Yes,” I answered automatically.
Ink.
There was no way in hell I was letting them take Ariel to the hospital without me.
Ink.
“Ink!” I shouted and promptly burst into tears. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “You guys need to find Ink! He’s out there somewhere, and he’s hurt. I know he’s hurt. He wouldn’t have left her. He wouldn’t.”
Unfamiliar arms surrounded me before Carbon spoke. “Phoenix told me to stay with you—President’s orders. Ink would want someone with you and Ariel, and Prez sent me because it only takes one of me to scare off the amateurs. I’ll be with you, and everyone else will be looking for him. You can’t be in two places, and neither can I. So let’s get moving.”
I nodded and inhaled deeply, trying to compose myself.
