I shake my head. “I’m her stepdad. Her mom, Penny, is in the O.R. with a gunshot wound.”
The doctor nods her head. “I’ll find out more about your wife. In the meantime, why don’t you go get some coffee and wait in the waiting room? I’ll come get you when we’re done here.”
I look at Autumn, who is blissfully unaware of what’s going on around her.
I look at the doctor and the nurse, who silently walk into the room, and both give me warm smiles.
I nod my head and rub the back of my neck. “Sure. Yeah, okay.” I’m not totally comfortable leaving Autumn, but I know they need to check her thoroughly.
I start to head out the door when the nurse stops me with a hand on my forearm and a sympathetic smile. “I have a daughter about her age. She’s in good hands. I promise you.”
My shoulders drop in relief, and I thank her before heading towards the waiting room.
I spot a coffee machine on my way and decide I need something to do with my hands. Two nurses walk by, and I hear them say, “It must be a full moon because I can’t believewe have a kidnap vic, gunshot vic, an overdose, and a blunt force trauma to the head all in one night.”
I watch them walk away and grab my cup of coffee, and head to the waiting room.
“Declan!” a voice calls out, and I turn to see who it is.
Jordan rushes towards me, and Lucas follows behind. She throws her arms around my waist, and I hug her shoulders. I’ve gotten to know Jordan over the last few months, and I know how much Penny and Autumn mean to her. They’re her family in every way, so I know she’s scared right now.
In all the commotion back at the mansion, Lucas showed up with the cops and told me he was the one who called in the cavalry. I tossed him my truck keys before loading into the ambulance with Autumn so he and Jordan could follow us.
When Jordan pulls away, wiping her nose with her sweatshirt sleeve, I tell them what I know so far, which isn’t much. “Autumn’s okay, and they took Penny into surgery. She was conscious when we got here.”
“Oh, thank God,” Jordan breathes.
In a turn of events I didn’t see coming, my gaze is pulled behind Jordan’s shoulder, catching sight of a familiar face.
“Wren,” I call out.
Both Jordan and Lucas turn towards the brunette, whose eyes are glazed over, looking everywhere and nowhere all at once. Wren has become a staple in all our lives over the lastfew months. She’s like a sweet, quiet younger sister, who’s so warm and caring you can’t help but want to hug her tight and make sure the world doesn’t ruin her.
Her gaze snaps to us and she blinks a few times before tears start to stream down her cheeks.
Jordan instantly rushes towards her and wraps her in a tight hug, and Wren doesn’t hesitate to break down in her arms.
I look at Lucas and can tell his facial expression matches mine. We’re both confused, worried, and… horrified.
What in the world happened to Wren?
And why in the hell is she covered in blood?
~ ~ ~
“Sir.” A hand gently shakes my shoulder, and I flinch awake.
It takes a minute for my brain to orient itself, and Autumn’s doctor comes into focus.
My gaze shoots to Autumn, and she’s still asleep.
Jordan and Lucas decided to wait with Wren after she told us about her mom and sister. To say we were all shocked was an understatement. And she broke down even more when she found out about Penny and Autumn. Not long after, the doctor came and got me, and I’ve been waiting for Autumn to wake up and for Penny to get out of surgery.
“Penny’s asking for you.”
My eyes go wide, and I instantly stand up. “She’s okay?” I ask.
The doctor gives me a warm smile. “She’s just fine. The bullet went through her shoulder and nicked a small artery. The operating team got it cauterized, and they sewed her up good as new.”
