London's breaths grow choppy and raged, and a blue hue starts to appear on her skin.
A group of men and women rush into the room.
"What's happening?" I ask anyone who will listen.
The doctor announces to the room, "Possible pneumothoraxis, get me a needle, stat!"
"A needle?" I frantically look to Alec but he doesn't have the answers he needs.
A second later, one of the guys comes over and pushes on my shoulder. "You're going to have to wait outside."
The people, collectively, start attaching monitors and various devices to London and cut her clothes off.
Alec takes my hand. "Come on, Cor, there's nothing we can do for her."
"But, but..." I shove past him toward the doctor. "Don't tell anyone anything," I say above the beeping of the machines and chatter amongst them.
"I won't," Trevani confirms with his brows pinched together. "Someone get her out of here."
The man who tried to get me out already positions himself between me and the doctor and forces his chest into me to nudge me out of the way, his hands up on both sides like he's ready to put them on me but is really trying not to.
"Cor, give them their space." Alec guides me out of the room, the door latching shut behind us and my back finding the closest hard surface to lean against.
Tears spring from my eyes. "What if she doesn't make it?"
"Ma'am," the receptionist says. "Do you need to be seen?"
I shake my head, water trickling from my face onto the hospital floor. "No, I'm fine."
"Yes," Alec interrupts. "Yes, she does."
"This way," she tells us.
I blindly follow them but pull my phone out of my pocket and try my best to spell the word the doctor just said. Thoro-something. I wipe my face and blink to see the screen more clearly. "What did he say? What was that word?"
Alec keeps his hand on my lower back but takes my phone from me to thumb the word into my search bar. "What happened to your screen?"
"Ricardo," I whisper so the receptionist lady doesn't hear me and read the words that take forever to load on my phone.
Pneumothoraxis,in layman's terms, London has a collapsed lung. All because of her terrible fucking father and his incessant need to hurt anything and anyone in his path.
I understand he was mad about what happened with Miller, but how was that London's fault? Really, how was it anyone's fault but his own?
"This room right here." The receptionist stands in a doorway and motions for us to enter.
"I don't want a male doctor," I blurt out before she leaves.
She smiles kindly, turns on her heel, and walks away.
"Cora, sweetheart." Alec sighs and pats the empty hospital bed.
The guilt of everything comes crashing over me—the fact that I told the guys, the unknown of whether London will make it, hell, even the people stuck in the waiting room while I barged my way straight to the top of the patient lists. I wanted her to be seen, not me. I don't care about the ache in my side or my shoulder. I wish everyone would see that I'm okay, I'm not the one that people should worry about.
"I'm fine," I tell him, hating how the two words come out so fucking aggressive. He hasn't done anything wrong, in fact, he's done everything right. Alec has been nothing but kind and patient with me since the moment I met him, and I've done nothing to deserve how he treats me. I lower my voice and comply with his request, settling onto the too-sterile bed. "I'm sorry," I say quietly.
"What are you apologizing for?" Alec stands in front of me, his cool hands on my cheeks, tucking my hair behind my ears. He leans down to kiss me and it's then that I realize how much taller he is.
"How tall are you?" I ask totally changing the subject.
