“Now, what happened?” my dad asked quietly.
I told him everything. The tunnel, the explosion, the collapse. He didn’t interrupt and only nodded when I finished. “Did you see any wounds to his head?”
“I didn’t.” My voice broke.
My phone buzzed with a text from Sheriff Franco. The helicopter had to put down in Timber City. Doctors would evaluate Aiden there and decide whether to drive him to Spokane. I typed back, asking if Aiden had regained consciousness. The sheriff replied that he hadn’t heard, but he was still on the road, probably only a few miles ahead of us.
We reached the hospital in Timber City just as another crack of thunder rolled through the sky. The parking lot glistened under the floodlights, water swirling around the drains. I ran inside beside my dad, the smell of antiseptic and wet pine greeting us in the sterile air.
I wasn’t surprised to see Aiden’s team already in the waiting room.
“Saber,” I called, spotting him first. Rain dotted his dark hair. “How is he?” I asked, breathless.
Saber shook his head. “We don’t have any word yet. No news.” His faint Spanish accent thickened more than usual.
A few of his team members sat clustered in the corner. Chelli, the lone woman, gave me a tight nod. She was small and blonde, compact muscle in motion. I’d once seen her dive through a window and come up rolling, ready to fight. Her expression now was pure concern.
My dad’s hand landed gently on my shoulder. “Come sit down.”
I followed him to a row of plastic chairs that creaked under our weight. More people began filing in—my family, some of Aiden’s friends, even townsfolk from Silverville. Everybody liked Aiden, even though he’d been quite the rebel when he was younger. The Silverville deputies leaned near Sheriff Franco against the walls, silent and watchful.
Deputy McCracken approached, dirt still on his boots, his hair plastered from the rain. “Heard anything?”
“No,” I said, looking around. “Will you please make the sheriff sit down before he gives himself a heart attack?”
McCracken shook his head, eyes wide. “I’ve tried. The guy won’t listen.”
I sighed. “Why are men so stubborn?”
“Couldn’t tell you that, Anna.” McCracken gave a quick grin before stepping back.
Time stretched. My sisters arrived with more cousins in tow. Then the Basanelli family came in force, crowding the room. The fluorescent lights hummed, and the smell of coffee from the vending machine did nothing to help the weight pressing on my chest.
After an hour I couldn’t stand it anymore. “I can’t breathe,” I said to Dad. “I’m going outside.”
“You want me to come?”
“No, thanks.” I stopped by the sheriff on my way out. “Sheriff.”
Franco looked up, lines of exhaustion and pain carved into the sides of his mouth. “What can I do for you, Anna?”
“You can sit down,” I said. “I can’t worry about you and Aiden at the same time. It’s too much.” My voice cracked.
He blinked and then sighed. “Well, geez, if it’ll make you happy.” He limped toward an empty chair and dropped into it, not quite hiding a groan.
“Men,” I muttered and pushed through the doors.
Outside, rain hammered the pavement. I stood beneath the overhang as water poured in sheets off the roof, hitting the concrete with a steady hiss. The air smelled of ozone and pine needles crushed under tires.
My sisters followed, flanking me like sentries.
“He’ll be okay,” Tessa said, her gaze fixed on the storm.
“I hope so,” I whispered. “He didn’t move, Tess.”
Donna slipped an arm around my shoulders. “It’s Aiden.”
Yeah. It was. In my mind, he was invincible. Nothing got to Aiden.
