With the door open, I hear sirens in the distance. They get louder every second until flashing lights pull around the corner. I expect the ambulance to drive by, but when it pulls into the parking lot, my stomach sinks.
Oh, no.
They can only be here for one person.
I get out and rush toward the entrance. The music is cut off, and the crowd is talking in hushed, urgent tones. They’re all standing around someone on the floor.
I shove through the cluster of bodies, and the room tilts when I see him.Vince.
He’s lying on the ground next to the table he’d been sitting at, eyes closed.
“Vince!” My voice cracks, sharp enough to turn a few heads. I drop to my knees beside him. “Shit. Are you okay?”
He barely stirs.
I look around. “What happened?”
Oliver stammers, holding his forehead in shock. “He was getting up, and then he just—he just dropped! I turned around, and he was on the floor. Just five minutes ago.”
Two paramedics rush in, carrying a load of supplies.
“Sir, give us space.”
I don’t move. I can’t breathe. Can’t think. Fear chokes me, thick and suffocating. Someone pulls me out of the way.
The paramedic checks his pulse, flashes a light into his eyes. I finally suck in a breath when I see Vince move.
“Does anyone know if he has any medical conditions?”
MS. He has MS.
I somehow don’t shout it, even though everything in me wants to. Vince wouldn’t like be blurting that in front of everyone. But they should know, shouldn’t they?
They need to know.
The moment to speak up disappears as quickly as it came. They rush through the examination, lifting him onto the gurney. It physically pains me when they strap him in.
“I’m fine,” he slurs.
I want to scream at him.You’re not fucking fine!
I get to my feet, following the team of medical professionals out of the building. Declan, Melody, and Piper all follow me, but stay near the doors as I chase after the medics.
“Wait.”
“Sir, get back. We need to go,” a paramedic says.
“He has MS,” I say, just loud enough for him to hear.
The medic blinks at me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. He was diagnosed a few months ago.”
“Is he on any medication?”
“No. He hasn’t started anything yet. He takes pain meds pretty regularly, but just over-the-counter stuff.”
“Aspirin?”
