“I think so, yes.”
He nods. “Thank you.”
“Where are you taking him?”
“Scripps La Jolla.”
I nod slowly and step back, my hand shaking as I press a palm to my chest. My mind is racing. How did everything change so fast? I wasjustwith him. He was sitting up eating, not even twenty minutes ago. I mean, he looked bad, but…
Fuck. Could I have prevented this?
I glimpse Vince’s face before they close the doors, and my heart shatters. He looks so damn weak, but at least he’s awake. That’s something, right?
As they drive away, I wrap an arm around my stomach, feeling like I might be sick.
Darren runs up to me. “Wasn’t that your friend?”
“Yeah.”
“What happened?”
“I-I don’t know,” I say. “They just said he fell. Passed out or something.”
Darren grips my shoulder, brows pinched. “You okay?”
No.I stare at him for a long moment, trying to decide what to do.
He tips his head toward the cars. “Go.”
“What?”
“Go after him. I’ll finish up here with the team.”
“You sure?”
“He’s your friend, Fletch. Go.” His voice suggests he thinks there might be more than friendship budding between Vince and me, and he wouldn’t be wrong. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
I nod.
I don’t remember getting into my truck. I don’t remember the drive. I only come back to myself when I’m sitting in a stiff plastic chair in the ER waiting room, staring at the double glass doors the paramedics disappeared through.
My hands won’t stop shaking. The ache behind my ribs has climbed to my throat. I’m not panicking, but the worry building in me is reaching an unbearable breaking point. I need answers.
Fumbling for my phone, I call the only person I can think of.
Sarah answers on the second ring. “Hey, what’s—”
“Sarah.” My voice breaks.
She pauses. “Fletcher? Are you okay?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Then everything spills out at once. “It’s Vince. He—he passed out, I think. Maybe hit his head.”
“Who?”
“My friend who’s been staying with us. I told you about him.” I had to, considering a stranger was going to be around our teenage daughter.
Sarah pauses. “Oh, yeah. I remember. Georgie talks about him often. Is he okay?”
