My heart was thundering before. Now, it feels like it’s screeched to an abrupt halt.
The grip I have on the phone would be painful if I had the ability to process such feelings. The shock of what she just said is clouding everything else, though.
I’m about to demand more information from her when she continues.
“He’s okay. Well… not okay, but he will be.” She pulls in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry. I’m really fucking this up right now. I shouldn’t even be telling you any of this over the phone, but…”
“Abby,” I say sternly. “I need you to take a deep breath for me.”
There’s a moment of silence, and then I hear her slowly inhaling and exhaling. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Again.” The sounds repeat. “Better?”
“A little.”
I’ll take it for now. “Now, tell me what’s going on with Kane.” Somehow, my voice portrays far more calm than I feel inside.
I make my way into the house as she runs through what she knows about his accident and his injuries. I let out a relieved breath, hearing that he is okay. It sucks how badly he’s hurt, but it could have been so much worse.
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I tell her.
“But Oliver,” she says, some of the tentative control she found starting to slip away.
“Wyatt will get him from school.”
“Are you okay with Cole picking him up instead? He’ll be there getting Mav, and I could ask him to watch Oliver for a while, too.”
I don’t usually step in with parenting decisions. I know I have an important role in Oliver’s life, but I’m not his parent. This is one time, though, when things don’t fit the typical mold.
Wyatt will want to go to the hospital just as badly as I do as soon as I tell him what happened. If Abby trusts Cole with her son, then we can trust him with Oliver, too.
“Thank you. If he wouldn’t mind…”
She cuts me off. “He won’t mind at all. I know Mav has been wanting the rest of his family to meet Oliver, too.”
I let out a relieved exhale, glancing down at my greasy clothes. “I’m going to change, and I’ll be on my way. Just keep taking deep breaths for me. Okay, angel?”
“I will.”
“Good girl. I’ll see you soon.” The words slip out so seamlessly.
There’s so much going on right now. I don’t even have time to contemplate everything that slipped out during this conversation.
I’ll worry about that later, after I’m able to set eyes on my best friend and see for myself that he really is alive and well.
I hang up just as I step into the kitchen. Wyatt’s head whips in my direction. His face drops as soon as he sees me.
“What…” is all he gets out before I start talking over him.
“We need to get dressed and head to the hospital.” He follows me down the hallway to our rooms as I explain everything Abby just told me.
In less than five minutes, we’re both changed and jumping into Wyatt’s SUV. Neither of us says anything during the short drive to the hospital, but the worry and fear floating between us makes it hard to breathe.
After checking in at the front desk, we sit in the waiting room until someone comes to escort us to Kane’s room. I was hoping Abby would be the one to get us, but I know she’s working. I just want to see Kane.
And Abby…my brain reminds me, unhelpfully.
My eyes widen with my first step into the room. His eyes are closed, and he doesn’t stir with mine and Wyatt’s entrance.
