Hadley watched as the paramedics worked.
She’d stepped back to give them space. The room suddenly felt too small, too full, and every sound sharper than it should have been.
The front door opened again.
Hadley turned—and everything in her chest gave way when she saw who it was.
“Max . . .”
She closed the distance between them. He caught her, his arms coming around her in a careful hold that somehow made everything feel just a little less overwhelming.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
Hadley leaned into him, her grip tightening on his jacket.
“What happened?” Max murmured.
“I don’t know. I came in and found her like that. She wasn’t moving. She wouldn’t wake up. I checked her out, but I didn’t see any bumps or cuts or blood. I don’t know . . .”
“Do you think this was a medical emergency or was she attacked?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t see any signs of a break-in or assault. Nothing looked disturbed. It’s like she just . . .” She trailed off, the words refusing to come together.
Max’s expression tightened as he glanced around the room, taking everything in.
Before he could say anything else, the door opened again. A woman with a small terrier tucked under her arm stepped inside. She stopped short when she saw the paramedics.
Hadley’s stomach dropped. She still had appointments lined up for the day.
She quickly explained that there was an emergency and they’d need to reschedule.
The weight of it all settled in again, heavier this time.
She pinched the skin between her eyes. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this. Every day it’s something else. The window, the appointments, my licensure, and now this . . .”
He rubbed her arms. “It will be okay.”
She pressed her lips together, barely hearing him. “I have bills to pay. Payroll to make. Rent. I can’t keep losing business like this.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
Hadley let out a small breath. “I don’t even know who to call to cancel appointments for the rest of today. The appointment book is gone. Susie was looking back through the call log on our phone to try to figure out who was coming in and when.”
Before Max could respond, another familiar presence filled the doorway.
Sheriff Sutherland.
He stepped inside, his gaze moving quickly from the paramedics to Hadley and Max. “I’m going to need you to walk me through everything.”
CHAPTER 31
Hadley wasgrateful that Max stayed at the hospital with her as they waited to hear an update.
So far, there was nothing. And since Susie wasn’t family, she wasn’t sure how much staff could even share. But Hadley prayed her assistant—and friend—would be okay.
She’d already called Susie’s family in West Virginia to let them know what happened. They were on their way.
Hadley sat beside Max in the waiting room, her hands folded in her lap and her gaze fixed on the floor.
