I clap my hand to my mouth, stifling a sob. I know he’s better off in their hands than mine, but fuck, I don’t want him out of my sight.
The man from the reception desk crosses the room and stops in front of me. He’s not dressed like a doctor, but he does have a lanyard with the name of the hospital around his neck.
“Are you hurt?”
I shake my head, blinking back tears. “Just him.”
“They’ll take good care of him,” he promises me. “My name’s Quinn. I’m the town fire chief and an EMT, and I help out here sometimes. I need to get some basic details from you to pass on to the medical team, and then I’ll come back and talk you through what happens next, okay?” I appreciate how slowly he speaks, because I can feel the adrenaline crash coming.
“Okay. What do you need to know?”
“Can you tell me exactly what happened?”
It feels like I’m remembering the day through a fog as I recount the accident. Quinn scribbles notes on a notepad, nodding along.
“That’s great. Now I just need his name, date of birth,any allergies, any medical conditions, or anything else you think would be helpful for the team to know.”
I have to do the math to work out his year of birth. “He’s forty-seven,” I add, because I wouldn’t be surprised if I got the year wrong, considering how fucked my head is. “No allergies or medical conditions, or anything else I can think of.”
“And his name?”
“Shit, sorry. Nico—Nicholas—Harland.”
Quinn looks up from his notepad, his eyes wide. “Thank you. You take a seat, and I’ll be back with you in a few minutes, okay?”
I don’t sit. I pace. If I sit, I’m not entirely convinced I’m going to be able to get back up again.
True to his word, Quinn returns only a few minutes later—not that I was staring at the clock above the reception area.
“How is he?” I ask the second he appears in the doorway.
“They’re working to stabilize him. This is a small hospital, but we have a good system for incoming trauma. The team here will stabilize him, and they’ll go with him in the ambulance to Jackson. The ER in Jackson will be kept up to date the whole way, so they’re ready to receive him and make sure he gets the treatment he needs right away. In this case, it’s looking like surgery to remove the axe and repair any damage to the muscle and artery.”
It’s a lot of words, and I absorb none of them. “That’s—Is that—Will he?—”
“You’ve done everything right. But it’s really too soon to tell.”
I draw in a shaky breath, trying not to completely fall apart.
Quinn’s eyes are full of sympathy, which only makes it worse. “It’s Este, right?”
“How do you know that?”
“Shay. Noelle’s brother is my best friend, so she’s basically family.”
Fuck. Shay. “I need to tell her. But I don’t have her number or anything, and I didn’t bring Nico’s phone.”
“Once Nico’s en route to the hospital, I’ll take you to her, and we’ll make sure you all get to the hospital in Jackson so you’re there when he’s out of surgery. Noelle’s mom is good with animals, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to keep the dogs for now,” he adds, nodding toward the Jeep that’s parked off to the side out front. Someone must have moved it; I didn’t even notice.
Running back for the dogs was a last-minute decision. With how slushy the road is, I didn’t know if anyone would be able to get up yet, and I’d rather they were in the trunk of the Jeep than stuck up there on their own. I know Nico will feel better when—not if—he gets through surgery, knowing they’re safe. Shit, I should’ve grabbed his sourdough starter from the counter.
The doors open again, and a nurse pokes her head out. “The ambulance is a few minutes out if you want to come and see him before they head out.”
I’m halfway across the room before she’s finished speaking, Quinn trailing behind me.
“Is he conscious?” I ask.
“He’s medicated, but awake.”
