"Gabe!" I scream. "Call 911!"
"Too long," he replies, already moving.
I glance back, he's in nothing but boxer shorts, gun in hand, eyes sharp, awake, dangerous. Like he went from sleep to war in a second. Men rush in behind him. Guards. Weapons drawn. Scanning.
"Clear," one of them calls.
Gabe doesn't even look at them.
My mother sags harder against me.
"Stay with me," I whisper, my voice shaking despite everything. "Mom, stay with me?—"
She doesn't answer.
"Let's go," Gabe says.
With a few quick strides, he reaches us. He crouches, and before I can protest, he lifts Mom into his arms like she weighs nothing. Effortless. Like he's done this before. Too many times. I scramble up, grabbing her hand.
"I'm right here," I tell her, even though I don't know if she can hear me.
"Get the car," Gabe barks over his shoulder as he moves. "Now."
Footsteps thunder. "Yes, boss!"
"And alert the hospital," he adds, already striding down the hallway. "We're coming in hot."
The words hit me. Hospital. This is real. This is happening. My heart is pounding so hard I can barely think. I keep pacebeside him, barefoot, barely aware of anything except Mom's hand in mine. Cold. So cold.
"Mom, stay with me," I beg again. "Please. Please don't?—"
My throat tightens. No. Not again. Not like this. I can't lose her, too. We reach the elevator. It's already open. One of the bodyguards takes his jacket off and puts it around me. I nod a quick thanks; that's all I can do. Not that it matters right now, nothing matters, only the thought that I can't lose mom too. Everything moves too fast. The doors close. We're descending. Gabe stands there, holding her steady, eyes forward, focused. Unshaken. Like this is just another problem to solve. Completely uncaring that he's only wearing his boxershorts.
I cling to my mother's hand, and my entire world narrows to her breathing. To the slight rise and fall of her chest. To the fear clawing its way up my throat. I glance at him. At the man holding her like he won't let anything happen. For one terrifying second, I believe it.
We rush through the casino. Lights. Noise. People. It's all wrong. Too bright. Too loud. Too alive. For a split second, I have a déjà vu moment, where I'm sitting back in the car after I was abducted. Seeing life just pass by outside, while mine was heading into devastation. Just like then, my world is collapsing, and everything around me just… keeps going.
The valet lane is chaos. Cars are honking. Voices are raised in loud laughter, shouting. People stand and stare with their phones out. Flashes. I want to scream at them. Don't they see? Don't they see something is wrong? But I don't. I can't. Because all I see is my mother in Gabe's arms. He doesn't slow down. Doesn't hesitate. A sleek black car is already waiting with the engine running and the doors open. Everything bends around him.
He lowers her into the backseat carefully, like she might break. I slide in right after, pulling her into me, cradling her."I'm here," I whisper, even though my voice is shaking now. "I'm right here."
Her head lolls against my shoulder. Her arm jerks again, violently. Uncontrollably. She tries to hold it down with her other hand.
"Au… au…" she mumbles. "Hurts…"
"What hurts?" I ask quickly, brushing her hair back. "Mom, what hurts?"
She just moans. My heart stutters.
"Mom, can you tell me what's happening?" My voice cracks. "Please, talk to me."
"Leg…" she slurs. "Numb…"
Oh God.
Oh God.
The door slams. The car lurches forward. We're moving. Fast. But it doesn't feel fast enough. Nothing feels fast enough. And yet way too fast. I tighten my grip on her. She feels so small. So fragile. Not the woman who drove me insane my whole life. Not the woman who fought every doctor, every pill, every piece of advice.
