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Tucker’s shoulders soften. “Thanks, Sam.”
“Anytime.” I walk out of his office and decide to call Carter. I still haven’t heard from him, which is strange. My phone rings out until his voicemail picks up. Worry starts to intrude, but I’m probably being dramatic. There are any number of reasons Carter wouldn’t have responded to me.
If I don’t hear from him in another couple of hours, maybe I’ll text Nolan to go check on him.
I only made it an hour before texting Nolan. After calling Carter a couple more times without getting an answer, I couldn’t stop myself. It’s been hours since he was here at the station. He didn’t even let me know he’d made it home. Even if his phone died, he would’ve texted me once it was charged.
I’m probably being paranoid, but something about this isn’t right. He doesn’t go this long without checking in. Nolan agreed to run over to his house for me. I’m grateful he’s got the flexibility to do it and that he doesn’t think I’m crazy.
The alarm blares, forcing me to push away my thoughts about Carter. We suit up and are on the truck within minutes. Daniel maneuvers us out to a major crash on the highway. There are three cars spread across the median. One person slammed on their brakes, causing the two cars behind them to crash into each other. It’s a mess of car parts and glass. The injuries are minimal, thankfully, but two of the drivers are heading to the hospital to make sure they don’t have any internal bleeding. We had to pry open both of their doors because of the damage to their cars. It was ugly.
Tucker waves his hand in the air to get my attention. He has his phone pressed to his ear, his face a mask of concentration. At least, until he looks up at me when I get close. Then his eyes change to sadness.
“What’s going on?” I manage to keep my voice from wobbling on pure hope that it’s nothing horrible.
“It’s Carter. Nolan found him at his house. Someone assaulted him. It’s bad, Sam. Real bad.”
The blood drains from my face as the news sinks in. He was assaulted? “How bad? What are they saying?”
“I don’t know specifics. Nolan just said he was unconscious and covered in bruises when he found Carter. The ambulance just got to the hospital, so they’ll know more soon.”
“I have to go. I need to be there.” My throat tightens. It takes a few tries for me to swallow down the emotions bubbling up in my stomach.
“I know. Adam is already on his way to get you. He should be here in a few minutes.”
“Okay. Yeah, okay. Good. Are you sure? There’s no one to take my spot.”
“If we get another call tonight, I’ll get the on-call guys to come in and help. It’s fine. You won’t be any good to me anyway.”
I nod. It’s then I realize Carter is Tucker’s family, too. “Are you going to be okay? Can you come with us?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m worried about him, but you need to be there more than I do. Natalie is going to send me updates.”
“Okay.”
Adam’s silver Audi pulls up a bit later, and I quickly shuck off my turnout gear. Tucker lets me know he’ll make sure it gets put away properly before I jump into Adam’s car.
“Any updates?” I ask him as he pulls away from the scene.
“Not yet. They’re still running through all the tests.”
I blow out a breath. What will I do if he’s not okay?
“He’s going to be fine,” Adam says. I’m not sure if I asked my question aloud or if he’s just interpreting my silence for the anxiety it is. “One time, when he was six, Nolan kicked a soccer ball at Carter’s head. He ducked and ended up cracking his forehead on the corner of the wall. He needed five stitches, and even the doctor was impressed by how fast he healed. Another time, when he was in his teens, he fell out of a tree because one of his friends was being an asshole. He broke his leg in two places. Ended up being totally fine, though.”
I appreciate Adam’s stories for what they are. Silly anecdotes about Carter’s healing ability to get my mind off the current situation. It’s not working exactly, but it’s nice to hear about things that happened to Carter when he was little.
Fifteen minutes later, we’re pulling into the parking lot of Westlake General Hospital. Adam calls his mom to find out where they’re waiting. He hasn’t been admitted yet since they’re still figuring out what he needs, so they’re all hanging out in the ER waiting room until they know where they need to go for sure.
Cindy looks up when we enter. She rushes over and squeezes me in a tight hug. I grit my teeth to keep from falling apart in her arms, even though I want to so badly. Then she’s grabbing Adam while keeping a tight grip on my arm.
“Have you heard anything?” Adam asks the question I couldn’t manage on my own.
“All we know is they’ve taken him back for scans. They’re worried about his brain and internal organs.”
“How long ago did they take him?”
“It’s been an hour? Maybe longer. I’m not quite sure.”
