“He’s fine,” she soothed quickly, reaching for my hands. “It isn’t… life-threatening. But he wants you. He kept asking for you. I told him I’d come get you myself.”
Steel stepped between us immediately.
“We ain’t heard about any medical emergency. I’ll call?—”
“It won’t do any good.” Gillian shook her head sharply. “They took his phone. They’re running tests, and they were moving too fast to keep us updated. It’s urgent.”
“Respectfully, Ms. Gillian—” Steel began.
“Respectfully?” she snapped, eyes flashing with anger. “My son is lying in a hospital bed, and you want to argue. Look, I didn’t have to come over here. This girl has no real status in his life. Now, for Mekhi’s sake, I’m putting my feelings aside and trying. But I can walk right back out of here and be with my son myself.”
I stared at her, fear growing inside me. I had known all evening something felt off. Mekhi couldn’t be... I stopped myself from thinking it, turned to Steel. “Steel… please. If he’s hurt?—”
My phone chimed suddenly. I moved quickly, hoping it was Mekhi. Instead, it was a text from Kera.
Bestie, don’t freak out. Seth and Mekhi had an accident. I?—
There was more, but my vision blurred and the phone slipped from my hands. Gillian was telling the truth. I had to get there.
“Steel, I need to go,” I whispered.
“And fast. I don’t have time for this,” Gillian snapped.
Steel stared at her for a long moment, hard. Really hard. I don’t know what he saw in her face, but finally, he let out a slow breath.
“All right,” he said reluctantly. “But I’ll follow you in a separate car.”
Gillian placed a manicured hand on his arm. “There’s limited visitor parking and strict check-in rules for after-hours visits. They’re making exceptions for family only. If we take too long, they won’t let us in. Follow us, but park where they say. Don’t cause trouble.”
Steel turned to me. “Farrah?—”
My brain was spiraling. I needed to see Mekhi. I needed to know he wasn’t dying in some emergency room. I knew what Gillian said, but I had to see it for myself.
“She’s his mother,” I told him. “I need her to get in. Just do what she says.”
I guess I looked as dazed as I felt. Gillian took my arm, and to my surprise, her touch steadied me. “Let’s go, sweetheart. He’s waiting on us.”
Steel looked at me. There was something in his eyes, something doubtful, uneasy. I understood, but we needed Gillian in this moment. Mekhi was hurt. Everything else was irrelevant. I ran upstairs, grabbed my stuff, and followed Gillian out the door.
I climbed in her car, hands shaking, breath shallow, and buckled myself in quickly.
Gillian gave me a reassuring smile. “We’ll be there soon. Just breathe.”
She was right; the ride to the medical center didn’t take long. I was reaching for the door handle when I noticed the scent. It was something sharp, chemical, suffocating. I turned my head toward her in confusion.
“What is?—?”
A hand from the back seat reached around me. Before I could scream, a cloth smothered my nose and mouth. I didn’t mean to inhale, but I did. And oh, my God, it hurt! Fire exploded in my skull. The world went dark at the edges.
I clawed at the masculine wrist, but my strength was already slipping. I felt weak, so weak. Gillian’s face hovered above mine, calm and cold. The bitch was smiling.
“You’re going to sleep, sweetheart,” she spat the endearment this time. “Trell just needs you for a little while.”
My brain was screaming, “No,” but my voice wouldn’t work. Surely, she wouldn’t?—
Gillian stroked my hair as the darkness crawled in. “Shh,” she said softly. “It’ll all be over soon.”
The last thing I heard was a door slamming, footsteps, and Steel shouting my name from a distance that felt miles away.
