“Do we know what’s going on?”
“No, man. Sorry. They’re taking her to the general hospital out in the Springs. That’s all I know.”
The Springs.If it was something manageable, they’d triage her in town. The fact that they’re transporting her all the way up to the Springs isn’t good.
“Got it. Thanks,” I groan before sliding the call to end, tucking my phone back into my pocket.
“What?” Pepper’s tone lowers and her voice shakes as though she can sense the incoming bad news. “What happened?”
I wet my lips and stare at my girl. “I’m not sure, but your mom was taken by ambulance to the Springs. We should get up there.”
She stands from the table, her face turning a shade of white I haven’t seen since I took her from the wedding. “We need to go right now.”
And just like that, I know I was right when I thought we should’ve stayed in bed.
Chapter Thirteen
Pepper
I’ve called my mom at least seven times, my dad twice, and no one is answering, which made the ride into the Springs feel like ages.
“Maybe they forgot their phones at home,” Rhett says, hand on my thigh as he pulls his truck into the emergency parking spot a few feet from the main entrance. “They were probably in a hurry to get out.”
He jumps out of the truck and reaches for me through the driver’s side door, the same way he did when we were getting ice cream, and though we’ve only done it twice, I’m already used to the way it feels to jump into his waiting arms. It’s so natural, like my body recognizes safety and it settles me.
Maybe that’s why this whole thing hits me so hard. It’s the contrast. The contrast of what life was like with Nathan versus what it’s like with Rhett.
In the past, I’ve dealt with my mother’s medical scares alone. No one to drive me. No one to sit in the waiting room with. No one to hold my hand. I learned to carry it all alone because I was… alone.
Having Rhett next to me is disorienting, in the best way. He doesn’t make a big deal out of being here. He isn’t pushing me or hovering. He just shows up, steady and strong.
My hand tucked into his, we head toward the front counter, before following the receptionist’s lead through the double doors and into the triage center where long white curtains divide every room. The scent of latex, disinfectant, and cold metal permeates around us as my heart thumps against my chest harder and harder the closer we get to the end of the hall.
I don’t know what I’m walking into. I don’t know what I’m about to see.Did she fall? Did she have another memory spell? Did her blood pressure spike? Is her heart okay? Is this the end? Why is she here?
Rhett stops me just outside of her room, his dark gaze on mine as his inked hand lifts to my cheek. “Baby girl, whatever you see, I’m here for you. Okay?”
I swallow hard and nod slowly, the heat of his care like an anchor keeping me from spinning out as I slide open the curtain and step into the storm.
My mother is lying back on the bed in a hospital gown, a thin white blanket folded over her lap, her leg lifted slightly in a sling, her hand on the remote control, a goofy grin on her face. Dad sits near her in an uncomfortable looking straight-back chair, staring up at the television.
“We just saw that episode last we—” My father glances toward the curtain mid-sentence. “Oh God.” He turns toward my mother. “Is this the bad boy she left the rich one for?”
Not the introduction I was hoping for, but there it is.
“Umm, maybe someone will tell me what’s going on with Mom first.”
Dad folds his arms over his chest and exhales loudly, the silver watch he wears constantly on his wrist reflecting against the fluorescent light in the hospital room.
“I’m fine,” my mother answers. “I fell off the back porch steps. They say I broke my femur. We’re waiting for x-rays so the doctors can decide if I need surgery.”
My stomach clenches and my brows narrow inward. “What?Surgery?Why would you need surgery?”
She shrugs. “Just what they said. Now we haven’t been properly introduced.” She reaches her hand out toward Rhett, a wider than normal grin on her face as though maybe she’s a little drugged. “You must be the big, hot guy I told my daughter to stay away from.” Mom winks toward me. “I see why it was difficult. The man is a giant.”
I pinch my lips together and glance toward Rhett, trying not to grin. “Mom, this is Rhett. Rhett these are my parents, Moira and Dave.”
“Moe.” My mom grins wider. “Everyone calls me Moe.”
