But before our lips met, the world tilted. My legs buckled, and black spots swarmed my vision. I heard Hatchet shouting, but his voice was distant—like I was underwater. I wobbled, then crumpled into his arms as the darkness swallowed me whole.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Icaught Merci before she could hit the concrete, and panic as I’d never known ripped through me.
“Merci!” I shouted. “Merci!” Her head lolled against my shoulder, and blood trickled from her nose. Her body was damp with sweat, but her skin felt clammy.
“What’s wrong?” Merrick barked, sheathing his blade. His eyes darted between me and the unconscious woman in my arms.
I swore and scooped up her limp body, looping my arm under her legs. “I don’t know. Damn it. We should’ve taken her to the hospital. I never should’ve listened to her. Fuck. Merci! Wake up.”
Merrick was already moving toward the door. “I’ll drive. Reaper, finish him.”
The sedan fishtailed as we left the junkyard. I murmured to Merci in the backseat, her head cradled in my lap as Merrick drove at breakneck speed to the hospital. I pressed two fingers beneath her jaw, feeling a thready pulse beneath her skin. Her breath came short, so shallow I feared it’d stop entirely.
“That last kick,” I said, my voice breaking. “It was hard. She could be bleeding out. She could be?—”
I couldn’t say it.
Merrick’s hard eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. “Not a fucking chance,” he snarled.
He called ahead to the hospital, explaining that we’d found Merci battered at the clubhouse gates and we suspected internal bleeding. I was grateful he had the foresight to come up with a story, because the only thought in my mind was how I’d never survive if I lost her.
The tires squealed as we pulled under the ER awning, my eyes blurring in the bright light. After lifting Merci onto the stretcher, I watched the trauma team roll her inside. I stood frozen, lost, and beyond fucking terrified. A voice shouted at me, distant. I tried to focus through the fog of fear that surrounded me.
Merrick shook my shoulder. The tendons on his neck stood out, and I could see the beat of his pulse. “Get out of the road, dumbass.” He stormed into the hospital.
I blinked and then followed him numbly inside. I expected a chaotic scene, but the doctors and nurses had already wheeled Merci back. Merrick stood in the corner, talking on the phone. He murmured an update, presumably to Kenna, and walked outside.
I sat in one of the hard plastic chairs and buried my face in my hands. Every time a voice shouted “clear” or an alarm beeped behind the double doors, my stomach clenched. I tried to listen for any clue of how she was doing, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to tell which patient they’d call a code on. It could be anyone. I just prayed it wasn’t her.
Merrick returned and settled in one of the chairs across from me. I raised my eyes to meet his glare. I didn’t know what to say when the only thoughts in my mind were about the possibility of losing the woman we both loved.
Dr. Patel walked into the waiting room, and we stood. She glanced between Merrick and me.
“I’m her brother,” Merrick clarified, stepping forward. “He’s”—he hesitated—“her boyfriend.”
The doctor didn’t acknowledge the tension between us.
“How is she?” I asked, my jaw tense.
“She’s in surgery. The CT shows that her injuries are consistent with blunt trauma to the abdomen. She lacerated her liver and spleen, and she’s lost a significant amount of blood. She’s lucky you got her here when you did. If you’d waited for an ambulance …” She trailed off, her expression saying more than words ever could.
“But she’s going to be OK?” I asked. “We got her here in time?”
Dr. Patel’s expression grew grim. “We’re doing an emergency laparotomy. She’s stabilized, but she’s already coded on us once. There’s a lot of damage, and we won’t know the extent until we get in there and stop the bleeding.”
A chill ran through me, and I dropped back into the chair.
“Merci’s strong. She’ll pull through,” Merrick said with unwavering confidence. “Do you need blood for a transfusion? We’re both B-negative.”
The doctor nodded. “We have a blood bank. I’ll check the supply, but it’s always good to have more, just in case. I’ll take you back.”
The moment Merrick vanished through the double doors, the silence swallowed me whole. I didn’t realize Eva was there until she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“Reaper called,” she said, her voice soft. “He said it’s bad.”
I nodded. “She’s still in surgery.”
