“Jiya!” he said breathlessly. “There’s been an accident at the construction site. It’s Cole.”
Everything inside me went completely still.My mind refused to process the words.
“What…?” I whispered, the sound barely leaving my lips.It felt as though someone had pulled the ground out from beneath my feet.
Cole.
Accident.
The words collided violently in my head.
Jack did not wait to explain further. He grabbed his keys and motioned for me to follow.We rushed outside and jumped into the car.The tires screeched slightly as he sped out of the parking lot and onto the road toward the hospital in the city.
My heart throbbed against my ribs.My fingers trembled uncontrollably in my lap.My whole body began to feel numb, as though my mind was trying to shield itself from the terror flooding through me.
“What happened, Jack?” I asked, my voice shaking despite my attempt to control it.
Jack kept his eyes on the road.“Stephanie called,” he said quickly. “She said there was some mishap at the construction site. She said Liam was fine, but Cole was unconscious. That’s all I know.”
Unconscious.The word echoed loudly in my mind.A cold wave of fear crashed through my chest.
Images I did not want flashed through my head—ambulances, blood, hospital beds, machines beeping in dim rooms.
My breathing quickened.No.No.Please no.Dear God, please let Cole be fine.My hands pressed together tightly as I stared ahead.Please.Please.Please.
The drive felt endless.
Every red light felt unbearable.
Thirty minutes later, the hospital finally came into view.Cars were lined up at the signal outside the entrance.
I could not wait.
Before Jack could even react, I shoved the car door open.
“Jiya! Wait!” Jack shouted behind me.
But I was already running.I darted through the passing cars, horns blaring around me as drivers slammed on their brakes.
None of it mattered.
Nothing mattered.
My mind was consumed by only one thought.
Cole.
I burst through the hospital doors, my chest burning from the run.“Cole Harris!” I shouted breathlessly at the reception desk.My lungs struggled for air.“Cole Harris!” I repeated desperately. “He was brought into this hospital. Construction site accident.”
The receptionist looked quickly at her computer.“He’s in triage. Straight through those doors. Ask the receptionist there.”
I ran.
The smell of bleach hit my nose the moment I entered the hospital corridor.The scent dragged an old memory violently to the surface.
My birthday.
The hospital.
