Page 51 of Vexatious Queen

Blake

My knee bounced out of control as Myles sped down the backroads to get to the hospital. The snow was still coming down, but it was more of a flurry than a blizzard.

“I knew it was too soon for us to leave him. I never should’ve moved back into the dorms,” I said, shaking my head. “Now here he is, back in surgery to repair internal stitches.”

“Ethan wouldn’t hear of it. It was stressin’ him out that you and Theo didn’t want to leave, remember?”

“Yeah, I know, but…where the hell was the guy who was supposed to be his caregiver?”

I looked out the window, trying to calm the panic that had taken over the moment my phone rang and woke me up. When I’d seen Liam’s name, I knew something was wrong. My stomach had bottomed out, and my heart had been racing ever since.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” Myles said, grabbing my shoulder.

“How are you so calm?”

He made a noise and smirked.

“I’m not always calm. Remember when Ren was in the accident? I thought I was gonna lose my ever-lovin’ mind. But she’s okay, and Ethan will be too.”

“I wish I could be so sure,” I mumbled, as we slowed to turn into the hospital parking lot.

At this time of night, there were only a few cars in the visitors’ area. Myles pulled into a spot and parked, but before we got out, he grabbed my hand.

“Take a deep breath before we go in.”

I tried, I really did, but it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest.

“I’m good.”

We hopped out and jogged for the sliding doors.

“This way,” Myles said, pointing down a hallway.

I’d been so upset when I got Liam’s call that I’d handed the phone to Myles and started to get dressed. I had no idea where we were as I followed him down the corridor.

The beige walls began to close in on me when I realized we were in the same wing where we had waited for news on Ren, and then, later, my dad. Tapping my leg and counting to four wasn’t helping to calm my mind tonight.

As we closed in on the waiting area, it felt as if I was trying to walk through mud. My feet slowed, and my lungs burned. Was I having a fucking heart attack? I rubbed my chest and gasped, trying to get a breath.

“Blake?”

Myles grabbed me by the arm and pulled me through a door into a dark room. The light flickered and turned on as I bent over with my hands on my knees, trying desperately to breathe.

“What’s…happening,” I asked. “My…heart.”

Myles was right there, kneeling in front of me.

“Yer havin’ a panic attack. Look at me,” he said calmly. “Yer safe, and this will pass. It’s just your body reacting to stress. You’re not losing control, and what you feel is real, but it’s not a heart attack.”

His words made sense, but I didn’t know how to stop it. He placed his hands on top of mine, and the contact helped a little.

“I want ya to follow my breathing. Breathe in through your nose, one, two, three, four.” He slowly sucked in air as he spoke. “And hold, two, three, four. Out two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Aye, that’s good, and again.”

I couldn’t say how many counts it took before the tightness started to ease, but it did, and I closed my eyes in relief. Myles helped me stand up straight and then pulled me into a hug. I clung to him like a life preserver.

He didn’t fidget or pull away like you saw guys do in movies. He stayed still, waiting for me to say that I was okay. I had no idea what came over me, but I tilted my head and the next thing I knew, I was kissing him.

His lips were soft, much softer than I would’ve guessed. Myles didn’t freak out or push me away, and he didn’t run out the door. He also didn’t return the kiss. He stood frozen, eyes wide and shock written all over his face.