Page 54 of Toxic Kiss

“I’m sorry, miss, but it’s not allowed.”

“I don’t care. I’m his wife,” I lie.

He takes a deep breath.

“Oh, I didn’t know he was married.”

“Yeah, well, now you do, and you’re wasting time,” I bark. “If he dies because you’re arguing with me, I swear I’ll sue you and the city for everything you have.”

He swallows and nods.

“Okay, fine. You can strap in over there.”

The siren splits the night as I climb in the back and buckle up.

Inside the ambulance, it is a cocoon of turmoil. The stretcher rattles with every turn while the paramedic shouts out numbers. He moves fast, hands blurring as he tackles each task. A monitor alarms in the background, loud and shrieking, but no one silences it as we are jerked around like ragdolls.

We fly through intersections and pass stopped cars. The medic with me calls out to his partner what medication he’s preparing. I understand none of it.

My heart sits in my throat. Every bump in the road rattles through my spine. I grip Cy’s hand, hating to see him like this.

It doesn’t matter that he is the biggest asshole in the world. I’ve known that something is off. Why haven’t I pushed him to be straight with me?

The paramedic keeps glancing at me, suspicion and worry in his eyes. That tells me all I need to know. Cy is hiding something serious. Whatever it is has caught up with him, and I’ve been swept up in the wreckage.

I glance at his closed eyes and then lean down to whisper in his ear.

“Fight, Cy. Fight.”

We speed up to the Emergency Room and park. The back doors are thrown open, and Cyrus is lifted down on the gurney. Everyone is in motion as they wheel him into the hospital.

“Where are you taking him?”

No answer.

“What’s wrong with him?”

No answer.

“Hello? Anyone?”

My questions are ignored by the nurses and paramedics who are focused on Cyrus. They pass through a set of doors marked Authorized Personnel Only. I stop and watch at the small window until they vanish.

A nurse hands me a clipboard with papers to fill out and asks for the next of kin. I blink at her.

“I’m not…” I stop. Swallow.

“You’re not related to the patient?”

Well, that is a loaded question.

“I am. I’m sorry, my head is a mess. I’m Cyrus’s…wife.”

The lie falls from my lips far too smoothly. I’ve spent many nights pretending that things are different between us. That he isn’t the biggest asshole on the planet. That he isn’t my stepbrother. That he isn’t trying to destroy me even now.

“Don’t worry, the doctors will take good care of him.”

I nod. “Thank you, I’ll take care of this.”