Page 100 of Open To Negotiation

I started running.

“Noah!” I yelled as I threw the door open and started down the hallway. He was already behind me as I took the stairs two at a time.

“You’re the emergency contact, but what is your relation to the owner of this phone?”

I sprinted out the front doors to my truck.

“I’m her fiancé,” I answered without thinking. It would hopefully get me more information about what was going on.

“You aren’t driving,” Noah said before I could round my car.

He didn’t know what was happening, but he could feel my panic. I nodded and tossed him my keys, climbing into the passenger side.

“I’m sorry, sir. I’m the officer on scene of the accident. There was a head on collision between a car with three passengers, which is where we found this phone. Those three people were rushed to the hospital, one person is in life threatening condition and the other two are critical.” My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might be having a heart attack.

“Who’s in life threatening condition?” I asked in a gruff voice that didn’t sound like mine. Noah’s hands tightened on the wheel, waiting for direction on where to go.

“I’m sorry, sir, we don’t know. None of the victims had ID on their immediate person. I’m assigned to the scene and found the phones and am informing emergency contacts,” the officer said.

I saw Noah pull his phone out, likely letting the other guys know what was going on but I couldn’t think of anyone else.

“Quinn has red hair, is she the one in life threatening condition?”

“Again, I’m sorry. I arrived after they were loaded in the ambulances.”

“Which hospital?”

“North Hill.” At least the officer knew something, Noah must have heard because he pulled out without me needing to say anything.

I hung up and stared out the window, my mind racing with the possibilities. We were at least twenty minutes away from the hospital and I couldn’t stop picturing myself showing up to hear that Quinn was dead.

“Ash is closer,” Noah said from beside me, his voice sounding weak. “He’ll see if he can get us an update. The rest are on their way and will meet us there.” I couldn’t do anything else but nod.

Noah’s phone rang a while later as the world flew by us, I grabbed it out of the cup holder. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know yet, Knight,” Asher answered. “They won’t tell me anything because I’m not family, but I have Oli on the phone with the board of the hospital. He’ll at least get a private room set up for her where we can wait.”

“I don’t give a shit, I need to know if she’s okay, Asher.” My voice broke. I cleared my throat to shove the emotions down. I didn’t have time for them right now. “Told the cop I’m her fiancé.”

“Noah said, everyone’s got it.”

“We’ll be there in eight minutes,” Noah added from beside me, pushing his foot harder on the gas.

Six minutes later, Noah and I burst through the emergency room doors to find Asher waiting there for us. The emergency room was busy, people coughing, someone was yelling somewhere in the distance, but I couldn’t focus on any of it.

Asher tilted his head and we followed him down a hallway, through a set of doors. No one even questioned us. Asher worked fast. He led us straight to a nurses' station and I pushed past him to the young woman sitting behind the desk.

“My fiancée was brought in by ambulance but I don’t know if she’s okay.”

“The patient’s name is Quinn West, correct?” Her eyes shifted to Asher before coming back to me.

“Yes, but the officer said she was brought without ID. She has red hair and her friend has dark brown.” I spat the words out like I couldn’t get them out fast enough.

“Mr. Lawson already informed us, we were able to differentiate the two but I couldn’t share information with him.” She clicked on her computer a few times while I tapped the desk, I was standing on a ledge. “She is… in critical but stable condition.” I let out a breath as Asher rested his hand on my shoulder.

“Thank fuck,” Noah muttered. “I’ll call the others.”

“When can I see her?” I asked the nurse.