Page 127 of Buck ’Em Cowgirl

“He’s conscious.”

I nodded.

“They’re taking him to the hospital right now. Arm’s probably broken, but he’s conscious.”

A pause.

“You wanna come?” His voice softened. “I think he’d like it if you were there.”

The hospital.

I staggered back like he’d hit me. My breath shuddered.

I could still hear it—machines beeping, fluorescent lights buzzing, and the low murmurs of nurses.

The place that stole my parents. The place that had stolen . . . me. The place where I begged and pleaded, waiting for a miracle that never came.

I couldn’t go back. I could barely go to a doctor, sticking with telehealth if I ever got sick, so stepping into a hospital again seemed impossible.

My pulse hammered, my lungs squeezed, my vision tunneled.

A warm hand grabbed my arm. “Thank you, Mr. Banks.” Harleigh’s hand. “We’ll go separately.”

I turned to her, my lips parting, but she squeezed my arm tighter, her blue eyes locking onto mine like she knew I was seconds from breaking.

Harleigh nodded, guiding me farther away from the arena, away from the noise, away from the energy that felt like it was suffocating me. The sirens still echoed in my ears, even as the sound faded into the night, and I couldn’t tell if they were real anymore—or stuck inside my head.

“I-I⁠—”

“I know.” Her voice was gentle, her hand rubbing slow circles against my back, keeping me tethered. “What do you feel?”

I looked at her, desperate, lost, drowning.

My mouth opened. I didn’t know.

“The air,” I murmured, realizing we were finally outside.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Breathe, Fable. Just breathe.

“What do you see?”

I blinked, forcing my eyes to scan my surroundings. “Cars. Lots of them in the parking lot.”

“Good,” she said, encouraging me. “What do you smell?”

I inhaled, my nose wrinkling instinctively. “Bull shit.”

She let out a small laugh, nudging me. “Yup, me too.” Her fingers tightened around mine. “Come on, let’s get to the car.”

I nodded, letting her guide me across the lot. I had driven up with Beau earlier, but Harleigh had come with Dalton.

As soon as we were inside, she started the car and headed toward the main road, but the moment the hospital sign came into view, my chest tightened like a vise. My skin crawled, my breath hitched. It felt like tiny insects were burrowing beneath my flesh, writhing, multiplying.

I was dirty.

I was contaminated.