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I looked back at the bar one more time, reluctant to leave those people behind. I still had not found Philip, or Brooke, if she was in there. Chase tugged on my elbow, and I followed them into the back of the ambulance.
The ride to the nearest hospital was quick, but the wait in the Emergency Room was not. We waited almost an hour and a half before Chase could be seen. I was worried about internal bleeding in his head, or that a lung had been punctured by his rib. The minutes ticked by slowly.
I checked my phone for the time, but it was dead. “I must have used all the battery up with the flashlight. You should call your mom. I need to call Shelly. I don’t want them to see the news and freak out.”
“Good idea.” Chase slipped his phone out of his pocket. The screen was cracked in several spots, but it still worked.
I rested my head on Chase’s shoulder, listening to Beverly’s voice on the other side of his phone.
“What do you mean there was an earthquake? This damn thing never works,” she muttered. I pictured her smacking the remote on her palm.
“Give me it before you break it,” I heard Tanner say.
“Oh my God, Chase,” Beverly gasped. She was probably seeing the same footage that we were watching in the hospital. “Are you alright? Where are you?”
“I’m in the hospital with Merritt. Everything is okay,” he reassured.
“Merritt’s with you?” She and Tanner said in unison.
Chase laughed as he turned his head to look at me. “She arrived last night. She was just in time to get me and a friend out of the bar after the earthquake hit. I was knocked out, and she saved me.”
“Jesus Christ! I want you both to come home!” she cried.
“We will,” he said. “I will call you after the doctor checks me out.”
“I love the both of you so much.”
“We love you, too,” I called.
Chase handed me the phone so that I could call Shelly. I lowered the volume a few notches while it rang, so her shrieking wouldn’t deafen me.
“Chase? Why are you calling me? Why hasn’t Merritt texted me back? Is everything okay?”
“I could answer all of those questions if you’d let me get a word in.”
“Merritt? What’s going on?”
“There was an earthquake. I’m in the hospital with Chase now. We’re okay.”
“An earthquake? Holy shit, Merritt! How bad was it? Are you hurt? Is Chase hurt?”
“I’m fine. Just some cuts and bruises. Chase is waiting to be seen. This place is packed right now.”
“When are you coming home? There are aftershocks, you know. You guys need to get the hell out of there!”
“I know. I just wanted to let you know what happened, in case you saw the news. Can you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Can you swing by the gym at some point today and just let T.J. know that I’m alright? My phone died.”
“Of course. Does Chase’s family know?”
“Yes, he just spoke to them.”
She blew out a breath of air. “God, Merritt. Why are you always in harm’s way?”
“I don’t know,” I replied.
