AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Speaking.”
“Ivy, it’s Lori.” My heart froze.
“Lori, is everything okay?”
“No, it’s Grayson. You need to get on a flight. Now. Their plane is waiting for you. You need to get on that flight now because he—” Her sobs cut through her words and I waited as she tried to calm them so she could finish what she had to say. “He’s in hospital. He tried to hurt himself. Mav found him bleeding out in the shower. They don’t know if he will wake up.”
I gripped the counter I was standing in front of and tried to force the air into my lungs, engulfed in the worst pain I’d ever felt.
“We’re on our way. Message me the details of the flight. Tell him we’re coming, Lori, please.”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
I hung up and turned to Ethan, unsure how to get my words out.
“It’s Gray. He needs us.”
I wondered if he might argue, but he didn’t. He just nodded. “Then let’s go, princess.”
Chapter 25
Ethan
It’dbeenalongtwenty-four hours. Throwing some things into a bag, getting on the plane, being stuck in Chicago traffic, trying to get to the hospital. When we arrived, there was security everywhere. A guard stood at the doorway to the ward Lori told us they were in, but he held out his arms and refused to let us pass.
“I’m sorry, sir, you can’t come through.”
We’re here to see Grayson Hill.”
“I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know who you’re talking about. If you could make your way back to reception, I’m sure they will help you.”
“Let me past,” I gritted out through clenched teeth.
“Sir,” he didn’t say anything else, but instead pulled his suit jacket to the side, offering me a glimpse of the black handgun secured there.
Why the hell does he have an armed guard? What happened?
“Please,” the desperation in my voice was clear for him to hear. “I’m his husband. We’re with him.”
He raised his eyebrow.
“Name?”
“Ivy and Ethan Tate. Lori, his mum, called us.”
He held out a finger and turned slightly, mumbling into his wrist. He pressed his finger into his ear, obviously listening to someone speaking.
Nodding, he held open the door. “Third room on the right. If you leave your bags here, I’ll have someone take them to the hotel for you.”
“Thank you,” I replied, grabbing Ivy’s hand and running towards the room.
I didn’t cry very often and never publicly. I’d been raised in a household where men didn’t cry. They weren’t allowed to show their emotions and spoke with their fists. They definitely didn’t experiment with their sexuality or get caught having sex with a man while my parents were meant to be out of town. I was brought up to never show weakness or give people ammunition they could use against me, and I’d spent a lifetime trying to shake off those lessons. But the not crying one was the hardest to break. I cried in private if I ever cried at all, but today I walked into that hospital room, took one look at Gray, and fell apart.
The air went from my lungs. Bile rushed into my throat, and I had to grab hold of Ivy to stop my legs from giving way. A cry cracked through the room, and I wondered if it was Ivy falling apart next to me, but then I realized that the sound was mine. Chest heaving, loud sobs racked my body. I felt hands on my arms as I was steered to a chair. Falling into it, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him.
Gray.
Lying out flat in a hospital bed, a stark white sheet pulled to his waist, exposing his chest, which was covered in wires. A white bandage wrapped around his left wrist and a large tube disappeared between his lips, which were no longer rich red, but a pale, lifeless color.
