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“I’ve got him,” I heard but it was like I was underwater, the words muffled. “Xaiden.” A hand touched my shoulder making me jump. I looked up and saw Autumn there, the nurse who was so happy to meet Val and me. “You have to let him go.”
Tears stung my eyes as emotion threatened to choke the breath from my lungs. “I can’t,” I whispered.
“Xaiden,” Val pleaded. He was by my side, his fingers wrapped around my bicep.
“Val?”
Tears streamed down his face. “Let them help him.” I released Corbin and fell against Val as a doctor and Autumn started to treat him. They put him on a gurney and pushed him through the doors, talking rapidly.
I couldn’t move, could hardly breathe. It was Val who held me as blood still coated my hands. The room faded away and I was transported back in time to when all I felt was pain. In my heart, in my body, deep in my fucking soul.
“No,” Val said sharply. “You’re not going to do this.” He shook me hard. “I refuse to let you retreat. Corbin needs us. He’s going to be fine.”
“You don’t know that,” I whispered hoarsely, my throat raw.
“They need us, Xaiden.”
“Who?”
“Cody and Olivia. They have no one left. We have to be there for them.”
I shifted so I was sitting beside Val instead of putting my weight on him.
He brushed the tears from my cheeks. “Now isn’t the time. We’re going to wash our hands, get as much of the blood off us as we can, then we’re going to be there for the two kids who lost everything, and we’re going to sit and wait for word on Corbin.”
I nodded numbly, let Val drag me to the bathroom. A nurse asked if we were hurt, and we both told her no. After Val cleaned my hands for me then his own, he had me lean down so he could splash cold water on my face. A paper towel was pressed to my skin, rough as it dragged over me.
When it was pulled away, Val was before me with bloodshot eyes and a runny nose. “You with me?”
“Corbin…” I nearly broke again, but Val put his hand on the back of my neck to grip me tight.
“He’s going to be okay. He got hit in the thigh and he’s in a hospital. They’ll save him.”
“There was so much blood.”
“I know, but we won’t lose him.” His lips were on mine, hard and demanding. I kissed him back, let his tongue enter my mouth, coax me back to life, back to what I needed to do.
I was the first to break the kiss and dropped my forehead on his. “I’m ready.”
“Good, because those kids need someone in their corner. I’m as shaken as you, but Corbin wouldn’t want them to be alone.”
“I love you, Val.”
“I love you too.”
I felt more like myself by the time we left the bathroom. The ER waiting room was a mess. There were police everywhere, but my gaze focused on Cody and Olivia huddled together on two chairs, while a policewoman and nurse crouched down in front of them. I heard Cody say he wasn’t letting his sister go. That he would be her guardian.
Val and I stepped close, and I sat beside Cody, putting my arm around his shoulders. I looked the policewoman in the eye and said, “I’m a certified foster parent.” Then with more certainty I said, “I want to help.”
31
CORBIN
The pain was unbearable. I felt the tourniquet put around my leg, felt the movement as I was being rushed through the hospital. My mind was all over the place from what I was going through to how Xaiden and Val were, to wondering if the kids were safe. I heard words floating to me as I fought to stay awake but soon enough, I was being prepped for surgery and everything went dark.
* * *
My leg burned, a deep pain that intensified when I tried to move. I groaned and reached for it as I tried to fight my way to the surface, my mind foggy, my eyes were too heavy to open. Gentle hands gripped mine, holding them in warmth. There was something so familiar about them but before I could try to reach out for more, I slipped under again.
