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I gave her hand a slight squeeze. Nothing.
My head fell forward and rested on our joined hands.
“Please, baby. I need you.”
“Hey,” Alana said, and I raised my head to look at her. “How is she?”
“The same.”
We both knew that the longer she stayed in this state, the worse it would be.
“Maddox.” She stood and stroked her daughter’s hair away from her face. “You saved her life.”
My eyes widened. “After I nearly killed her?”
“The ice breaking was not your fault. The boys told you to take her there. I would have told you to take her there. It’s her favorite place. And you responded quickly. I don’t even know how you pulled her out of there so fast and performed CPR and got her to the hospital, all within minutes. That is why she’s here and still breathing.”
“I should have gone out on the ice and checked it first.”
“Why would anyone think to do that? And honestly, if you had gone out there first and fallen in, she would have gone after you just like you did for her. But she wouldn’t have had the strength to pull you out, and then you’d both be gone.” Her words broke on a sob. “My daughter is very strong, Maddox. She’s a fighter. Always has been.”
Dr. Pruitt walked in and talked to us a little more about the fact that he knew nothing about her condition or her future.
I hated him for it.
I hated everyone right now.
A nurse came in to change her IV, and I saw a bruise on Georgia’s arm, and I lost my shit.
“Does anyone know what the fuck they’re doing? You can’t just keep poking her!” I raged, just as Bradford and Hugh arrived. Alana kissed my cheek and went home to shower as her father and brother said that they would take turns coming in so that I didn’t have to leave.
Because I wasn’t fucking leaving.
Hugh pulled me out into the hallway, handed me a coffee, and told me to settle the fuck down.
“Punching walls and screaming at everyone is not going to make her wake up faster, brother.” He raised a brow as I sipped the black coffee.
“How do you know? Maybe she’ll wake up and tell me to shut the fuck up,” I said dryly.
Hugh barked out a laugh, but it wasn’t nearly as loud as it usually was, and I didn’t miss the dark circles beneath his eyes.
The Reynoldses were all suffering, just like me. I was just the one being a total dickhead because that was how I usually dealt with things.
“You might be right. There’s nothing Georgie loves more than calling people out if they aren’t behaving.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Is it bad that I don’t want to give up my spot in the room? I know you’re all taking shifts, but I don’t want to leave, Hugh.”
“Nah, Maddox. This is where you need to be, and we all respect that. Everyone’s out in the waiting room. Lila went to get bagels and muffins. The family will be taking over this hospital until she wakes up. And we can take turns coming in and out of the room. You stay right there with your girl. She’ll want to see you first when she wakes up.”
I nodded. “Thank you. And I’ll try not to scream at anyone for the next hour or so.”
He nodded and forced a smile. But it wasn’t genuine, because none of us could smile right now. I turned to walk back into the room, and he clapped his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I told you to take her there. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Jesus. He was blaming himself, too?
I turned around and wrapped my arms around him. “Don’t do that.”
“It was my idea.”
