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“Oh, shit. Sorry. I didn’t think. I just… He’d want you here, Lil. That’s all I know. So, get here, okay?” Jasper sounds worried. And that makes me even more worried.
“We’re on our way,” I say again, a polite smile on my face as if Jasper can see it.
When I hang up, I put my phone away.
“Who was that?” Jacks wants to know.
“Oh, ummm. It was Jasper. He called to tell me about Jameson.”
“Why would he call to tell you about Jameson? I would have texted you later to tell you.”
“I’m sure he’s just letting all Jameson’s friends and family know. That’s what you do when someone gets hurt, Nugget.”
Jacks shrugs. “No one can even do anything.”
“We can’t do anything, but we’re still on the way to the hospital right now, aren’t we?” Selena rolls her eyes at Jacks.
Normally, that would make me laugh. But there’s no laughing until I know Jameson’s okay. So, I tune them out. Selena can handle Jacks. She’s going to have to. I can’t process anything beyond worrying about Jameson. How badly I need him to be okay. How badly I need to not be some random friend of the family who doesn’t have any more right to be at the hospital with him than a third cousin by marriage. Who doesn’t even deserve a call from Jasper to tell her that Jameson’s hurt.
I need him to be okay. I won’t be able to breathe until I know that he’s going to keep on smiling at me like he does, driving me crazy one second and then charming me the next.
When we lost Grams, it was a long time coming. She was eighty-six. It wasn’t unexpected. We had time to prepare. To grieve. Grams lived a long, happy, life.
But what if this is like my dad? There wasn’t any warning. He wasn’t feeling well one day, and then he had a heart attack. He went to the hospital, and he never came home.
But Jameson’s only twenty-six. He has his whole life ahead of him. What if it’s more than just a broken arm? What if he hit his head? Or it’s his back? Jacks said he got smashed in the paddock gate.
Time stops when Jacks pulls to a stop in the parking lot. I slip out of the truck and head for the emergency room, leaving Jacks and Selena trailing behind me.
chapter thirty-nine
lily
The Western Springs emergency room hasn’t changed much in the thirty-two years I’ve lived here. The white walls have a fresh coat of paint and the signs have been updated with the influx of cash from Jacks, but that’s about it. There’s a larger three-story wing behind the older part of the hospital now. That was paid for with Jacks’ money, too. Now, the hospital can do more than stitches and deliver the odd baby. But for anything really serious, patients still get sent into the city. What if Jameson’s really serious? What if he gets sent to the city?
When we walk into the emergency room lobby, the rest of the Waters family is already here. Jameson’s brothers. Mr. Waters.
A curvy, brunette woman in a white coat who looks about my age walks over to them at the same time I do, with Jacks and Selena trailing behind me.
“Hi there, is this the Waters family?” When everyone nods, she continues. “I’m Dr. Brooks. I work here in the emergency room. I’ve been taking care of Jameson. Unfortunately, he did fracture both the ulna and radius in his left arm. There was some displacement, and we’ve just finished repositioning and casting the arm. He’s going to have to be careful with his hand for the next little while, but he’s going to be fine. The nurse is just cleaning up a few other scratches and bruises. The bruising on his back and chest look pretty ugly, but he didn’t break any ribs. You can go in and see him. But only one or two of you at a time. And the hospital has a policy. Family only in the emergency room.”
“I need to see him. Right now.” My voice sounds like a stranger’s. High and scared.
“Hi, there. If you’re family, you can head in and see him in a few minutes.”
“Unless he’s in surgery, I’m not waiting a few minutes. I’m going in there right now.”
She frowns at me. “I’m sorry. I know that you’re worried. But he’s fine. It’s just a broken arm. He’s young and healthy. As long as he takes it easy, he’s going to heal in no time. And the family can start going in to see him in a few minutes. Are you family?”
“She’s my best friend,” Jacks volunteers.
“And you are?” The doctor asks in what I’m sure is a very polite tone.
Only I hate this woman, and everything that comes out of her mouth as long as she’s standing between Jameson and me.
“Don’t you know who he is?” Jasper asks, before everyone except Jacks and me laughs.
How can anyone laugh at a time like this?
