AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I freeze when I see them at the end of the hallway. They’ve got him on a gurney now and are wheeling him towards the door leading outside to a waiting ambulance. Why did it take me so long to get here? Why couldn’t I have run faster? What good is all the stupid cardio I do if I can’t even get to him in time??
I stumble forward, eyes wide in horror, feeling like I might vomit.Oh God. Please, please, please.
“Hey,” I yell, or try to. It comes out in a choked whisper. “What’s happening? What’s wrong??” I demand of no one in particular. They don’t seem to hear me. They don’t pause, so neither do I. My vision blurs as tears well, threatening to spill. “Hey!” I yell again, louder this time, desperate for someone to answer me.
Someone steps in my path, gripping me gently by the shoulders. I look up to find Jules there, a bandage on his forehead and dried blood smeared down his temple and cheek, his light brown hair streaked with it.
“Mac, hey, it’s alright.”
“Wh-where are they taking him? What’s happening? Is he ok?” My voice trembles and I can feel my hands shaking at my sides. I try to move past him, but he holds me in place.
“Mac, you’re bleeding. Are you—”Fuck this.
“STOP!” I shriek, cutting Jules off, and a moment later, to my surprise, everyone does. With a rush of relief that’s nearly painful, I realize that they didn’t stop because of my scream. They stopped because Connor had raised a hand tomakethem stop. I almost sob but somehow hold it back, a strangled gasp coming out instead. Jules releases me and I rush forward. The EMT standing near Connor’s head shifts out of the way as I approach, making room.
“Oh my God, Connor,” I whisper when I finally lay eyes on him. They’ve got him in one of those braces that prevents him from moving his head too much and there’s a dark bruise already forming on his right cheek, blood coating on his neck from a cut I can’t see, staining his hair a deep crimson. I feel like I can’t breathe again and my arms and legs feel like they’re made of jelly. I lean forward so I can look at him and make sure he can see me.
“I’m ok, Mac. I’m alright.” His brows furrow a bit as he stares at me. He looks surprised and confused and maybe a little touched? I might be imagining things. I’m very close to losing my shit completely, so it’s extremely possible.
“He lost consciousness and took a hard hit to the head and neck, so we’re taking him to the hospital to get some scans and be sure everything’s alright,” the EMT beside me says in a soft, kind voice. I swallow hard and I think I nod in acknowledgment.
“He’s…he’s ok though?”
“I’m alright,” Connor says again, lifting his hand to grip mine. I squeeze as hard as I can and his lips quirk up on one side, a ghost of that crooked smile that gets me every time. I can tell he’s in pain though, regardless of how alright he claims to be, and seeing him strapped to the gurney like this makes it nearly impossible for my mind to believe that he could really be ok.
“You’re bleeding,” he says, concerned. “What the hell happened?”
Before I can answer, the EMT clears his throat. “We need to go,” he says gently. I stare into Connor’s eyes for one more long moment, conveying…I’m not sure what. My mind is a mess and all I know is that seeing him hurt has been the scariest moment of my life.
I nod, squeeze his hand one more time, and step away so they can wheel him out. That small step backwards and releasing Connor’s hand is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It feels wrong on so many levels. Jules steps up beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder in a friendly way and I lean into his side, not even caring how gross he is at the moment, drenched in sweat and covered in blood.
“He’ll be alright, Mac,” he says quietly.
I stare long after the door shuts behind them, my hands clenched into fists. My pulse is still racing and I feel a little dizzy. Bobby's words from earlier echo in my mind and I see red as fury blazes in my chest, swift and hot and totally unexpected.
"Did they do this on purpose? Because of the rivalry or bad blood or whatever?? They wouldn't…I mean, they wouldn't havetriedto…"
Jules’ brows fly up in a surprise. "No. No, no, no,” he says vehemently. “We get heated out there because of it, but no one would ever do something like that on purpose, Mac, I promise."
I nod, the fury fizzling out almost as quickly as it had come, leaving me empty and cold and dizzy. I turn to face him, blinking several times to get my vision to clear.
“What about you? Are you alright?” I nod towards his forehead.
He waves me away. “Ah, I’m fine. Didn’t even need stitches. Kasey got me all glued up, I'm good to go.” He studies me for a minute, brows drawing down as I blink rapidly to stop the hallway from swaying. “Uh, you’re looking a little pale, Mac. Why don’t we sit down for a second, ok?” For a rough and rowdy Bostonian, he can actually be exceedingly sweet. My legs do feel like they’re going to give out any second, so I let him help ease me down onto a nearby bench. “Sit tight, I’ll be right back.”
He leaves and comes back with Kasey and she hands me some kind of sports drink. I take a few sips, not really tasting it, but the cool liquid does help settle me a bit. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and wince. When I look at my hand, it’s streaked with red. Huh?
“Hattie, you’ve got a cut on your lip. I’m going to get the blood off so I can see it more clearly, ok?” Kasey says in a soothing voice. She has a great bedside manner. She would have been a great doctor. I nod and she gently wipes at my mouth and chin with a damp cloth. I wince a little but the pain is pretty muted. “Ok, it’s not too bad. The bleeding has already almost stopped, but I want you to hold this on it for a few minutes. That should do the trick.” She studies me and I blink rapidly, trying to focus on her, but everything is going a little pear-shaped.
“Is she ok?” Jules whispers.
"Hey, Hattie? Look at me, try to focus on me alright?” I shift my gaze to hers, trying to do what she’s asking, but all I can see is Connor. Connor not moving. Connor strapped to that board. I sway and Kasey’s grip on my shoulders keeps me upright. “Alright, I want you to put your head between your knees, ok? It'll help with the dizziness. It's probably just all the adrenaline." I do as she asks, leaning over and putting my head in my hands. "There you go. Slow, deep breaths, ok?"
I know I’m being ridiculous, but seeing Connor like that really freaked me out. I can’t even explain why, exactly, other than that it feelswrong, like a part of me is strapped to that fucking stretcher right now.
"Keep an eye on her," Kasey says, "I'm going to grab an ice pack for her neck. It should help." I hear her footsteps fade away down the hallway.
“First big injury you’ve seen, huh?” Jules asks.
