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“Thanks, Elle.” I wrung my hands in my lap, taking in the surroundings. There were several people here because of the same accident Eli was in. I overheard the nurse who talked to me talking to others. One of the people was bleeding from cuts on his face. The nurse tried to get the person to get checked out, but they were too worried about the other passenger in their car and refused treatment.
My phone rang. I immediately picked up. “Mason?”
“Catherine. Elle called me. I’m on my way. You should’ve called me.”
“Right, because I always think to call my baby daddy when my boyfriend is in an accident.” I rolled my eyes.
“Am I still on your shit list for sending Wyatt home with forbidden snacks?” I knew he was trying to distract me, and I appreciated it.
“Yes, Mason. I get that you’re new to the whole hands-on parenting thing, but we need to work as a team.” Mason’s first few overnights alone with Wyatt had been interesting, to say the least.
“Auntie Elle told me you’d say that, and to be fair, she also told me that meant it was a super good idea.”
“Auntie Elle is in trouble. She knows better.”
“Well, the kid is a smooth talker. He convinced me to ask her in the first place. He knows how to get what he wants.”
“That’s because he has a politician for a father. Clearly that’s a nature, not nurture attribute.”
“The Davis family is known for being charming.” I could picture him winking as he said it. Mason was not only a charming man; he was also very attractive. I could personally attest to the fact he looked amazing naked, with his ripped muscles and tattoos in places most people never saw. His dark hair and eyes combined made him a magnet to all drawn to the male gender. Quite frankly, I thought the sexiest part of Mason was his voice. It was the reason he received so many votes. The words my sister, his former wife and speech writer, put in his mouth helped, but that charm and voice had half the population in his corner.
Not that I wanted him. Obviously, I had sex with him, but I was quite content with the man I had.
Mason kept me on the line until he walked into the ER. He went over to the desk and said something to the nurse, pointing over in my direction. She nodded, and he came over to me. “We’re going to go sit in a more private waiting area. I don’t want the media swarming.”
The tabloids had been flocking around us like vultures since Wyatt started being seen with Mason. Initially, they were also hounding me, but Mason and Elle’s recent divorce became the bigger news. Having the two of us in the emergency room together would cause another round of off-base articles.
Someone led us to a door labeled Family Room and left us there. Mason wrapped his arms around me and let me just stand there. It was probably the first time we had intentionally touched each other since the night we conceived Wyatt.
A few minutes later, the doctor who triaged Eli finally came into the room. “I’m Dr. Summer,” he said, reaching out to shake our hands. “I assessed Mr. Jenkins when he first arrived. He took impact on the driver’s side door area of the car. His left leg and arm are broken. The arm will probably require surgery, but we’re waiting for swelling to go down to see. He has a head injury that we’re monitoring. Right now, he’s in surgery, as we detected some internal bleeding. Likely from his seatbelt, given the external injury presentation.”
I let out a cry, and Mason pulled me closer. He asked the doctor some questions about when we would know more and how long Eli would be in surgery as he ran a hand up and down my back.
The doctor gave a very vague answer of, “A few hours,” which did not make me feel any better, but Mason thanked him, nonetheless. He sat me down in a chair and tried to get me to drink some water, which I refused. He stole a box of tissues and handed them to me.
It was a quiet few hours, but his silent company meant the world to me.
Twenty-Seven
Elle, Connor, Mish, and Silas arrived at the hospital a few hours later. Elle ran over and I buried my head on her shoulder, fresh tears filling my eyes.
Mason shifted on his feet. “I’m gonna go. I’ll pick up Wyatt and take him for however long you need. Just call.”
“Thanks. I’ll have her update you,” Elle responded.
“What the hell happened?” Mish grabbed Mason’s arm.
Mason gave a nervous look toward Silas. “He’s in surgery now. Sounds like some internal injuries from the seatbelt or something. Broken leg and arm. Some asshat was driving down the wrong side of the highway. A few other cars were also involved. One dead, six people here with various injuries. They said the surgery would be several hours depending on how bad it was when they got in there.”
I stepped away from Elle and hugged Mason. “Thank you so much for being here. Do you have to go?”
“I think that’s best. Elle and Mish are here. You’re in good hands.” He kissed the top of my head and made his way to the exit. Then he stopped and turned back. “Silas?” The tension was so thick, and it wasn’t because of Eli. Silas turned to Mason. “She was always yours. I’m sorry it took so long for me to see that.” Silas nodded, and Mason turned back and walked out.
I had to smack Elle’s chest. “Breathe. You’re scaring me.” Having her ex-husband and current boyfriend in the same room was tense and the drama momentarily slowed my pounding heart.
“Why don’t we get you something to eat and drink? Sounds like we won’t hear anything for a while still,” Elle suggested, her attention focusing back on me.
“I’m not hungry.” I sat back down in the chair. Food would not stay put in my stomach right now. Elle took the seat to my left, and Mish took the one on my right.
