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“Brooklyn, I gotta go.” The line disconnects.
Something takes over me and I run to the closet to throw on sweatpants, a hoodie, and shoes. I grab my purse and phone charger and run to the front porch to wait for Drake. Thankfully, it’s not a long wait. I’m barely out the door when I see a cloud of dust behind his truck as he flies down the driveway.
I hardly wait for him to stop as I pull the door open and climb inside. Neither of us speaks. Drake reaches over and grabs my hand.
Finally, after a few moments, he calmly says, “He’s gonna be okay, kid. He’s a fighter.”
We make it to the hospital in record time.
The helicopter carrying Tyler has already arrived. We race inside just as Trent comes walking toward us.
A sound I’ve never heard myself make erupts from my chest when I see Trent. He’s covered in blood—Tyler’s blood. It looks like too much—like there’s no way he could possibly still be alive.
Trent runs toward me, catching me just in time. He pulls me into his arms as I sob.
“Shh, he’s okay. He’s going to be okay. He’s alive, Brooklyn.”
We both fall to the ground and I cry until my eyes burn and my head feels like it’s going to explode. He pulls my hair out of my face, and I can feel how swollen my cheeks and eyes are.
“Look at me. He’s going to make it, I promise you that. He will fight for you and this baby.”
I don’t care if anyone can hear him. Celeste is still on her way and Drake is speaking to the doctor with Ranger and Decker.
Trent walks me to a chair and grabs a glass of water for me. I drink it down and finally compose myself enough to talk.
“What happened?” I ask as Ranger and Decker walk over with Drake and I stand up to meet them.
“Ranger reported some poachers, and I was back down at the barn with Tyler. We rode up there together and found their truck, but we couldn’t find them anywhere. It was dusk and Tyler told us to leave, but we saw them at the last second. I—” He covers his face and starts to cry.
“It wasn’t your fault, son,” Drake says.
“I didn’t listen to him. I rode toward them and that’s when we heard the shot.” He can’t keep his composure. Drake grabs him by the back of the neck and pulls him to his chest. His body shakes as he cries.
Ranger and Decker walk me over to the chairs again.
“It wasn’t his fault. He’s blaming himself, but that shot would’ve been worse if Tyler hadn’t moved to chase after him.”
Even hearing the story from Trent, I don’t blame him. I don’t know the full story and I don’t even have to. I know that Trent would never intentionally put Tyler’s life at risk.
Celeste finally arrives, her face white as a ghost as Drake explains everything to her. She, Trent, and Drake hold each other for a moment before she walks over to me. We all sit together in silence, waiting on pins and needles for the doctor to come out and give us an update. All we know is that they took him into surgery immediately upon arrival.
Finally, a tall, thin man walks out. “I’m Dr. Jarmel Fink. We successfully removed the bullet that was lodged in Tyler’s upper chest and shoulder area. Somehow, it barely missed any major arteries. He’s stable now and resting, and we expect him to make a full recovery. You guys acted fast and it saved his life.”
“Thanks, Doc.” Drake shakes the man’s hand.
“Any idea how long until we can see him?” I ask.
“Not tonight. I’d say come back in the morning.”
Drake steps forward and places his hand on the doctor’s shoulder. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did to save my boy tonight, but that’s his soon-to-be wife, and she’s going to stay with him tonight. I’m sorry if this is against protocol, but we Slades aren’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
The doctor nods. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Drake Slade use his family name to lay down the law and even break the rules.
“Okay, sir, let me see what I can do.”
I step away to give my parents a call. They’re both shocked and I tell them that while we don’t have answers on who did this, I’m sure they’ll find out.
“Sweetie, you need to fly home right now. You’re not safe.”
