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“Fuck, Ma! I’m coming in. If you don’t answer, you’re about to scar me for life,” I shout, twisting the knob, and my heart drops way into my ass at the sight before me. “Ma!” I gasp, dropping to my knees.
Blood drips from the gash on her forehead, pooling on the ground and matting in her hair. Sprawled out completely naked on her back, she’s unresponsive, not flinching when I shake her. Yelling out to her again in broken sobs, I try to rouse her, but she doesn’t stir. Her broken leg is wrapped in plastic, sticking over the side of the tub where the water rains down. Shaking her again, I get the same response. Nothing.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I curse, covering her naked body with a towel, and shutting off the water. What the hell do I do? How do I? “Fuck,” I growl, my hands shaking, looking down at her pale body. What the hell do I do? What the hell? Hospital? Ambulance? Chaotic thoughts take over my brain, spinning like a damn tornado. “Shit. I need Korrine,” I gasp out in desperation.
She’s a former nurse, only quitting to raise her family many years ago. My hands tremble more when I run them through my hair and get to my feet, but not before checking her pulse. It’s strong and beating against my fingers. So, I know she’s okay there. Just injured. Severely. And—I pale at the blood sticking to her skin. My stomach churns, threatening to send up the contents of my stomach.
My heavy heartbeat pounds against my chest, and oxygen refuses to enter my lungs. A tight rubber band constricts around my chest, hellbent on suffocating me before I can get the help my mom needs.
I run out of the bathroom in a haze, gasping for breath and throwing open the front door. I only stop when Kieran, Callum, Asher, and Rad stand before me with my phone dangling in the air and confusion etching across their faces.
“What’s going on?” Kieran asks, stepping protectively up to me and grabbing my shoulders firmly.
For whatever reason, I slump into him like he’s the best protector I’ve ever had and will shield me from the dangers surrounding us. Maybe it’s the familiarity he offers and seeing him shoves my panic to the deepest pit. His scent overtakes my senses, confusing every bit of me, but also calms the raging inferno inside me.
Sincerity and concern bleed through his gaze when he stares me up and down, checking for wounds. For some odd reason, I think he cares for me and maybe my well-being. Quickly, I wipe my tears away, refusing to show them my weaknesses.
“Help,” I murmur through a gasp, staring at him with pleading eyes. “I need your help.” My heart beats out of control when their faces fall into determined looks. Each of them steps up, awaiting my words. Even Asher looks around, evaluating the apartment from the outside and searching for the culprit of my panic.
“What is it?” Kieran pushes past me, waltzing into my apartment.
Callum ushers me in with his arm tightly wrapping around my shoulders and pulls me into the side of his body. His warmth spreads through me when they all stand in my messy apartment. Someone shuts the front door, cutting off the outside world.
“Pretty Girl,” Rad whispers, standing before me, and cups my jaw. “Tell us what’s going on, okay?” I shiver under his touch, my body trembling more.
Kieran looks around, snarling when he doesn’t see the threat sending me into shock, and jerks his gaze toward me. Eyeing me up and down, he repeatedly looks me over like blood should be pouring from every orifice.
My teeth chatter together, filling the room with their constant noise. Static takes over my brain, and my thoughts work through a thick sludge, slowing it down until I can’t form words. Shit. Think. Fucking think! I’m a fucking manager, for Christ’s sake. I should be able to figure out disasters without falling on my ass. No matter how often I chant that in my head, I’m stuck in a phantom mud.
Asher snarls, throwing Rad out of the way and standing before me, taking my jaw forcefully in his grip, clamping down on me. Pain spears through my jaw and onto my cheeks, forcing my eyes to his angry stare.
“River West, tell us what’s going on!” His demand lands like a whip against my ass, kicking the panic out of my brain long enough for clarity to take over.
“My mom!” I force out through my chattering teeth. Asher’s brows raise into his hairline when I snatch his hand from my jaw and lead him toward the bathroom. “My mom, my mom, has MS; she fell!” I gasp, standing in front of the bathroom door, unable to get oxygen into my lungs.
“Shit,” Rad hisses as footsteps pound behind us.
“River Blue,” Kieran says, turning me to face him and cupping my cheeks. “We’ll help, okay? What do you need us to do?” His mismatched eyes examine my face, and my mind goes fucking blank.
B-l-a-n-k! The fuck! I’m supposed to know what I’m doing. But I’m frozen by the sight of my mom’s fucking blood on the ground and in her hairline. She’s motionless, barely breathing on the bathroom floor. And who knows for how long? Is she still alive?
“I need to get her back in her chair…. God, I can’t call an ambulance; that would cost too much money. We can’t afford that. I...” Tears burn the back of my eyes, and I’m not too proud to admit fear is coursing through me mixed with indecision. Do this? Do that? The fuck do I do first.
“River, why don’t you get your mom some clothes?” Asher demands in a calm voice, leaning over my mom’s still body. He checks her forehead, finds gauze under the sink, and puts it on her bleeding wound. “You might have to take her to the ER, just in case. This gash is pretty bad.” Asher gives me a pointed stare. “Now is not the time to defy me, River. Go get your mother some clothes.” Again, he demands, and it snaps like a rubber band against me, immediately sending me into action. If there’s one person to tamp my panic with demands and get me moving, it seems to be Asher. I swallow hard and nod at his words. “Good girl,” he says, praising me when I take a step back, following his directions.
If the situation weren’t so dire, I’d slap him across the head for his praise. And I’d definitely never admit to him that his words do something odd to me, sending goosebumps down my skin and lightness taking me over.
Turning toward her tiny bedroom, I gather some fresh underwear, shorts, and a fresh shirt. Once they’re bundled into my arms, I step into the bathroom, sliding my mom’s panties up her legs and shorts on as the guys turn around for privacy.
In the back of my mind, I know the emergency room will cost an arm and a leg. We just have to convince our state insurance to cover the bill. But whatever we can do to save her fucking life.
Rad quietly calls 911 for me, explaining the situation to the dispatcher calmly and precisely. I swallow hard when I put my mom’s shirt on, careful of her head injury, sliding her arms through the sleeves and pulling it over her stomach. She still doesn’t stir when I’m done, and tears leak from my eyes. She looks dead, barely breathing, and has a giant gash on her fucking forehead.
Callum pulls me into his chest again, letting his shirt soak up my stupid tears. He whispers soft words of confirmation in my ear, reassuring me she’ll be okay. With every word he speaks, my panic slowly drains out, and I slump into him. I wrap my arms around his body, soaking up his warmth and the safety he offers me when the world around me is so chaotic.
Thank God they came back to…well, why did they come back? My brows furrow as my thoughts slowly come back to me at a rapid pace. If they hadn’t been at the door while I threw it open, I would have been lost. Sure, Korrine would have jumped at my pleas for help and come over, but I hate to rely on her so much. She’s already done so much.
“Hey, Pretty Girl, they’re on their way, okay?” I swallow hard when Rad wraps himself around my back, sandwiching me between them. “Everything will be okay. I promise,” he whispers, gently kissing the side of my head.
