Chapter 19
ELIJAH
“What the hell is up with you, man?” Kane asks when the inspector walks away to look at something.
I cross my arms over my chest. “Nothing. I’m just ready to get home.”
He kicks his foot in the gravel. “I guess things are going well with my sister?”
I shake my head and purse my lips. “No, I wouldn’t quite say that.”
He tenses, and protective brother mode kicks in. “What do you mean?”
I blow out a breath and shake my head. “She’s holding back, and I don’t know what that means. Maybe she really does just want a fling. Maybe I’m the only one all in.”
His forehead creases. “That doesn’t sound like my sister.”
I nod. “I know, but she’s scared, and she has the baby to think about. I think I fucked up.”
Kane stares at me. “What did you do?”
I shove my hands into my pockets. “I left her a bouquet of roses with a letter…”
“A letter?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“What did it say?”
I stretch my arms out to the side. The safety vest feels binding. “I told her I love her.”
Kane’s mouth drops. “You left her a note telling her you love her for the first time?”
Now hearing him say it like that, I know I probably fucked up. “She’s been so guarded this week, and I wasn’t sure if she was ready or if I’m what she wants at this point. I needed her to know how I felt. I needed her to know that I want a future with her.”
Kane gives a low whistle and then shoves me. “Shut the fuck up. Are you talking about marriage and shit?”
I pull my hands from my pockets and yank the safety helmet from my head. “What the fuck, Kane? Have you even been listening to me? Yes, I love Sassy. Yes, I want to marry her. Yes—”
A loud snap cuts me off.
It’s sharp and loud, and it changes the whole environment.
I turn just in time to see it. Two huge steel pipes start to roll off the trailer.
Someone yells. Kane’s eyes widen. There’s hardly any time to react. I wrap my arms around Kane and use every ounce of my strength to push him to the side. The sound of the pipes falling and rolling is loud, and they barely miss us.
Pain explodes in my head.
Everything is a blur for me.
I can hear Kane screaming at the inspector, calling him names.
Then Kane is standing over me. I know he’s talking to me, but it sounds like he’s saying it in a whisper. His face is blurry, but I see the fear in his eyes.
I try to get up, but I instantly get nauseous and lean back.
“Stay right here. Don’t move.”
I lean my head back and close my eyes. I hear him talking frantically into the phone.
“I need an ambulance at the new hospital site. 2245 Caring Way. Please hurry.”
He pauses and then impatiently answers, “Yes, yes. One person hurt. Shit, I don’t know. Probably a head injury.”
I’ve never heard Kane scared like this before, so I just sit here and try to settle my breathing.
Kane tells the inspector to get the fuck away, and if I wasn’t in so much pain, I’d laugh.
Kane doesn’t mess around. He comes and squats next to me, and I lift my hands and hold on to his shirt. “Kane… brother, take care of Sam, okay?”
His jaw tightens. “What the fuck are you spouting? You’re going to take care of her. You’re going to be fine.”
I shake my head. “This is going to upset her. It’s not good for the baby.” My chest tightens. “Tell her I love her.”
Sirens are wailing in the distance. They get louder and louder, intensifying the pain in my head.
My vision darkens. My last thought is of Sassy, my Sassy.
Her stubbornness, her smile, the way she looks at me when she doesn’t think I’m noticing.
This is going to hurt her. And then everything goes black.