Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
“Are you ready to talk about it?” Hawk asked as she looked out the window. His hands hadn’t stopped touching her since he ended the phone call with Mae.
It all happened so fast. One minute she was screaming into her phone for help, and then Hayes was hauling her up into his arms. Colt grabbed her and pulled her outside, sitting with her until the paramedics showed up.
It could have been ten seconds or ten hours.
Time felt like it was slipping away through sludge.
Her brothers were right there with Lach.
Hayes running the team to try and lift the vehicle off his leg.
Colt guarding the scene. She saw the tears in her oldest brother’s eyes, and she barely stayed standing.
Jessie had no experience with emergencies.
That was all her brothers’. Even on the ranch, when something bad happened growing up, her brothers would swoop in and take care of everything.
And then Hawk was there. Holding her up when she felt like the world was crashing down all around her.
It took more willpower than she’d ever admit to turn and look at him.
Because even as they drove down the highway just ten minutes outside of Dallas, her mind wasn’t really in the truck.
It was back in the shop. Back when the feeling of rough hands wrapped around her arms, pushing her back against the wall.
“Jess?” His voice was gentle as his hand moved from her thigh up to her belly. The man was a furnace, the heat of his touch sinking deep beneath her skin.
“Not yet,” she whispered. God, the way her stomach was churning.
Jessie hadn’t felt that nauseous in weeks.
In fact, she’d even lowered the settings on her bracelet recently, thinking it was winding down with the end of her pregnancy.
Whether it was the motion of the car jostling her around, or the emotion of everything slamming into her all at once, she knew she needed to crank up the settings and say a prayer, because her stomach was about to turn inside out.
Hawk’s eyes left the road for one second and she felt them land right on her as she tapped the intensity up on her anti-nausea band.
“You’re feeling sick?” he asked, his voice dripping with concern.
Jessie clamped her mouth shut, her eyes closing as she leaned her head back against the seat.
The only answer she could get out was a moan.
“Shit. I still have some bags in the glove compartment. There should be alcohol wipes in there too.”
She wanted to move, to be helpful in some way. But her stomach was screaming at her. Hawk’s hand left her leg and she heard the compartment in front of her seat drop open, rustling noises filling the air while he cursed under his breath.
“Here, Pretty Girl. Just breathe through your nose and try to relax. Everything’s gonna be just fine.”
She took the bag and the small packet from him, her mouth filling with saliva as she ripped open the alcohol pad. Bringing it to her nose, she inhaled, beyond thankful that the incredible man by her side had researched every possible remedy for nausea back in her first trimester.
She heard the top of a soda can get popped open, Mae’s hand holding out a ginger ale from the back seat to her.
“That’s a cool trick with the alcohol pad. I’ll have to remember that,” Mae’s voice filled the silent space of the truck’s cab.
“It smells so gross, I’m not sure how it works, but it does.” Jessie tried to laugh, but the most pathetic groan filled the air.
“Would it help to recline your seat back?” Stone asked. “I’ve got plenty of room back here.”
“I’m okay.” Her hand reached over to Hawk’s arm as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “Can you turn up the airflow just a bit?”
Hawk didn’t reply, but she instantly felt a rush of cool air on her face. Jessie pulled her hand back, but Hawk’s fingers wrapped around her and she felt him bring her hand up, before he pressed a kiss against her skin.
“Is that helping?” Hawk asked.
“Yes. I just think…” She swallowed as Bee kicked against her rib. “I’m just going to keep my eyes closed until we get there.”
“Adrenaline crash,” Stone muttered, and she was sure he wasn’t talking to her. God, there was something so comforting about Hawk not only getting her to the hospital so she could be with her family, but making sure Stone was there, in case something happened along the way.
Hawk’s hand was pressing firmly into Jessie’s back as they walked out of the maternity wing after a few hours of being monitored.
Aside from some contractions and an episode of vomiting when they first arrived, Jessie and the baby were okay.
The nurses had asked if she wanted a wheelchair.
He’d practically begged her, but of course, his stubborn girlfriend had declined.
“Please let me take you home,” he begged as the automatic doors closed behind them. “One of your brothers will update us.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Can you imagine if my parents got bad news?” She cleared her throat and he knew she was taking a second to push back tears. “I have to be here for them.”
“The second we hear how he’s doing, promise me you’ll let me take you home. Because I have to look after my family, too. And that doctor just told you we need to make sure you are taking it easy.”
“Sitting in a hospital chair isn’t exactly running a marathon—”
“Jess!” Dolly stood from a chair in a small waiting area.
“Mom?”
She walked to Jessie and gave her a big hug. “Oh, thank goodness, Jessica! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I promise.”
“And this little one? She’s not about to make an early entrance?” Dolly’s hand patted Jessie’s belly.
“Not if I can help it. We’re both good to go for now.”
“I’m trying to get Jess to agree to go home,” Hawk grumbled, knowing he was probably just a second from getting a sharp elbow in his side from Jessie. “But she is refusing.”
Dolly let go of Jess and wrapped her arms around Hawk. “You’re such a good man, Hawk. And he’s right, sugar, you absolutely are going to get yourself back home. Right now.”
“I need to wait, Mom. If I’m not here and he—”
“Your brother is going to be fine, Jessie. We got an update a little bit ago. The orthopedic surgeon said the breaks in his leg are severe, but he thinks they can save it. There is a concern with blood flow, but he was able to give us a fast update before heading into surgery. It’s going to be a long night, there’s no sense in you being here. I’ll make Colt keep you in the loop.”
“Mom…”
“You know everything I do. Now you can get yourself and my grand-baby home. Today is not the right day for her to enter the world.”
Jessie’s face tipped up towards his. “Okay, let’s go home.”
Hawk nodded, his heart doing this weird flip flop in his chest at knowing Jessie’s brother was going to be okay, and he’d be able to get her home to rest.
“I just need to find my sister, and Stone.”
“They’re all in the waiting room with us, honey. I’ll show you the way.”
Jessie walked behind her mother into the waiting room, but it wasn’t just Mae and Stone in there with her family. Stone was standing with Gunner and Gage. The seats closest to them were occupied by Lily, Mae, and Sloane.
Before she could get to them, her brothers swarmed. Colt pulled her into a protective embrace.
“You’re okay?”
“We’re okay.” She squeezed her arms around him.
“We need to talk. Not today. Not right now. But probably once you’ve had some sleep.”
Jessie nodded. “You need to know… one of the guys… he has a tattoo. I should have told you earlier, but I wasn’t thinking.”
“Where?”
“Right arm.” She pointed down to hers. “A dragon from his wrist to his elbow. I don’t think he meant for me to see it, but I did.”
Colt nodded. “I’ll call it in.” He bent to kiss the top of her head. “Go home. Take care of my niece.”
“Not before I get to hug her.” Hayes stepped up, his face completely void of color.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. Lach said… When we were trying to get him out of there…
The thought of something happening to you…
” Her brother, the tough firefighter who never strayed an inch from his steady temperament, wiped at the tears that were falling down his face.
“Hayes.” Jessie buried her face in her brother’s shoulder and shook her head.
“I’m sorry, Jess. For everything. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but fuck.
This just puts everything into perspective.
Hawk and I buried our shit a while ago—” They had?
She wasn’t aware Hawk had talked to Hayes since their disastrous family dinner.
“But I want all this shit to be done between us. I know I was in the wrong. There’s no excuse for it. And I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too. For letting everyone down—”
“No,” Beau barked. “You didn’t let anyone down, Jess. I fucked up saying that to you. You’ve been holding on to way too much for way too long. The baby, you having Hawk, it’s a good thing. An amazing thing.”
Beau pulled her away from Hayes, and she buried her face in her brother’s shoulder. At the rate she was crying, Jessie was going to need another IV before they left for the night.
“Quit hogging her, Beau. Let her go tell everyone she’s okay so she can go home and rest,” Dolly ordered.
“Okay, Ma.” Beau smiled as Jessie stepped away. “I’m sorry, kid. For everything.”
“I forgive you.” Jessie smiled and laid her hand over her bump where Bee felt like she was doing barrel rolls. “I think your niece is happy you came to your senses. It feels like she’s line dancing in there.”
Hayes and Beau stepped to the side, and she made her way over to her friends.
“What are you guys all doing here?”
“You’re family,” Gunner said as he crossed his arms. “Where else would we be?”
“But I’m okay. It’s just my brother—”
“First, we didn’t know that you were okay, so of course we’re going to be here.” Sloane stood and wrapped her arms around Jessie.
“But also, your extended family is our extended family, too. We don’t make up the rules, that’s just how it works.
” Lily smiled as she jumped up from her seat.
“Come on. Pregnant mamas who just got discharged from the hospital get the fluffiest arm chairs the hospital has to offer, until they stop being stubborn and are ready to head home.”
“Thanks,” Jessie groaned as she lowered herself down to the seat. “I’m not being stubborn, though. Hawk’s taking me home. He just wanted to stop in here first to see Mae and Stone.”
Jessie closed her eyes and forced herself to take a slow breath. Her hand rested on Bee, who clearly was enjoying the low murmur of the voices around her, an elbow, or a knee, landing sharply against Jessie’s tight skin.
A hand landed on her arm. “Lacy and Nash wanted to be here, but someone had to stay back with the kids. They’re sending their love, and we’ve been sending updates in the group chat.”
“I don’t have my phone.” She’d left it on the floor of the garage. “I might have to get a new one. One of the guys who was there… he touched my phone.”
“Trying to take it from you?” Sloane whispered.
“No.” Jessie shook her head. “He went into the office and got it for me. He dialed 9-1-1.”
“How is she?” Gunner asked as the guys all sat around Hawk.
He didn’t fucking want to leave her side, but being a row away in a bunch of chairs stuffed into a waiting room, with the girls sat all around her in a protective circle, Hawk realized that might be the only chance to get information from the team.
“As okay as she can be. We thought she might be having some contractions, but it seems like it was just a bad batch of Braxton Hicks.”
“Brutal,” Stone groaned.
“Walk us through what happened,” Gunner urged.
“I don’t have much info. Was hoping you got access to the server, Track.”
“Yeah.” Gage looked up at Colt who was on the phone at the other end of the waiting room.
“Colt wasn’t too keen on giving us access, so I worked my way around a few firewalls.
They don’t have anything yet. Just a lot of initial responses in the logs.
I’ll keep an eye out over the next few days, see if there’s any suspects that pop up. ”
“She mentioned something to Colt just now.” Hawk looked at Gage. “One of the guys has a dragon tattoo on his right forearm. He also went into the office after the car fell and brought Jessie her phone.”
“What the fuck?” Stone grumbled.
“Damn.” Gunner stood, his hand running over his jaw.
“What?” Hawk asked.
“It’s either someone who all of a sudden had a change of conscience…”
“Or?”
Gunner shook his head. “Or, it’s someone they know.”