Lila
Icouldn’t think, and I couldn’t breathe. From the moment I’d answered the call, dread had enshrouded me.
Gus had called in the early afternoon. Said there had been an accident.
Owen had been hurt and taken by helicopter to the hospital.
Fuck. Fuck.
Adrenaline had taken over, causing my body to shake and my teeth to chatter.
Somehow, I made it to the hospital in Bangor.
I’d walked right through reception and straight into the ICU. An angry receptionist snapped at me when I ran to the desk.
“I’m here for Owen Hebert,” I said, already breathless and panicked.
“You family?”
I hesitated. No, technically I was not. But I needed to see him. I needed to make sure he was okay. My heart was ready to explode in my chest. So I just took off without responding, studying the names written on whiteboards outside of each door.
“Excuse me,” she shouted as she followed me. “This is a closed ward. Come back here.”
I broke into a jog. Fuck the rules. Fuck being polite. I was going to find him, dammit.
“Miss,” she yelled again. “I’ll have to call security.”
Ignoring her, I turned down another hallway—how big was this damn hospital?—and ran smack dab into a set of double doors. I wrenched one open and ran inside, immediately skidding to a stop.
I was in a tranquil waiting room.
With the entire Hebert family. And every one of them was staring at me.
The nasty nurse followed. “Miss, you need to leave. You’re disrupting the patients.”
Gus stepped forward. “What’s the problem?”
“This woman isn’t family, and she’s running around the ICU like a lunatic. Nancy at the front desk already called security,” she hissed, out of breath.
I turned and narrowed my eyes at this person. She seemed to think she could keep me away from Owen, but the joke was on her. Security would have to tase me to get me out, and then I’d climb in a window if I had to.
I put my hands on my hips. “I’m his—”
“Assistant,” Gus interrupted.
Slowly, I turned to face him. “You,” I said, shoving his chest hard. “You were supposed to protect him. Keep him safe!”
“Who is this woman?” the nurse shouted. The door opened, and a kindly looking security guard walked in.
“I’m Lila,” I said, looking around the room.
Debbie was knitting, her hands trembling as she watched my display.
Jude sat next to her, his head in his hands.
Finn was standing, rubbing Adele’s shoulders.
She was reclined in a chair, her hands on her round belly.
In a corner, Cole was slumped over his phone, looking up at me through his hair.
My stomach twisted. I hadn’t thought this through.
“I’m Owen’s Lila,” I said, trying to sound authoritative. “I’m his. And he’s mine. And I don’t care what the hospital policy is. I’m not leaving until I see him.” I crossed my arms and glared at the security guard, who didn’t seem like he wanted anything to do with this display of crazy.
Hello, awkward. Everyone was staring at me in confusion. So I tilted my chin up and scanned the room. “Owen and I are together.”
Adele’s eyes widened, and Jude’s head snapped up.
Debbie looked confused. “But…?”
“I’m in love with him,” I blurted out, too exhausted to be more eloquent than that. “We’ve only been together for a few weeks, but I love him. Gus called me, and I panicked because, if anything happened to him—” My throat closed up, and I burst into tears.
What a way to make an impression on my boyfriend’s family.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Debbie hopped up and pulled me close. “That’s wonderful. And he’s going to be alright.” She patted my back, soothing me as sobs racked me.
She looked at the security guard and Nurse Asshole. “Leave us. She’s family,” she barked.
With quick nods and contrite expressions, they made a beeline for the door.
For such a sweet lady, Debbie was not to be messed with.
She cupped my face in her hands. “I know it’s scary. Loving someone is the most terrifying thing in the world.”
I should be the one consoling her. This woman’s son had been in an accident, yet here she was, whispering reassurances and comforting me. My mind spun and panic continued to course through my veins. My hands shook as I tried to make sense of everything.
Jude stood and took off his glasses. His eyes were red rimmed and his breathing was choppy. “It was my fault,” he said. “I fucked up.”
“You did not,” Gus growled. “It was a machinery failure. Not operator error.”
Finn padded over and put his arm around Jude in silent support.
“In fact,” Gus continued, “you probably saved his life. If you hadn’t gotten control, it would have hit him so much harder.”
Debbie gasped and cupped a hand over her mouth, her eyes welling with tears.
Jude hung his head and shook it. “Still my fault.”
“Accidents happen,” Gus argued. “You and I know it. And we were going fast, which was my fault.”
My chest heaved as I willed coherent words to form on my tongue. “What happened?”
Gus put a hand on my shoulder. “He’s gonna be okay. He’s just banged up pretty good.”
I pushed his hand away, still shaking. “Start talking. Now.”
“He was on the loading platform, and the hydraulics on the knuckleboom loader failed.”
“None of those words make any sense to me.” I rubbed at my head and closed my eyes.
Jude sighed. “The tree slipped, and the boom swung, knocking him off the platform.”
Jesus. My stomach lurched. “You hit him with a tree?” I punched his shoulder so hard a sharp pain shot up my arm.
“It was an accident,” Gus said, stepping between Jude and me. He bowed his head. “Trust me, no one feels worse about this than me. I am the captain of this ship, Lila, and my brother could have been killed.”
Though it hurt to breathe, I forced in a shallow breath and let it back out. “How bad is it?”
“Broken collarbone and dislocated shoulder. Concussion and some cuts and bruises. Could have been so much worse. He was knocked out cold, and we were worried about a potential spinal injury, so we radioed for MediVac.”
I nodded, mentally assuring myself that he would be okay. My brain comprehended, but my racing heart did not. I put my face in my hands, only beginning to see how scary this must have been for Gus.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “It must have been terrifying for you. I just didn’t have enough information, and I panicked. I care about him so much.”
Gus put an arm around me, his warmth comforting. “It’s okay. I get it. And I’m glad he has you.”
Taking a small step to the side, I peered in the nearest door, desperate to lay eyes on Owen.
“We can’t see him yet. He’s sleeping. His body is in shock, but he’s stable. Here,” he said, “have a seat and wait with us.”
I nodded, feeling the adrenaline start to subside. Suddenly, my body felt exhausted. I took a seat next to Debbie and tried to keep myself from spiraling further. He’d be okay. Minor injuries. I kept repeating those phrases in my head like a mantra, praying we could see him soon.
We were silent, the hours having blurred together, when Adele heaved herself out of the chair with a grunt.
I assumed she was headed to the restroom for the tenth time, but halfway across the room, she froze and doubled over.
“Fuck,” she ground out.
In an instant, Finn was at her side.
“What the fucking fuck?” she yelled, standing straight again but looking down at her legs.
Her gray leggings were wet.
“Holy fucking shit, Stretch. I think my water just broke.”
Finn’s face morphed from concern to exhilaration. “Fuck yeah!” He pumped his fist. “It’s baby time.”
Adele hit his chest and moaned again. “You and I both know we have hours. Don’t get too excited.”
His eyes were dancing as he kissed the top of her head, like he was totally delighted by the way she was yelling at him in the hospital waiting room.
She clutched her belly and leaned against him. “Can we please go to the maternity ward?”
Gus, who I hadn’t noticed leave the room, appeared in the doorway with a wheelchair. “Got you a ride.”
Finn helped Adele into the wheelchair, but rather than rushing out of the room, he pulled his phone out, crouched behind her, and snapped a couple of selfies.
“Push me upstairs so I can get your massive baby out of me, please!”
“Got it, She-Ra.” He spun her wheelchair, and as he pushed her out into the hall, he turned back to us and grinned. “You know where to find us. Just follow the sounds of Adele threatening my life.”