53. Grady
GRADY
Teah’s in the hospital.
It’s bad.
Bella was crying on the phone. She hadn’t made it to the hospital yet, but she needed me to know.
And I have to be there for her.
She may not be my woman anymore, but the idea of Teah dying kinda kills me.
She better be okay.
I have to find out what happened.
Car accident.
Was she driving?
Or was it Mac?
Fuck, if he injured her, I will end that fucker!
Anger overrides the worry coursing through me, and by the time Blake pulls into the hospital parking lot, my muscles are vibrating.
She didn’t say anything on the way over, and I’m grateful.
I can’t talk anyway. The only sound in the car was the Maps instructions.
The man’s voice directed us to the hospital the quickest way possible.
Blake sped the entire way there. She wasn’t reckless, just fast and efficient, and the second she cuts the engine, I’m out the door.
Racing into the emergency room, I head for the desk and am about to ask where Teah is when someone calls my name.
“Grady, over here.”
I spin and find Teah’s father beckoning me over.
“Hey.” Walking around the chairs, I join him by the vending machine. He looks pale and gaunt, the look in his eyes freaking me out.
“Is she okay?”
“She’s gonna make it, but she’s pretty banged up.” He blinks, his eyes glassing over. “Broken arm, cracked ribs, stitches from the glass. Concussion.”
My insides spasm as I picture the impact that must have caused such trauma. “Any internal injuries?”
“They don’t think so, but they’re monitoring her. She’ll be in here for a few days.” His eyes flick past me, his brow wrinkling with confusion when I feel Blake’s hand slip into mine.
I glance down, giving her fingers a light squeeze. What am I supposed to say right now? Introduce her to my ex’s father?
“Hi. I’m Blake.” She gives him a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry this is happening.”
“Me too,” the man mutters, not bothering to introduce himself before leading the way down a series of corridors.
Blake is tense beside me, and now I feel rude for not making proper introductions, but I doubt this man even cares who she is when his daughter is stuck in a hospital with multiple injuries.
We turn left and I spot Teah’s mother, who’s crying into her hands and shouting, “He needs to get out! I want him out!”
“Natalie?” Mr. Rogers rushes forward. “What’s going on?”
“He’s in there!” She points to a hospital room door. “And he’s refusing to leave! I couldn’t stand the sight of him, so I had to wait out here, but you have to make him go, Colin! He needs to go!”
“Who?” I ask, releasing Blake’s hand and darting to the door so I can see what’s going on.
Peering through the glass, I spot Mac leaning over Teah’s body.
He has a banged-up face and a bandaged hand.
But the worst part is… the look on his face.
He’s staring down at her with an expression of pure guilt.
She’s out of it, completely unaware of his presence, and seeing her so pale, bruises mottling her freckled skin… it makes something inside me snap.
“Was he driving the car?” I growl, glancing at her parents and knowing the answer before they can respond.
I knew he was no good for her!
Pushing the door open, I rush into the room and grab him by the back of the collar.
“You fucker,” I whisper-bark, yanking him away from the bed.
“Get your hands off me,” he snarls, going for a punch.
I block it, flicking his arm away and noticing the wince of pain. He’s injured, no doubt beat up by the car accident. But he’s not lying in a hospital with broken bones, is he?
Not letting go of his collar, I respect Mr. and Mrs. Rogers’s wishes and haul him out of the room.
“Get off me!” he shouts, but I won’t let up.
As soon as we’re free of Teah’s room, her mother rushes back in there as I shove Mac against the wall.
“You’re supposed to look after her!” I push him back when he tries to move.
“It wasn’t my fault! It was a fucking accident! You think I want to see her this way?” He wrestles against me, fisting my sweater and tussling with me in the hall.
He’s taller than me, but I’m fucking stronger, and I have him pinned on the floor in a second.
“You stay away from her,” I warn him. “You’re no fucking good for her!”
“I know!” he shouts back, his expression crumpling like this is pure torture. “I thought she was dead.” His whispered words are broken, his eyes glassing like he’s reliving the horror show all over again. “I thought she was dead.”
“Grady.” A soft hand lands on my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. “Let him go.”
Glancing up, I notice Blake. She’s staring down at Mac like she can feel his pain.
I want to snap at her to not give him any sympathy. He doesn’t deserve it. I know about this guy. He’s wild and reckless. He would have been speeding. He put Teah in danger!
“I want him out of here,” Mr. Rogers barks. He’s talking to someone down the hallway, and the scuffling of feet tells me it’s security. “Get him out of my sight. ”
“I’m not leaving her,” Mac growls from the floor, and I tighten my grip on him.
“Get your fucking hands off me.” His blue eyes burn with intensity, his thin lips forming a scowl.
I glare at the piercing in his bottom lip, then take in the black bruising around his eyes.
He must have broken his nose. There’s still blood on his shirt.
Fuck. I can hear the screeching of tires and crunching of metal.
I want to know exactly what happened.
But I also don’t.
Because picturing Teah’s body being slammed and crunched that way, her neck snapping back as her bones cracked and broke… Shit. How much pain was she in?
“We’ve got him.” A security guard taps me on the shoulder.
“I’m not leaving her,” Mac tries again. “Don’t touch me.” He wrestles against the guards, and it takes two of them to drag him down the corridor, his shouts echoing off the walls. “I’m not leaving her! She needs me! She needs me!”