Chapter 10
Cole
Today was a fine day… except for the worst case of blue balls I’d had since I was a teenager.
The cold shower I took didn’t fix things, but my right hand did.
I came to my apartment after leaving hers, working from home for a few hours.
Since I was meeting Skye and Tess in Soho, it didn’t make sense to go into the office.
I made calls for the Centenarian submission, then checked on permits of an older project, which had hit a roadblock.
As chief of operations, I liked to get my hands dirty with every project.
Hunter preferred to handle strategic decisions, only keeping an eye on the financial key performance indicators, but that wasn’t for me.
I loved being in the thick of things, always had.
I was a problem solver and thrived on finding solutions—especially in issues others deemed too difficult or complex.
In between calls and emails, my mind circled back to Laney.
I couldn’t shake off thoughts of her even if I wanted to, and I didn’t; quite the opposite.
Laney was funny and easygoing, but there were moments when a sadness passed in her eyes.
I wanted to find out what that was about, help if I could…
or just erase that sadness completely. I could ask Isabelle, but I preferred to talk to Laney about it.
I already knew some of the things she enjoyed, and I was going to be very thorough in exploring her to find out more.
I chuckled at myself. Ryker would give me so much shit about this.
I willingly admitted that I’d been shocked when Hunter and then my brother broke out of the bachelor pack and settled down.
I’d never felt the urge to even get to know a woman too well.
But now, it was like an inner driving force that I couldn’t stop.
Laney was cautious and kept her cards close.
I couldn’t tell if it was because she didn’t want to open up in general, or just with me. I was determined to find out.
After making a few calls, I opened up the 3D rendering of a project we’d just completed. I’d noticed some discrepancies that I wanted our team to fix.
I was writing notes to the team when Tess called.
I was meeting her and Skye in two hours, so maybe they needed something.
I answered right away. I had a golden rule: never ignore a call from the family.
Typically no one called without reason during work hours.
Pointless calls to give each other shit were acceptable in the Winchester family, but we had the good sense to only do it in our spare time.
“Morning, sis.”
“Cole.”
I went from relaxed to tense in a fraction of a second. Her voice was strained.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m with Skye… and she’s not feeling well.”
I stopped dead in my tracks, as if someone had sucker punched me in the stomach.
“Is… is the baby coming?”
Please say no.
Please.
She was due in May, so that would mean he’d be born two months too early. I had zero medical knowledge, but even I knew that was bad.
“I don’t know. She fainted, and now she’s lying down, still very drowsy. She’s covered in cold sweat. We’ve already called an ambulance. We’re waiting. Just wanted to let you know.”
“Where are you taking her?”
“The Liberty, but I remembered that her ob-gyn is actually on vacation, so she can’t help. I’ve called Rob too. He’s meeting us there.”
Tess’s voice was trembling. I forced myself to take a deep breath and sound calm. I didn’t want to make Tess worry even more.
“You know what? I’ll call Laney. She’s a doctor there. She’ll know what to do.”
“Laney? Oh, yeah. Isabelle’s Laney. Yes, please.”
“I’ll call you after I talk to her.” I just hoped she had her phone with her. Laney didn’t answer the first time, but I dialed her number again, and this time, she answered on the first ring.
“Cole—” she started, but I interrupted her right away, needing to explain as fast as possible.
“Skye fainted this morning. Tess is with her. Says that she’s sweaty but has no fever. They’ve already called an ambulance. They’re bringing her to the Liberty, but her doctor is on vacation.”
“The ambulance will have paramedics, and we have other ob-gyns here. Send me your sister’s number, and I’ll stay on the phone with them.”
“Do you think the baby is coming early?” I asked.
“No, I think we can rule that out.”
Fuck, her voice sounded like whatever was happening wasn’t any better.
“Okay. I’m sending you my sister’s number, and I’ll meet them at the hospital.”
“You’re coming too?” she asked in surprise.
“Hell, yes.”
“Head straight to the ER waiting room and tell the staff that you are related to Skye.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
My voice was shaky now, and I wasn’t trying to hide it, like I’d done with Tess.
“It’s going to be okay, Cole. We’re going to take care of Skye and Jonas.”
It tugged at me that she remembered his name. But it also made the danger more real in a way I couldn’t explain.
I got an Uber to the hospital, messaging my assistant to tell her I wasn’t going to be in the office today at all.
I couldn’t remember if I had any meetings.
In fact, I honestly couldn’t focus on anything.
Usually I was good at defusing tensions, but right now, I just needed to know they were going to be okay.
Typically, I got stuck in traffic. I didn’t know why I thought taking a car in Manhattan was a good idea. I should’ve just taken the subway.
“Thanks, man, I’ll just go on foot from here,” I told the driver, practically jumping out of the car.
The nearest subway station was ten minutes away.
I went through the motions during the whole journey, and after getting out of the subway, I jogged the last few feet to the hospital.
I followed the signs that indicated where ambulances had to pull in, just around the corner from the main entrance.
I looked for Tess once I stepped in the waiting room, but she wasn’t there.
“My sister is about to be brought in. Can I fill in any paperwork to speed up the process?”
“I’m afraid not. Paramedics give us all the information upon arrival.”
“I’ve already spoken to one of the doctors. Laney Smith.”
She nodded. “Then there really is nothing else for you to do other than sit down and wait.”
Her voice was calm and kind, but it still grated on my nerves. I needed to do something, to be useful.
Admitting defeat, I sat down, looking around. It was the first time I was taking it all in. It was chock-full of patients waiting. And this didn’t include all those brought in by ambulances, who would be in an even worse state.
How many doctors were on a shift? I knew Laney wasn’t alone, but even so, her job was so damn stressful. I had mad respect for her and her work. No wonder she’d fallen asleep so quickly last night.
I jumped out of my seat when Tess entered the waiting room through a door I hadn’t seen before. She glanced around, and her shoulders slumped a bit when we made eye contact.
“Where is Skye?” I asked when I reached her, pulling her toward an empty corner.
“They took her in for a checkup, told me to wait here. They’ll call us in when we can see her. Rob just called me. He’s in traffic but will be here soon.”
Tess was shaking. She had marks on her cheeks from where she’d pressed her fingers.
“Come on. Let’s sit.” I put an arm around her shoulders, guiding her to some empty chairs.
“She’s in good hands, Tess,” I said eventually.
“You didn’t see her,” Tess whispered. “She was so white and sweaty and could barely focus on staying awake.”
I just gripped the edge of the chair with my free hand. “Did Laney say anything?”
“They’re going to run a number of tests and let us know what’s happening as soon as possible.”
We were both silent after that. I just didn’t have it in me to sound encouraging.
I was so on edge that I needed someone to soothe me.
I kept an arm around her shoulders, pulling her even closer when her shaking intensified.
Tess and I both liked to talk until the cows came home, so the silence was weighing heavily between us.
Rob arrived twenty minutes later. He rushed in without noticing us.
I sprang to my feet, moving toward him.
“Where is she?” he asked the moment he saw me.
“Still in with the doctors. They’re running tests.”
“Why did she faint?”
“They didn’t tell us anything yet.”
He whirled around, and I realized he wanted to go to the reception. I gripped his arm, keeping my voice cool. “Rob, they don’t know anything. What I know is from Tess.”
I motioned with my head toward my sister. He glanced at Tess, but far from relaxing, his frown intensified. Putting myself in his shoes, I immediately realized why. Tess was nervous.
“Skye is in good hands. She’s with Laney,” I said.
“You know the doctor?”
“Yes. I met her in Rome.”
I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes, but he simply nodded.
“I want to hear everything from Tess.”
We both went to my sister, sitting next to her. Tess immediately recounted everything, and then both of them went back and forth over what the issue could be. I paced a few feet away, trying to shut them out, because the conversation was making me even more nervous.
I had no idea how much time went by until a nurse came out calling, “Family of Skye Dumont?”
I blinked for a few seconds before realizing she meant my sister. I still couldn’t get used to Skye’s last name not being Winchester anymore.
“Yes,” I exclaimed. Rob and Tess were on my heels.
“You can see her now.”
Skye was in a ward on the second floor. I wondered why. I assumed she’d be in one of the ER cubicles.
Laney was there, and just the sight of her put me at ease. I instinctively knew that any PDA was off the table in front of the nurse.
“Hey,” Skye said. The hair at the nape of my neck stood on end at how faint her voice sounded. She was pale, and her hair was sticking to her temples. Rob rushed next to her, sitting at the edge of the bed.