Chapter 16 #2
“And we’ll probably catch up to them,” Callie said knowingly.
“That’s why I’m driving, and you’re not,” Farrah replied, glancing at her in the mirror.
As Farrah weaved in and out of traffic and the miles flew by, I understood what she meant. The woman drove like we were in a race car. It still wasn’t fast enough.
It took hours to get to Portland. Silent, tense hours of wondering, scared out of my mind. Dylan had been barely breathing and unconscious when they took him away. Had he woken up terrified? Would he wake up at all? There had been so much blood, and I wasn’t sure if it was his or Jesse’s.
Was Jess still conscious? It brought me a sliver of comfort that Charlie had gone with them when I couldn’t. Jesse’s face had been mangled. Would they need surgery? Why hadn’t they been able to talk? What other injuries had there been that I hadn’t noticed? How badly were they hurt?
Scenarios played on a loop in my head as I stared at the lines on the freeway.
Had the kids opened the door for someone, even though they’d promised not to?
How many had there been? At least two, if they’d been able to overpower both Jesse and Dylan.
Or had they hurt Dylan first? Once he was incapacitated, it would’ve been easier to overpower Jess.
They were strong, but they were only five feet tall and a hundred pounds.
A grown man would win every time, no matter how well they could defend themselves.
Had they seen them coming?
The only thing I knew for sure was that they’d fought like hell and paid for it.
My nose stung.
Had Finn fought too? I didn’t think that David would lay a hand on his grandson, but after seeing Dylan and Jesse, I could no longer be sure of that.
Finn would never sit quietly while someone put their hands on Jesse.
David wouldn’t have come himself. He would’ve sent someone.
Had they restrained Finn? Knocked him out? Was he hurt?
I couldn’t even call the man because I’d never saved his number in my new phone, and the old one was sitting on the dresser in my bedroom.
I could do nothing except sit there, urging Farrah silently to go faster.
Sometime later, a phone chimed, and I looked back down at the dark one in my hands.
“Charlie says they made it,” Brenna said from the back seat. “She said they took Jesse straight back, and she asked for an update on Dylan but hasn’t heard anything yet. They brought the kids over to the connected pediatric hospital.”
“Another half an hour,” Farrah told me, looking over to give me a nod. “Almost there.”
“She said that Jesse passed out in the ambulance, but the paramedics said it was probably from the pain medicine they gave them. They weren’t worried, and Jess is awake again.”
I’d already unbuckled when Farrah finally pulled into a parking spot outside the hospital. Before she’d even put the car in park, I threw open my door and flew toward the entrance. The emergency room was packed, and by the time I reached the counter, the older women had caught up.
“Teddy,” Brenna called, reaching for me. Her hand settled on my back as she steered me away from the counter to where Charlie had just come through a set of double doors. Her face was drawn and scared, but filled with purpose.
“We need to go upstairs,” she announced when we reached her.
“I haven’t seen Dylan, but they said they were doing everything they can.
” She swallowed hard when her eyes met mine.
“They had to take Jesse into surgery. They’ve got some internal bleeding that the doctor was worried wouldn’t resolve itself.
She said that while they’re in there, they’ll try to fix Jesse’s jaw.
That way they don’t have to put Jess under again later. ”
“It’s broken?” I asked. I should’ve known.
“Very badly,” Charlie replied thickly. “And Jess lost a few teeth.”
I just nodded. I didn’t care about the teeth. Teeth could be fixed.
“They did an exam,” Charlie said, moving a little closer. “Just, you know.”
Bile rose in my throat. Jess had been brutalized, but I hadn’t even thought about what could’ve happened beyond the beating.
“They weren’t—there was no sign,” Charlie said quickly. “But Jess did have skin under their fingernails. Scratched them. That’s good.”
I nodded again, unsurprised. My kid would’ve used everything in their arsenal, fingernails included. I looked around for the elevators and started toward them.
“They said they’ll come out and find us when they have anything else,” Charlie informed me, keeping pace. “I…Teddy, I’m sorry, but I have to find labor and delivery to see if they have a pump I can use. I didn’t bring anything with me, and I haven’t fed Jenna in hours.”
“Go,” I replied.
“Okay, eighth floor,” she informed me as we reached the elevator. “I’ll meet you up there as soon as I can.”
“I’ll go with you,” Farrah told her daughter. She looked at Callie. “Keep me updated.”
Callie and Brenna followed me into the first open elevator and stood on each side like bulwarks.
I had no idea what we’d find when we got upstairs.
I wasn’t even sure if the hospital would give me any information on Dylan since I wasn’t technically family.
Did they ask for proof? I’d just lie. They had no way to prove otherwise.
As we rose into the depths of the hospital, I looked down at the silent phone in my hand.
Still no word from Curtis.