40. Emma
CHAPTER FORTY
emma
Cam had to physically pick me up off the floor. I couldn’t stop sobbing as he put me in the truck and slammed the door, shouting for Sammy to follow. My vision blurred as I watched the ambulance take off, the lights flashing as they sped to the hospital.
He got in the truck and cranked it on, slamming his foot on the gas. He followed the ambulance, with Sammy close behind us.
“Haley is bringing you clothes. He’s going to make it. He’s gonna make it, Em.”
My ears were still ringing from the gunshot and Josh’s screams. Blood dried on my clothes and hands as shock settled over me. Hunter’s blood . I hadn’t felt this coldness since I’d lost Evelyn.
“We’re all going to the hospital. We’re all going to be there for him.”
He kept talking as my sobs softened, but the internal screaming did not subside.
“The police are going to need to talk to you,” he said. “But?—”
“Please stop,” I whispered.
“I can’t. If I stop talking, I’m going to lose it, Emma.”
“Okay,” I sniffled. “Then talk about something else.”
“I’ll tell you about a time Hunter saved a cat.”
A broken laugh left me and I wiped my nose on my sleeve. “Okay.”
“He was thirteen. I was ten. Sammy was seven and had been sneaking food to a stray calico who started coming around the farm. Well, one morning, we heard Sammy crying because he couldn’t find the cat. We looked everywhere, but Hunter found her. She’d climbed all the way up a tree and was meowing.”
“I bet he saved her.”
“He sure did. He climbed all the way up until he got her, put her in his jacket. Skinned up his knees and hands. And then she scratched the ever-loving shit out of him as he climbed down. It was complete and utter chaos, but he saved the cat.”
Quiet tears started rolling again. I didn’t even bother to wipe them away. “That sounds like him.”
“We took a vote and named her Princess Pain.”
Another laugh bubbled up. “Princess Pain?”
“Yep. She had a litter of kittens a month and a half later that our mom made us take care of. Then we found good homes for them all. It was a good summer.”
“What happened to Princess Pain?”
“She lived for another ten years. She had a long happy life on the farm.”
I smiled as much as I could.
Cam let out a shaky breath. “My brother will pull through. He’s a Harlow. He’s gonna be just fine, Emma.”
There’d been a lot of blood. I’d never forget seeing him like that. Everything replayed in my mind on a loop.
It’d been stupid for me to take off like I had. But I didn’t regret it.
I wanted to know why Angela and Josh would do something like this. The money? The company?
“People do bad things sometimes,” Cam said softly.
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken aloud.
“There’s no rhyme or reason. Sometimes, people just snap. I’m so sorry, Emma. I’m so sorry about your dad, too.”
“I can’t imagine it,” I whispered. “I can’t imagine doing something so terrible.”
“The truth will come out. We’ve got people who will help handle things. The focus is on Hunter right now. Were you hurt at all?”
“No,” I said. I wiped my nose with my shirt. “I had a baseball bat. I broke down the door, took out Josh’s knee. Angela had a gun. She would have shot me, but Hunter managed to knock her off her feet. And then I tackled her, put her in a headlock until she passed out. Then I tried to help Hunter. The police showed up, and…”
“We’re almost to the hospital.”
He sped faster until I saw the sign for the emergency room. He turned into the parking lot and found the first open spot. My hand was already on the door handle. I jumped out as soon as the truck stopped and took off towards the building, Cam right on my tail.
I spotted Sarah and Colt with the boys in the parking lot and immediately turned around before they saw me. “I don’t want the boys to see me like this,” I said to Cam.
“Haley is almost here,” he said quickly. “Do you want to go inside to the bathroom? I’ll send Sarah over.”
I nodded and darted to the doors. They slid open and I ducked inside, heading straight to the restrooms.
He’ll be okay. He’ll be okay.
I couldn’t get the image out of my head. He’d been so pale and covered in sweat. And he was shaking. There’d been so much blood.
I went to the sink and gripped the edge. I forced myself to breathe, my ears still ringing.
“Emma, I’m here.”
I felt Sarah’s arms around me and turned around, burying my face against her shoulder. I let out a soft sob, but she just held me, stroking my back.
“We’re going to get you changed and cleaned up. Lynn, Bob, and Honey are here. Hunter is in surgery already. He went into shock from the blood loss, but he’s going to pull through.”
“I feel like this is all my fault,” I whispered.
“It’s not. Do you remember how I felt when Haley was hurt?”
“Yes.” I leaned back to look at her.
Sarah cupped my face and wiped away my tears. “It’s just like that, okay? You didn’t make this happen. You love Hunter. You would never hurt him.”
I nodded, tears welling up again. “I need to pull myself together.”
“You don’t need to pull yourself together,” she whispered. “You need to lean on all of us. We’ll keep you together. The same way you’ve done for all of us, countless times.”
The door to the bathroom burst open. Haley and Alice rushed in.
“I’m sorry I took off,” I cried.
Alice shook her head. “None of that right now. You saved Hunter.”
“Let’s get this blood off you,” Haley said.
The three of them worked to get me cleaned up, and I didn’t fight them. I didn’t have the strength to do this alone. I zoned out, trying to focus on holding myself together as Haley pulled my hair back into a bun and gently wiped my face and neck.
Once I was in clean clothes, Alice put the others into a bag and tied it off.
“I’ll give that to Bud,” Sarah said. “They might want it.”
Haley washed her hands off and then nodded. “Alright. Emma, let’s go to the waiting room.”
I knew it was going to be the longest wait of my life.