Chapter 28 Theo #2
Six minutes later, Noah and I burst through the emergency room doors to find Asher waiting there for us. The emergency room was busy, people coughing, someone was yelling somewhere in the distance, but I couldn’t focus on any of it.
Asher tilted his head and we followed him down a hallway, through a set of doors. No one even questioned us. Asher worked fast. He led us straight to a nurses' station and I pushed past him to the young woman sitting behind the desk.
“My fiancée was brought in by ambulance but I don’t know if she’s okay.”
“The patient’s name is Quinn West, correct?” Her eyes shifted to Asher before coming back to me.
“Yes, but the officer said she was brought without ID. She has red hair and her friend has dark brown.” I spat the words out like I couldn’t get them out fast enough.
“Mr. Lawson already informed us, we were able to differentiate the two but I couldn’t share information with him.
” She clicked on her computer a few times while I tapped the desk, I was standing on a ledge.
“She is… in critical but stable condition.” I let out a breath as Asher rested his hand on my shoulder.
“Thank fuck,” Noah muttered. “I’ll call the others.”
“When can I see her?” I asked the nurse.
“She’s getting some scans done right now. I let her doctor know you’re here and he’ll come down to talk to you when he can.”
“The other woman, is she in life threatening condition?” I clarified, thinking of how Quinn would feel if I didn’t ask after her friend.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Knight. I can’t disclose that information.”
“Oli is working on it,” Asher muttered quietly beside me.
“You can wait down the hall to the left, it’s quieter there. I’ll let the doctor know where you are.”
I nodded my thanks as Noah, Asher, and I went where she instructed. I sat heavily in a chair, rested my elbows on my knees and hung my head in my hands trying to even out my breathing.
“She’s fine,” Asher said. “This isn’t like your mum.”
I didn’t bother with a response. This was exactly why I’d decided that breaking things off was for the best. I could not lose her, at least if we weren’t together, I might be able to survive it.
This could be my choice, she wasn’t being ripped away by my father or a disease or an accident.
“Hey.” Oli came into the room, followed by Will and Jaxson. After hugs and pats on the back were passed around, we all settled back in.
“Richard Pearson is coming down,” Oli said. “He owns majority shares in the hospital.”
“Do we know what happened?” Will asked.
“Head on collision,” I replied roughly.
“I’ve got a friend high up in the force, he’s coming with the detectives who will question her,” Jaxson said. This was part of the reason we were so successful, we knew everyone important between the six of us.
I stood up and started pacing back and forth, watching the minutes tick by on the clock. Everyone else talked quietly as I continued moving around; I wasn’t listening to a word they were saying.
It had only been twelve minutes since we walked in here, but I was crawling out of my skin.
I hated hospitals, I spent my last days with my mum in one and hadn’t set foot in one since.
“Mr. Knight?” a man in a white coat asked as he strode into the room, another man in a suit came in behind him.
“Thanks for coming, Pearson,” Oli said with a nod. Considering the late hour, I’m sure they rushed in here and we were getting an update a lot faster than most.
“This is Doctor Lane, he’s head of our emergency department and has taken over the care of Miss West,” Pearson introduced the man. I hated the formality of it all because none of it mattered.
“Is she okay?” I asked without shaking the hand he held out.
“She has a severe concussion which is why she’s currently getting an MRI to make sure there’s no bleeding in her brain.
Her wrist is broken, likely from bracing herself against the seat.
She also has a broken rib that came close to puncturing a lung, but we confirmed it didn’t.
It’s wrapped and in place now.” Hearing her injuries like this was making me nauseous, I could feel her pain.
I felt like I needed to punch someone and maybe throw up.
“She had a large laceration on her head that required a number of stiches, and she has bruises and other smaller cuts. All things considered, your fiancée is very lucky, Mr. Knight. The fact that she was in the back meant that she had less injuries than those in the front of the vehicle.”
“So she’s okay?” I needed to hear the words.
“She’ll be in some pain, and the broken rib can be slow to heal but I do expect her to make a full recovery.”
“Is she being admitted?” I asked, some of the tightness in my chest had lightened, making it easier to breathe.
“Yes, we would like to keep her here for observation over—”
“I want her in a private room.”
“Not a problem,” Mr. Pearson spoke up. “Oliver already requested one. We have one all set up for her. She’ll be brought there after her scans.”
“She’s heavily sedated at the moment but once she’s settled in the room we’ll lighten the sedation. She should be awake in a few hours,” Dr. Lane added.
“Thank you,” I said and finally held up my hand. He shook it and smiled.
“I’m going to head up to check her scans and make sure she’s settled in her room. I’ll be around all night, let me know if you have any questions.” With a nod Lane left the room to go take care of my girl.
Fuck.
Even though I was losing her, she would still always be my girl. I was sure there would never be anyone else for me.
“I’ve informed the staff that you are all allowed to stay past visiting hours and don’t worry about the two at a time rule. You can all be in there.”
“Appreciate it, Pearson,” Oli said as he patted the man on the shoulder.
“Knight Enterprises funds a lot of research and pro-bono work for the hospital, it’s the least I can do. Let me show you upstairs.” We left that waiting room to head up a few floors. “I’ve let the staff know you’re here. The minute Miss West is in her room, they’ll notify you.”
Oliver walked him to the elevator and they shared a few more words as I took a seat in a chair. Resting my head against the wall, I closed my eyes.
“You okay?” Asher asked as he took the chair beside me. The others closed in as well.
“Fine,” I bit out.
I needed to see her to be sure she was still alive.
See the rise and fall of her chest for myself.
“You heard the doctor, she’s okay,” Asher tried reassuring me.
I shook my head but didn’t open my eyes. “Jaxson, what have you found out?” I asked as I heard a chair scrap to join our circle. I was guessing Oli was back.
“Officers are being held downstairs so as not to bother us until she’s ready, but they want to speak with her. They mentioned that the marks on the ground and position of the car lead them to believe it wasn’t an accident.” That did have me opening my eyes.
“Someone fucking hit them on purpose?” I growled.
“They don’t know. Aubrey’s in surgery, the boyfriend is here, but I can’t get more information. The driver of the other car is also in surgery. The car was totaled. Quinn will be the first one to wake up and hopefully be able to provide some answers.”
“I want—”
“Dane is three minutes out with a team. We’ll have people stationed on the floor and at her door,” Jaxson answered, having read my mind.
“They stay until we figure out what the fuck is going on.”
“Could this have anything to do with why you’re pushing her away?” Noah asked.
Did I think my dad had her driven off the road and risked her life? I wouldn’t put that shit past him, but it was unlikely when she was in a car with Max and not alone or with me. Plus, I was doing what he wanted, there was no point in threatening me any further.
“No,” I answered in a clipped tone and pinned him with a glare. “Stay the fuck out of it, Noah.”
Silence descended at my raised voice, a few of the guys glanced at each other but I just looked at the ceiling.
Dane showed up quickly and he and Jaxson went to secure the floor, hallway, and her room, leaving a guy at the elevator. When Jaxson came back, he cleared his throat and I looked over at him.
“Luke sent me pictures of the car… if you want to see it.” I saw them all watching me closely, waiting for me to lose it. Which was fair, I was on a very thin ledge. I nodded and he hesitated a beat before he passed me his phone.
I locked my jaw as I swiped through a few pictures of the car. The front side of what I assumed was Max’s car was totaled. You could tell the passenger side had taken the worst of the damage. The door on the front passenger side was missing, likely needing the jaws to get it off.
It was crazy that Quinn had walked away with only the injuries she had considering where the impact was. I shoved the phone at Asher, knowing the others would want to see it and stared off into the distance.
I ran through my list of how this was different than when my mum died.
It was just me then, when she got admitted for the last time I lied to her.
Told her I’d called Noah’s mum but I hadn’t.
I wanted what I knew would be my last time with her to be just for me.
She was too out of it to ask questions, to ask for Jane.
I sat and held her hand as she went in and out of consciousness.
She whimpered in pain, the sound haunted my sleep for years. I sat there as the monitor went flat and her heart stopped, right after she managed to mutter that her love for me kept her going.
A nurse had to drag me out of the room. I didn’t make a sound but I kept trying to pull away to get back to my mum.
Someone had found Jane’s number and called her.
I was sitting in the waiting room alone when she walked in with tears in her eyes.
She dropped to her knees in front of me, put her hands on either side of my head and pulled me into her chest.
I was numb. I didn’t cry, didn’t make a noise.
Jane didn’t say anything as she pulled away, wiped her own tears and then stood up.
I couldn’t even look back as she led me out of the hospital.
I got back home where Noah was waiting. Neither of us said anything as we went and sat outside in a treehouse.
At thirteen we didn’t know how to talk about it.
This time it wasn’t me and Noah in the treehouse. They were all here.
All five of my brothers, the family I’d chosen for myself. It was the only reason I could breathe, it was the only reason I could still think. I wasn’t strong enough to do this on my own and they knew it. They were shouldering the logistics for me.
“Mr. Knight.” My head snapped up to see a nurse standing in front of me. “Miss West is in her room, it’s down the hall, room five-five-two.” I pushed up from my chair and was walking past her before she even finished talking.
My legs felt heavier the closer I got and when I came to her closed door, I took a deep breath before walking in.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I stepped shakily into the room.
Quinn was lying there with a bandage on her head, a cast on her wrist, blood and bruises covering her body. The monitor beeped in time with her heart, proving that she was alive but the air from my lungs was being stolen anyway. Even in the dim light I could tell how pale she looked.
“It’s okay. It’s not your mum,” Noah said quietly, stepping into the room and standing in front of me, blocking my view of her. “Listen to the heart monitor, look at her chest. She’s breathing, mate, and you have to too. She needs you not to lose your shit right now.”
I looked at him and took a breath, but I couldn’t bring myself to go to her side.
“I need to go for a walk, get a coffee, calm down. Stay with her until I’m back.” I didn’t wait for his reply as I turned and walked out of the room, not looking at Asher who was just outside the door.
I was fucking pissed that I wasn’t in there for her, but it might be better for the both of us.