Chapter 25
…
HUNTER
“Her injuries are—”
I blink. The words warp, echoing through a tunnel.
“Skull fracture… subdural hematoma…”
My vision pulses. All I see is blood in water. Her hair fanned out, the sun breaking across the surface.
“Won’t know more until—”
My chest tightens. I should have caught her. I was right there. I saw the dirt shift. I was supposed to catch her.
“Surgery to stop the bleed—”
I see Claire standing next to the doctor, hands trembling against her stomach, her eyes wide, hollow, lips pale. She looks at me. At me. Blame, fear, both. I don’t know. I can’t breathe.
Everyone around me talks. A hand grips my shoulder. Everything blurs. The room tilts. I try to focus, to listen. I try so damn hard. Madison was… I was… There and then gone.
“Five days… maybe more.”
“No… no, no, no…” I whisper.
Claire’s quiet sob reaches me. My knees hit the floor.
And the darkness swallows me whole.