Chapter 36
MADDIE
Too many emotions swirl inside of me as I sit in the waiting room, staring at the white tile floor. It’s clean and sterile, a constant reminder as the minutes tick by of exactly where I am.
My knee bounces with my impatience. Somewhere in the walls of the hospital is my dad, and all I can focus on is how he looked so far from the man I know when they wheeled him in here.
The makeup I spent an hour perfecting is gone, ruined by the panicked tears that streamed down my cheeks as I pleaded with Daddy to hold on.
Not to leave me. Now, I’m sitting here in a dress that should make me feel out of place, but all I feel is lost because the man who’s been there for me my entire life is all alone right now.
We arrived fifteen minutes ago, but it feels like an eternity has passed.
He was wheeled into the emergency room, and I was left behind.
The nurse who showed me where to wait asked me to fill in some paperwork, but other than that, I’ve not heard any update on how he’s doing.
Not that I’d expect to this soon after arriving.
That’s got to be a good sign though, right?
I should call my brothers. They should be here.
Just in case.
God, I don’t even want to think about what happens if he doesn’t make it.
It all happened so quickly. One minute Daddy and I were talking about my date with Wyatt and he was giving me his blessing, and the next minute he’s falling to the floor with the color drained from his face. I rushed to him as he gasped for breath.
Should I have done more?
Was there more I could have done? All I know is that in that moment, I felt so helpless.
Oh God, I need to let Wyatt know too.
Moisture pools in my eyes and I close them as I exhale heavily, overwhelmed by everything I need to do when I just want to be here for Daddy.
He’s going to be okay. He has to be. I don’t know how I can do this without him. There’s still too much he needs to tell me, to show me.
I need him.
I’m not ready to lose him.
I swallow around the lump in my throat as I look up again, searching the room for something else to focus on. Anything to ease this sinking feeling.
My eyes land on Wyatt as he walks through the door, and I sag with relief at the sight of him. It feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, like this might just be a fraction easier to deal with.
When he notices me, he crosses the room, a calming surety in his movements. I bolt from my chair and rush over to him, flinging myself against his chest like he’s a life vest in a stormy sea.
I wrap my arms around his neck and lean into his comfort, finally feeling like I can let go. My sobs are anything but soft. They’re gut-wrenching wails coated in my despair and torn from my throat.
Wyatt bands his arms around me, his hands soothing in circles on my back. “Shhh, it’s going to be okay,” he murmurs into my hair, the heat of his breath calming the uncertainty rising inside me.
When my sobs have died down, I lean back, allowing my vulnerability to shine through as I wipe away the wetness on my cheeks and ask, “What if he doesn’t make it?”
Wyatt pulls me back into him, one hand on the back of my head as he replies, “Don’t think about that. Right now, we need to focus on being strong and channeling that strength into him.”
Of course, he’s right, but it’s harder to do that in reality.
“I need to call my brothers,” I whisper into his chest, hating how small and broken I sound.
Wyatt guides me to the hard plastic chairs. “Do you have your phone on you?”
Crap. I didn’t think to grab it in my panic as we left, and I don’t know their numbers off by heart. Shaking my head, I press my lips together as I silently curse myself.
“Okay, let’s call the ranch.” He holds his phone out to me, and I dial the number for the ranch before connecting the call.
The sound of the line ringing is grating on my already sensitive nerves as I wait for someone to answer. What do I even say? My brothers aren’t as close to Daddy as I am, but I know they’d want to be here in case the worst happens. They’d never forgive themselves if they weren’t.
The call connects and Mona’s cheery voice sounds on the line. “Hartlands Ranch. Mona speaking, how may I help you?”
“Mona,” I rasp, a fresh wave of tears choking me and making her name come out a strangled, garbled mess.
“Maddie?” she asks, her tone tense before the phone is taken from my grip and I release the sob I was trying to hold back. Why is this happening? I still need him. I’m not ready.
Lifting my knees up against my chest, I watch Wyatt stand and move a few steps away from me as he takes the call.
When he returns, he pockets the phone and removes his jacket, setting it over my knees before sliding into the chair next to me and resting his hand against my back.
It’s that small contact that grounds me, his strength seeping into me as we sit in silence.
I don’t feel like I have to fill the quiet, but more importantly, I don’t feel like I have to carry the weight of this by myself.
I’m not sure how much time passes, but my head is resting on Wyatt’s shoulder when my brothers arrive. I stand and cross the room to them, walking into their open arms, steadied by the quiet reassurance Wyatt gave me. If he hadn’t been here, I’m not sure I would have made it.
“What happened, Mads? Mona just said Dad was in the hospital and to get here as quickly as we could,” Deacon asks, his gaze bouncing around my face as if it might contain the answers he’s looking for.
I suck in a sharp breath as I look between my brothers, each of them staring back at me with worry filling their features.
Running a hand over my throat, I croak out, “He was at my place and talking about my date and the next thing I know, he’s on the floor.” A tear slips free as emotion clogs my throat.
Deacon reaches out and pulls me into his arms. I take the comfort he offers as my tears soak his T-shirt.
“Have you heard anything since you arrived? Do they know what happened?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No. I’ve heard nothing.”
“Why is Wilde here?” Rhett asks, his tone filled with suspicion. It sends a thread of apprehension down my spine.
I close my eyes, taking a moment of respite before stepping back and running my hands over my hips. “He was my date.” I lift my chin a little higher as three sets of brown eyes narrow at me. “We were supposed to go out to dinner when everything happened.”
“You’re seeing him? Of all people,” Deacon demands, his brows raised with his accusation.
I level him with a stare and lift my chin in challenge. “Not that I think this is the place for this discussion. But, yes, I was going on a date with Wyatt ‘of all people’.”
It’s clear that Deacon has an opinion on this information based on the muscle ticking in his jaw and the tension coating his features.
I’m sure this feels like a betrayal to him, and if it were up to me, I would have found a better way to break the news to him.
As it is, I’m glad Wyatt is here and that we don’t have to keep this a secret anymore.
Wyatt approaches, standing beside me. I reach for his hand, taking the comfort I’m not sure he knows he gives me.
“Given everything that has happened today, I think maybe I should get going,” Wyatt says, keeping a wary eye on my brothers.
I squeeze his hand. “I’d like you to stay.”
He hesitates for a beat before nodding. “Of course, but only if it’s okay with everyone. I don’t want to overstep.”
Deacon shrugs a shoulder before brushing past us and leading the way to the seats. Sawyer follows in his wake, dipping his chin at Wyatt.
Rhett stares at Wyatt, folding his arms across his chest before saying, “Just don’t start any shit.”
Wyatt holds his hands up. “You won’t hear a peep out of me.”
Rhett grunts before heading toward Deacon and Sawyer. And just like that, my focus is back on how long it’s been since I arrived. I glance toward the doors that I’ve seen staff come and go from for the last half an hour before Wyatt loops an arm around my waist and guides me toward my brothers.
Someone dressed in green scrubs comes through the doors that lead into the patients’ area. They look around before spotting us and I feel the dread in my stomach drop to my feet. Please let this be good news.
I stand, followed by the men in my life, a tenseness to their features that I can’t quite get a read on.
When the doctor is in front of us, I know exactly what he’s going to say before the words slip past his lips. It’s layered in the way his brows are pinched and the fact that he doesn’t offer a reassuring smile as he reaches us.
“I’m so sorry.”
My legs buckle beneath me like the world has turned on its axis and ripped everything away from me. I feel Wyatt rather than see him as he catches me and lifts me into his arms, pressing me against his chest and being the pillar I need.
The doctor’s words break through, mingling with my cries as I bury my face in Wyatt’s chest.
“We tried everything we could.”
“He was too far gone.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
How am I supposed to go on? How do I put one foot in front of the other and carry on with my life when the man that has always been a constant in it is gone?