“Thank you for your help.” I didn’t just mean while I was passed out, but for ensuring I exploited a loophole that got me information and access to the man I loved—even if he had no clue I returned his feelings.
Nothing like almost losing someone to realize how much they mean to you.
“It was my pleasure.” The nurse ducked her head as the doctor led me away.
As we ascended to the fourth floor in an elevator, Dr. Vance explained, “Your husband is currently under the care of the team in the ICU. And I feel I must warn you that in order to perform the procedure to relieve the pressure from the brain bleed, we were forced to cut his hair.”
“You didwhat?” The words were said on a gasp. The idea of Sasha missing his golden mane was unthinkable, even if I had once demanded he cut the long locks. After a while, I’d come to realize his hair was a part of his charm, a shining symbol of his carefree personality.
Dr. Vance shot me a look of sympathy as the elevator doors slid open. “My apologies. It couldn’t be avoided.”
Tears burned behind my eyes, and I scrunched up my nose to stave them off.
It was silly to be upset over this. He was alive, and that was so much more important than hair that would grow back. But I couldn’t help but mourn the loss.
“Right this way.” The doctor gestured toward rooms visible through a wall of glass.
We stopped outside ICU Room 3, and I hesitated momentarily before crossing the threshold. Giving myself a mental pep-talk that I needed to be strong for him and that I would support himthrough the recovery from the accident, no matter how long it took, I steadied my nerves and stepped inside.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Sasha lying in that bed, battered and bruised, his face a swollen mess of deep purples and blues. His head was buzzed so that only an inch of golden fuzz peeked out beneath white gauze bandages, his left arm encased in a cast that extended past his elbow, keeping it immobile.
Biting back a sob, I ventured closer to his unconscious form, whispering, “Hey, baby.” The first tear slid free as guilt over his condition hit me square in the chest. “I’m so sorry.”
My fingers grazed over the blanket covering him to the waist, almost afraid to touch him directly, not wanting to cause him any more pain.
“I’ll be back to check on him in a few hours,” Dr. Vance spoke from the doorway.
Before he could leave, I asked, “When will he wake up?”
The doctor’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s hard to say when it comes to brain injuries. Right now, he’s on some pretty heavy pain meds, which will keep him sedated for a few days. After we wean him off those, it could be hours, could be days. Ultimately, it’s up to your husband.”
I nodded in acknowledgment, and he disappeared from view, only to be replaced by a nurse with kind eyes who carried a plastic bag in her hands. She offered me the bag, “This was everything your husband had on him when he was brought in.”
“Oh.” The plastic crinkled beneath my fingers when I accepted it. “Thank you.”
“We’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
The phone in the bag was lighting up with dozens of missed calls and unanswered texts, so I pulled it out.
God, like this day wasn’t bad enough. Now, I needed to figure out how to tell his friends what happened.
As much as it pained me, I knew it was the man who’d left more messages than any of the others that should be my first call. Maddox was the most senior ranking member of the Speed, at least to my knowledge, so I blew out a breath, tapped his contact info, and pressed the phone to my ear.
It rang out without an answer. Time had stood still for me since leaving the arena, so I was surprised to discover it had only been a little over two hours. The accident happened earlier than that, as Sasha had already been transferred by ambulance away from the scene of the crash upon my arrival.
The hockey game would still be going on. Of course, Maddox wouldn’t answer his phone.
That’s when I remembered something Evie had once told me.
“He set up a group text with the girls just in case he ever found himself in a spot where he needed our help. He said it was for emergencies only.”
If this didn’t qualify as an emergency, I don’t know what did.
Scanning the list of text chains, I found the one containing the four Speed wives Sasha was closest with. My hand trembled as I typed out a text, hoping someone would respond.
Is anyone there? I tried calling Maddox, but he didn’t pick up.
Dakota:Goose! Holy shit. Where have you been? Everyone’s freaking out.
