Page 78 of Riley
Chapter Twenty-Six
Riley
They took me to the local hospital where they had an excellent obstetrics department because they were worried about the baby. My injuries appeared superficial, they said. Ethan was flown to Summersville where they had a trauma facility. I knew he was in good hands, had been since Wes arrived at the scene. He was an emergency room doctor, and I knew that he would do his best to save Ethan.
How bad had Ethan been? Hadn’t Henley said they would do everything that they could? Did that mean that Ethan was going to die?
I stared at the wall of the hospital room I was in—the monitors on my side beeping, a tight band wrapped around my belly, measuring the fetal movements. The door opened, and my parents rushed to my side.
“Riley,” my mother cried. “We heard the accident from the house!” She wiped at her eyes. “Hen, Hunt, Wes, and Cara all ran to a car and took off after you. Cara called back and told us what had happened. You are lucky to be alive.” She brushed the hair from my head.
I was lucky to be alive? Did that mean he wasn’t?
“Mom? Is Ethan—”
“They are working on him. His family is at the hospital now. A couple of his friends from the police station drove them lights and siren over there. I spoke to Coral a few minutes ago. All I know is that they are working on him.”
I closed my eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Sweetheart, there is nothing to be sorry for,” my mother assured me, but she was wrong, and I started to cry.
“Nothing to be sorry for? Mom! It was my fault! If I hadn’t freaked out—if I hadn’t told him—” I paused, not able to say the words out loud again.
“Say what, honey? What did you say?”
I shook my head, wincing from the pain. Even though nothing was specifically wrong with me, my entire body hurt from tensing up and being thrown around like a rag doll.
“Nothing.” I let the tears course down my cheeks. “If he dies, it will be my fault, Mom. I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Riley, he’ll be okay, and it wasn’t your fault. It happened. It was horrible, but it wasn’t your fault.”
“How could it not be my fault? I ran from him after he proposed, and we were screaming at each other in the car! I told him that I didn’t love him, Mom! And a second later, we were hit! Those were the last words that he heard from me!” I started to sob, my entire body shaking as my mother clung to one hand, and my father rubbed my leg. “Those were my last words.”
* * *
The nurse endedup giving me a sedative—against my wishes—and I was knocked out for a while. When I woke up, I was groggy and slightly hungry. I opened my eyes to find Henley sitting in my room, staring at the television that was on silent. He glanced my way as I moved.
“Hey, how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. I think I’m hungry.” I glanced around. “Where am I?”
“They moved you out of the ER. You’re going to have to stay the night.”
I started to sit up. “No! I need to get to Summersville and see Ethan.”
Henley put his hand up, and I noted his face. It was sad, almost mournfully so. “Lee,” I shook my head, “Don’t you tell me he’s dead!”
“He’s alive, Riley, but he’s in a coma.”
“What happened to him?”
Henley looked at my monitor. “I’ll tell you, but you need to remain calm. If you get overly agitated again, they will put you back under. She’s stressed, and we need to keep her calm.”
“Her?”
He gave me a small smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag.”
My hand went to my belly. “I’m having a girl?”
