However, as Sawyer got closer to the tents, he heard someone yell something about getting help. One of Piper’s backup singers was crying as she ran past him. His anxiety kicked into overdrive as the sound of shouting was replaced by sirens. An ambulance drove by, headed in the same direction as Sawyer. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as another ambulance pulled up.
He imagined every scenario that could have led to not one but two ambulances being called. Every time he thought of something, it was Piper he pictured going into the back of one of them. Full of panic, he took off running.
“What happened? Is Piper okay?” he asked the first group of people he came across.
“Golf cart accident,” one of the stagehands said. “Some people were messing around and one of them tipped.”
“Piper?”
The guy shrugged. “I don’t know who it was, but she was over there.”
Sawyer took off again, pushing his way through the people standing around gaping at what had happened.
“Have you seen Piper?” he asked one of the women wiping tears from her face.
“She just got in that ambulance,” she said, pointing at the first one.
Just before Sawyer got to it, the emergency vehicle took off with its sirens blaring. He tried to get it to stop but failed. Out of breath, he bent over with his hands on his knees. The other ambulance was still there, helping some of those with minor injuries.
“Are you going to the same hospital as that ambulance?” he asked one of the paramedics.
“Sure are.”
“My pregnant fiancée was in that one. Can I ride with you?”
Thankfully, they agreed to let him tag along. Sawyer climbed in the back with one of Piper’s background singers. The poor guy definitely had a broken leg. He was wailing from the pain as the EMT gave him a shot of what Sawyer hoped was some seriously strong pain medication.
When they got to the hospital, Sawyer hopped out and ran into the ER. It was packed with people waiting to be seen. He searched for someone who could tell him where Piper was and if she was okay.
He found the registration desk and cut to the front of the line. “Excuse me, I need to find the woman who just came in on the last ambulance. She’s pregnant. Blonde, about five and a half feet tall.”
“Sir, you’re going to have to wait in line,” the nurse said.
Sawyer’s heart was racing, and his hands shook. “You don’t understand. She’s pregnant. Her name is Piper Starling, she’s a country singer. Her ambulance must have gotten here minutes ago. I just came in on the other one that was sent to the same scene.”
“Sir, I understand you’re feeling panicked. Please get in line, and when we get your information, we can see if your loved one is here.”
His loved one. It was clear as day. That was what she was. If anything happened to Piper, he’d never forgive himself for being so blind to his feelings for her. Everyone had said he would simply know when he was in love. They’d said it wasn’t something they could describe, that he would just know because he wouldn’t be able to imagine his life without that person.
That person was definitely Piper.
He couldn’t wait in a line that was five people deep. He needed to find her and tell her he was in love with her. A nurse hit a button on the wall and opened the doors to the exam rooms. Sawyer waited until they were almost closed and slipped through.
“Sir, you can’t—”
“Piper?” he called out, poking his head in every room. He needed to find the operating rooms. She must have been seriously injured. He stopped at the nurses’ station. “Can you help me find my fiancée? She was in an accident at the Allstate Arena. She was just brought in.”
“He’s not allowed back here,” someone yelled from down the hall.
“Please. She’s pregnant. I need to find her.”
No one would listen as security descended and pulled his arms behind his back. Sawyer kept yelling Piper’s name in hopes she could hear him. If nothing else, at least she would know he had been here looking for her.
“Piper!”
“Sawyer?” A perfectly intact Piper stepped out of the crowded waiting room back where he’d first come in. “What are you doing here?”