face. I was overwhelmed. And scared.
Until I felt Rae’s hand in mine again.
“I’m here. I’m back, baby. Okay? Can you hear me?”
I nodded my head, becoming one with the aching migraine as my eyes rolled her way. I saw her walking alongside me. Our fingers interlaced together. She was all I saw. Her dark outfit. Her dark hair. Her dark skin. Her dark eyes. Dark, like the night. Dark, like the water. Dark, like the abyss I’d fallen into. Dark, like my heart.
And somehow, I’d still fallen in love with her.
“Start a morphine drip. Get this kid some relief.”
“Do it before you set his shoulder.”
“Are you riding with us? Or him?”
Rae looked down at me before she kissed my cheek.
“See you at the hospital, okay? There’s too many paramedics in the back to ride with you. They all need to work on you.”
I nodded slowly, but I wasn’t happy with the situation. But when her lips pressed against my forehead, I hung on to that feeling. That sensation. Those butterflies in my heart.
“See you soon,” she whispered.
Then the morphine drip kicked on, causing my body to go limp as her hand slowly fell away from mine.
3
Raelynn
Michael gripped my shoulders. “Come on. We can follow the ambulance. The paramedics have to work on him while driving, otherwise it’s not going to be good.”
My chest jumped as my hand fell from Clint’s. I hated leaving him. I hated not being by his side. But Michael was right. They were all right. It was all hands on deck to save his life at this point. Especially since his heart had already stopped once. The second I told that to the paramedic, his eyes widened. They all leapt into action, like I’d just shot them to DEFCON-5 or some shit like that. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like how they reacted one damn bit.
But I let Michael guide me to his SUV so we could hop in.
“You have to breathe for me, Rae. Okay?”
I nodded. “I’m—trying. I’m—I-I-I-I—”
“It’ll do us no good to have a panic attack. Take my hand. Here.”
I slid my hand into his as we pulled off the bridge. We followed the speeding ambulance back through the woods, passing those neighborhoods and all those tire tracks. Which only served to make my panic worse. The world curled in on itself. I had to close my eyes to keep from getting sick. My chest felt as if it were caving in and my heartrate skyrocketed.
“Tell me five things you smell.”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
“Now, Rae. Five things you smell.”
I tried sniffing the air in broken intakes of air. Trying to latch onto the world around me.
“Uh, I uh—I smell rubber. And—and oil.”
“Three more. Hit me with ‘em.”
I snickered. “I smell your cologne.”
“Good.”