I helped her down and continued on my way. The busty redhead had pushed her way up to the stage, reaching her hand out for mine. I knelt down as I started the next song, giving her hand a squeeze and a shake. She held on tight, pulling me closer to her and handed me a slip of paper. Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled wide.
“Call me, handsome,” she said.
I laughed, even in the middle of a verse, and tucked the number away in my pocket. I'd toss it later. Shannon would be amused. Hell, even if she were the jealous type – she had nothing to be afraid of. She was the finest woman I'd ever laid eyes on, and I was married to her. There was no way a busty red head would lure me away from my wife, no matter how much she shook her tits.
Landon had a cocky ass smirk on his face – he was probably jealous. He had nothing to worry about. He was single and could hook up with all the girls he wanted, but I'd be going back home with my wife.
Our set went pretty quickly, we were just one of five bands performing tonight.
“Thank ya'll for coming out tonight!” I said, waving at the crowd and flashing them a smile. “Hope you enjoyed the show. We'll be playing at Whisky River Bar and Grill next Friday night. Come and check us out.”
The crowd applauded, and I took one final look around the place. No sign of Shannon. My heart raced a bit, and a cold feeling of dread came over me. It was a quick set, she was probably running late. She'd be here, and we could watch the last few bands together.
Landon and I finished packing everything, and I reached for my phone.
Fifteen missed calls.
A sickening sensation hit me in the pit of my stomach.
All from mom. She'd texted me several times as well. She'd obviously been trying to get through to me. As I opened the texts up, my heart was no longer racing, it stopped beating entirely.
Mom: Drake, call me. Something has happened.
Mom: Drake, this is serious. You need to call me, now.
Finally, one last text, sent only two minutes before I picked up my phone.
Mom: There's been an accident. Shannon and Ava are in the hospital, it's bad. Get here now!
The world around me no longer felt real. Landon walked up behind me, took one look at me and his eyes flashed concern.
“Dude, what's wrong?” he asked.
“I need to go,” I said, though the words didn't seem to be coming from me. “There's been an accident.”
“Everything okay?” Landon asked.
“I dunno. Shannon and Ava... Oh God,” I said.
My knees turned to rubber, and I almost fell but managed to hold onto the wall for support. My baby girl and my wife, my whole world.
It’s bad. Those two words from my mom echoed around my mind, drowning me a little more with each passing moment.
“Come on, let me drive you,” he said.
I couldn't argue. I couldn't even breathe. The world was suffocating me, literally. I felt a heavy weight was on my chest, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't take a breath. There was no way I could drive.
The ride over to the hospital had been a blur. Landon dropped me off at the emergency room door to go find parking. My legs were like jelly, and I stumbled into the hospital, holding on to everything I could for support. I was swerving around so much, I probably looked drunk. A nurse at the counter looked up at me and smiled politely. I remembered thinking that she had a nice smile. Why in the hell had I thought that?
“What can I help you with?” she asked.
Her name tag said, Tina.
“Tina, I was told my wife and daughter had been in an accident,” I said.
Her smile wavered as if she knew exactly who I was talking about. A voice called to me from down the hall.
“Drake.”