I don’t hear the rest of his warning as I take off with my new scrubs barely up my legs. The eyes of all the nurses at their station turn on me as I march past them, my gaze locked on the numbers of each cubicle as my heart pounds in my chest over what I’m about to find.
She’s in a bay. That must be a good sign.
If the worst had happened, she’d be elsewhere right now.
My hands tremble and my palms sweat as I find the number I need, taking in the curtain that’s closed around her.
Voices come from inside, but none of the words register. All I know is that they don’t belong to her.
With my heart in my throat, I pull the curtain back and look inside.
I swear the entire world falls from beneath me at the sight of her laid out on a hospital bed, covered in stark white sheets, a line coming from the back of her hand and a mask covering her pale face.
“Jodie,” I breathe, stumbling forward and only just catching myself on the edge of her bed.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re in the middle—”
“Please,” I beg. “I won’t get in the way, I swear. I just need…”
I take her hand in mine, my heart shattering at how cold it is.
“Is she going to be o—” My word is cut off by the huge lump in my throat.
My eyes burn as I stare at her, taking in the dark stains covering her usually flawless skin and her closed eyes.
The doctor standing at the IV stand stares at me for a beat.
“Please, doc,” I force out. “She’s my girl. I pulled her from that building. I need to know—”
“From what we can tell, she’s going to be fine.”
All the air races from my lungs as a sob of pure relief falls from my lips. Someone pushes a chair behind me. My body seems to know what to do the second something touches the back of my knees and I fall into it, lowering down to press my brow to the back of Jodie’s hand.
“Fuck, baby. I’m here. I’m right here.”
With my head bowed and the realisation of just how easily this situation could have been different right now, I lose the battle with my emotions and red-hot tears fall free, landing on Jodie’s dirty skin.
“Could we please have her details? We need to call her next of kin.”
“Jodie Walker. Her mum is Joanne Walker,” I force out, looking up at meeting the eyes of the tired-looking doctor. “I’d offer you her number, but my phone is fu—”
“We can get it,” he assures me, holding my stare.
My stomach knots, able to read the hesitation in his eyes.
“You shouldn’t—”
“Joanne won’t have a problem with it,” I say, hoping like fuck it’s the truth.
His mouth opens to say something when we’re joined by someone else. Theo’s presence makes the doctor’s eyes widen in shock.
“Mr. Cirillo,” he growls in greeting. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”
I look between the two of them as the air crackles around us.
The other nurse backs out slowly without saying a word.
“Something tells me that you’re going to be run off your feet tonight, Richard. I suggest you go and make yourself busy and leave us to look after our own,” Theo suggests, the tone of his voice not allowing any space for argument.