“I-I’m not suggesting anything. I just thought you’d want to know as soon as possible so you could… I don’t know, do whatever you think might give her some strength right now.”
I nod but quickly realize that she can’t see me.
“Thank you, River.”
She sighs on the other end.
“We’ll get her through this. Just… don’t give up on her.”
“That’s never going to happen. I’m just… I’m lost with what to do for the best.”
“I’ll be in touch,” I promise before hanging up and climbing out of bed.
I quickly pull on my clothes, and head out through Styx’s silent house.
Hesitating outside his door, I quickly decide against knocking, my gut telling me that I need to do this alone.
The rumble of my bike cuts through the silent night and I take off toward the hospital.
Honestly, I’ve got no idea if I’ll even get to see Kat. If she’ll want to see me. But being there, even if it is in the hallway, I know it’s what she needs.
The hallway is deathly silent as I make my way toward the ward the helpful and slightly terrified receptionist pointed out when I appeared at her desk. The leather cut on my back and the pistol obviously tucked into my waistband a silent warning between us.
I’m still unsure what my plan is as I walk toward the room I know both Evelyn and Kat are in.
My heart aches knowing that she’s right on the other side of the wall suffering. That on top of all of this bullshit, she’s forced herself to turn us away.
I get it. Hell, I more than get it. We lied to her. I lied to her. I could have told her that I was Jack at any point. In the early days, I might have even been able to explain the embarrassing as shit story behind the nickname and she’d have seen the funny side of it.
Not now though. Too much time has passed. Too many feelings have developed.
I come to a stop at the door, my palm on the chipped mint green plastic.
I want to go in. I’m fucking desperate to pull her into my arms and hold her, prove to her that I’m not going to stay away from her when she’s hurting, when she needs me.
But I’m terrified that she’ll send me away again.
I won’t lie. It hurt earlier. But I suspect it’ll hurt even worse a second time.
Footsteps somewhere behind me force me into action. I don’t want to get into it with any of the nurses. Their jobs are hard enough without having to put up with me, so without another thought, I push the door open and slip into the room.
There’s enough light for me to be able to see. My eyes linger very briefly on Evelyn, and I can’t help but notice how gaunt she is compared to the last time I saw her.
My gut knots painfully for what my girl, and my brother, are going through with this.
But I don’t linger on her, because my biggest concern is the girl lying on the cot beside her mother.
I take a step toward her, my boots squeak on the floor and her eyes immediately pop open. They widen in shock when they instantly lock on mine and her lips form a perfect O. That is before anger hardens her exhausted features.
“No, Kitten,” I whisper. “I didn’t come here to fight, to go through all that. I came for you because you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
She stares at me for long, silent seconds, and I have no choice but to steel myself for the rejection that I can almost see on the tip of her tongue.
But then, right before I’m convinced she’s about to send me away, she cracks. Her bottom lip trembles and tears fill her eyes.
“I can’t do this, Ryder. I can’t watch her deteriorate like this. It hurts so fucking much.”
In a heartbeat, I cross the room and I’ve got my girl in my arms. Her body trembles as she quietly sobs into my chest, soaking my shirt and clinging to me like I might hold the answers to all her problems.