“What? Go where?” I ask at the same time Katie stands and asks, “Knox, what’s wrong?”
He bends at the waist, hands planting on his knees, as he tries to catch his breath. He’s damn near hyperventilating. “Kalen… he… fuck, I can’t fucking breathe.”
My stomach drops at the mention of Kalen’s name and the way Knox is freaking out.What the fuck happened?!Is Crew okay?
“Honey,” Katie coos, rubbing his back. “Deep breaths, Knox. Breathe in deep through your nose for me. Good, now deep breath out through your mouth. That’s it. Do that again.”
Fucking spit it out.My stomach is in my throat as I sit on the edge of the chair, mentally trying to prepare myself for whatever could be wrong.
Knox lets out a strangled cry as he stands, running his hands through his hair. “Kalen overdosed. He’sdead.”
It feels like I’ve been punched in the chest, all the air leaving my lungs.Dead?!But what about— “Crew?”
“He’s at the hospital. That’s what I’m saying; we need to go.”
The hospital?!“Is he okay?” My heart is beating rapidly, blood roaring in my ears.
“I don’t know, Anderson. We gotta fucking go. I’ll tell you all I know in the car.” He turns on his heels, storming out of the room, leaving Katie and me to follow.
“Hey, give me your keys, Knox. I’ll drive,” Katie says, catching up with Knox and holding her hand out.
We pile into the car, hitting the road immediately. Katie looks over to Knox. “What hospital is he at, and how do I get there?”
“Skagit Valley Hospital. Just take a right at the light and go straight. It’ll lead us to the freeway.”
“Okay, what do you know, Knox?” I try, but fail, to keep my voice even.
“I had a missed call from my uncle, which was odd. We don’t speak, really. He’s my dad’s brother. Anyway, when I called him back, he told me Kalen—” His voice cracks as tears fall down his face. “Fuck, he told me Kalen overdosed at his house earlier. Crew was there and called 9-1-1, but Kalen died before they could help him.”
“Do they know what he took?” None of this feels real. My hands are shaking and an ice-cold chill grates down my spine. He’s fucking dead. That fucker is actually fucking dead, but so help me God, if something happened to Crew, I’ll bring his ass back to life just to kill him a second time.
“They won’t know for sure yet, but Crew said he only took one line of cocaine, so the medics are guessing it was probably laced with fentanyl.”
Knox goes back to giving Katie directions on how to get there, while I stare out the window, trying to calm myself down. I have no idea what I’m going to walk into when we get to the hospital.
Did Crew overdose, too?
Is he hurt?
Is he unconscious?
I don’t fucking know anything.
The rest of the car ride is filled with deafening silence, with not even the radio on. Worry in the air is palpable. If he’s not okay, I don’t know what I’ll do. Fuck, I feel like I can’t catch my breath, like I need to rip my chest open in order to get oxygen into my lungs.
I roll the window down to see if that helps. Katie looks over her shoulder, mouth turned down, eyebrows pinched in concern, before returning her attention to the road. We’re almost there and my stomach is rolling violently. I might fucking hurl.
When we arrive, Katie parks and we all get out, silently walking toward the sliding doors of the emergency room. She links her arm with mine, wordlessly conveying that she’s here for me. A middle-aged woman looks up from her computer and smiles as we approach the front desk. “Hi, how can I help you, folks?”
“We’re looking for Crew Collins,” Knox replies, voice sounding calmer than I feel.
“Okay, wonderful. And your names?”
This time it’s Katie that speaks up. Apparently, I’m the only one that has lost my voice. “Anderson Walker, Katie Breslin, and Knox Finnegan.”
“One moment, please.” The receptionist gets up from her swivel chair, walking away from us.
Katie turns to face me and says quietly, “It’s going to be okay, Anderson. Whatever happened with Crew, he’s alive.”