“Inside.” I waved Tina over.
Ava exhaled a relieved breath. “Oh, good. When I didn’t see him around, I thought he might’ve been hurt.”
Tina stood beside Ava, issuing me a barely noticeable nod that told me she was ready to assist.
“He was injured, but he’s alive,” I told her honestly.
“What?” she cried, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. “How bad? Where is he? Why didn’t you take him to the hospital?” She inhaled buckets of air into her lungs, gripping her stomach. “Oh God.”
“Shh, honey.” Tina wrapped her arm around Ava’s shoulders. “Just breathe. Ire will be okay.”
“Are—are… you sure?” The poor woman looked on the verge of hyperventilating.
“How about we go inside where it’s warm,” Tina said softly.
Ava’s arms and body shook, but I didn’t think she was cold. I got the door as Tina escorted Ava inside. I didn’t have the patience or time for this. I needed to get down to the dorms to check on Ire.
“He won’t die, right?” Ava choked out as a sob hit her.
Christ, I hoped to God my brother didn’t die.
12
Ava
Drew promised he’d come back, and he had. Why hadn’t I thought to make him promise to not get injured too?
Tina was sitting with me in the kitchen. They wouldn’t let me go downstairs to the dorms where they had Drew. In not a very nice tone, Storm had told me to stay put. The jerk. Couldn’t he see how torn up I was? Didn’t he care?
If Storm cared, he didn’t show it.
A sob caught in my throat. I’d already cried a river’s worth of tears. I didn’t think I could hang on any longer. I needed to see Drew with my own eyes.
“What’s taking so long?” I said out loud, to no one in particular.
“Patch is working on him.” Tina patted my hand.
“What does that even mean? If he’s bad off, he should be in the hospital.”
“Honey, perhaps he’s not so bad off and doesn’t need to be admitted.”
She made a good point. I hoped she was right.
“I need to see him.”
Sugar entered the kitchen from the stairwell.
I stood from the chair. “How’s Ire?”
Sugar winced. “I don’t know. I was with Art.”
I squeezed my head between my hands. I’d lose it any second.
“How is Art?” Tina went to Sugar near the coffeemaker.
“His pretty face…” Sugar shook her head. “Patch thinks he has a collapsed lung.
I tiptoed toward the stairs while the two discussed Art. I didn’t care to hear an update about him when nobody was telling me anything about the love of my life. I needed to see Drew, needed to tell him I loved him and was here for him.