“Hello? Christopher? What’s up?”
He rarely called, so I was on alert.
“Hey, Gabs. Ah, are you sitting down?”
I frowned. What the hell was going on?
“Why do I need to be sitting down, Christopher? Just tell me what’s going on already.”
“Mom and Dad were in a wreck earlier.”
I stopped moving as all my blood rushed south, leaving me dizzy.
“What? Are they okay? When did it—”
“Whoa, slow down with the questions, sis. They were heading out of Houston, back toward Bridgewater, when a truck’s brakes failed and took them, along with three other cars, out at a set of lights.”
Tears sprang forth and I didn’t bother trying to stop them.
My voice cracked as I asked my next question. “Are they okay?”
“They’re both in surgery at the moment.”
My brother was a plastic surgeon, for fuck’s sake. I knew he would have more information than that.
“Tell me, Christopher! I know you wouldn’t be happy with just knowing they were in surgery.”
He sighed into the phone. “Mom’s right shoulder and arm are a mess, she’s also got some internal bleeding. I honestly don’t know exactly what her injuries are at this stage, and I won’t until she gets out of surgery. Dad was driving. They had to cut him out of the vehicle. His left leg was crushed. The doctor wasn’t sure if he’d be able to save the limb.”
I covered my mouth as a sob tore free while I tried to process what my brother was telling me. It was too much. My parents weren’t that old, only in their late fifties. Surely, they were young enough to be able to recover from their injuries. Even if my father lost his leg, he’d still be here with us. Right?
My brother continued, cutting off my spiraling thoughts, “So, yeah, it’s going to be a long recovery for them both, but it looks like they’ll both pull through. Some of the other victims weren’t so lucky, Gabs. It was a mess.”
Even though he couldn’t see me, I nodded, too choked up to speak. Lucky to be alive… a phrase I never thought I’d hear in regard to my parents.
“What hospital?”
“Memorial Herman, here in Houston.”
The hospital where he worked. “I’m on my way.”
“Gabs, seriously, take your time. There’s no rush. They’re both going to be in surgery for a while yet. The last thing I need is for you to crash too because you’re upset and driving. Maybe get Silk to come with you?”
It warmed me a little that Christopher cared. There were times I honestly wondered about how he felt about me.
“I’ll be careful. And, yeah, I’ll work something out.”
I wouldn’t bother Silk with this. She was too busy with her new family.
“Okay, well, let me know when you leave so I know when to expect you in. Love you, sis.”
“Love you too, bro. See you soon.”
Ending the call, I stalled out and stood there staring at the dark screen. I was numb as I tried to process how my world had just been turned on its head with one phone call.
Boone’s large palm slipped up my spine and wrapped around the back of my neck. The warmth of his skin against mine helped ground me. I turned and looked up into his beautiful, baby blue irises.
“My parents were in a crash.”