Page 79 of Caught Up In You

But I can’t even manage to focus on Wyatt’s face. Everything feels a little fuzzy at the edges.

“Owen, are you okay?” Archer asks when he realizes I’m not following them.

I lock eyes with him, then look at Madeline. “You should take her to the ER,” I say.

“What?” Archer asks, eyebrows raised.

The smile slips from Madeline’s face. “You think so?”

I nod with enough force that it makes my head hurt. “Yeah. You need to get her a CT scan. To be sure.”

“She seems okay,” Archer says slowly, like he’s trying not to frighten an angry bear. “Just a bump. We can watch her.”

“No. You need to go,” I insist. I feel sweat rolling down my back and gathering at my temples.

“I know concussion protocol, Owen,” Archer says, his voice taking on that superior-big-brother tone.

“You’re not a doctor, Archer,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Are you really sure?” Madeline asks, looking from Betsy to me and back again. “The ER is?—”

“Yes.”I hear my voice getting tight. I squeeze my fists at my sides like I can hold back the rush of anxiety with brute force. “You never know. Okay? You just…you never know.”

There’s a beat of silence, and I’m not totally sure what’s happening around me. Everyone is just standing there. There’s not listening. They should be going to the emergency room. They’re notgoing.

“Please,” I say, or maybe the word gets caught in my throat. I can’t tell, because there’s a ringing in my ears that’s overpowering everything else.

“Okay,” Madeline says with a short nod, her voice shaking slightly. She pulls Betsy closer to her. “Okay. I’ll take her.”

It should make me feel better, but I take one look at the fear on her face—fearIput there—and all I can see is the terror of another mother three years ago.

She’s going, I tell myself. I repeat it like a mantra.She’s going. If there’s a problem, they’ll catch it. Betsy will be fine.

She’ll befine.

“Owen?”

A hand falls on my arm, and I feel Wyatt at my side. Archer says something, but I don’t hear it. I’m focusing on my breathing, chasing the panic away with all my might.

“Owen, let’s go sit down, okay?”

Wyatt hooks her arm through mine and steers me over to the sideline. As we walk, I hear a whistle blow, and red and blue jerseys streak past me.

“That was really scary,” she says.

“Yeah,” I say, the word grinding past the lump in my throat. I try to breathe out, but it feels like all my air is trapped in my chest.

“Can I get you anything?”

I watch Madeline gather her bag and walk with Betsy toward the parking lot.She’s going, I repeat again, and watch to make sure.

“Owen? How about a drink of water? You’re sweating,” Wyatt says.

“Yeah, it’s really hot,” I say, turning my focus to her. She’s smiling at me like she’s trying to comfort a kid who just woke from a nightmare, but she’s also chewing on her bottom lip. I can feel myself coming apart, but I summon everything I have and try to smile back at her. “Water would be good.”

Wyatt pulls a dripping bottle from the cooler. I take it from her, but I know as soon as it’s in my hand that this isn’t going to help me. It’s not going to give me enough air or slow down my heart or make my thoughts stop racing, and it’s not going to take the worry off Wyatt’s face. I need to relax. I need to calm the fuck down.

I glance around and see people trying to avoid looking at me. I’m freaking everyone out.

---