Page 49 of Heatwaves

He nods slowly as he pulls out a card and hands it to Carter. “I’ll meet you at the hospital, but here’s my number, just in case.”

“Thank you,” Ty says quickly, already running back to the car. The three of us follow him and then we’re heading toward the hospital.

It’s the longest fifteen-minute drive of my life. As soon as Carter pulls into a parking space, we’re all rushing inside and to the desk in the emergency room.

The woman sitting behind it looks up with wide eyes as my palms slap down onto the desk harder than I meant for them to. “Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”

“Our friend, Lila Riley, was just in an accident. We saw it happen. The ambulance left before us,” Ty pants out, halfway to hyperventilating.

The woman nods slowly, typing somethingon her computer before looking up. “It looks like they arrived a few minutes ago. A doctor is with her now and her family has been notified. If you want to have a seat in the waiting room, we won’t be able to give information to anyone but her family, but you’ll be able to see them as soon as they arrive.”

I bite my cheek to keep from growling at the woman that we need more information than that, but it won’t do me any good.

“Come on, Ty.” I throw my arm around his shoulders and lead him over to a row of hard plastic seats that look anything but comfortable. Ty’s body is shaking as he clings to me.

How much more can he deal with? Will this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back?

If Lila isn’t okay, we’ll not only lose her but Tyler too.

All I can do is hold him against me as we sit and wait.

I’m not paying attention to what’s going on around me as I lose myself in my thoughts, so I’m surprised when someone stops in front of us with her hands on her hips.

“What the hell are the four of you doing here?”

Glancing up, I find Lila's mom glaring down at us.

“Uhhh…”

“Mrs. Riley, we saw the accident. We wanted to make sure she’s alright,” Oliver offers as he stands.

She focuses her glare on him, and he holds up his hands in surrender. “She wouldn’t want you here.”

“Sylvia!” My head jerks to the side, finding Wyatt rushing over. “How is she?”

Sylvia seems to collapse in on herself as she starts sobbing. Her husband and Miguel rush over, holding her between them.

Miguel murmurs something before stepping back and allowing Lila's dad to lead her mom away from us. He watches them, sadness radiating from him before he turns back to us with a stern expression.

“We don’t know much. They’ve rushed Lila back to surgery. She has some internal injuries that they’re worried about. On top of that, she broke her leg. They won’t be able to tell us much more until they get her out of surgery.” Miguel sighs, rubbing his head. “The four of you need to go. You’re upsetting her parents, and I can’t allow that.”

“We just want to—“ Carter pushes to his feet, ready to face off with his cousin.

“No,” Miguel growls with a shake of his head. “I don’t care what you want. The child of the man and woman I love is back there fighting for her life, and all you’re doing is causing more pain. You will leave now, and I’ll call you when I know anything.”

Carter looks like he wants to argue, only snapping his mouth closed when Wyatt’s hand lands on his shoulder.

“Go be with Brandon and Sylvia, Miguel. I’ll have a chat with these four and then I’ll join you.”

Miguel glares at the four of us before storming off, leaving us alone with Wyatt.

“Tell me what the fuck happened and how you knew she was injured.” The incubus’s eyes flash as he turns his attention to us. “And don’t leave a damn thing out.”

Carter collapses into his chair before filling Wyatt in on what happened. Halfway through the explanation, Wyatt crashes into a chair across from us, laying his head in his hands.

When Carter finishes, Wyatt doesn’t speak right away. Finally, he lifts his head to glance between us. “Look, it’s clear how much you care for Lila, but Sylvia and Miguel are right. You need to leave. I promise to keep you all updated, but this is too much right now. Sylvia was right—Lila wouldn’t want you here.”

I want to argue with him, but he’s right. All we’re doing is causing trouble here.

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