Page 164 of Heartbeats & Highways

“Putting it mildly,” he said. “Gotta have Church to discuss what’s going to be done. That won’t happen until after Acid . . . What did you guys talk about?”

“Stuff,” I said evasively. I rested my head on his shoulder and before I knew it, I was dozing off.

I only woke up because I heard Waverly and Sailor enter the waiting room. Dylan wasn’t far behind them.

“Savage,” Waverly said. “Where’s Willa?”

I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

“She’s in labor,” Savage said.

“Why didn’t you text me?” she demanded.

“Kind of a lot going on here, Little Punk,” he said.

Her eyes softened.

“Any news about Acid?” Sailor asked. Her voice sounded thin and far away. Fear was etched across her face.

“Not yet.”

“I need coffee,” Dylan said.

“Me too,” Waverly added. She grasped Sailor’s elbow and steered her out of the waiting room.

“What was that about?” I asked Savage once they were gone. “Sailor, I mean. She seemed really upset about Acid. I didn’t even think they knew each other.”

Savage ran a thumb across his jaw. “Acid saved Sailor from a really bad situation. Sailor’s been sort of in love with him ever since. Hero worship, you know?”

“I see.”

“Can we go for a drive?” he asked. “I can’t sit here.”

“Sure,” I said. “You good to drive?”

He nodded. “I’m jacked up on energy drinks.”

We didn’t speak again until we were in the elevator.

“It’s my fault,” Savage said. “It’s my fault he’s in surgery.”

“No.” I shook my head emphatically. “It’s not. He went behind your back to get into the ring. You didn’t ask him to do this.”

“He wouldn’t have been there if I hadn’t gotten involved in fighting in the first place.”

“You want to play the blame game?” I swallowed, my throat tight. “It’smyfault. He never would’ve volunteered if you hadn’t met me.”

He sighed. “I guess we both have a lot of misplaced guilt, huh?”

The guilt would be a million times worse if there was bad news. If Acid didn’t recover.

The lobby of the hospital was empty and quiet, the only sound being Savage’s heavy motorcycle boots across the pristine floor.

I didn’t understand hospitals. Sterile yet frenetic energy, people dying in the same place other people were being born.

My hand went to my belly. I wasn’t sure I wanted my babies to come into the world with all of that around them.

But there was plenty of time to talk about it with Savage.

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