Page 6 of Max Bannon

“Michael, this is Jack Raider. Max was bitten over a hundred times by bees, and he wanted me to call you. He can barely speak.”

“Okay, the bees must have the same substance that those other bees had when he had to be rushed to the hospital. How far are you from the hospital? Michael asked.

“Ten minutes.”

“I’m going to call ahead so they’ll be ready for him when he arrives.”

“There is another one who was bitten. She must have the same reaction as Max. Tell them there are two patients.”

“Okay, tell them to hang in there.”

Everything faded in and out. The sound of tires on pavement. Jack’s voice hummed as he spoke to the nurse on the other end of the radio. The flash of lights as we turned into the emergencybay. I wanted to move. I wanted to get to Tessa. But my limbs were heavy, like they didn’t belong to me.

Jack and Eloise jumped out the moment we stopped. Eloise opened the back door. “Max, we’re here. Hang on.”

I was lifted onto a stretcher and wheeled into the ER. I caught a glimpse of Tessa—she was already in a hospital bed, IV in her arm, face pale and puffy. Her eyes locked on mine for a brief second, full of fear and relief all at once.

“Tessa...” I mumbled, trying to sit up.

“Easy, big guy,” the nurse said, pushing me gently back down. “You’ve been stung more times than any man should. We’ve got you both on a drip to counteract the reaction. You’re gonna be okay. It’ll just take a while, so relax.”

“I need to know she’s okay,” I whispered.

“She’s right here,” the nurse reassured me.

They must have thought we were a couple because they put our beds next to each other. I turned my head slowly. Tessa looked over at me, her eyes glassy.

“You’re an idiot,” she said, voice hoarse. “You should have stayed in the vehicle.”

“I would never have left you in there alone.”

She gave a weak laugh, then blinked away tears. “I was just trying to clean the place. I didn’t know there were bees in the wood stove. I wanted to get it ready for when my Dad and brother come for a visit."

The doctor checked our vitals, speaking in a calm, clinical voice, making everything seem less terrifying. They said we would have to stay overnight for observation. I didn’t argue.

“I thought I could handle being out here on my own,” Tessa said quietly after they left. “I thought I needed to prove that I could care for myself. If you hadn’t shown up, I probably would have died,” she said. I saw her eyes closing.

“How long have I been sleeping?”

“Thirty minutes at the most,” I said. She started talking like she hadn’t fallen asleep.

“The truth is, since my Mom and twin sister died, I haven’t been the same. It was like something shifted inside me. ”

“I started leaving things, inside and outside. At first, my Dad would tell me, and then after a while, they just picked it up and took it to my room. I overheard my Dad and brother talking about it. Jake, that’s my brother. He wanted my Dad to get me some help. He thought if I could talk to someone, then maybe I would go back to who I was before the accident.”

“Were you in the accident with them?” I asked.

“No, I was in a helicopter with Jake and my Dad. My sister and Mom were in a boat following us. We were celebrating because Cassy graduated from college. There was a group of high school students partying and drinking, they were in a race boat.”

Since we were higher, we spotted them. We tried to warn Momma, but she didn’t have a chance. Their boat hit them at over seventy-five miles per hour. My Dad landed the helicopter; it was a nightmare. Anyway, that’s when I became different. My brother wants me to move back home; he’s angry that I left.”

I let out a breath. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, Tessa. Not to me. Not to yourself. You’re already tougher than half the SEALs on the mountain.”

She smiled, but her lip trembled. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough to care what happens to you. You can stay at the B&B until that cabin is completely remodeled.” When I glanced at her, she was sleeping, her face swollen by bee stings.

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