Page 127 of Caught in the Axe
Adrenaline had taken over, causing my body to shake and my teeth to chatter.
Somehow, I made it to the hospital in Bangor.
I’d walked right through reception and straight into the ICU. An angry receptionist snapped at me when I ran to the desk.
“I’m here for Owen Hebert,” I said, already breathless and panicked.
“You family?”
I hesitated. No, technically I was not. But Ineeded to see him. I needed to make sure he was okay. My heart was ready to explode in my chest. So I just took off without responding, studying the names written on whiteboards outside of each door.
“Excuse me,” she shouted as she followed me. “This is a closed ward. Come back here.”
I broke into a jog. Fuck the rules. Fuck being polite. I was going to find him, dammit.
“Miss,” she yelled again. “I’ll have to call security.”
Ignoring her, I turned down another hallway—how big was this damn hospital?—and ran smack dab into a set of double doors. I wrenched one open and ran inside, immediately skidding to a stop.
I was in a tranquil waiting room.
With the entire Hebert family. And every one of them was staring at me.
The nasty nurse followed. “Miss, you need to leave. You’re disrupting the patients.”
Gus stepped forward. “What’s the problem?”
“This woman isn’t family, and she’s running around the ICU like a lunatic. Nancy at the front desk already called security,” she hissed, out of breath.
I turned and narrowed my eyes at this person. She seemed to think she could keep me away from Owen, but the joke was on her. Security would have to tase me to get me out, and then I’d climb in a window if I had to.
I put my hands on my hips. “I’m his—”
“Assistant,” Gus interrupted.
Slowly, I turned to face him. “You,” I said, shoving his chest hard. “You were supposed to protect him. Keep him safe!”
“Who is this woman?” the nurse shouted. The door opened, and a kindly looking security guard walked in.
“I’m Lila,” I said, looking around the room. Debbie was knitting, her hands trembling as she watched my display. Jude sat next to her, his head in his hands. Finn was standing, rubbing Adele’s shoulders. She was reclined in a chair, her hands on her round belly. In a corner, Cole was slumped over his phone, looking up at me through his hair.
My stomach twisted. I hadn’t thought this through.
“I’m Owen’s Lila,” I said, trying to sound authoritative. “I’m his. And he’s mine. And I don’t care what the hospital policy is. I’m not leaving until I see him.” I crossed my arms and glared at the security guard, who didn’t seem like he wanted anything to do with this display of crazy.
Hello, awkward. Everyone was staring at me in confusion. So I tilted my chin up and scanned the room. “Owen and I are together.”
Adele’s eyes widened, and Jude’s head snapped up.
Debbie looked confused. “But…?”
“I’m in love with him,” I blurted out, too exhausted to be more eloquent than that. “We’ve only been together for a few weeks, but I love him. Gus called me, and I panicked because, if anything happened to him—” My throat closed up, and I burst into tears.
What a way to make an impression on my boyfriend’s family.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Debbie hopped up and pulled me close. “That’s wonderful. And he’s going to be alright.” She patted my back, soothing me as sobs racked me.
She looked at the security guard and Nurse Asshole. “Leave us. She’s family,” she barked.
