Page 17 of Fiend
“Listen to me carefully. Are you listening?” He shakes my shoulders for emphasis, and I nod; it’s all I can give him.
“When we were back at the house, I turned on my phone as I was coming inside, and there were probably hundreds of calls from Jax. I called him immediately and he told me—” he cuts himself off with a shuddering intake of breath.
Fuck, please don’t let her be gone. I can’t survive it again.
“He told me Essa fell while getting out of the bath. He explained she was having some pain, but when she tried to get out, she slipped and… The rest he said was a blur. He called 911, and he’s been here with her ever since.”
Leo’s voice fades into the background. I’ve heard enough.
Jax is responsible for this. He was supposed to fucking take care of her while I was gone, and he failed. He fuckingfailed her.
Wind and rain pelt my face in the form of tiny needles as I beeline for the front doors of the hospital. The woman in scrubs glances up at me, startled.
“Essa Anthony. Where is she?” I’m breathless. Why am I breathless?
“And you are?” she asks, cocking her dark brow at me with her hands poised above the keys on the keyboard.
My hands slam down on the desktop in front of me, the resounding smack ringing throughout the room. “I’m her fucking husband! Tell me where the fuck she is!”
The woman doesn’t seem perturbed in the slightest. She instead looks back at the computer, clacking away at the keys. “She’s in labor and delivery—on the third floor,” she adds. “The waiting—”
Not bothering to wait for her response, I take off down the hall to my right. The elevators come into my line of sight, but I bypass them, taking the stairs instead. I grip the cool gray metal handle and try to yank the door open but the pressurized mechanism in the door keeps it from opening too quickly, and I end up running into it.
All the air leaves my lungs at the pressure, and I stumble backward, dazed. “Fuck!”
A strong hand grips my shoulder, steadying me, and I yank away from the touch, glaring behind me. Leo raises a thick brow. He opens his mouth, but I dart up the stairs before I can hear a thing. All I can think about is Essa. Hurt and bleeding. All fuckingalone.All because I wasn’t there for her like I promised I would be.
I fuckingpromised herI would always be by her side, for whatever she needed. Whether that be pain, sex, to bleed, or just someone to curl up next to and watch cheesy vampire movies with. Fucking all of it. And I want it.
What if that’s all over now?
The thundering of my footsteps echoes in the stairwell, along with the skid of my boots as I round another corner, gripping the metal handrail tightly to keep my balance. My ribs ache from the rapid beat of my heart thundering against them, trying its best to escape its confines.
I swear on fucking everything if Essa doesn’t make it, I’ll let it. I’ll rip my own goddamn heart out of my chest before I live without her. There’s no other option.
I come to a halt at the top of the staircase where a thick, black 3 stands out next to the door. Without hesitation, I rip the door open and run through, stopping when I reach the nurse’s station. My lungs burn with every heavy breath I take, almost as if my body doesn’t want the oxygen it needs.
Of course, it doesn’t. I don’t want anything without Essa—not even my breath.
“Where’s Essa Anthony’s room?” I puff out. My eyes are crazed, darting to and fro, hoping I can catch a glimpse of her.
“I’m sorry, you—”
“I’m her husband. Tell me where the fuck she is!”
“Sir, please calm down.” The nurse’s voice is calm, pleading, but it does nothing but piss me off. How the fuck can I be calm right now? Obviously this bitch doesn’t know—
“Sorry, ma’am. Could you please tell us where Essa Anthony is?” Her small, doe eyes flicker back and forth between me and Leo. Quite the fucking scene, we are.
“Um. Yes, hold on.” Her gaze darts to the other nurse seated beside her before flickering to her computer screen. “She’s in surgery right now. There’s a waiting room down the hall and to the right where you can go until she’s out. I’ll be sure to give you an update as soon as I can.”
“What the fuck do you mean she’s in surgery?! Forwhat?”
“Vin, calm down. They’re—”
“She’s having an emergency cesarean section, sir. I’ll update you when I know more.”
My eyes bulge, and I grip the high desk in front of me so fucking hard my knuckles blanch from the pressure. The monster inside of me unfurls, spreading through my limbs and slithering its way inside of my head, my heart, my entire fucking body.
