Page 69 of Hello Handsome
I reached her as her legs started to sway and put my arm around her. “What happened, Ags?”
We sat on the steps leading up to the back door of the house, and she looked over at me with dazed, glassy eyes. “Enzo was in a hiking accident. Someone ahead of him tripped on a steep trail, and he was knocked off. They said he fell almost ten feet. His leg is broken, and he was knocked unconscious.”
My gut clenched at the answer. “He hasn’t woken up yet? How long has it been since the accident?”
Her eyes went wide. “I didn’t even think to ask. God, I’m such a terrible mom.” She stood up, frantically walking toward hercar. “I have got go. I need to find a plane ticket. I’m not sure what my credit limit is.” Her fingers fumbled with the gate latch; she was shaking so badly.
“Aggie,” I said, taking her shoulders and making her face me. “You can’t drive in this condition.”
“But I have to go be with him,” she said, a sob shaking her voice.
“Then I’m going with you,” I said. I’d call the kids to watch the ranch. Things here would be fine. I wanted to be there for her.
“Are you sure?” she asked, a small glimmer of hope in her expression.
“Of course I’m sure,” I said. “Let me get a bag packed, and then we’ll go to your house to get your things.”
Within an hour, we both had travel bags thrown together with the basics. She’d called Owen to let him know that she’d be out of work until she knew more about Enzo’s condition. And I booked us last-minute tickets out of Dallas to Honolulu. She tried to tell me she’d repay me, but I waved her off. “This is what emergency savings are for–to help your family.” Whether she felt the same way or not, it was true–Aggie was my family.
The two-hour drive to Dallas felt like ten. Our usual lighthearted banter was replaced with Aggie calling Isa and Etta to tell them what had happened with Enzo and then calling back to the hospital to see if he’d woken up yet.
He hadn’t.
I had to convince Aggie to eat a quick bite at the airport. Her stomach was upset, understandably, but she’d need her strength for the trip and what we’d find when we arrived.
So as we boarded the plane, she nibbled on a sandwich. My nerves were strung tight with adrenaline, but there was nowhere I'd rather be than helping Aggie through this in any way I could.
Since it was a red-eye flight, I encouraged her to lean against me and rest. Even though I could tell a million thoughts were going through her mind, she drifted off an hour or two into the flight. I couldn’t sleep, though, with my girl under my arm.
I’d been so close to telling her at my house that I wanted a second chance with her. I knew I couldn’t undo what had happened after the gala, but I could create a better future with her at my side.
But my feelings were the least important thing right now.
No, now it was all about getting Aggie to her son.
43
AGGIE
I rushedinto the hospital wearing yesterday’s clothes, Gray following closely behind as I reached the security guard at the reception desk and demanded to see my son. I knew I was frantic; I knew it wasn’t his fault that my son was here and injured. But the sleepy guy in uniform felt like the only thing keeping me from my baby’s side.
At least he had the good sense not to tell me to calm down. Instead, he searched on the computer for his room number and then said, “Follow me.”
We walked behind his stout frame, moving quickly across tile floors that smelled strongly of disinfectant. Even though it was still early in the morning, the fluorescent lights overhead burned brightly and stung my eyes, still dry from the flight. Beeping came from each room, snores from some and talking from others.
But finally, finally, we reached my son in the ICU.
My heart clenched seeing his tan skin against the white sheets, a bandage tinted pink in one spot wrapped tightly around his head. A tube was in his mouth. One leg was bigger than the other under the blanket, likely due to a stent or a cast.
A whimper came through my mouth, and Gray put a steadying arm around me.
No one around me mattered, though, as I walked closer to the bedside, brushing fingertips over Enzo’s scraped arm like that would somehow make him better. In fact, there were scratches and scrapes over his arms and dirt still caked under his fingernails.
An overwhelming urge to yell at the staff overcame me as I turned to Gray. “Why did they leave him all dirty like this?”
Gray frowned, stepping closer to me. “I’m sure we’ll have time to clean him up.”
Hot, fat tears rolled down my cheeks as I said, “Enzo, baby, I’m here.”
