Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
I grab on to Ryan and help him stand up straight again. “Ryan, he’s going to be okay. He has to be okay. Come on, I’ll drive.”
We’re almost out the door when Ryan remembers my mom. “Brandi,” he bellows. “Baker’s been shot and is in the hospital.”
She comes out of the kitchen and looks out of patience. “I have cookies in the oven.”
Shock registers on my stepdad’s face, and I understand how he’s feeling. I’ve had this exact feeling a thousand times when it comes to my mom. But we don’t have time to deal with her right now. “Ryan, let’s go.”
Without another word, Ryan and I walk out the door. I’m running to my car, practically dragging him with me. I know he’s in shock, but I can’t just leave him to his own devices.
“Jasper Hospital, right?”
He nods, and I peel out of the driveway.
We make it to the hospital in Jasper in record time. I park haphazardly in an emergency lane, and we run in. Already the waiting room is full of men and women in blue. One of the guys comes up to us. “Sergeant, how’s my son?” Ryan asks.
The man grabs on to Ryan’s upper arms. “He’s in surgery right now. He was shot twice. Once in the vest. Once in the shoulder. They’ve extracted the bullet, and they said he has a concussion from when he hit his head.”
I’m holding my breath. I don’t want details right now. The only thing that matters to me is if he’s going to live or not. “He’s going to be okay?”
The man seems to notice me for the first time. “Cassie?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
He puts his hand on my shoulder. “He’s going to be okay. He’ll probably be doing better when he finds out you’re here.”
All I can do is nod my head. Ryan puts his arm around my shoulder. “Now we wait. Let’s have a seat.”
We sit down in the closest seats, and I stare at the door that leads to the back. Ryan grabs my hand. “He’s going to be okay, honey. He’s strong.”
I suck back a sob. I’m barely holding on. I felt like I had to be strong to get us here, and now I just feel completely numb. “I broke up with Baker.”
I don’t know why I admit it. I’m not sure what all Ryan knows about Baker and me, but I’m sure he figured something was going on.
He holds my hand. “I figured something happened when he pulled out of the house yesterday. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy.”
When I don’t say anything, he asks, “Why did you break up with him?”
Still staring at the door that leads to the back, I mumble, “Because he would break up with me anyway. When he finds out what a mess I am, he’ll dump me. He’s my stepbrother, and Mom said I was ruining the family—”
He cuts me off by leaning in, putting his shoulder against mine. “You love him, don’t you? And it scares the hell out of you?”
The tears start to fall, and no matter how much I wipe at them and try to get a hold of myself, I can’t stop crying. “I do. I love him.”
He reaches over and puts his arm around my shoulder. “Then you’ll make it work.”
I blink, and more tears roll down my cheeks. I give up trying to stop them and just give in to the fact that I’m going to cry. At least until I see Baker with my own eyes and know he’s okay. “But you and Mom… he’s my stepbrother and I don’t want—”
He cuts me off, and there’s nothing but compassion in his voice. “Oh, Cassie, how long have you had to take care of everyone else? You just need to focus on you and what you want. Do what makes you happy.”
“What if—?” I start.
He shakes his head. “Honey, I know it’s scary. Trusting someone else with your heart is probably one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. But I’ll tell you this: You’ll regret it if you don’t try.”
I don’t want to say it, but I’ve thought it the whole night. I royally messed up last night, and who knows what Baker’s thinking now? “What if he changed his mind? What if he’s decided I’m not worth it?”
I barely get the words out and the door to the back opens. Every man and woman in blue rise to their feet, and I stand up with Ryan’s help.
“Family of Baker Johnson?”
Ryan looks around the room. “It’s us. All of us.”
The surgeon nods his head and takes his hat off. He’s grim and straight to the point. “The surgery was successful. He’ll have to stay for a day or two, and when he goes home he’ll need to be monitored. Our worries now are infection and the concussion.”