Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
He lowered himself into a chair with a groan and laced his fingers together, raising his arms and clasping his hands behind his neck and pulling on his tight muscles. It didn’t help relax him.
People came and went around him, and another hour passed. Though he wanted to throw his famous weight around, nothing would get him answers until the doctors had some themselves.
“Harrison!” Nikki’s voice brought him out of his stupor. He rose to his feet, and she barreled into him, wrapping her arms around him tight.
He hugged her back and met his brother’s gaze over her head. “Did you break speeding records getting here?”
Asher shrugged. “Whatever it takes.”
“What do you know? How is she? It’s been hours and I know I’d have heard from you if you had good news.” Nikki shot questions at him.
“I don’t know.” He curled his hands into fists, his frustration at an all-time high. “Nobody will tell me a damned thing. I’ve asked every medical professional who walks through those doors to get me answers. They just keep saying they’re backed up and someone will come talk to me soon. And I pulled the fiancé card,” he warned Nikki.
She gasped. “Are you—?”
“Not yet,” he muttered. But he’d be locking Winter down as soon as he could. Maybe it was too soon but he didn’t care.
He knew she was his.
Her sister blew out a long breath. “Since we have time, what exactly happened?”
“I swear to fuck, I don’t know.” Harrison ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. He’d been shoving his fingers through it all day. “Winter was going stir-crazy and begged me to go into town for lunch and to walk around. Since the bodyguard agreed, we went. But I was uneasy.” He shook his head, regretting the entire day.
Asher placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “Breathe,” he commanded.
Harrison inclined his head and inhaled, then let out a long exhale before meeting Nikki’s gaze. “Winter was dizzy and hadn’t eaten, so I left her sitting at an outside table at the café with the bodyguard and I went inside. I fucking ordered the food to go because I had a bad feeling. Next thing I know, a car’s tires are screeching, and a vehicle is headed directly for where Winter was sitting. It crashed into the café window and came to a grinding stop.”
Asher let out a low whistle. “Damn.”
“It happened in seconds,” Harrison said. “The car crashed into the glass, and I ran to find Winter. Morgan had been hit and his leg is probably broken. And Winter was on the ground, unconscious.”
Nikki closed her eyes and moaned.
Though he’d already told them Winter had suffered a head injury, hearing the details couldn’t be easy and Asher enfolded Nikki in his arms.
“Family of Winter Capwell?” A woman wearing scrubs stood by the doors Harrison had been watching for hours.
“Here,” Nikki said before he did. She broke free from Asher, and they all stepped toward the doctor.
“I’m Dr. Kline. I’ve been treating Winter.” Despite the doctor’s severe appearance, her dark hair pulled back in a tight bun, she smiled in a way obviously meant to reassure them. “She’s conscious now. I thought I should lead with that.”
“Oh, thank God,” Nikki blinked as big crocodile tears fell from her eyes.
Harrison nodded, the lump in his throat massive. “What else?” he managed to ask.
“She has a severe concussion. It’s grade three, meaning she lost consciousness. As I said, she’s awake, and she’ll be fine in time.”
“The baby?” he asked, holding his breath.
“Also fine.”
He expelled air and hoped he didn’t pass out. “Okay, good. Good.”
Asher gripped Harrison’s shoulder in one hand and held onto Nikki with the other.
“Before you see her,” the doctor continued, “you should be aware of some of her symptoms. Aside from the obvious pain she is in, she’s extremely dizzy and nauseous, and she has no memory of the accident—which is common for a concussion as severe as hers. But I do expect those memories to return.”
Harrison was nauseous himself. “Go on.”
“There are other, less severe symptoms, and I’ll give you a list of what to watch for when we discharge her. But we’ve done a CT scan and she has no swelling, bleeding of the brain or a skull fracture, which is excellent news.” The doctor held her clipboard against her chest.
“Oh my God.” Nikki’s knees almost buckled and Asher held her upright. She probably just now realized how bad this could have been.
The woman shot Nikki a sympathetic glance. “Given that she lost consciousness, I’d like to keep her overnight for observation. If nothing changes, she can go home tomorrow.”
Harrison let out yet another relieved breath, knowing he’d be sitting in a chair in her room all night.
“But she will need to be watched and her symptoms can last for weeks, if not months.”