Page 7 of Sebastian

Seb chuckled. “Couldn’t let that happen, Sprinkles. After all, who would make me my snobby cortado every morning? Can’t let the owner of the only place to get a decent cup of coffee in Bell Ridge get hurt, now can I?” He moved away from her, taking his warmth too. Damn. She shouldn’t miss that feeling as much as she did. Emma tried to sit up but winced as something in her side pulled. “Here, let me help.”

“I’m fine, honestly,” she slapped away his hand. Sirens rang out loudly as a sheriff’s vehicle and ambulance pulled up in front of the bakery.

“What the hell?” The door slammed as Hank made his way over to the scene. “You okay, Emma?”

“I-I think so.”

“I was able to get to her before the car. Gray sedan by the way. I wasn’t able to see the plate.”

“Okay, well, you’ve got quite the audience around here. Hopefully someone saw something. Em,” Hank turned from Sebastian towards her, reaching his hand down to help her up. She looked as Seb and smiled as she accepted help from Hank. “Go over to the ambulance and just get checked out, okay?”

“I’m totally fine, Hank. I don’t need to get checked out.”

“That abrasion on your arm says otherwise. You’re dripping blood all over the place.”

Her stomach dropped and the world wobbled. She brought up her right arm, where the burning sensation she’d barely registered before was now throbbing, and saw that Hank was right. She swallowed thickly, willing her anxiety to wait for just a few minutes until she was alone.

“Whoa, what’s going on, Sprinkles? You don’t look so good.”

“I d-don’t…the blood.” The whooshing noise in her ears was growing louder as the nausea built in her stomach. Her hands and feet felt so damn cold, and Emma knew what would happen next. “Oh—” was all she managed to whisper as the world around her faded to black.

* * *

“…Sprinkles? You don’t look so good.” Sebastian didn’t like the way Emma’s face had completely drained of color as soon as she’d seen the blood on her arm. He wanted to pull her into his chest and apologize again, knowing the way he brought her to the ground had been the reason she was hurt.

It didn’t make sense why she affected him so much. When he’d seen the way that car was recklessly driving, and how Emma was in it’s path, he didn’t think. He just ran. His knee was throbbing with pain, knowing he’d tweaked the old injury that had taken months of rehab just to feel slightly normal. But it was worth it. He’d gotten her out of the way of the car. But not without injury.

“Oh—” Emma’s strained voice pulled him back into the present moment, and that was a good thing, because as he watched her eyes roll into the back of her head and her knees buckle, Seb knew he’d need to catch her.

“Sprinkles?” He tried to softly shake her as he swept her up into his arms. “Damn…she’s totally out of it. What the hell happened?”

“Bring her over to the ambulance,” Hank ordered. “I forgot she hates the sight of blood. Daisy’s going to kick my ass.” He mumbled the last part and Seb fought back a smile. It didn’t take long once in Bell Ridge to see how much the sheriff loved his wife, and Seb knew she often took joy in putting Hank in his place.

A small part of his heart clenched as he set Emma down on the gurney and watched the EMTs start their evaluations.

“Blood pressure’s still on the low side,” he heard one of the EMTs say.

“Is that why she isn’t waking up?” Seb asked.

“Maybe it’s because I don’t want you here,” Emma grumbled as her eyes fluttered open.

“Sprinkles, could you maybe not give me a heart attack when I’m trying to play hero? I feel like it’s the least that you could do when I saved your very perky ass from getting squashed like a bug a few minutes ago.”

“Oh sorry, yeah, I forgot, I’m the rude one here.” Her eyes landed on Sebastian, but he didn’t see the fire and sass that normally filled them. No, he saw worry, and pain. What he wouldn’t give to take that away for her.

“Hey. It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.” He slipped his hand over her leg and gave her thigh a reassuring squeeze. For a moment, he saw the shadow of a smile fall over her lips before she promptly froze her face in a scowl.

“I know I will be. Can you take your hand off my leg, please?”

Sebastian pulled his hand back. “Listen, I better go talk with Hank, let him know what I saw.”

Emma’s eyes flew back to his. “Please ask him not to say anything to Daisy. Just tell him I’m fine and I’ll fill her in on what happened when I see her.”

“Uh, yeah, okay. I can do that.”

Sebastian stepped out of the ambulance and scanned the scene in front of him. More people from around town had arrived, apparently with nothing better to do in their day than gawk and gossip.

“Mr. Montgomery! Is Emma okay?” Natalie rushed towards him.

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