Page 126 of Forbidden King (Magnolia Falls)

“I know. But he just had this big moment and now he can’t fucking breathe?” River hissed as he pulled out of the parking lot and followed Romeo, Demi, Hayes, and Peyton in the car in front of us.

“This was a bad one,” King said, squeezing my hand. “I’ve never seen him like that.”

“Did you see how calm Nash and Hayes were?” Ruby asked. “If you guys get upset, Cutler will panic. You need to not let him see that fear, okay?”

We all nodded as we pulled into the emergency room and watched as Cutler was wheeled out of the ambulance with Nash right behind him.

As soon as we parked, we were all running toward the hospital. Once we got inside, we waited in the waiting room, and Nash disappeared behind the double doors.

Doc Dolby came walking in shortly after, and River waved him over.

“It was bad, huh?” he asked, and he didn’t hide his concern. “They seem to be getting worse.”

“Yeah. He couldn’t speak. His nostrils were flaring,” Hayes said. “Ribs sucking in and out, and his color was off.”

“You did the right thing calling 9-1-1. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to the field quicker,” Doc said. I was actually shocked he’d gotten here as quickly as he had. The man was really old, and it shocked me that he was still working full-time.

“Glad you’re here now. Can you go back there and see what’s happening?”

“Yep. Let me see what I can find out.” He clapped River on the shoulder and made his way down the hallway.

“The oxygen will make a big difference,” Hayes said as he pushed to his feet and started pacing alongside King.

“Yeah. He’s going to be okay,” Demi said. “He has to be. Should someone call Nash’s father?”

Romeo nodded and stepped away to make the call.

“Did you see that fucking hit?” King said, turning to look at us as we sat in the chairs. “Beefcake is a rockstar.”

“That hit, man. It was unbelievable.” River shook his head.

“He wanted that win so fucking bad.” Hayes dropped to sit in the chair and scrubbed a hand down his face.

The doors opened, and Nash came striding toward us just as Romeo walked back over. We all pushed to our feet.

“He’s all right,” he said, clapping his hands together. “They are giving him steroids now, and they’ve got his breathing under control. Doc is in there with him, talking with the ER doctors, and they might just keep him overnight as a safety precaution.”

“Fuck, dude. I’m so sorry.” Hayes pulled him in for a hug and clapped him on the back, hard.

“I’m guessing they won’t let us all in there right now,” King said, grabbing the trophy that he’d set on the table in the waiting room. “But you give this to him. He earned every inch of this thing.”

Nash nodded and said he needed to get back in there after we each gave him a quick hug.

“We’ll just hang out here for a while,” Romeo said. “So text us with updates when you find out if he’s staying overnight.”

“Will do.” He started to walk away and then turned around. “Thank you. Cutler is really lucky to have you as his family.”

“I called your dad, and he had that meeting about an hour out of town. He’s on his way back now, and he said he’ll call you the minute he gets back.”

“Thanks, brother.”

Nash disappeared behind the double doors, and we all just sat there in silence, probably all still processing what had happened over the last thirty minutes.

Doc Dolby came walking out toward us. He’d literally been all of our pediatricians, as he had been the only children’s doctor in Magnolia Falls since I was born. He had a few nurses who worked for him, but he was a one-man show.

“He’s going to be all right, but his medication will need to be adjusted.” He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I was waiting to talk to Nash this week, but I’m going to be stepping away. I just can’t keep up with everything anymore, and Rose is ready for me to retire.”

I wasn’t shocked that he was retiring, as he was probably well past due. But what did this mean for Cutler? The timing couldn’t be worse. He needed a doctor in town who could figure out what to do with his medication so that this didn’t happen again.

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