Page 47 of Love Shots

As he crouched above the red stain, his body began to shake.

Please don’t let that be her blood. Please let her be okay.

Scrambling to dial the hospital, he didn’t take a single breath until he’d hung up. And even then, he wasn’t sure how he was still managing to get enough air into his lungs. The sympathetic receptionist’s words, “unconscious,” “brain injury,” and “ICU” flashing through his mind at a million miles an hour.

I never told her that I loved her.

The drive to the hospital happened in a daze. To keep him focused, he called Brady. First and foremost, he wanted the local deputy to call the sheriff and find out what the hell happened. Secondly, he entrusted the man to let everyone know what happened and where he would be.

Storming reception like a bat out of hell, the teenage-looking receptionist shrank into her seat as he approached the desk.

“Summer Willis.” He grunted. “I was told she’s in ICU. I want to see her ... talk to her doctor. Get an update.”

“Uh, are you family?”

“I’m her fiancé,” he ground out through clenched teeth. It wasn’t technically a lie. He planned to be just that very soon if he had his way.

If she gets through this.

“Okay, sir, if you want to make your way up to the second floor and take a seat, I’ll let the attending physician know you’re here.”

Teddy thanked her and made his way upstairs. Plastic seats weren’t going to cut it right now though. But he couldn’t exactly pace around the waiting room like a caged animal either. Instead, he found a spot to wring his hands against the wall. Next to a coffee machine.

He checked his phone again. Still no word from Brady.

Why the fuck didn’t I tell her I loved her? What if I never get another chance? Oh God, please let her be okay.

He let his head fall into his hands. He was a goddamn Navy SEAL and he’d never felt so helpless in his whole damn life.

“Willis family?”

Teddy’s head lifted, his gaze finding a graying, pudgy man in a white coat. “Yeah,” he croaked as he made his way toward the doctor. “Teddy McCallen, Summer’s fiancé.”

The older man took his outstretched hand and shook it. “Teddy, I’m Dr. Burke. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll take you to see Ms. Willis. I can then give you an update on her condition.”

“Is she awake?” He couldn’t stop hope from blooming.

“No.” Dr. Burke started toward the corridor; Teddy followed behind. “She’s stable but hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

Hasn’t regained consciousness. I don’t need to be a doctor to know that’s not good.

“Do you know what happened?”

“According to the man who brought her in, she fell headfirst onto the ground. Concrete I believe.”

Wait. What? “The man who brought her in? Is he still here? Do you know who he was?”

Teddy followed the doctor into the sterile white room. The smell of antiseptic immediately seeping into his skin. Even knowing what he did, he felt utterly unprepared for the sight of Summer. Hooked up to a series of tubes, wires and cables, steady beeps interrupting the sudden ringing in his ears.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a name or any more information. Now.” Dr. Burke gestured at the bed. “According to her CT scan, the fall caused some minor swelling on Ms. Willis’s brain. As she is yet to wake up, we want to monitor her blood and oxygen levels overnight.” Okay. The ringing in Teddy’s ears was back. “We’re hoping that it will go down naturally over the next few days and there won’t be a need for surgery.”

Surgery. Jesus. “Brain surgery?” Even the words made him gulp.

“Yes. To relieve the pressure. But for now, we want to wait. See if the swelling goes down on its own.”

Teddy slumped into the chair next to Summer’s bed. Reaching for her hand, he was careful of the wires as he placed his big hand over her small one.

“Now, technically visiting hours are over. But ... in this case, I think we can make an exception.”

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