Page 126 of Prince of Pain

She didn’t respond, and pure panic filled me when she started slipping slightly, her mouth and nose dipping under the water as her wrist came into view.

I’d never seen her cut that bad before.

“Oh fuck. Baby, no,” I choked out, almost slipping on the flooded floor as I scrambled towards her, grabbing her under the arms and hauling her out of the water. It was hot, way too hot.

Had she bled out or just fainted from the heat?

I had to wrap her wrists to slow the bleeding, she was so fucking pale.

I placed her on the bed and grabbed two shirts from my drawer, wrapping them around both wrists and tying them firmly, checking her pulse in the process. It was weak, but it was there.

I managed to carry her out to the living room to grab her keys and put her in the car, remembering to buckle her in. If I braked hard, she’d fly through the damn windshield.

Wasting no time, I sped towards Ashburn Valley Hospital, somehow pressing the right buttons on my phone to dial Archer’s number.

“What’s wrong?” he asked instantly, knowing I wouldn’t call him unless I had to.

“Meet me at the hospital. Now. I’m taking Temp in.”

“What happened?” Doors slammed and he shouted something at someone, telling me he was already on the way out the door of wherever he was.

“She’s slit her wrists really bad. I found her in the bath, she’s not conscious,” I choked out, his car starting and tires spun. “We had a fight and broke up. I didn’t know?—”

“You listen to me. Get her to that hospital, and we’ll deal with this conversation later, okay? I need to call Lex. Focus, Ryder. She’s going to be okay,” he said firmly, and I was pretty sure he was trying to convince himself, but I just took a breath and agreed, letting him hang up.

The car screeched as we arrived out the front of the hospital, and I raced around to her side to haul her out. She was limp in my arms, and I wasn’t even sure if I’d made it in time.

She looked dead.

It was a blur after that, nurses and doctors taking her from me and rushing her away, and someone asking me questions that I couldn’t process to give them an answer.

“Leave him the fuck alone, can’t you see he’s in shock?” Archer appeared in front of me, his eyes taking in my wet, bloodied clothes, and then he pulled me against his chest so tightly that I swore I cracked a rib. That was when the first sob left me, and I couldn’t fucking stop.

How did we get here?

Archer steered me towards the corner of the waiting room, but I couldn’t let go of him. It was like my body had locked up and latched onto him as an anchor.

If he was talking, I couldn’t hear him.

When Lexi arrived, I somehow pulled myself away to sit down and give them a moment together as they found a doctor to talk to, and I had no idea how much time had passed until someone squatted in front of me.

“Mom? What are you doing here?” I asked, remembering how to speak.

“Because you need me,” she answered as if the last time I’d seen her, I hadn’t punched her in the face. “She’s okay, Ry. Doc just told Arch and Lex that they’ve managed to stop the bleeding and stitched her up. She’s weak and needs blood, but they’re going to keep her in here for a little while for observation. She woke up and flipped out, so they had to sedate her again. Do you know when she used last?”

“Sunday, I think. What day is it today? Friday?”

She sighed, putting her hand on my knee and giving it a squeeze. “Wednesday. What happened?”

My throat went tight, and she moved to sit beside me, sliding an arm around me and pulled my head onto her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize how bad it was getting again. I never should’ve put my hands on you. I think I need help again.”

“You want to go back to rehab?” she asked, making me nod, and she kissed the top of my head. “Okay. We’ll organize it for you. I’ll always forgive you. Getting help and starting again is all I want for you. I love you so much, even when you give me gray hair.”

“I love you too,” I forced out, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice but failing.

We sat like that until Archer joined us, his eyes on me. “I don’t know what made you check on her, but thank you. If you hadn’t, I’d be burying my baby.” I was confused that he knew I’d left and come back, but he continued. “I spoke to Diesel. He said you two were fighting, and she set your car on fire, so you left.”

“Sort of. I broke up with her because she told me she was the person who spiked my drink. She’s the reason I relapsed,” I mumbled, his eyes narrowing. “I told her I was leaving and she had to be out by morning. She set my car on fire to stop me.”

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