Page 50 of Protecting Jess

What if he got there and Jess was in a coma?

Or worse, had bled out?

Intense pain slammed into his chest, and he gulped in some air, attempting to ease it.

He couldn’t live without Jess.

He couldn’t stand it if something had happened to her. The thought of not being able to hold her. Kiss her. Those were thoughts Finn couldn’t bear.

“Breathe, Hive. She’s going to be fine.” Kevlar’s calm tone reached him through the haze of panic.

“You don’t know that.”

“No, I don’t, but she’s going to need you to be strong.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to her,” Finn said, laying himself bare in front of his fellow SEAL.

“I get that. I felt the same way when Remi went missing. That’s where you need to lean on those close to you—your team. And if they can’t be there, since I know you’re all on leave, then me and Smiley.”

“Thanks.” Finn nodded, grateful Kevlar and his team had been nearby. If they weren’t...well, he’d have found a way to deal with it.

“Is there someone of Jess’s you should call? Like her parents?”

This was something Finn should’ve thought of the second Kaley’s call had ended. Yet, he hadn’t even given Slick and Aunt Poppy a thought. His only focus had been on getting to Jess as quickly as possible.

Now that Kevlar had mentioned it, he was torn about what he should do. “Fuck, there is, but I don’t know if Jess would want me to call them.”

“Why?”

Finn’s knee bounced up and down, and he didn’t even try to stop it. “She kept what happened to her in her past from them. Didn’t want them to worry.”

Kevlar whistled long and low. “That’s pretty serious. Does she not have a good relationship with them?”

“The opposite. She and her parents are close. But, for reasons that are Jess’s alone, she felt the need to keep them out of it.”

His fellow SEAL didn’t say anything, just concentrated on driving them to the hospital.

Finn wished the guy would say something, because his own thoughts were a jumble. He knew what he should do. What he would want anyone do to if something happened to him. He’d want his family to know what was going on.

If he did call Slick and Aunt Poppy, what would Jess think of him? Would she be angry that he’d made a decision that was against what she would want?

“What’s your gut saying?” Kevlar asked as they pulled into the hospital ED lot.

“That I should call them, even if Jess will get angry with me. She needs her parents here. They would be devastated to know she’s going through this without them.”

“Then that’s what you should do.” His friend stopped at the entrance. “Go. I’ll find a spot and come find you.”

“Thanks, and I mean that. For driving me here and for your advice.”

“You know what you’ve got to do. You would’ve gotten there. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Hive. That’s what makes you a good SEAL.”

Finn gave a chin lift and got out of the car. That sort of praise from a well-respected SEAL like Kevlar was something that wasn’t given lightly.

It also gave him a little bit more confidence in his decision to transfer to a different team. If Kevlar could see his value and worth as a SEAL, then another team would too.

The scent of antiseptic and bleach assailed him as Finn strode through the door. The memories of when his mom had been in the hospital after they had been kidnapped all those years ago pushed forward. The fear and worry that he’d felt then returned, but instead of for his mom, it was directed totally towards Jess.

“Finn, I’m so glad you’re here.” Kaley rushed up and hugged him tightly.

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