Page 47 of Crossing Lines

Now was not the time to fuck with me. Our glare-off was interrupted when arms went around me. He and I both grunted as the snot was squeezed out of me. Carter had grown into a big boy. He engulfed me in his arms, and I just held him. My eyes closed as tears leaked through them. I heard voices, a nurse I was sure, fussing about him being up and too many people being in my bay. None of it mattered. He was right where he needed to be. I brushed the hair from his face. It looked as bad as I felt. His head was resting on my shoulder now.

“You okay?” I asked in a whisper.

He nodded. “I will be.”

“I love you. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

“No, it’s not.” He shifted, sucking in a pained breath. I held him a little tighter.

“Not so tight, princess, he’s got a few cracked ribs and extensive bruising,” Daddy commented. My eyes closed again.

“I’m going to skin them and tack their hides to the side of the barn.”

“Seems someone hasn’t lost her loving side.” I lifted one hand and gave Chip the finger. He must have come in with Carter. He thought he was a comedian.

“I’m okay.” Carter sat up slowly, his face pinching with anger and pain. He looked a little green. I felt a little green. The urge to vomit slowly moved through me.

“Not now...” Thankfully, before I could utter anything else, a pail was shoved under my face. The body wracking started. My fuzzy stomach and adrenaline crash finally butted heads. The baby was not a fan of today’s events. He or she was going to be like their daddy.

Chapter 20

Tracey

Hospitals suckedthe life out of me on a good day, but today I was beyond done. Carter refused to leave Stella after she got sick for the second time in a twenty-minute span. This sent the doctors and nurses into a tizzy, but after a few words with Wayne and Gabe, they seemed to settle down.

The nurse we liked, Amaya, came in to administer meds to help settle Stel’s stomach and to calm both her and Carter down. They were finally settled into the bed, Carter lying beside Stella, almost asleep. They both looked lost in their own world of pain and worry. Helpless, almost.

I leaned onto the bed, rested my forehead on her hand, and closed my eyes. I hadn’t let her go since she settled down. I was afraid if I did, she’d run off again. It triggered something deep inside of me, and I did something I hadn’t done in years. I prayed as a chorus of beeps and alarms went off throughout the emergency department. I needed them both to be okay and have no lasting effects from today’s disaster.

When the rest of the families got to the hospital, they were rotated out a couple of people at a time until the head nurse—who had her ass on her shoulders—put a stop to it. I was tryingto not judge her. Really, I was. It just wasn’t working well at the moment.

“Wayne? Are you okay?” I looked up at the sound of the soft voice. A woman stood just outside of the curtain where Wayne sat on a chair, keeping guard over his kids. The woman looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her at first.

Then it clicked. Her name was Myra. She had a boy who came to the gym sometimes. He’d been in a few gang-related fights over the last year or so, and one was bad enough that he’d almost been arrested. Wayne had worked his charm on the officers, and the boy, Jason, got off with a strong warning.

If I was remembering correctly, the kid had come a long way over the last year. He was a lot stronger and more confident. I also didn’t miss the looks these two were sharing.

“I’m fine, Myra, thank you. My son and daughter are here. They got a little banged up this morning. Just waiting on a few test results to come in before we can take them home.”

“Oh no, let me check the charts and see where we are with them. We’re switching shifts, so it might be a few minutes. If you need anything before I come back, I’ll be at the nurses’ station.” I watched him for a moment. His eyes followed her then looked away.

Maybe there was hope for him after all.

“This is shit!” Stella growled, gripping the bed rails. There was no doubt by the look of murder written plainly on her face that the doctor should be very afraid.

The orthopedist, after hearing what Stel had done—to herself, mind you—had taken it upon himself to call for a psych eval. He believed she could be a danger to herself.

We were all on edge ‘cause we knew she wasn’t always stable. She reacted irrationally sometimes—most of the time. But today, she did what she did to save her and her brother’s lives.

They were trying to clear the room so she could be talked to by the petite doctor in a white coat and pencil skirt. Yeah, not happening. Neither Carter, Wayne, nor I were leaving her in here by herself. I wasn’t gonna lie, if we did, there was no doubt they’d try to say she was batty and put her up on the third floor. Her anger alone would get her in trouble. Plus, she’s hormonal, in serious pain, and scared—she was a ticking time bomb.

“I’ve explained to you what happened earlier to both of my children. My daughter has explained, multiple times, to multiple white coats, what happened earlier. She shot herself, yes, we are not denying that, but she did so as a way to stop a man from killing her. What part of that tale do you have trouble understanding?” Wayne’s voice was low, menacing.

He was vibrating with his own anger.

“We understand?—”

“Apparently, you don’t. Look, I’m a patient man, normally. I almost lost both of my children earlier today to a knife-wielding psychopath. You should be in there giving him an exam, not my fucking daughter.”

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