Page 62 of Played

Grabbing his keys, Riot headed for the door, but where was he going? He needed to do something. Anything. Because he felt completely powerless. He tried her phone again, and this time there was a voice on the other end. “River!”

“Hello.”

“Where’s River?”

“This is the ER at Marian Hospital. The woman whose phone this is, is here. Can you give me some information please?”

“I’m on my way. Her name is River Wile, twenty-eight.”

“Are you her husband?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” Hanging up after the woman on the phone said she couldn’t give him any information at that time, he ran out of the building, yelling to Jason and Michael where he was headed. Everything in him told him to get to River. The drive only took twenty minutes according to the clock on his dash, but it felt like hours. How had River managed to hold herself together trying to get back to him and Cypress all those years ago? Riot felt like his body was wound up tight and at any moment he would shatter.

***

After the first hour Riot started pacing the ER. Shortly after he started demanding answers from the desk personnel. Michael threatened to drag him outside. Jason suggested they could talk privately away from the desk. Riot knew for damn sure if it were either one of the two men standing in front of him, they would be acting the same way.

How did people do this hour after hour, just sitting here?he thought. The not knowing alone was gut-wrenching. Riot anguished, worrying about all the things he had yet to show her.Stop thinking the worst.Why was it when people got hurt their family and friends went blank of everything important? Riot couldn’t answer that because he was blank, thinking about random shit to occupy his mind.

“Excuse me, sir. They are moving her to a room.”

“When can I see her?”

“As soon as we get her moved you can go up.”

“Thank you.”

***

It took another thirty minutes before Riot could get to River. Michael and Jason had moved the car around and were sitting in the waiting room until Riot told them to come in. He wanted—needed—a few minutes to make sure she was okay. And not knowing how he would react had him asking for that time. The doctor said River had been extremely lucky. Other than a few minor cuts and bruises, she had a few stitches in her forehead, but all in all she would be fine. They were keeping her overnight for observation as a precautionary measure. After the evening they had, NO one could blame him for wanting a few minutes of privacy for them.

River gave him a weak smile as he barreled through the door. He didn’t stop until he was at her side. To hell with the nurses, the equipment in his way. He wanted to touch her, to put his eyes on her. By the look on River’s face she needed him to ground her before she freaked the fuck out.

Taking her hand in his, Riot leaned in, kissing her softly. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

“No, do you?”

Explaining what he knew from the cops, Riot told River what happened. The delivery truck driver had a heart attack, and the man’s foot had gotten stuck on the gas pedal. River went to touch her head, but Riot stopped her, telling her she had a bandage. A sense of relief hit him when River remembered why she had been coming to Santa Maria. She could answer all the usual questions. Riot had whispered in her ear to agree they were married. When River asked, “Are we not really married?” he panicked until she smiled. If she weren’t lying in a hospital bed, he would throttle her. There wouldn’t be any salvaging her truck, so he chose not to tell her it had been totaled. Their main goal would be her getting out of the hospital and healing.

Michael and Jason walked in bearing gifts in the form of flowers and armfuls of stuffed animals. Shaking his head, Riot laughed at the sight. They must have bought out the entire gift shop. He watched as they set their gifts here and there on every surface that sat empty. “Did you leave anything for the other patients?”

“We tried hard not to.” Jason sat the last teddy bear down, nodding toward the bed where River had fallen asleep. “How’s she doing?” he whispered.

Riot pointed towards the door so they could talk without disturbing her. Closing the door behind them, he told them she hadn’t remembered much about what happened and that he had not told her about her truck. He would buy her a new one or a car. Now that she signed the contracts for sponsorship from them, D&T would be transporting the bikes and equipment.

Chapter Twenty-One

Riot rubbed a hand down his face. He had had enough of nurses coming in the room every few hours. The beeping of the monitors was driving him crazy. How do people sit in hospital rooms hour after hour, day after day? This shit would drive him to drink. It didn’t help that River moaned half the night complaining of a headache. She had refused any pain medicine and only took aspirin every few hours.Stubborn ass woman.

When the door popped open yet again, Riot almost lost his temper—until he saw Mal and Dan walk in with a bag for River. Signaling them that she was sleeping, he moved across the room to talk. Mal tried shoving him out the door to go grab coffee, but there was no way in hell he would leave her. “I’m not leaving, Mal.”

A hug from Mal caught him a bit off guard. After all, in the past months, she had barely been on his side when it came to River. Who could blame the woman? After all, there had been a ton of mistakes made on both sides. He just hoped they could all get on the same side of things before the season started.

Dan managed to convince Riot that he needed to get some fresh air, and coffee would help with his mood immensely. Finally conceding that he should take a walk and clear his head, Riot left with Dan to go grab coffee, and something quick to bring back for River to eat.Hospital food is the worst, he thought.

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