Page 80 of Embers of Torment

Della

Iwrung my hands while I paced the tile floor in the hospital's emergency department, chanting, "Jace will be okay." I couldn't handle it if he weren't.

Adam had driven us here after Sofie and Reid showed up at the festival, and we'd given our statements to the police. And now, I begged for the ability to turn the clock back and start over, hating myself for being so freaking stubborn.

"Della?" Adam called out, trying to get my attention. "You've been walking back and forth for an hour. You should sit down. It's not helping."

Feeling lost and helpless, I flopped onto the chair beside him. "It's my freaking fault. Jace wouldn't have gotten stabbed if he hadn't tried to help me. And if we weren't fighting, we wouldn't have been in that situation. Why the frig didn't I believe him? Jace told me he was sorry for everything he did when we were kids. He said he despised the person he was but that he'd changed and moved to Boston to make amends. Jeez, I shouldhave listened. All Jace wanted was a chance. But I was so angry I yelled at him to stay away from me."

"You can't dwell on what happened. If you do, it'll eat at you from the inside out. Jace needed your forgiveness, and you opened that door. It's a beginning."

"Yeah, right. When it's too frigging late." I laid my head on Adam's shoulder and brushed the moisture from my cheek.

"You love Jace, don't you?"

"Yep, I do. Oh God, Adam. What do I do if he—"

"Della?"

We both turned to see Rielle, Jace's cousin, rushing toward us. I had Jace's cell phone, which had been handed to me by a bystander who'd witnessed it fall from Jace's pocket. Once I knew where the paramedics had transported Jace, I used it to call Rielle to let her know what had happened.

Rielle flung herself into the seat next to me, her eyes red-rimmed. "Has there been any news?"

Adam shook his head. "No."

I shifted so I could face Rielle. "All they've told us is that the ambulance brought Jace here because they have a level one trauma center."

"They do," Rielle acknowledged. "The trauma team here is superb. A friend of mine is one of the doctors." Rielle glanced at the woman sitting at the reception window. "I'm going to see if I can get some information. I'll be back."

Rielle spoke to the woman and looked more at ease when she retook her seat.

"Well? What did the woman say?" I asked as I studied Rielle's face.

"I told her I was family, and she said she'll see if someone can talk to us."

"Was that all?"

"No. She said my friend, Alec, is on staff today."

"That's good, right?"

"It is. Alec's one of the best emergency physicians I know."

Thirty minutes later, a side door opened, and a man who could have easily been a male model for a scrubs advertisement stood in the doorway scanning the waiting room. Seeing Rielle, he smiled and came to join us.

"Ree, it's nice to see you, although I wish the circumstances were better. I understand Jace Welch is a family member."

"He's my cousin. And thanks for coming to talk to us. Della is Jace's girlfriend, and Adam is a close friend."

Rielle must have assumed Jace and I had gotten back together since I'd told her I was with him at the festival and had his cell phone. And I wasn't about to dispute her conclusion. When I'd seen Jace on the ground bleeding, I knew I didn't want to lose him. He'd risked his life to protect me, proving he had changed. Jace was no longer the horrible bully he'd been when we were kids. That person was gone, and a different Jace took his place. It was devastating that it took an event as harrowing as this to make me see past my anger, stubbornness, and hate.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Alec Crenshaw, Jace's attending physician. He's doing well, and his condition is stable. Ree, I can take you to see him. Della, you too. Adam, I apologize, but you'll need to stay. Is that all right with everyone?"

"Absolutely," Rielle said, perking up.

Alec escorted Rielle and me into the treatment area, stopping on the other side of the door. "We took some images and ran tests when the paramedics brought Jace in. Based on the results, we determined the penetrating trauma is a grade two hepatic injury."

"What does that mean?" I asked, trying to understand his medical jargon.

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