Page 106 of Until Bax

“Olivia.”

“Just go.” I drop my eyes to the man in front of me and feel for a pulse again. It’s so weak I barely feel it against my fingertips.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispers while I start CPR and say a silent prayer that she gets back here before it’s too late to save his life.

With my body exhausted and my arms aching, I look at the man I’ve been performing CPR on for what feels like forever and squeeze my eyes closed when I feel for his pulse but find nothing. “Come on, you idiot,” I whisper. Dropping my head between my shoulders, I swallow over the urge to cry and go back to performing chest compressions between doing mouth-to-mouth. When I hear the sound of sirens getting closer, my eyes start to water, but I keep trying, keep hoping that the next time I check his pulse, there will be something there.

I don’t know how much time passes, but I hear footsteps approach, and then someone yells out.

“Police.”

“We’re in here!” I shout back, lifting my head in time to watch a uniformed officer with his gun drawn scan the room from around the edge of the door. “Help,” I choke out, and he quickly cuts across the distance between us.

“Give me some room, darling,” he says, and I fall to my bottom, wrapping my arms around my shins as I watch him and a second uniformed police officer move to each side of his body and start doing CPR.

“Olivia.” I look over at Kourtney, and my eyes start to water.

“I don’t think I saved him.”

“It’s okay, come on.” She helps me to my feet, then walks me out of the barn as two paramedics rush past us. Once I’m out in the open air, I take a deep breath of clean air and watch as a trail of vehicles flies up the dirt road we drove on to get here.

“Do you want some water?” an officer asks, approaching us.

“Please.”

“Come on.” He motions for us to follow him to his car. “Are either of you injured?”

“No.” I hear a vehicle come to a sliding stop in the gravel behind us and turn to look over my shoulder.

“Olivia,” Bax shouts, leaving his door wide as he jumps out of the cab of his truck. The look on his face is tortured as his gaze meets mine through the dim light coming from the vehicles now surrounding us, and my heart squeezes.

With what little energy I have left, I run toward him while his eyes scan me from head to toe.

“Fuck, you’re okay,” he breathes as I crash against a solid chest, and his arms wrap around me.

“I’m okay.” I swallow over the lump in my throat, and he hauls me closer. His hold is so tight my rib cage aches as he crushes me against his solid frame.

Burying my face in his shirt, I cling to him. I never once let myself think that I wouldn’t see him again, but now that I’m back in his arms, all that fear I kept at bay bubbles to the surface, making it difficult to breathe.

“Are you hurt?” He wraps his hand around the side of my neck and forces my head back so he can look me in the eye.

“No, no, I’m okay,” I reassure him, then look toward the barn when there is a sudden burst of commotion, and people start shouting as they roll a stretcher with the guy on it toward the ambulance.

“Who is that?” he asks, and I shake my head.

“One of the guys who was supposed to deliver my furniture.” I drop my forehead to his chest. “He… He got high, I… I think he had a heart attack; I tried to keep him alive until help got here, but I…” I swallow as my throat burns. “I was getting so tired.”

“Jesus,” he whispers, and I squeeze my eyes closed as he wraps his big hand around the back of my head. “Fuck me.” He ducks his head and cocoons me in the safety of his embrace. And feeling safe, really safe for the first time in hours, I burst into tears.

CHAPTER30

Olivia

Feeling Bax move, taking me with him, I swim to the edge of consciousness, but just the edge because sleep has me in its grasp, and I’m so comfortable I don’t want to let it go. It was an exhausting night. Kourtney and I spent a long time talking to the police, and then when Bax finally brought us home, my parents, Liam, and what seemed like every member of his family were here to make sure we were okay.

Though they didn’t stay long, Bax, much to my mother’s and his mom’s disapproval, called it a night when he saw that I could barely keep my eyes open any longer. After everyone left, and Kourtney, who decided to stay the night, was tucked away in the guest room, he held me through the shower I so desperately needed, then he stood at my back as I brushed my teeth a million times. After that, I don’t even remember getting into bed because I was falling asleep standing up.

“I’m going to need you to give us a couple more hours before you come over,” Bax says, and I realize he’s on the phone. “Yeah, she’s still sleeping.” He sighs. “Promise I’ll call as soon as she’s awake.”

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