Page 43 of Searching for Valor

The ambulance arrived in a blur of flashing lights and urgent voices. Izzy stepped back, numb, as the paramedics lifted Rylan onto a stretcher. His face was so pale under the ugly purple bruises, his body so still. Tears streamed down her face as she watched them load him into the back of the ambulance.

“BP is 90 over 60 and falling,” one of the paramedics called out. “O2 is falling. We need to intubate…”

The doors slammed shut, and the ambulance spit gravel as it sped out of the driveway, sirens wailing.

Izzy stood frozen, her breath coming in short, painful gasps. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t draw in a full breath. Couldn’t?—

Zak’s hand came down on her shoulder, startling her. “Come on. We’ll follow in my truck.” His voice was gruff with emotion. “You’re in no shape to drive.”

She looked at him and saw his dark lashes spiked with moisture. “And you are?”

His laugh sounded more like a choked-off sob. “Not at all. But I’m not shaking like you are.”

Shewasshaking, shivering so hard that her teeth clacked together. How had she not realized it?

“He’s going to make it,” Zak said like he was trying to convince himself as much as her. “Rylan’s too damn stubborn to check out like this.”

What she didn’t point out was that Rylan’s stubborn streak might be precisely what led him to this point. How long had he been struggling in silence, too proud or too ashamed to ask for help? She thought of all the times recently when he’d seemed distant, distracted. The dark circles under his eyes that never seemed to fade. She’d chalked it up to the demands of his job, the emotional toll of helping other veterans battle the same demons he’d faced.

She'd been so focused on earning back his trust, on proving she could be relied on again, that she hadn't stopped to consider that maybe her betrayal had ripped open wounds he'd never fully healed from. That, in trying to protect his sister and keep his team’s demons at bay, he'd been slowly sacrificing himself piece by piece until there was nothing left over…

chapter

fifteen

The hospital waitingroom was a hellscape of too-bright fluorescent lights, uncomfortable plastic chairs, and the endless hum of vending machines and overhead announcements.

Izzy tucked herself in a corner, hugging her knees to her chest and blankly scrolling on her phone. She’d been here for hours. Long enough for her stomach to twist itself into a knot so tight she wasn’t sure it would ever unravel.

The nurse at the front desk had been kind but firm: “We’ll let you know as soon as we can.”

But the words had done little to calm the storm in Izzy’s head. She didn’t even know if Rylan was stable yet. The last thing she’d heard was the paramedics shouting about his blood pressure dropping and his oxygen levels falling.

Her phone buzzed, and her heart leaped. But it was only Mateo. He’d called after she’d rushed from their parents’ house in a panic, and she had no doubt Abuela had put him up to it. She’d explained what happened as succinctly as possible, and now he kept checking in every few minutes.

How’s he doing?

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She didn’t have an answer for her brother.

She glanced at Zak, who stood near the doorway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but his jaw was tight, and every so often, his prosthetic foot tapped softly against the floor in an unconscious rhythm.

“Do you think he’s okay?” she asked finally, breaking the silence.

Zak’s gaze flicked to her, and for a moment, the hardness in his eyes softened. “He’s tough. If anyone can come back from this, it’s Rylan.”

His words were meant to reassure her, but they only made her throat tighten further. She nodded, swallowing the lump that threatened to choke her. “I should’ve seen it sooner. I should’ve done something. I knew something was wrong with him.”

Zak pushed off the wall and crouched in front of her, his hand resting lightly on her knee. “This isn’t on you, Izzy. Rylan’s been struggling for a while, and we all missed it.”

The door to the waiting room opened suddenly, and Izzy’s heart jolted into her throat. But it wasn’t a doctor. It was Donovan, followed by Shane, Veronica, Pierce, and Sawyer, with Zelda at his side. Their expressions were grim, their movements tense as they filed into the room.

Donovan’s gaze locked onto her, his dark eyes narrowing. “What are you doing here?”

Izzy straightened in her seat, meeting his glare head-on. “I’m waiting for news. Same as you.”

Shane crossed his arms, his scarred face unreadable. “Rylan wouldn’t want you here.”

The words hit like a punch to the gut. Izzy opened her mouth to respond, but Veronica cut in before she could speak.

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