Page 18 of The Chance

But it only made things worse.

Dr. Hodges lashed out with his fist. Aubrey couldn’t get out of the way; her head cracked against the intake desk. She just sprawled there.

Genny screamed. Aubrey struggled to get up, but his foot landed on her chest, shoving her back down. He was screaming at them, yelling.

He was bigger, stronger. And they couldn’t get away, they couldn’t get away. No matter how they fought.

Genny’s scream echoed through the ED, raw and terrified. Aubrey forced her blurry vision to focus. Hodges had her—he was pulling her up, his face twisted in rage.

Aubrey kicked at him, but it didn’t do any good.

Genny fought. She kicked him, too. But there was so much blood.

Genny fell, and Aubrey lunged, catching her before she hit the ground. The weight of Genny against her almost made Aubrey go down too, but she held on. She put her arm over Genny’s face, when Hodges just kept coming at them both. The scissors sliced into her arm again.

Genny was bleeding. Aubrey did everything she could to protect.

Someone roared. Hodges was yanked away—slammed to the floor. Aubrey’s vision was blurry, but she knew it was Chad. The man’s reddish-brown hair was so distinctive. It was Chad.

Chad was there. They’d be okay. He wouldn’t let anything else happen to Genny. There were others coming. She heard the sounds of the ED around her. People were there to help now.

Guthrie was there then. Guthrie was there, beautiful eyes filled with fear, with worry. Guthrie was there, and his younger brother was there between both Aubrey and Genny, telling them they’d be okay.

Gunn’s beautiful face was so afraid.

“Genny…” she said.

“We’re getting you both taken care of, Aubrey. Just hold on, sweetheart. We’re here. It’s going to be okay.” Someone leaned over her, too, applying pressure to Aubrey’s arm.

Dr. Hodges had cut her too—she could feel it now. Adrenaline was waning. She turned to check on Genny.

That was when Aubrey saw the scissors sticking out of her best friend’s shoulder. “Genny!”

16

Aubrey couldn't stay still.Her arm was on fire, her head hurt, her back, her neck—and they were all getting closer. Leaning over her. Blocking the light. She could feel them, smell them, hear them. She tried to fight, to get away, to get some light around her. She’d always hated the dark since what had happened to Ayla. Since they had been hurt in that dark basement and she’d been so sure her baby sister was going to die.

Ayla.Aylawould be waiting for her now. She was supposed to pick up her sister.

“I need… let me go. I need to go get my sister. I need to get my sister.”

Ayla was at the library. Waiting for her. She had to go get Ayla.

“Aubrey, we need you to sit still. Let us take a look at that arm,” someone said. His hands were on her, gentle but firm. Someone right next to her. A doctor—she knew him. It was Dathan—Dr. Carrington. Caine’s brother-in-law. He was a surgeon, too.

She knew him. It didn’t help.

She barely heard them. “I need to get Ayla. My sister is waiting. Please, I need to get her. I’m supposed to pick her up now, at the library. She’ll need me to get her.”

The pressure of a hand on her shoulder startled her. She looked up and saw Gunn standing over her. Her throat tightened at the sight of Genny’s brother. He looked so calm, an aura of reassurance in the chaos. Something about this Hiller brother just brought peace. No denying that. He had the kindest eyes of anyone she had ever known.

“We’ll make sure your sister is taken care of,” Larken said—the newest nurse they’d hired. “I’ll call the library myself. I promise.”

“Ayla doesn’t drive. I’ll need to pick her up soon.” She needed to get Ayla and make sure Genny was going to be okay. But she couldn’t do both.

Someone patted her hand. Aubrey looked up. Into Gunn’s beautiful eyes. All of those Hillers had those same hazel eyes. Genny did, too. And Guthrie. “I need to get to my sister. She’s going to panic, and I need to get to her.”

“How about I go get her for you? Explain to her what happened?” Gunn asked. “I can go get her and be back here in less than fifteen minutes, I’m sure. She’ll be safe with me, too.”

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