Page 152 of From Now On

“Fuck,” I breathe.

For once, my mom doesn’t chastise me for language. She hiccups, hiccups like she’s been crying hard for a long time.

“I’ll be there. I’m leaving now and I’ll…I’ll be there.”

“Hunter, there’s nothing you can do. I’m here and your dad is here and we’ll make sure the doctors do everything they can.”

“I need to be there. I need to see him.”

He could die. My brother could die—could already be dead.

I hated seeing Sean pale and underweight. But I would take that now, would take it and feel grateful he had a heartbeat.

“You have two weeks of college left, Hunter. Classes and exams.There’s nothing you can do here. I called because I knew you’d want to know. Not so you’d drop everything and drive seventeen hours. I already—” Her voice breaks. “I already have one son to worry about. Don’t make me worry about you too.”

I’m breathing too fast. Hyperventilating, maybe. But I force my inhales to slow because she’s right. She doesn’t need to worry about me right now.

“You’ll update me?”

“As soon as I hear something,” she assures me.

“Okay. Love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Hunter.”

She hangs up.

I stand frozen for a few seconds, then tear out of my room. All of a sudden, it seems too small. I need to be outside. I need to be moving. I need to be somewhere else, where the walls aren’t collapsing.

I bang on Conor’s door.

“One sec!” he calls. It feels like an eternity until he opens the door, tie loose and jacket off. “Dude, I’m almost—” Conor frowns. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve gotta go.”

“What? Go? Go where?”

The rest of Conor’s words get lost in the rush of blood whooshing through my ears.

I pass Aidan’s empty bedroom. He already left to pick up Rylan. Conor and I were going to carpool with Harlow and Eve.

Eve…

Fuck. Not only am I going to miss the team dinner, I’m skipping out on what was essentially our first official date.

But I’m in no fucking shape for it. I won’t be able to sit and smile and wonder if I’ll be able to sense the moment I lose my brother. And I don’t want to have to explain why I’m in such a state right now.

I just need tomove.

I’m almost to the stairs when Conor grabs my arm, pulling me up short and spinning me to face him. His face is pale, his expression drawn and worried. “What the fuck is going on, Morgan?”

“I can’t—I can’t get into it right now. Just…tell Eve I’m sorry. And that I’ll make it up to her.”

I try to jerk my arm away, but Conor’s hold tightens. “Hunter, you’re seriously freaking me out. What could possibly be more important than taking the girl you seem crazy about to celebrate the championship we won?”

“I’m not in the mood to talk, Hart.”

He scans my face. “Promise me if I let go, you’re not about to go do something stupid.”

---