Page 99 of Everlasting Love

Quinn

WTF?????

Of course he’ll be okay

Where are you?

Me

Mercy Vale Emergency

Quinn

OMW

My relief is palpable. If anyone knows snake bites, it’s her, and if she says he’s going to be okay, then I need to try to believe that. Jas lifts her head from where she’s been snuggled in my neck. “Why is it taking so long, Mommy? I want to see Daddy.” Her tears stain her cheeks and my heart breaks.

“Well, they’re busy looking after him.” Ihopethey’re busy looking after him and nothing’s happened. “We want all of their focus to be on him, and if they have to stop to come and talk to us, then they’re not looking after Daddy when he needs them. So we’ll just wait until they’re finished, and then we’ll be able to see him. Okay?”

She nods against my shoulder and snuggles back in. I exhale a long breath, trying to release my worry so Jas doesn’t feed off of my distress, but it’s tough. My mind runs through all of the possiblewhat-ifs. Some of them are too frightening to consider, and I shut the thoughts down before they can set seed.

“Vi! Jas!” Mom calls from the entrance of the waiting room. I turn and she rushes forward with Lloyd close behind, worry creasing both of their faces. “Any news?”

I shake my head. “Nothing yet.”

“Well, that’s good. It means they’re working on him. That’s a positive sign.” I love how she automatically goes to the most positive scenario; it’s exactly what I need. She rubs Jas’s back. “Hey, JJ, why don’t you give Gramma a hug?” Mom tries to lift her from my arms, but she tightens her hold.

I smile softly at Mom. “She’s okay with me.”

“I’m going to pop over to the café I noticed across the road and grab us all a drink.” Lloyd points in the direction he’ll be heading. “Any requests?” He’s a lot like Shane in the way he always wants to help the people around him.

I smile shakily at him. “Jas would probably like an apple juice and a cookie, thank you.” She’ll probably need some sugar to counteract the shock. “I’m happy with whatever.” Not that I can think about food right now, but I’ll need to keep up my energy if I want to be here for Shane.

“Thanks, Lloyd.” Mom squeezes his forearm and he tips his head before leaving us.

“Why don’t you come and sit down?”

“I can’t. I need to keep moving.”

Mom nods in understanding and paces slowly with me around the room. On our third lap, Toby rushes through the door, tightly holding Poppy’s hand with Cass—who has Daisy in her arms—by his side.

He comes straight for me and wraps his arms around me and Jas, engulfing us. The tears I’ve been holding back escape and slide down my cheeks. I’d been sort of holding it together until now. When he pulls away, I’m left feeling bereft until Cass wraps her arms around me, squashing Jas and Daisy between us. I burrow my face into her shoulder and bawl my eyes out. “He’s strong, Vi. And he’s healthy. Those two things will work in his favor. He’ll be okay.”

“He has to be. He’s our everything,” I say shakily.

“I know,” she murmurs as she strokes my back.

Quinn walks into the emergency room like she owns the place and wraps her arms around all of us. “There’s no way that behemoth of a man will be taken down by a snake, Vi. You have to know that. He’ll be fine. You wait and see.” Maybe if everyone tells me the same thing enough times, it’ll make it true.

Lloyd returns with our food and drinks—as well as extra supplies—along with Mr. and Mrs. Summer, Kate, and Oliver. Our group takes up most of the waiting room as we wait for news about Shane. The promise of a cookie the size of Jas’s head has her crawling down my body to go to Lloyd. He sits with the girls and pretends to have a tea party to distract them from our situation.

I tug on Toby’s shirt. “Hey, do you think we should call Shane’s parents to let them know he’s in the hospital?”

He runs his hand through his hair, messing it up. “Shit, yeah. I’ll call them. Nix, too.”

“Can you ask him to let Hope know? They’re important to him.” He nods as he digs out his phone. “Thank you.”

The kids arerestless after waiting for three hours with no updates. “How about we take the girls home? It’s getting late.”

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