Page 19 of Dangers of Love

“I know you were on the phone with him when we crashed.” Cain’s voice was gentle but held a firmness that I found reassuring. “I’m assuming you called him a couple times before calling me. His phone was smashed.”

At least I knew now that the reason he hadn’t answered his phone had been because of something wrong with the phone, not physical injuries that had prevented him from taking a call.

“What hospital?” As Cain told me, the wail of ambulance sirens echoed in the background. After confirming the hospital name, I added, “I’m on my way.”

After hanging up, I wrote a quick note to Martina, telling her where I was and why, and then I called for a car. It was hell waiting for them to come, but it was still faster than taking the bus would have been. For the first time since I’d left my parents’ house, a part of me wished that I’d stayed, if only because that would have meant I’d have had a car available for me to use.

If wishes were horses…

Twelve

Aline

I handedthe driver a bill and told her to keep the change without even looking to see how much that tip would be. The fact that she yelled a thank you meant I’d given her a good one, and I waved a hand at her in what I hoped was a polite manner. I doubted she’d be offended by my being preoccupied, especially as she’d been sympathetic when I’d told her I needed to go to the hospital because my boyfriend had been in a car accident.

My pulse was racing, and I had the now-too-familiar taste of fear on the back of my tongue, but I forced myself to walk calmly into the ER. No good would come of me panicking. If anything, it would delay me getting to Eoin, and that was the goal, getting to him. I needed to see for myself that he was okay.

I was halfway to the front desk when I spotted someone I recognized, and I veered off to speak to him instead. I wasn’t Eoin’s family, so I didn’t know if I’d be able to get information about him, but Bruce had been with Eoin at the time of the accident.

“Bruce!” I called.

He spotted me when I was only a few steps away and smiled, but it wasn’t the same brilliant smile that I’d seen at the bar where I’d last seen him. That alone was enough to tell me that it hadn’t been some little fender bender.

“Cain said you’d be here,” Bruce said. “He’ll be back in a couple minutes and will let you know if you’ll be able to see Eoin.”

I didn’t like having to wait, but I understood that Eoin’s health had to come first. If he needed to rest, then I would stay here until I could see him. Fortunately, Bruce could do something to distract me for a few minutes.

“What happened?”

“It was crazy.” Bruce shook his head. “All five of us were in the SUV, heading out for a job when this moving van came out of nowhere and just slammed into us. Cain was driving, and he did some fancy shit that kept us from wrecking into anyone else, but the SUV flipped.”

My hands curled into fists, every nerve in my body taut. Logically, I knew that what Bruce was talking about was in the past, but I still felt like it was part of the present, something that was still happening.

“Dez and I were able to get to the van and get the driver out.” Bruce rubbed the back of his neck, winced, and then continued, “He woke up in the ambulance on his way here, and the medics were able to figure out what happened. Apparently, he’s diabetic, and he hadn’t realized his blood sugar was so low. He passed out at the wheel.”

I hadn’t realized I’d been angry until Bruce finished explaining the situation. Cain had said they’d been hit, and while I supposed Cain could have been at fault, I hadn’t really considered it. I didn’t know much about Cain, but he’d struck me as the sort of capable man who always had the most competent person doing a task. I knew how well Eoin drove, which meant Cain was even better since he’d been behind the wheel.

No, I’d been furious at the other driver, at whatever had distracted them to the point of causing an accident. But now, I knew it hadn’t been something completely preventable. Sure, the man might’ve taken better care of himself to ensure he wouldn’t pass out, but this was a far cry from texting while driving or intentionally running a red light.

“Aline, Bruce.”

I turned as Cain approached, and something tight inside me eased. While he didn’t look happy, he didn’t look like someone who had to deliver bad news either.

“I pulled some strings so I can take you back to see him,” Cain said to me before looking at Bruce. “Can you wait for Fever and Dez? Let them know that I’m going to call the client and figure out what our next step is.”

Bruce tapped his fingers to his forehead in a little salute. “Will do, boss.”

I followed Cain past the front desk and into the main ER. We passed three curtained sections before Cain pulled aside one of the curtains and motioned for me to step through.

The first thing I saw was blood, but then our eyes met, and Eoin’s entire face lit up.

“Hey.” He held out his hand, and I took it. He pulled me closer. “I’d kiss you, but I’m a bit of a mess.”

“I don’t care.” My chaotic emotions made my voice uneven, but I didn’t care about that either. I brushed my lips across his, contenting myself with a chaste kiss while we were in public. He was alive and didn’t seem to have any life-threatening issues. I could inspect every inch of him for myself later.

“Mr. McCrae.” It was only then that I realized a doctor was here too, and she appeared to be torn between amusement and annoyance at my presence. “I need to discuss results with you.”

Cain stepped away. “That’s my cue. I need to handle things with our client, and I’ll touch base with you when I have things squared away.”

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