Page 120 of Grumpy Darling

“Me too,” she said.

I felt Grayson’s absence more than ever. I should be at his side. We should be holding hands. Instead, I only felt cold. Parker sat across from me as Cammie went to hassle the nurse again for an update.

“It’s going to be okay, Paige.”

I tried to give him a smile, to show I agreed, but I couldn’t pull it off. I was really struggling to think positive thoughts right now.

“Grayson’s pretty tough,” Parker added. “And it takes more than a little bump on the head to keep a Darling down.”

“It’s just... I just...” I drew in a deep breath. “What if this is my fault?”

“Your fault?” Parker managed a snort. “I didn’t realize you were moonlighting as a two-hundred-pound wingman. Have you been keeping secrets from us?”

Maybe things weren’t quite that dire if Parker still had the energy for a snarky comment. “No, but I was late to the game. I got caught up at home. I promised my mom I’d fill out a college application with her and it took a lot longer than I expected. Gray was looking for me in the crowd. He was distracted because of me.”

“If Grayson’s head wasn’t in the game for any reason, that’s his own fault, no one else’s,” Parker said. “He’d be the first person to tell you that.”

I wrapped my arms around my waist. I couldn’t see it that way. This never would have happened if I’d just arrived at the game on time.

“No update,” Cammie said as she slumped down into the seat beside Parker. “The nurse hates me.”

“She probably just didn’t have any news,” Reed replied.

“Yeah, well, that’s my brother in there. She should know what’s going on. Can’t one of you two go up there and get some answers? What’s the point of having a reputation as bad as a Darling Devil if you can’t use it to get your way in an emergency?”

“I’m pretty sure that if your death stare didn’t work on her, then we’ve all met our match,” Parker replied. “You’re way scarier than we’ll ever be, Cam.”

She gave him an icy glare that only proved him right. “So, what, we justwait?”

“We don’t have any other choice,” Reed said.

We all fell silent as the reality of his words settled in. There was nothing we could do. But the longer we sat here, the darker my thoughts became, each minute seemed longer than the last, and the weight on my chest only grew heavier.

The fluorescent lights overhead were too bright, the sterile scent of disinfectant too strong. And no matter how I positioned myself on the plastic chair, I couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I knew I wasn’t the only one, because the boys kept getting up to pace around the room. The tension was almost unbearable, but it finally snapped when the doors to the ER opened and Gray’s mom appeared.

We all shot to our feet and rushed over to her.

“How is he?” we all said at once.

“He’s got a concussion, but otherwise, he’s okay.” Amy’s voice was filled with relief, but the way she twisted her hands revealed her nerves. “They took a lot of precautions and did a lot of tests to make sure he didn’t have any more serious injuries.”

The pressure on my chest eased slightly. But while Amy seemed positive, I still didn’t think I could relax until I saw Grayson for myself.

“They’re sure there’s nothing more serious?” Parker asked.

“Yes, the doctor seems confident he’s going to be okay.”

Hearing those words again almost released more tears.

“Can we see him?” Cammie asked.

“We can, but he’s still quite groggy,” Amy answered. “It’s probably best we don’t bombard him all at once. And he seemed mostly concerned with seeing a certain best friend of his. Or should I say, girlfriend?”

Amy smiled at me, and my cheeks warmed in response. I wasn’t used to being called Grayson’s girlfriend, especially not by his mom.

“Why don’t you go in first, Paige?” Amy gestured at the doors behind her. “He’s the second door on the right.”

“Uh, maybe he’d rather see his actual family first,” I said.

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