Page 101 of The Last One You Loved
The tears finally came. I sobbed, holding them to me as guilt and sorrow filled me…but also love.
“It’s okay, McK. We’re all safe.” Maddox squeezed me.
We stood that way for what felt like hours but was probably mere seconds until he finally asked, “How’s Sadie?”
“Still in surgery,” I said, stepping back.
He pulled a backpack from his shoulder, and I realized, with a start, that it was mine.
“I put some clean clothes in here. I wasn’t sure what you’d want, but…” he trailed off, looking down at my blood-covered ones.
“Thank you.”
As the rest of the Hatleys came over to encompass Maddox and Mila in more hugs, I slipped away to change. I looked at the blood-stained clothes after removing them and then tossed them in the biohazard waste in the bathroom. Even if I could get them clean, they’d always remind me of this awful day.
Maddox had packed a pair of yoga pants and my UC Davis sweatshirt. Comfort. He’d known that was what I’d need. When I looked down at the logo on the sweatshirt, it felt like it belonged to someone else, someone who’d lived a life in California that had nothing to do with me, the Hatleys, or Willow Creek.
I’d barely returned to the waiting room and settled down into the chair next to Maddox and Mila when the doctor came out. His mask was down around his neck, and he had a serene expression on his face.
“She’s lucky. It didn’t break any bones or rupture the femoral artery, but the vein was nicked, and the femoral nerve was damaged. We’ve stitched her back together, but she’ll likely have some loss of feeling in her thigh and maybe loss of movement. With physical therapy, she may or may not regain full range of motion. We won’t know more until she’s healed enough to get back on her feet. She lost quite a bit of blood, so it’s going to take a while to recover. I don’t want you to be alarmed if she doesn’t seem like herself for several days.”
Dr. James took a breath and looked us all over, but then his eyes landed on me as he asked, “Any questions?”
I didn’t have any at the moment. There was nothing more he or I could do until Sadie’s body healed itself.
“When can we see her?” Brandon asked, voice cracking.
“She’s in recovery. As soon as she’s awake and stable, they’ll move her to a room. It could be an hour or more still, but one of the nurses will let you know when they’ve got her situated.”
Ryder shook his hand. “Thank you.”
Dr. James looked over at me. “I think it’s Dr. Lloyd you need to thank. The number one cause of death from gunshot wounds isn’t the wound itself. It’s bleeding out because someone didn’t know what they were doing. I’ve seen military medics freeze in the field the first time they’re in combat. Dr. Lloyd didn’t, and it saved Sadie’s life.”
My cheeks flushed at the compliment like they hadn’t since I’d been back in medical school. It didn’t ease the guilt I felt over this whole thing being tied to me, to Ma?Sybil, but at least I’d been there to try and fix it…to repair some of the damage before it had gotten worse.
After the doctor left, I sat in the chair next to Maddox, who had Mila pressed up tight against his chest just like he had when I’d first seen them coming back over the hill to the creek. Maddox looked down at her and then me, his frown growing as his girl remained quiet. She’d just lived through a horrific experience, and I wasn’t sure she’d be herself for a long time. But this time, she was silent because she was asleep. Her breathing was slow and steady on his chest.
He spoke quietly, as if not to disturb her. “What did you mean, McK? That Mila had saved Sadie?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“When Sadie came to, she said Chainsaw tackled her to the ground when he’d caught up to them at the creek. He aimed his gun at her, and Mila launched herself at him, biting his arm, which caused the bullet to hit her thigh instead of her chest.
“Fuck.” It was Ryder who said the word, but I could feel the way Maddox was holding his breath. The idea of Mila running toward an arm holding a gun instead of running away from it was not an image he’d get out of his head anytime soon.
“How’d she get away?” Eva breathed out.
Tears journeyed down her face as she looked at the little girl.
I shook my head. I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know more than what Sadie had said.
Maddox reached with his free hand, pulling me closer, and I rested my head on his shoulder, looking into Mila’s face as she slept. The bravest girl I’d ever known. Why had I never been that brave? Memories of my past assaulted me. All the times I’d taken Mama’s abuse just standing there. The only action I’d ever taken was to run.
Maddox’s cheek rested on my head, and eventually, I felt his body slacken. He’d fallen asleep, too. When I looked over, Gemma was asleep on Ryder, but his eyes were pinned to me, watching, assessing, trying to figure me out. I could almost hear the questions pouring from him silently. Was I going to stay? Was I going to hurt Maddox again? Would I hurt Mila? My only answer was to hold on to them tighter.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
MADDOX
