Page 22 of When Autumn Arrives

"Thea Rose?" The man asked.

"I-I’m Thea.” I wasn't sure how I mustered the words when my tongue felt like putty.

“Miss Rose, Officer Stevenson with the Charlotte-Mecklemburg police department requested a welfare check. He’s concerned because you weren’t answering your phone. He says that’s unlike you.”

I rose a brow. Was it Kyle and not Paisley, then? What would Kyle's brother be doing looking for me? “How’d Scott know that I’d be here?”

“He didn’t, ma’am. A woman he was with, Riley, gave us the name of the bar you run.”

"I brought them here when they mentioned you weren't home either," Shane said.

“Who is Officer Stevenson?” Calder asked

I didn't answer, my brain too wrapped up in what this meant.

“He’s Kyle’s brother," Hendrix said.

“Kyle… your ex, Kyle?” Shane asked.

I nodded. ”What did… what did Scott say?"

“He said it’s urgent and you should call Riley or Kyle," the woman said.

“He told you what it’s about. So tell me," I demanded, my voice stern, despite the uncertainty of the news I was about to hear.

“It’s about Paisley Rose.”

I gulped, not sure I could stomach the rest. “I’m going to be sick.”

“Who’s Paisley?” Shane asked.

His question was met with silence.

“Judging by her reaction, our girl has some pretty fucking big secrets, doesn’t she?” Calder said in a cruel tone.

“Fuck off, Calder. Let her breathe,” Parker said, helping me sit at the table. "Hen, get her phone."

Shane didn't have time to even put the car in park, let alone shut the vehicle off when he pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. The second he was pulled into an empty spot, I'd flung the passenger door open and sprinted toward the entrance.

"Thea!" Shane called when I was rushing through the sliding automatic doors. I didn't stop to wait for him. Now that I was here, nothing would stop me from seeing Paisley.

I checked in at the front desk by the time Shane caught up to me. He handed his license to the clerk, and I didn't have the patience to wait.

He must have known that with the way I stared at him, because he nodded for me to start up without him.

I didn't do the polite thing and decline, or offer to stay with him. My anxiety riddled ass booked it to the elevator and headed to the third floor. I knew this hospital had the entire layout embedded in my brain. We'd only spent the first year of Paisley's life here, and bi-monthly appointments ever since. It didn't take long to get to the children's ICU, where Kyle was sitting in the parents' waiting room. I tugged at the door handle.

"Where is she?" I snapped.

Kyle whipped his head around, pulling his attention away from his phone. His eyes narrowed in on me, as if I were an inconvenience in his life. And maybe I was. He was one in mine.

I folded my arms over my chest. "Why aren't you with her?" I clarified my question when he didn't answer.

If roles were reversed, and I was the parent who brought her in, I'd be velcroed to her side. The thought that she was alone and scared made my stomach turn.

"Riley is with her," Kyle said. "They're getting an ultrasound and will be up shortly."

I sighed in relief, but I wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. "So let me get this straight, Kyle. Your daughter has been admitted to the hospital-" Shane entered the waiting room. "-And you decided to let your girlfriend be the one to sit with her through testing?" My voice hitched as I tried to remain calm.

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