Page 195 of Grand Love

Mase

Six hours.Six agonising hours of waiting. Nina wasn’t breathing when we arrived at the hospital. What I witnessed in the ambulance isn’t something I’ll ever forget. The way the paramedics worked on her relentlessly shook me to my core. I’m surrounded by our families now, every one of them completely shattered as we sit in the waiting room.

Elliot drops down in the seat next to me, his hands running through his hair as he pulls at it. “I can’t take much more of this,” he mutters.

I don’t answer him, not having the words to ease the pain that’s embedded itself inside of me and probably him too. Lucy is lying with her eyes closed on the row of waiting chairs opposite us. She’s been the calmest of us all, eerily so. It’s almost like she isn’t here, and I wonder as I sit watching her if there’s a way to follow her to wherever she is right now.

Megan hasn’t stopped crying since she arrived. She’s sat with Vinny who I can barely make eye contact with. Charlie’s on his phone out in the hallway, already in work mode and prepared to fight for our best friend. I have no idea what Lance was thinking, and I don’t have the mental energy to process his actions right now. Then there’s Scarlet. She sits resting her head on her hand as she stares at the ground, her eyes wild and agitated.

“I’m going to go find someone,” I snap, shrugging off Elliot’s hand when he grabs my shoulder.

“Lowell, they’re going to kick you out.”

“I can’t just sit here!” I take a deep breath, my chest tight.

Scarlet comes to stand at my side. She looks up at me with understanding in her eyes. “I’ll go check with the nurses, see what I can find out.”

“I’m coming with you,” I tell her.

She nods, her face pale, drained of its usual spark.

We leave the waiting room and make our way to the nurse’s station where they all gaze at us with pity-filled looks. “Mr Lowell, I’m sorry but there’s still no news.”

“Ah, actually.” I spin around as I hear the deep voice at my back. A man in scrubs is exiting the elevator, his lips pulled tight into a hard line. “Are you Miss Anderson’s next of kin?” he asks.

I shake my head, anger lacing my voice. “She’s my fiancée, please, just tell me.”

He clasps a hand on my shoulder and stares down at me, before nodding politely at Scarlet. “Hello.” He starts to walk me down the corridor. “Let’s talk somewhere a little more private, okay?”

I’m about ready to brawl, needing to know how and where Nina is, when Scarlet’s hand takes mine. She squeezes tight but doesn’t look up at me. Is it bad? Does she know?

We’re led into a room with a horseshoe of seats and nothing else. It’s like the waiting room we were ushered into by the nurses down the hall but smaller. None of us sit down. My entire body trembles, my stomach churning as it readies itself for what’s about to come.

“Nina is stable—”

“Fuck,” I hiss out, clearing my throat and covering my face as I drop back to the chair.

“She isn’t completely out of the woods yet. She lost a lot of blood and will need to be monitored over the next forty-eight hours. We aren’t sure yet as to the extent of the damage it will cause her long term, but, and it’s not a but I give out often, she is extremely strong. I feel positive with the situation we are in at this point.”

I stand. “I want to see her.”

“You can’t. Not yet,” Scarlet tells me sadly.

The doctor watches Scarlet for a moment, then looks at me. “Nina’s in recovery. She won’t be able to have visitors until she wakes up. And then I’d like her to have at least an hour’s rest before anyone but my team goes in.”

“I’m not waiting that long.” I shake my head. There’s no way I can go that long.

“Right now, Mr Lowell—”

“It’s Mason,” I snap.

“My only concern is for Nina. Her recovery will be very dependent on the next twelve hours, and I will not, under any circumstances, put her at risk.” He nods his head, an apology of sorts. “The minute I have more news, I will have them call down to you. You should get home and get some rest.”

Lifting my hands, I scrub at my face, completely drained from the emotions that have left me half the man I was yesterday. How can things go so wrong?

“Thank you,” Scarlet says, following him to the door and shutting it behind him. I watch her with my hands linked behind my head as she turns around. My eyes burn, and no matter how hard I try to stop the lump in my throat from breaking the dam, I can’t. Everything blurs.

“We were so damn close, Scar.”

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