Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“I got him,” I told her, my voice cracking.
“Thank you,” she said, racing toward us. “Oh god. Thank you. Finn? Baby, look at me.”
Finn’s head shot up as he twisted toward his mom’s voice, damn near lurching out of my arms as he reached for her.
Teddy stumbled back as she took his weight, but she didn’t give a shit as she clasped him tightly to her, one arm under his ass and the other wrapped around his back.
He was nearly as big as she was, and I wasn’t sure how she kept her feet, but she did.
“My baby,” she whispered against his temple. “Mama’s here. I’m right here.”
I ushered her to a couch where she dropped down, her hands immediately going to the sides of Finn’s head so she could pull him back far enough to see his face.
“You’re okay?” she asked, the look in her eyes almost taking me to my knees. “You’re not hurt?”
“No,” Finn whispered, pulling away so he could bury his face against her shoulder.
“What—” Teddy looked at me, her eyes full of questions. “Where are his pants?”
“Got caught when he hid under the Chevelle,” I answered, crouching in front of them so I could rest my hand on Finn’s back. I wasn’t quite ready to let him out of reach yet. “They came off when I pulled him out.”
Teddy’s eyes drifted shut in relief. “Smart boy,” she murmured into his ear.
“Dylan and Jesse?” I asked.
Under my hand, Finn’s back stopped rising and falling as he held his breath.
“Jesse’s in recovery,” Teddy replied. “Dylan’s still in surgery.”
Finn took a breath and shuddered.
“They say how long it’s gonna be?”
“We can see Jesse within the hour,” she replied. “They won’t even give me an estimate for Dylan.”
I nodded. The situation was so fucking overwhelming that I had a hard time holding onto a thought. There was nothing I could do. There was nothing any of us could do.
“Teddy, Finn needs water,” Kara said, setting down a water bottle next to her. “He wouldn’t drink any in the car, and my Aunt Molly said he has to be dehydrated after being in the hot garage for so long.”
“Molly’s a nurse,” I told Teddy when she looked at me.
As Teddy urged Finn to take a few sips, the first wave of the club came out of the elevator. It was a sea of Aces and Eights insignia as they found places to sit and clustered into groups at the edges of the room. Not long after that, the old ladies showed up.
I sat next to Teddy and Finn, my arm over her shoulder and my fingertips resting on Finn’s while we waited.
“Hey,” my mom softly said a little while later, sitting down in the chair next to me. “I hate to say it, son, but you need to call Kaylee.”
“Fuck,” I breathed. I should’ve already called Dylan’s mom.
“Go do that now,” Mom ordered gently. “I’ll stay with Teddy and Finn.”
“We’re okay,” Teddy said, her cheek pressed against Finn’s hair. “Go.”
I nodded and carefully slid my arm from around her shoulders. “I won’t be far.”
“Go,” she repeated. “Do what you need to do.”
Nobody stopped me as I crossed the room, even though everyone was watching. The conversations were hushed, but their presence was heavy as I walked to an empty corner and pulled my phone out of my pocket.
I dreaded calling Kaylee.
She was a shit mother. There had been a lot of things over the years that she’d done that I didn’t understand, didn’t like, and didn’t agree with, but she loved Dylan. She loved him as much as I did. I’d never questioned that for a moment.
The news was going to devastate her. She’d have to find a flight and travel all the way to Oregon, not knowing whether or not our son was going to be okay. Hours of that. It changed a person. I was about to change her life forever.
Pulling up her contact information, I took a deep breath and lifted my phone to my ear.
Chapter 18
Teddy
I’d never been more tired in my life and less likely to sleep.
Sitting next to Jesse’s bed, I ran my thumb back and forth over the back of their hand while they slept. The drugs they were on meant that they’d barely been awake since they came out of recovery after surgery, but the doctor said that was good, and they’d start being awake for longer stretches soon.
I wanted them awake for my benefit, but it was probably better for Jess if they slept through the worst of it. When they woke up fully and realized how bad things were, they’d probably wish that they could go back to sleep.
Three broken ribs. A shattered jaw that they’d placed metal plates in to stabilize and then wired shut. Sprained wrist. Broken nose. Two missing teeth. A spleen that had caused all the bleeding and they’d had to remove during surgery.