Marshall reaches over and places his hand on my shoulder. I don’t have the energy to throw him off. There is so much left we need to share. Marriage, kids, and the next sixty years. I can’t lose her. I won’t survive losing her.
“R-Royce—” I feel the first hot tear slide across my cheek. “Wh-Where is my girl? Tell me she’s okay. Say it, damn it! Tell me she’s okay.” I turn wild eyes to Marshall. He, too, has tracks of his own tears on his cheeks. “Marsh.” I can barely form words from the tightness in my throat. “Where is she?”
Royce clears his throat. “They took her to the hospital. That’s all that we know,” he says quietly.
“No! That’s not good enough. I need you to call them now. Right now. Royce, you have to call them. Tell them we have money. We don’t care what it costs. They need to take care of her. They need to tell her that I’m on my way. I need her!” I yell into the car.
“Marsh?” Royce’s voice is pained.
“Y-Yeah? We’re almost there,” he replies.
That’s when I notice we’re speeding. No, we’re flying through the streets of downtown Nashville weaving in and out of traffic as my little brother races to get me to my love. That woman is my fucking heart. My soul. I can’t live this life without her. I can’t. I can’t do it.
“Please,” I cry. “Please, God, please let her be okay. Please. Please. Please.” I close my eyes and rest my head back against the seat. I hear Marshall sniff, and if I’m not mistaken, a sob comes from my phone.
My brothers are torn up over this, which means it’s bad. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Running my fingers through my hair, I try to get my shit together, but it’s no use. I’m a basket case, and I will be until I can lay eyes on her. Until I can feel her skin against mine.
I just need to touch her. That’s how connected we are. I know that my touch will pull her through this. My love. Fuck me. I still haven’t told her that I love her. I started to last night on the phone. She stopped me, and even though my gut told me I needed to tell her, I didn’t. I stopped, and now she might not ever know.
“We’re here,” Marshall says.
“Good. Grant and Aurora are in the waiting room, so are Mom and Dad,” Royce says.
As soon as the car comes to a stop, I’m out and running as fast as I can to the emergency room doors. I rush to the receptionist's desk, breathing heavily, bracing my hands on the counter for support. “Aspen Steele. I need to see her.”
“I’m sorry, are you family?” the receptionist asks.
“Fuck! Am I family? She lives right fucking here.” I slam my fist over my heart. “I need to see her.”
“Con?” I turn to find Aurora standing behind me. Her eyes are red-rimmed from tears, and her face is pale.
I don’t think. I just pull her into my arms, crushing her to me. “Is she okay?” I ask Aurora.
“We’re still waiting,” she says, stepping out of my hold. She then turns to the receptionist. “This is her fiancé. Conrad Riggins. He’ll need to be on the list.”
“Of course,” the receptionist replies, typing on her computer. I assume giving me access to Aspen. “Please have a seat, and someone will be out to speak with you soon.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No. I won’t sit out here and wait. I need to see her.”
“Sir, I’m sorry, but the medical staff is with her. They need time to assess her injuries. I promise they will be with you soon.”
“Come on, son.” I feel my dad’s hand on my shoulder as he guides me to the corner of the waiting room where my family is holding vigil.
“Tell me? How did this happen? How is she? Somebody needs to tell me something,” I say, pacing back and forth in front of the chairs where my family is sitting.
“Conrad,” Mom says softly. “Please sit, and we’ll tell you what we know.”
“How am I supposed to sit when my heart is somewhere in this fucking hospital, and no one will tell me how she is?”
“Conrad.” Aurora stands and comes to me. She wraps her arms around my waist, and I hold her. Aspen is her sister. If anyone is going to begin to understand how I feel, it’s her. “I can’t lose her, sis. I can’t.” My voice breaks. I hold her tightly and let the tears fall.
I break.
My legs feel weak, but I needn’t worry because I feel the arms of my family wrap around me. Grant comes first, then Marsh, and our parents. I soak up every ounce of love and support they have to give because I know we all need to be strong for her. When I finally feel as though I can stay calm, I break away and take a seat. My hand is clasped tightly around Aurora’s, and thankfully, my brother lets it ride. I need to be close to her right now.
“Tell me,” I whisper, my voice gravelly.
“At around one thirty, Rory got a call from the security company telling her that there were indications of a fire and that the appropriate personnel were en route,” Grant explains solemnly.
“I tried to call her,” Aurora says through her tears. “I tried over and over again, and we couldn’t get through.”
“We got in the car and drove over. I called Mom and Dad on the way. They called everyone else.”
“I was awake,” Marshall adds. “When Dad called, I was awake, so I told him I would come and get you.”
“Royce and Owen have the little ones, so we told them to stay home until we know more. Royce wanted to be the one to call you,” Mom explains.
That sounds like my big brother. He’s always looking out for us, and I know that phone call was hard on him. I could hear it in his voice, but that’s the bond of brothers. He needed me to know he was there for me.
“How is she?” I look away from Mom to find Owen and Royce standing in the waiting room. They left their families to come and support me.
A sob rattles my chest as I stand and rush to my brothers. I grip Royce in a hug so fierce I’m surprised either of us can breathe. I move to Owen and give him the same treatment. I fucking love my family, and I know without a shadow of a doubt I would be losing my shit right now if I didn’t have them here with me.
Royce, Owen, and I take a seat, and I nod at Grant. “When we got there, the flames—” He shakes his head, swallowing hard. “It was bad, Con. Luckily, when the alarm company called, we were able to tell them Aspen was inside. We told them which room was hers, and when we got there, they were placing her on a stretcher and loading her into the back of an ambulance.”
“Was sh-she okay?” I ask. It’s a stupid fucking question. Of course, she wasn’t okay, but I know that he knows what I meant.
“I don’t know. The ambulance was racing off before we could get answers. All they would tell us is that they were bringing her here.”
“The family of Aspen Steele,” a nurse calls out.
I stand and rush to her. “Conrad Riggins,” I announce. “How is she?”
“How are you related to Ms. Steele?” she asks.
“I’m her sister, Aurora. Conrad is her fiancé,” Aurora says, coming to stand next to me. “And they”—she points behind her—“are our family too.”