All I have to do is get through the last verse. I’m nearly there. This is the home straight, except it isn’t.
I know I’m falling before I hit the ground…then there’s nothing.
31
HUDSON
When Luna collapses live on TV, all of us are on our feet, hands flying to our mouths, eyes staring as an A-list Hollywood actor leaps across the stage to put her in the recovery position. The camera pans away, focusing on the host who's adlibbing while on the other stage, while our girl is unconscious.
"What the fuck?" Jax says. "Why won't they show what's happening?"
"For her privacy," Asher says. "Shit."
"I'll call Angelica. Find out what's happening." Connor begins swiping through his contacts, and heads toward the corner of the room so he can have a conversation away from the disruption.
"She'll be okay," Ben says.
"She's probably fainted because she's not eating enough," Mo says. "That fucking nutritionist had her on child portions."
"Whatever it is, we need to get down there," I say. "They'll take her to the hospital to check her out, won't they."
Connor nods. "Angelica says they're going to take her for a full checkup. With everything that happened in Australia, they're not ruling out foul play."
"Shit," Elijah says. "You think someone got to her food or water again."
"Those assholes were supposed to be checking everything she ordered." Connor's jaw ticks at even the thought of the rival bodyguards not doing their jobs properly.
"Do you know which hospital?"
"Angelica didn't want to tell me. She's pissed about what happened. The whole tour could have been called off, and that would have been money out of her pocket."
"Let's try the dancers," Asher suggests. "One of them will know what's happening. They're the kings and queens of the gossip grapevine."
"Okay," Connor says. "Everyone call somebody. Between us all, we'll find out what the hell's going on."
We each call out the name of a person who's part of Luna's tour and start to phone around. Within five minutes, Asher has a hospital name.
It takes us two minutes to get downstairs to the hotel reception and another ten minutes to get two cabs ordered. The hospital is only five miles away, but with London traffic, it seems to take hours.
My hands are sweating, and my eyelid is twitching with worry. I replay the moment that Luna's eyes rolled back over and over in my mind. I'm not a religious man, especially since my brother was killed, but I say a silent prayer for her safekeeping to anything out there with power.
"We should have been there," I say to Connor. "We should have been the ones there to catch her when she fell."
"We should have. We would have been if I'd just stuck to my guns."
"You think you could have resisted her? Luna was persistent and irresistible," Jax says.
"Infuriatingly persistent and irresistible," Connor mutters. "If those assholes have done anything to her, I swear to God."
"Let's just wait until we get there," I say, trying to keep tempers as calm as possible. No hospital is going to permit seven raging men to enter.
"How much longer?" Jax asks the driver.
"Five minutes," he says. “It's just further up this road."
Eventually, he deposits us on the sidewalk outside a huge modern hospital building. The inside is cavernous, and there are signs pointing in every direction for every type of medical department known to man. In the corner, there is a small reception. "Over there." I point.
The man behind the counter must be around sixty, with a shiny bald head and huge white eyebrows that tickle his eyelids. His eyes are bloodshot, probably a result of working the late shift at his advanced age.
"We're here to see Luna Evans. Can you tell us where she is?"
"Date of birth?" he asks, tapping her name into the computer.
Connor confirms the detail, and the man continues staring at the screen. "She's in the Elizabeth Ward. It's on the eighth floor. You can use the main lifts." He points further into the hospital to what looks like two closed elevator doors. His eyes scan our large group. "Only relatives will be allowed into the ward."
"I'm her fiancé," I say.
"Tell the nurse on the ward. I'm sure that will be fine."
As we make our way to the elevators, I catch Connor looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Fiancé? Does that mean you want to be the one to go in?"
"Yep," I say with determination. I might be one of seven men that were in a relationship with Luna, but all that means is I have as much right as anyone else. I know I can be a comfort to her. We built up a loving connection in the time we spent together that was closer than any other relationship I've had in my life.
"Hudson's going to be the one to go in," Connor says. It's a clear order, not a statement to be disputed or argued over. I know every one of my brothers would want to be the man to get into the hospital ward with Luna, but they also know that having a fight about it in the hallway isn't going to help anyone.
In the elevator, I take a deep breath. I have no idea what I'm going to find. Luna might be really sick. She could still be unconscious. How will I deal with seeing her like that?
It would kill me to see her in pain.
"Make sure you ask the doctor questions," Ben says. "We want to know exactly what's going on, so you're going to need to find out."
"Make sure she's got enough water," Asher says. "This hospital is so hot. She's going to get dehydrated really quickly."
"Reassure her," Mo says. "Tell her that everything's going to be alright. She'll need to hear it."
"Hold her hand," Elijah says. "Physical contact's important."
"Don't be too serious," Jax says. "She'll need you to cheer her up. She'll be scared, so make sure you at least try to make her laugh."
"Are you saying I'm not funny?"
Jax shakes his head. "We all have our strengths in this group."
"And our weaknesses," Connor says. "Just be her rock. Be the man she needs."
"I'll do my best."
At that moment, something passes between us. I’ve felt it before when we’ve been in the line of fire. There’s a bond that runs a deep connection from man to man, and it’s been activated again by our joint love of this one woman. They’re placing her wellbeing in my hands. Trusting me to do whatever needs to be done. In this moment, I feel our connection strengthening. The unity we need to do right by Luna is there. We’re not seven individual men who want one woman, we’re a pack who are seeking their mate.
At the huge double doors to the Elizabeth Ward, there's a buzzer to gain entry. I push it and wait, bouncing on my toes. "Elizabeth Ward," a deep voice says.
"I'm here to see Luna Evans," I say. "I'm her fiancé."
"Are you really? I haven't read about an engagement in the newspaper," the nurse replies with a smile in her voice. I'm about to answer when the door clicks open.