I start to pull back, but Della just moves with me.
“Babe, let them look at you,” I whisper.
She shakes her head, burrowing deeper against me.
The paramedic reaches for her arm, but Della starts to scream. “No.No.No.No.No.” She practically crawls through my arms to get behind me, and it makes me lose my mind.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!”
“Carter, they have to check her,” Rhett says, half positioning his body between me and the paramedic.
What he says makes sense, but I can’t let anyone near her. I gather her in my arms and pick her up. She buries her face in my neck and her body shudders in my arms.
I shake my head at Rhett. “I can’t let her go. She will never forgive me if I let her go. You go -” Tears overwhelm me and I swallow hard to try and control them. “You go get a doctor. I don’t care what you have to pay. Get a doctor and bring them to the apartment. I’m taking her home.”
“Fuck, Carter,” Rhett hisses. “You can’t just take her. She needs to give a statement. This is a fucking crime scene.”
I glare at him as I hold her tighter. “You will have to pry her from my dead fucking body. I’m taking her home. The cops can take her statement there. A doctor can look at her there.”
“You can’t -”
“I fucking can and I fucking will.”
I walk out to the room, not paying attention to anyone. When I exit the building, I’m relieved to see Peter already waiting with the car. He’s supposed to take me to the two pm meeting.
I slide into the backseat and cradle Della on my lap. I press kisses to her tangled hair. She’s fucking cold. I sit forward and without moving her from my lap, I struggle out of my jacket.
I wrap it around her before holding her tightly. She’s stopped crying but the blank look on her face really worries me.
My phone starts to ring and I quickly fish it from my pocket.
“What?” I hiss, barely in control of my emotions.
“The paramedics are following you. Please don’t give them shit. Let them look at her while I get a doctor.”
“Fine.”
“Danny,” Della croaks.
“What’s that, babe?”
“Danny. Don’t let her see me.”
“Fuck.” I forgot. I quickly phone Jamie. When she answers the phone I can hear Danny laughing. “Jamie, take Danny to the park. Buy her an ice cream and let her play there for a little while.”
“Why?”
I take a deep breath so I don’t lose my temper. “Please, kiddo. Take Danny to the park.”
“Okay. I’ll take her for an hour.”
“Thanks.”
When we get to the apartment, I’m careful not to jar her body as I carry her to the apartment. I take her upstairs so Danny won’t see her by accident. I’ve just placed her on the bed when there’s a knock at the door. I quickly cover her with a blanket, then run to open the door.
I’m relieved when Logan comes in with the paramedics.
&nbs