Nothing But This (Broken Pieces 2)

“What do you mean, he fell?” Libby asked, feeling hysteria rising in her voice. “Fell from where?”

“The roof, Libby.”

Libby swayed as dizziness overtook her. “That idiot. That stupid, stupid man! Why was he on the roof?”

“They were fixing it. There were a few of them. He couldn’t get the roofers out until next month, and he wanted the house to be in perfect condition when you returned. He’s been working so hard on it.” Libby could hear the swell of emotion in Tina’s voice; the other woman sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Libby couldn’t react with anything other than shock, anger, and panic.

“How is he?” she asked, her voice sounding faint even to her own ears.

“I’m not sure. Harris said he took quite a tumble. He sounded concerned, but I think he was trying to hide it from me.”

“Oh God.” Libby took a huge gulp of breath, her dizziness increasing. She was aware of her in-laws staring at her in concern. They were in a huge luxury SUV with their new driver at the wheel. “Oh my God. I’ll be there soon. I have to make arrangements.”

She dropped the call before Tina could respond.

“Greyson is hurt. I have to get back to Riversend immediately. Can you arrange the helicopter, please?”

Truman Chapman nodded and immediately got on the phone, while Constance leaned toward Libby. The older woman’s face was ashen with shock.

“Hurt?” she asked, her voice urgent. “How? What happened?”

“I’m not sure. Tina says he fell . . .” She paused and swallowed, feeling a surge of nausea at the thought of the height he must have fallen from. “From the roof.”

“The roof?” Constance looked a little sick and very confused. “Why was he on a roof? How high is it?”

“I don’t know.” Libby’s voice was rising in pitch, the way it always did when she was fighting back tears. “About four meters?”

She clutched a hand to her chest as she fought back her dread and struggled to breathe. She was rocking slightly, trying to calm herself but not succeeding. Had he been conscious? Oh God, if he had lost consciousness, that meant he had hit his head. Her rocking increased as she continued to gulp for breath.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought she might be having a panic attack. Her chest felt tight, and her breath was coming in shallow gasps. Her dizziness increased as her intake of air decreased.

She felt Constance’s hand on the back of her head and was confused by that until the woman exerted pressure and forced her head down.

“Put your head between your knees,” the older woman instructed her matter of factly, remarkably calm under pressure. “Breathe in and out slowly. Truman, call Harrison and find out what on earth is going on.”

Everything passed in a blur after that. They didn’t return to Libby’s parents’ place; instead they went straight to the Foreshore, where the Chapman Global Property Group’s headquarters were located, and rode the elevator up to the roof, where the executive helicopter was waiting. Truman and Constance boarded the chopper with her, and they were airborne in a matter of minutes.

“My parents,” Libby said dazedly, unable to fully formulate her thoughts, every part of her desperate to get to Riversend and to Greyson. She shouldn’t have left. Why had she left? She loved the fool man, and he loved her. He loved her so much he kept trying to prove himself to her by doing stupid things like attempting to fix plumbing and doors and climbing onto roofs when she had expressly told him not to.

“Truman called your father. They know what’s going on.”

“What did Harris say?” Libby asked blankly. She hadn’t heard the older man’s conversation with Harris. She had been too preoccupied with not passing out.

“He said Greyson is having some tests done. He passed out after falling—”

“Oh God, did he hit his head?” Libby interrupted.

“Harris doesn’t believe so. He thinks Greyson passed out from shock and pain.”

That seemed worse. How much pain had he been in to pass out from it? Libby fidgeted agitatedly with the buckle of her seat belt, and Constance reached over to grasp her hand reassuringly.

“He’ll be fine, Olivia. He’s tough.” The comforting gesture, coming from a woman who was usually as reserved as her son, sent Libby over the edge. Her tears welled up and overflowed. Like their son, her in-laws had trouble being demonstrative. Yet when the chips were down, they were there to offer support and comfort in their own way.

Harris and Tina were in the hospital waiting room when Libby rushed in, followed at a more sedate pace by Constance and Truman. The latter was carrying a droopy Clara. Harris got up to hug Libby tightly and then his parents, taking Clara from his father. Tina stood back shyly, giving Libby a hug before practically hiding behind her. Libby was confused at first until she realized that this was the first time Tina was seeing the older couple after so unceremoniously announcing her engagement to their son on Facebook a few days ago.