Evin's Fight (Southern Charmers 3)

The EMTs wheel her through the crowd, and she closes her eyes tight, more tears falling as her friends and Cirque family pat her stretcher.

Ryanne’s trembling hands clutch my shirt, and she leans into me on our way out.

They prepare to load her and I step in, cupping Poppy’s cheeks and bending to kiss her. “I love you. I’ll be there right behind you. You are not fucking alone in this. Do not let them do anything without me.”

“I’ll take care of that.” Ryanne climbs into the ambulance first.

“Poppy, say something.” I bend, taking her hand.

She hesitates and squeezes before replying, “My dance career with Cirque is over.”

More tears leak out and I’m stunned silent.

They load her, closing me out while my brain tries to catch up.

I watch helplessly as they drive away and wonder what the fuck is happening.

My phone buzzes continuously, and I drop my chin, blowing out a deep breath. My gut instincts told me something was wrong on that stage. It was confirmed the second her eyes met mine. When she went down, I was on my feet without a word to anyone.

The phone buzzes again.

Mom—We’re waiting in the spot. What’s going on?

Me—On my way.

I push all emotion to the side and head inside.

“I’ll be quick.” Dante hands me Poppy’s bag.

“Meet me in the side lobby. My family is waiting, and I need to give them an explanation.”

Mom and Maya are the first to get to me when I exit the side door.

“What happened?”

“Poppy landed wrong on her leg and tweaked her knee.” It’s the easiest answer that comes to mind.

“When?” Maya’s face pales.

“That last dance.”

“She didn’t mean to roll over? It looked like part of the show. She was perfect.”

“She was perfect. She’s trained on how to handle those situations as a professional so they don’t disrupt the performance.”

“God, she’s awesome.” The wonder on Maya’s face stirs the emotions weighing in my chest.

“Honey, where is she?” Mom’s voice is low and cautious.

“She’s on her way to get x-rays. It’s precautionary and recommended by the in-house staff.” The look on all the adult faces is skeptical, but Maya seems to buy it. “Dante and I are meeting her there.”

“Can I come?” Maya asks eagerly.

“No, honey. It’s late and not a good idea to pile into the hospital. Plus, she’ll probably be with the doctors, and we don’t want to be in the way.” Jill steps in, saving me from having to lie further.

“Hello, hello! Welcome to my show!” Dante’s loud and overly vibrant voice ricochets off the walls. Maya’s face lights up when she sees him.

“Dante!” She rushes to him like they’ve known each other forever.

“Maya, aren’t you a doll!” he gushes convincingly. He’s hurting and worried but pushing through.

“Son, what’s going on?” Dad mumbles low.

“You and Mom follow me to my room. I’ll tell you what I can, which isn’t much. But Dante and I need to go now. Can we move this along?”

“On it,” Mom goes to Dante with Jill and Linda.

Expertly, Mom gets all introductions done with the appropriate amount of raving before announcing it’s time to go.

Dante entertains Maya to their floor and hugs her extra tight before she leaves the elevator. When Jill, Warren, and Maya leave, his entire demeanor changes.

“Evin—”

“Let’s get to the room.”

The second we get into the hotel room, I explode to Dante. “What the hell happened?”

“In that last number, I felt it. She was off, and she’s never off. It all happened so fast, a pop and she was in the air, then another pop. No way she could come down with weight. I got to her as soon as I could.”

“What the fuck does ‘pop’ mean?”

His lips form a tight line, his eyes gloss over, and he swallows hard before answering. “It could mean anything, but in this case, it looks bad. I’m guessing from the way she reacted when pressure was applied, it’s a torn ligament in her knee.”

My vision goes spotty and I sink to the arm of the sofa, dropping her bag. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Honey, people recover from knee injuries all the time. Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Mom’s optimism isn’t shared.

My gaze cuts to Dante. He’s thinking the same thing. “Mom, a knee injury for a dancer can be career-ending.”

She sucks in a deep breath, and Lynda puts an arm around her shoulders.

I haul myself up, haphazardly throwing a few things into Poppy’s bag. “Dad, take the keys to the rental. I’ll contact you when we know more.”

“Evin, we’ll follow you. All of us want to be there.”

I scan the troubled faces of Mom, Dad, Lynda, and Ray, knowing their hearts are in the right place, but I can’t deal with them.

“I’ll call. Right now, my first and only priority is getting to Poppy and making sure she’s okay.”

“She needs a mother right now!”