“Hey, Diesel?”
“Yeah, man?”
“Thanks.”
He nods, Devil thumps me on the back, and I take off to find Ellie. It’s not going to be easy, but I can’t let her leave. Diesel was right. If Ellie was banned from the club, I’d end up leaving. There’s no way I could go back to living without her.
I walk to Diesel’s room, and just as I’m about to open the door, Ellie opens it, crying. For a minute, I’m afraid that things have gone south again.
“Ellie, I’ve got my keys. Torrent will tell the boys—Oh, Fury!” Rory gasps, surprised to see me.
“What’s going on?” I ask, then my attention turns to Ellie. Her face is white, she has tears in her eyes and she’s holding the back of her head.
“It’s jut… st... just. Just a migraine,” Ellie says.
“It’s getting worse and she admitted her vision is blurry. I was going to drive her to the emergency room.”
“She has meds, she gets migraines often, although they’ve slowed down lately. I’m sure she’ll be…”
I stop talking as Ellie drops to the floor. I dive down to try and catch her, managing to get at least the upper half of her body in my arms.
“Ellie? Ice, wake up.” She’s out cold, looking abnormally pale.
“I’ll call an ambulance,” Torrent says, taking out her phone.
“Fuck that. I’m taking her,” I growl. Panic spreads through me. She’s never passed out before in her life. If the pain was so bad that she was stuttering earlier, something has to be seriously wrong. I can’t wait for an ambulance to take her to the hospital, I can get her there sooner.
I pick Ellie up in my arms, carrying her toward the front door—praying that she’s okay, and terrified that she’s not…FuryI thought I’d been afraid before in my life. I’ve faced death with a gun aimed at me, I’ve watched my fellow soldiers blown to fucking pieces in front of me. I almost lost Devil, a man that is my true brother and family, same with Diesel. I’ve seen shit that gave me nightmares for years. But, not once, in all that time, have I ever been as scared as I am right now.
I made it to the hospital in a scary amount of time. I’ve never driven so fast in my life—and that’s saying something. The entire ride, Ellie was completely unresponsive. I didn’t know it, but they were waiting for us when we got here, Rory had called ahead. I’m thankful for that, because they immediately took her back.
I’ve been sitting here ever since, waiting. It’s been at least twenty minutes and I’m not sure I’m going to survive much longer. Crusher, Dani, Torrent, and Devil showed up a bit ago. They had to have driven pretty damn fast themselves. They asked if I knew anything, but I just shook my head no. I’m not sure I can form words right now. We’re all just…waiting.
“Mr. Maverick?” I jump up, looking at the woman coming out of the small door of the waiting room. She’s wearing a white coat and scrubs. There’s a large bright red streak on her coat and although Ellie wasn’t bleeding when she went in, I’m terrified it’s hers.
“That’s me,” I manage to say, my voice hoarse. I feel my family gather around me, leaving me thankful for their support. “Can you please tell me what’s wrong with my wife?”
“We need to go in and do emergency surgery. I want to explain everything to you, but I don’t have much time,” she says.
“Emergency surgery?” I mimic, feeling like my fucking legs have given out on me.
“Your wife is bleeding on her brain. It appears she had an aneurysm that ruptured.”
“How? I don’t understand. She’s not had any injuries. I want a second opinion.”
“Mr. Maverick, I know you’re upset, but time is of the essence here. The fact that your wife is still holding on is a miracle in and of itself. A lot of patients don’t survive getting to the hospital. We already have her in the operating room. I need your permission and you need to sign the papers so that our surgeon can begin.”
I never informed the hospital of our divorce. I was afraid they wouldn’t tell me what was going on with her if I did. If she survives this shit, the first thing she’s going to do is marry me again.
If she survives.
“Fuck, okay. Do whatever you need to do. Can I see her?” I ask, wondering how I’m still standing when my world is crumbling around me.
“I know you’re worried, Mr. Maverick, but we can’t delay. You need to know that Dr. Maples is the top in his field. We’re very lucky to have him here. Your wife is in good hands.”
I know she’s trying to be reassuring, but she’s not.
I walk like a robot to sign the paperwork they give me. I stay in that same trance as I go back into the waiting room.