One Chance (Hogan Brothers 1)

He looked sideways at Brax who shrugged before he answered, “Yeah.”

“Good. Let’s go,” he demanded.

“I got your car,” Loch told him.

Climbing into the back of the ambulance, he sat on the bench next to his broken love. Getting a closer look at her injuries, anger infused his blood.

“They know who did this?” he asked the medic.

“Car hit ‘em on her side and took off. Police are looking now,” he explained quietly.

He had to force the question out. “She gonna be okay?”

“As long as there’s no internal bleeding and no bruising on her brain, yeah, I think so.” Compassion colored the man’s words.

“What are her injuries right now? Is her leg broken?” Christ, he wasn’t gonna be able to handle seeing her in pain.

“For sure, concussion, broken wrist, whiplash, severe bruising to her shoulder and abdomen from the seat belt. Which is where internal injuries can occur. As for her leg, not broken, but a piece of plastic from the inside door dug into her calf pretty deeply, and I wanted her immobile, so it doesn’t keep bleeding.”

“Fuck.” He scrubbed his face with his hands. “What about the other guy? He gonna be okay?” As much as Brax got on his nerves, the man was protecting his girl so he couldn’t hate him too bad.

“Concussion, sprained arm, and whiplash. Miss Bennett took the brunt of the impact.” He didn’t feel better.

Gripping her limp hand in his own, he kissed her soft knuckles. Hating that she was so injured. Hating that he wasn’t there to protect her.

“Here we are,” the medic told him as the vehicle slowed and the back doors were opened. A team of doctors was waiting for her as the paramedic listed off her injuries in medical jargon he was having a hard time processing.

He followed along until a nurse held him back, telling him, “You’ll have to wait here, sir.”

“No, I need to be with her,” he insisted.

“The doctors need to look her over. We have a dozen tests to run, and you’ll only be in the way.” She pulled him away from the doors that his girl had disappeared behind, handing him a clipboard. “Fill these out. By the time you’re done, someone will come out with news on her condition.” She walked away before he could protest again.

Standing in the middle of the E.R., he was lost. For the first time in his life, he had something to lose that meant more to him than anything else in the world. Sophia was his entire existence. If he lost her, if she didn’t come back to him, he didn’t know what the hell he’d do.

“Nox?” A hand on his shoulder startled him. Seeing his brothers there with him, relief swamped in.

“How is she?” Levi asked, looking around as if she were there.

“I don’t know yet. She was taken back, and I was given these.” He clapped the board against his palm.

“I’ll fill that out,” Loch grabbed it from him. “Call her dad.”

“Braxton’s done that, I’m sure. Besides, with all this shit, I don’t think I can see him and not kick his ass. You call Ma?” he asked them.

“Yeah, said she was going to clean up your old room for Soph, so she had someone to take care of her when she gets out.” As much as he’d like to dispute her idea, he knew she needed something to do besides worry. Aside from that, he knew he was going to need help taking care of her after she left the hospital.

If she left the hospital.

“Don’t think like that, man.” Levi levelled him with a hard glare.

“Like what?” he retorted, on edge.

“Like she ain’t coming home. She’s tougher than you think, Nox.”

Yeah, she was. She was made of tougher stuff than anyone gave her credit for. She felt just as strongly.

“I can’t fucking lose her,” he mumbled as his brother led him to a row of empty chairs in the otherwise busy room.