“Dad?”
Her father rambled nearly incoherent. “Is Colleen there?” she asked.
All Scarlett could hear was something about an emergency and the nurse leaving. She picked up other bits and pieces that had her utterly petrified. “Where are you?”
“The hospital with your mother,” he finally said clearly.
Her heart nearly stopped. “What hospital?”
Tanner froze, his concerned gaze on hers.
“Okay, yes. Yes. I’m coming.” She disconnected the call, her hands shaking. “I need to tell my boss I have to go.” She picked up the landline and dialed. “Kyle? I have a family emergency. I need to leave for the day and I’m not sure about tomorrow.” She stood up, already throwing her cell into her purse. “I know what I have to do but my mother’s in the hospital. I’m leaving.” She disconnected the call and looked at Tanner, who stood waiting patiently.
“What hospital?” he asked gently.
“North Shore. In Manhasset.” Realizing she’d put her phone in her bag and she needed it to call for an Uber, she started to search her large bag. Somehow between the time she’d tossed it in and now, it had gotten lost in her mess.
“Scarlett, calm down. I’ve got it,” he said, his phone in his hand, the Uber app pulled up on his screen. “Come on.”
She let him walk her to the elevator and hit the lobby button, her father’s words starting to make sense. Colleen had gotten an emergency call from her daughter, who was in early labor, and she had to leave. Her father said it was fine and he’d be home soon. He arrived home to find her mother in the extra car in the garage with the motor running, the garage door closed.
A car pulled up to the front of Scarlett’s work building, and Tanner leaned down to the passenger window. “Tanner Grayson?” the driver asked.
Nodding, Tanner opened the back door so Scarlett could slide in. To her shock, he climbed in after her, slamming the door shut behind them. “North Shore Hospital,” he confirmed with the driver.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Going with you,” he said, pulling her tight against him as the car sped off. “Now what happened?”
Too stunned and frightened to argue, she told him what she’d put together. “My mother tried to kill herself,” she whispered. “Carbon monoxide poisoning.” She swallowed hard. “I told you already she has severe depressive disorder, but she’s never tried anything like this before.”
He cupped her face in his hands. “I’m sorry, honey. Are you okay?”
She swallowed hard. “I’m trying. Dad was incoherent and I don’t know anything, which makes it harder. I don’t know if she was unconscious or if he found her in time…” She began to tremble and he pulled her into his arms, letting her cry.
She needed the release before she arrived at the hospital. Someone had to be strong and coherent to understand what the doctors said. To make decisions. And her father hadn’t sounded like he’d be in any shape to handle things.
She slipped her hand into Tanner’s, grateful for his presence. They hadn’t known each other long, but it felt natural to rely on him for support. She didn’t have time to sort out her feelings for him now, but they were growing. Quickly.
* * *
Tanner had gone to talk to Scarlett to confess his past sins and see if they stood a chance. Instead he had a crying woman in his arms and was on his way to the hospital with no idea what they’d find out when they arrived.
“Do you have tissues in your purse?” he asked.
She lifted her head, sniffed, and nodded. She pulled one out. He took it and softly wiped under her eyes, catching tears and makeup.
She looked at him curiously. “Deal with a lot of crying women?”
“I have a sister,” he explained.
She nodded. “Tell me about her.”
He knew the underlying sentiment. Take her mind off the unknown. He didn’t mind talking about his sibling. “So Alyssa is older than me by four years. She planned to go to school to become a nurse but life had other plans. She got pregnant after her college graduation.”
“She couldn’t do both? I know it’s hard but–”
“My father’s a bastard,” he found himself saying. Now that he hadn’t anticipated discussing. “He was a real bully while we were growing up but he mostly aimed it at me.”
She turned to face him, her expression soft and understanding. “Go on.”
“But when Alyssa turned up pregnant, he wouldn’t let my mother help her, and what Don Grayson says goes, at least in his home.” He swallowed hard. “I wasn’t in any position at that point to help, and Nick Dobbins, the guy who got her pregnant, stepped up. He’s a mechanic and he wanted to marry her and take care of her and the baby. They have a son, by the way. His name is Cal and he’s a great kid.”