Counting On You (Counting the Billions 2)

I wanted to pull her even closer, to tell her that it was okay to cry, to tell her to get it all out. But I knew that she wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible, and I knew that she would hate herself for causing some sort of emotional delay.

She wanted to be there for Leanne, even when her own heart must be hurting so badly. I had to admire that in her.

We both dressed in record time, and she let me hold her hand as we walked down to the car. I held it the whole way to the hospital as well.

“I’m just scared,” Abby admitted quietly as we drove along. I glanced over, but she was looking out the window. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. Leanne said that he’s in surgery, but I don’t even know what kind

of surgery it is or how bad his condition really is. I didn’t want to ask any of that over the phone. But I hate not knowing.”

“I get that,” I said softly. I squeezed her hand lightly. “But I’m sure that everything will be fine.”

“What if it’s not, though?” Abby’s voice was small, almost child-like in its worry.

I looked over at her, and this time, she was looking back at me. “Then I’ll be here for you,” I promised her. I knew it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear, but it was the only thing I knew to offer.

And from the way some of the worry cleared off Abby’s face, I had to assume that for right then, it was enough.

Chapter 18

Abby

I WANTED TO FULL-OUT run into the hospital when we got there, but Daniel held me close to him with an arm around my shoulders. I knew he was probably right to do that. No sense causing a scene. This wasn’t the movies. And the receptionists would be more likely to help me if I showed I was reasonable rather than hysterical. No one needed a crazy lady running around the hospital.

Plus, there was a certain amount of comfort to be had from the warmth of Daniel’s body against mine. He had been so good, ever since I had gotten off the phone with Leanne. Every time I started to feel overwhelmed, I just had to look over at him, see how calm he looked, despite the worry that I could see reflected in his eyes too. He would make sure that things worked out. I was sure of it.

I couldn’t thank him enough for this, really.

With all these thoughts going through my head, by the time we got to the reception desk at the hospital, I couldn’t even think of what to say. I didn’t even know what kind of surgery Matt was in for; how could they possibly tell me where he was? Should I ask for him by name? Was Leanne maybe waiting somewhere out here? Were there different sections of the ER? I had never been to the hospital for something like this before; I just had no idea what to do.

But Daniel saved the day again. “Hi,” he said to the woman behind the desk. “We’re looking for Abby’s brother. He came in this morning from a car accident, and his wife told Abby that he’s in surgery right now.”

Immediately, the woman was giving him directions to the section of the hospital that Matt would be in. I felt another weight lift off my shoulders. “Thank you,” I said to Daniel as he steered me down the hallway.

Daniel squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it,” he said to me.

We found Leanne quickly, and I immediately threw myself toward her. The kids were there as well, and I could tell that Leanne had her tough face on for the kids. But I could also see the cracks around the edges. She was about to crumble.

I was terrified to ask the question, but I knew I had to. I caught her hands, pulling her a little ways away from the kids. “How is he?” I asked in an undertone.

“He’s still in surgery, so we don’t really know,” Leanne admitted. “He had some internal bleeding from the crash. None of it was his fault, even. Some idiot ran a red light. That was it. And Matt just happened to be there in the intersection at the time.” She drew in a ragged breath, and I pulled her into a hug.

“He’s going to be all right,” I said fiercely. I wasn’t sure whether I really believed it myself, despite Daniel’s assurances on the way over there, but I knew that I had to be strong for Matt’s family. Leanne was already upset enough without me getting hysterical as well.

“How do you know that, though?” Leanne asked balefully.

“Because I know my brother,” I told her simply. “And Matt’s a fighter. He knows that he has to be here for you and the kids. He’ll fight for this.”

Leanne’s lower lip wobbled, and she buried herself back in my arms, sobs shaking her body. “I hope you’re right,” she whispered. “God, I hope you’re right.”

“It’s okay,” I told her, stroking her back. “Everything’s going to be all right.” I could feel tears pricking my own eyes, but I forced them back. Now wasn’t the time. I’d have a cry of my own later, away from here. Right now, I just wanted to give Leanne all the comfort I could.

She finally pulled away from me, and I suddenly remembered that the kids were there as well. They must have been so frightened being here, and seeing their mom go to pieces probably wasn’t helping things. But when I turned around, I saw that Daniel had arranged things so that the kids were sitting on the ground facing him. Zachary was giggling at something Daniel had just said, and even Layla had a smile on her face, although she still looked nearly as worried as her mom.

I went over and sat in a chair next to them, looking down and the kids and putting a hand on Layla’s shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“What are you three talking about?” I asked them, trying to keep my tone light.

Zach giggled. “Daniel was just telling us a funny story about you!” he announced.