When the Jeep stops, head-first into a tree, I freeze, staring through a shattered windshield.
My insides scream in pain, and my head hurts. I reach up to touch it and come away with sticky blood on my fingers.
I reach over for my phone, but it’s nowhere to be found.
“Oh my God,” I croak. “How am I going to call for help?”
I wince, more pain searing through me.
“Hello?”
Someone’s here!
A flashlight shines in my eyes, making me scowl.
“Fallon! Fuck, Fallon. I’ve called the ambulance.”
“Who are you?”
I don’t even recognize my own voice.
“Sam,” he says soothingly. His hands move over me gently. “I’m checking for anything that’s broken. Where do you hurt?”
“Inside,” I say, finding it hard to catch my breath.
“Inside your body?”
“Yeah.”
“Arms and legs?”
I shake my head. “No. I don’t think so.”
We can hear sirens coming in the distance.
“Oh my God, am I going to die?”
“No,” Sam says firmly and holds my hand. “No way, help is coming.”
“I want Noah.”
“I’ll call him after we get you loaded into the ambulance.”
There’s commotion around us. Voices.
Loud voices.
“Down here!” Sam yells. “One patient. Possible internal injuries. Head laceration. No extremity fractures that I can see.”
It feels like everything moves in slow motion as I’m unbuckled from my seat and moved by four men to a flat board, strapped on, and carried up the embankment to the ambulance.
“Where’s Sam?” I ask weakly.
“Right here,” he says, retaking my hand. “I’m not leaving you, honey.”
“Call Noah.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Blood pressure is low,” someone says.
“Noah, it’s Sam. I need to let you know that I’m in an ambulance with Fallon. Yeah, she was in a car accident. I was driving behind her.”
So it was his lights blinding me in the rearview.
“I don’t know what the injuries are. She’s conscious, and that’s good. Yeah, we’ll meet you there.”
“Is he coming?”
“He is.” Sam leans over me so I can see him. “He’s going to meet us there. You just relax and let these people help you, okay?”
“’Kay. Getting sleepy.”
“Don’t sleep,” Sam says, frowning down at me. “Not until we get you to a doctor. Okay? Stay with me, Fallon.”
“Okay.” I wince. “My insides really hurt.”
“Internal injuries,” someone says.
“Are we almost there?” I ask.
“Yep, we’re turning in now. Keep those pretty green eyes open for us, okay? Just a few more minutes.”
I try to nod and feel the ambulance come to a stop. The back doors are flung open, and I’m wheeled out of the vehicle and inside the hospital where people are hurrying about.
“Fallon McCarthy,” someone says. “What room?”
“Three. The doctor’s in there.”
I’m taken into a room, and when the doctor is satisfied that I don’t have a broken spine, I’m moved to a hospital bed.
“Oh God,” I moan.
“You got beat up pretty good.” A man smiles at me. “I’m Dr. Merritt. I’m a surgeon, and I’m here in case you need surgery.”
“I don’t know if I do.”
“Let’s find out.”
Chapter Eighteen
~Noah~
“Where the fuck is she?” I demand as I burst through the doors of the emergency room. “Where is Fallon?”
“Hey,” Sam says as he jogs to me. “She’s with the doctors now. It’ll just be a few minutes before you can go in.”
“What in the hell happened?”
“She was driving ahead of me, and she seemed fine. I mean, nothing looked out of the ordinary. But some deer ran onto the highway in front of her, and she swerved, lost control of the Jeep, and slid down the embankment into a tree.”
“Fuck.” I rub my hand over my mouth, a cold sweat on my skin.
“She never lost consciousness, which is a good sign, like I said. She has some pain, but who wouldn’t after that?”
“Yeah.” I nod. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“There.” Sam points to a room as Dr. Merritt comes out of it and walks straight to us. “This is Noah, Fallon’s boyfriend.”
“Hi, Drake.” I shake his hand. I’d seen Drake around town since he moved here a couple of years ago. “How is she?”
“You can come in,” he says, gesturing for us to follow him. We walk inside, and I hurry to Fallon’s side, taking her hand in mine.
“Oh, baby.” She has a bandage over her eye, and some bruising on her neck where the seatbelt hit.
“Hey,” she says weakly. “Something happened.”
“She’s actually very lucky,” Drake says. “We don’t see any broken bones. She’s very banged up, but so far, no collapsed lungs or anything else to raise flags. She’s going to be here for a few days while we keep an eye on her in case that changes.”
“She can stay for as long as it takes,” I say, watching her frown. “What is it, babe?”
“Hurts,” she says. “My Jeep is totaled.”
“We’ll get you another one,” I assure her. “The important thing is that you’re okay.”
“Not okay,” she murmurs. Her eyes are closed. “Have to turn the eagle loose.”
“We can do that later. Maybe she should sleep,” I say, and Drake nods his head.
“She’ll need plenty of rest and fluids, and we’ll start an IV antibiotic as well to combat any possible infection. We’ll keep a close eye on her.”
“I’m staying,” I say firmly, not willing to leave her side.
“She’ll feel better knowing you’re here,” Drake says with a smile. “I’m sorry this happened, Noah. I don’t know what I’d do if it was Abby.”
I nod, watching Fallon. She’s frowning.
“What is it, love?”
“Something’s wrong,” she says again. The monitors start to go crazy.
“Out,” Drake says, all business again as more people rush into the room.
“Come on,” Sam says, tugging my arm. “Give them room.”
I step back, and a nurse pushes us out of the room altogether and pulls a curtain so we can’t see what’s happening.
“Code blue, room three,” comes over the intercom.
“What the fuck does that mean?” I look to Sam, whose face is white and hard. “What does it mean, Sam?”
“A code blue means she has no pulse.”
I pace away, scrubbing my hands down my face. I faintly hear Sam calling Gray through the rushing in my ears. More people hustle in and out of Fallon’s room, and the next thing I know, she’s being wheeled away, a whole team of people surrounding her.
“Drake!” I yell. “What’s happening?”
He doesn’t even spare me a glance as he runs alongside her bed and disappears through a heavy set of double doors.
“You can wait in the waiting room,” the nurse says. “We will update you when we know more.”
“What in the hell is going on?” I ask, but she can only shake her head.
“We don’t know. Her heart is beating again, but they’ve taken her in for exploratory surgery to find out what’s happening. That’s all I know. Dr. Merritt will come and talk to you when he’s done.”
She walks away, and I follow Sam to the waiting room on numb legs and collapse on a chair, my head falling into my hands.
Sam’s talking on the phone next to me. I can’t hear the words. I don’t give a shit what he’s saying. I need to know if Fallon’s going to live through this nightmare. I can’t lose her. Not now, not when I just found her.
“We’re he
re.”
My head whips up at the sound of my mom’s voice.
“I called them,” Sam says, patting me on the shoulder. “You need family. I’m going to head home, but I’d appreciate it if someone could let me know how she’s doing.”
“We will,” Dad says.
“Thank you,” I say, standing and shaking Sam’s hand. “If you hadn’t been there—”
“I was,” he says with a nod. “No need to think about the alternative. Keep me posted.”
He leaves, and I’m left with Mom and Dad. Autumn joins us.
“Gray’s talking with Sam,” she says, her eyes wide with fear and concern. “What happened?”
When Gray joins us, I tell them what I know. Fallon’s accident, her injuries, and her coding before being swept off to surgery.
“Scared the hell out of me,” I mumble, pushing my hands through my hair. “I don’t know what’s happening back there.”
“Waiting is always the hardest part,” Dad says grimly. “Dr. Merritt is the best there is. She’s in excellent hands.”
I nod and sit again, sick to my stomach with worry. I wish I was back there. I wish I could see what’s happening.
* * * *
“It’s been three hours,” I mutter in frustration.
“That doesn’t mean it’s bad news,” Mom says, but she doesn’t make me feel any better.
“I know who I can call.” I pull out my phone and call Brad Hull.
“Hull.”
“I need your wife,” I tell him. “Fallon’s in surgery, and Hannah’s a doctor. She can get me information. Better than that, you’re the chief of police. Get your ass down here and demand to be filled in on Fallon’s status.”
“Whoa,” Brad says. “Slow down. Was Fallon the accident on the highway earlier tonight?”
“Yes, and she’s been in surgery for hours. I need information. I’m going crazy.”
“Noah.”
I glance up to find Drake walking toward us.
“Never mind, Drake’s here.” I hang up and hurry to the doctor. “Tell me she’s alive.”
“She’s alive,” he says and sighs. He has bags under his eyes as if he hasn’t slept in a week. “She’s out of surgery. She had a lacerated spleen and was bleeding out.”
“Jesus,” Gray mutters as my mom gasps.
“We have the bleeding under control, and I stitched her up. We had to give her a transfusion. She’ll be okay.”
“When can I see her?”
“She’s in recovery now, but she’ll be in a room within the hour, and you can be with her.” He shakes my hand. “I’ll be here all night, just to keep an eye on her.”
“How long have you been here?” I ask him.
He checks the time. “Going on eighteen hours now.”
“Thank you. I mean that.”
“Like I said, I don’t know what I’d do if it was Abby. I’ll stay through the night.” He nods and leaves, and I fold Mom in a tight hug.
“Thank God she’s okay,” she says.
“I need to see her,” I reply and nod in agreement. “But I’m relieved. You guys don’t have to stay. I’ll let you know if there’s any change.”
“We love her,” Autumn says and wipes a tear from her eye. “We all love her.”
“I know.”
Once the family leaves, another new nurse comes to get me and leads me down a long hallway, past a nurses’ station, to Fallon’s room. She’s hooked up to more machines, but she’s breathing on her own.
“Can I stay the night?” I ask quietly. “I’m her only family.”
“I don’t see why not,” the nurse says with a smile. “Just let her rest.”
I nod and pull up a chair beside Fallon, sit in it, and take her hand in mine. It’s cold.
I kiss the knuckles, and for the first time in a long time, I pray to whoever’s listening that she makes it through this okay. She has to.
Six months ago…hell, two months ago, I didn’t know that someone could come to mean so much. That the thought of being without them was like ripping my heart from my chest.
I study Fallon for a long time, watch her breathing in and out. The monitors beep rhythmically. The lights are dim. Finally, I let myself drift to sleep.
* * * *
My neck is killing me.
I wake up and glance around, confused for a brief second, but it all immediately comes flooding back.
My neck hurts because I slept in the chair with my head resting on the bed next to Fallon’s hip.
She hasn’t moved. That worries me.
The nurse that led me in here walks in and checks the monitors.
“Should she still be asleep?” I ask.
“It’s not unheard of,” she says. “She’ll wake up in a little while. Her body went through quite the trauma. She’s healing.”
She smiles and then walks out, and I’m left alone with the love of my life.
“Good morning,” I murmur softly. “You scared me, baby. More like terrified, actually.”
I sigh and kiss her hand. It flexes slightly.
“You’re listening.”
Her lips move, but she doesn’t say anything.
“You just rest, and I’ll talk.” I reach up and brush a piece of hair off her bruised cheek. Now that I really look, she has more bruises that showed up through the night—on her shoulders, her face, and her arms. “God, Fal, that Jeep kicked your ass.”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Hurts.”
A wave of relief courses through me at the sound of her weak voice.
“I can ask them to give you more medicine.”
“No. Don’t want to sleep.” She licks her lips and opens one eye, searching for me. “Love you.”
“God, I love you, too.” Tears threaten, but I don’t give a shit. “You almost left me last night.”
“Didn’t mean to.”
“I know.” I swallow hard. “Fal, we talked about this, remember? Whether it’s moving out of state or dying on me, you’re not leaving. It’s just not happening.”
“Bossy.”
I swipe at a tear and smile at her. “Yeah, I’m bossy. You can’t leave just when it’s getting good around here. We have so much to do together, honey. There are thousands of amazing days ahead of us, and you’re not going to cheat me out of them, you hear me?”
She squeezes my hand three times.
“Not going anywhere.”
“Good.” It feels so damn good to hear her voice. “Are you cold?”
“Cold. Hurts.”
“I know. Let’s get you more medicine.”
“’Kay.”
I press the red call button and let the nurse know that Fallon’s awake, cold, and in pain.
“We can fix that,” she says with a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
She returns with a couple of warm blankets, a new bag of liquid to hook up to Fallon’s IV, and then pulls a bottle and a syringe out of her rolling cart after entering something on the computer.
“This will help, but she’ll sleep some more.”
“She needs to sleep,” I reply. “I’ll be right here, baby.”
* * * *
“I’ve been in here for a week,” Fallon says. “I’m ready to go home.”
And thank God for it.
“Do you remember the part where you almost died?” Drake asks her. “Because I do. Trust me, we’re all ready to get you out of here.”
“Am I a pain in the butt?”
Drake laughs. “Yes, actually.”
“Good. Send me home. I have an eagle to set loose, and a business to run.”
Drake looks at me, but I just shrug. “I got nothin’. But I do love seeing her sassy like this as opposed to where she was a week ago.”
“Agreed.”
“Awesome. So, if you’re done talking about me like I’m not here, I’ll just get dressed and—”
“You don’t have any clothes,” I remind her. “They had to be cut off you.”
&
nbsp; “I don’t mind going home in this,” she says, frowning. The bruises on her face have faded from bright purple to a yellow-green. “I’ve peed and pooped on my own, I can walk, and my incision is healing. What more do you want from me?”
“You’re right,” Drake says, surprising her. “You can go home today.”
“You’re not playing with my emotions, right?” Fallon asks.
“No, I’m not. Let me get the discharge paperwork together, and we’ll spring you. You need to follow up with me in a week.”
“I can do that.”
“And you can’t work during that week.”
She deflates. “I’m so bored.”
“Healing is boring work,” he says with a shrug. “No working. I mean it. I had my hands in your abdomen a week ago. It’s a big deal, Fallon.”
“Okay. At least I can be bored at home.”
“There’s the spirit. The nurse will be back with your discharge paperwork, and I’ll see you in a week.”
He leaves, and Fallon smiles at me. “I’m going home.”
“Seems so,” I say, not admitting to her that Drake told me this morning she’d be able to go home. I’ve had helpers at the house today, getting it ready for her.
“No hovering once we’re there,” she says, pointing her finger at me. “You’ve been here all week. You need to get back to work, too.”
“I have more volunteers than I know what to do with,” I remind her. “Besides, you’re the most important thing. Always.”
She smiles softly, then winces. “This damn black eye still smarts. Anyway, we need to go back to some normalcy.”
“We’ll get there,” I assure her. “Let’s just worry about getting you healed up, and then we’ll find normal.”
“Sounds great to me.”
Chapter Nineteen
~Fallon~
I feel like I’ve been…well, like I hit a tree. It hurts worse than I let on to Noah, but he’s been worried enough over the past week. He’s been with me every minute of every day, until last night when I encouraged him to go home and get some sleep. He can’t help me if he’s exhausted.
I was shocked when he agreed.
Dr. Merritt assured me this morning before Noah arrived at the hospital that the soreness is normal, and as long as I take it easy, I’ll start to feel better each day.
Soaring with Fallon Page 18