“Arion, don’t get yourself upset. I’m sure he just ran out.”
“You’re right. I’ll let you know as soon as he’s home.” He’s fine. I know he is, he has to be.
I hang up with James and feel a bit lost not to have Bain here. As much as I tell myself that he is okay, my insides are telling me otherwise. I grab his phone to see if there are any clues in his texts that will help me figure out where he is.
Looking through the text messages, they are all his normal contacts. I go into a few of the recent ones to see if anything there will point me to what he could be doing…and nothing. Then I look at the call log. It’s all from James and me and one that he made to Lawrence. Who is Lawrence? I rack my brain, then it clicks. I walk across the plush carpet and pick up the pill bottle. Lawrence Jenkins. The team physician. He called him last night. That must have been how he got the fucking pills.
I sit on the couch completely frustrated and decide maybe Herbert knows where he is. I head down to the lobby and am grateful that he is working today. He sees me right away and smiles like always. I do my best to put on a fake smile and not show him the anxiety that’s running through my body. I don’t want to alert Herbert to my mounting panic, but if Bain has left the building, he will know.
“Hi, Miss Arion, how are you?”
“I’m okay, thanks. How are you?”
“Very well, thank you. I haven’t seen you lately, everything been okay?”
Crap. “Yeah, it has been. I had to head down to New Jersey for a few days, but I just got home. I’m actually looking for Bain, have you seen him?”
“Not today, but I just started my shift about twenty minutes ago.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Of course. Is everything okay?”
“Oh yeah. Things are fine, I just came home to surprise him and he left his phone in the condo, so I was wondering if you’d seen him. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
My phone rings and I look at the screen. It’s Jack, Bain’s dad, and I answer right away.
“Hey, Jack,” I do my best to stay calm and head back up to the condo for some privacy.
“Arion, it’s Bain.”
“What’s the matter?” My heart drops.
“He’s been in an accident.”
Hearing him say the word “accident” knocks the air out of my lungs. “Oh God, what’s happened?” I ask breathlessly, feeling all of my control slip right out of my grasp.
“I don’t know the details myself. The hospital just called and asked us to get there immediately. Renee and I are on our way to Lenox Hill. I think you can get there before us if you grab a quick cab. Can you do that?”
I can barely get the words out as I grab my wallet, my heart pounding against the walls of my chest. “I’m on my way there now,” I respond and run out of the condo. I contemplate taking the stairs, right now it seems like the fastest route, but I know it’s really not. Instead, I press the elevator call button and wait. Finally it arrives and I pray to God that it doesn’t stop on the way down. I get lucky and make it to the lobby with record speed. As the doors barely open, I squeeze through them and sprint out onto the crowded New York sidewalk searching for a cab.
The moment I spot one, I hail it. I dig into my wallet and search for a hundred dollar bill as I slide into the back seat. All the while, my heart is still racing.
“Here’s a hundred dollars. Can you please drive as fast as possible to Lenox Hill?”
I stare at the driver in the reflection of the rear view mirror. He is an older man, graying hair, and dark eyes. He snatches the money from me without saying another word and hits the gas pedal. The acceleration launches me back against my seat.
On the drive, I can’t imagine what happened to Bain. An accident? What in the world could have happened to put him in the hospital? Did someone hurt him, but how, or why? Oh my fucking god. My breathing is starting to increase and I worry that the reason he is in the hospital is somehow because of me. I should have never left him or our home. Although I tried to stay in contact, I could tell that the separation was a lot on him.
Tears stream down my cheeks and I know a full-blown panic attack is creeping in, but I can’t let it take me over, not with Bain on the line. Regardless of what or how or why he’s in the hospital, he is going to need me, so I have to be strong for him.