Her eyes dart to her computer screen then come back to me. “I can’t—”
“Carol, please.”
A long sigh escapes her lips. “Her injuries are internal. Doctors are waiting on the results of an MRI.”
Internal, meaning she’s okay. Right? God, please let her be okay.
“Thank you.” My pulse pounds in my ears.
I spin around, dizzy at how quickly things went from bad to fucking worse, and spot Jonah through the sliding glass doors. He’s sitting on the curb with his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. My chest cramps, and I move into the waiting room to give him privacy to breakdown and plead to God for a miracle.
##
It’s been two hours, and the hospital waiting room is practically alive with the tension of pacing fighters. After word got out, Blake, Mason, Caleb, Killer, and even Rex showed up. They maintain their distance from Jonah, but stick close enough to keep him from putting his fist through a wall, or worse, through someone’s face.
I rub my eyes, pushing at the headache that started the second we got here and hasn’t quit. My past collides with the present, and even though I can somewhat relate to what Jonah’s going through, that’s not what’s fucking me up the most. Maybe it’s the added weight of watching one of my fighters face the possibility of losing his wife and unborn baby. Whatever it is, one thing is clear. My feelings for Eve are way more serious than they should be.
Eve’s managed to become important to me without me even knowing. Like a muscle you don’t even realize you have until it’s sore, she slid right in undetected, and hearing that she’s hurt twists a pain deep in my gut. When did she become more than someone who makes things light or whose bad attitude is the best comedy? She’s not a woman who I keep around because it’s easy or convenient as I first thought. She’s so much more. And fuck, but I never gave her permission to be all that.
She deserves better than the dregs I have left to offer. And what little I do have, I don’t want to give. Because I know what happens when I love people more than myself, care more for them than I do anything else. When they’re gone, the pain is unimaginable. And Jonah hunched forward with his head in his palms is a disturbing illustration of exactly what I don’t want. Just looking at the guy is like a nut-shot to the chest that pisses me the fuck off.
The walls are too close and the air’s too heavy. I can’t breathe. I don’t bother excusing myself and move toward the double sliding glass doors to get some air.
“Sir, I realize that you say you’re her father, but without an ID, we can’t relinquish details of Miss Dawson’s condition.”
My head jerks to the admission desk.
“Go ahead and ask her. She’ll tell you. I’m her dad. Cass Dawson. Ask her.”
No shit? What in the motherfucking hell is this asswipe doing here?
This guy looks old enough to be Eve’s grandpa: gray hair and a wrinkled tee that hangs off bony shoulders and exposes frail arms. Looks as if the gambling Vegas lifestyle has aged him more than his years.
“You’re welcome to wait until she gets admitted into a room, sir. But without a valid ID, I can’t help you.”
I sidle up less than a foot from him, and his eyes dart to me. His weak sneer turns to panic when his gaze focuses over my shoulder. I don’t have to look over to know that Jonah’s standing at my back. I can feel the tension of his anger behind me.
“You’ve got some nerve showing your face here after what you did to Eve.” Jonah steps around me and growls down at the puny man.
Mr. Dipshit’s eyes move back and forth between Jonah and me before they finally widen in recognition. “Ah, you must be Raven’s guy.”
Jonah steps closer to the man at the sound of his wife’s name.
“Easy, Slade.” I don’t dare lay a hand on the fighter, who’s clearly been pushed passed his tolerance. “You’ve got better things to do than take out the garbage.”
Eve’s dad takes a step back while Jonah seems to contemplate my suggestion.
“Hey, I don’t want any trouble.” He holds his hands up and shakes his head. “I’ll uh . . . I’ll just catch up with my daughter later.”
“Find it fucking hilarious that you’ve got the balls to call her your daughter.” Jonah’s practically vibrating with anger. “Last night you threw your daughter to a fucking shark.”
I whip my glare from Cass to Jonah. What the shit? “Fuck you talkin’ about, brother?”
Jonah doesn’t take his eyes from Eve’s dad. “Picked Eve up on a fucking street corner this morning after she was chased out of her own damn house by some loan shark.” He tilts his head, glaring through the man who’s about to taste his own blood. “Middle of the night, dude shows up to collect on your debt. She was hiding for hours under stairs in her pajamas, motherfucker.”
My vision swims in red. He did fucking what? “Tell me he’s wrong.” The last word fades into a snarl. My fists clench and I wait.