“Jesus. Kiera . . . I’m . . . I’m so sorry.”
Even though we were in the middle of New York City, it was quiet outside the hospital. Peaceful. I could hear everything going on around me—cars driving past, a couple talking as they walked down the sidewalk, a siren in the distance, and Denny sniffling in my ear. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Kiera.” By the pain in his voice, I could tell that, regardless of what had happened between them, Denny was genuinely concerned for his longtime friend.
I leaned against a column supporting the overhang to the ER entrance. Matt stopped pacing and stared at me. The terror in his eyes matched the horror in my heart. “He has to be,” I whispered. I couldn’t picture my life without him.
I hung up with Denny after telling him that I’d call him the minute I had any news on Kellan. When I tucked the phone back in my purse, Matt approached me. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Kiera. That was the scariest shit I’ve ever seen.”
Walking over to him, I nodded. He had his cell phone in his hand, and he was squeezing it so tight, his fingers were bloodless. Placing my hand over his, I attempted to relax his death grip on the device. “Who were you calling?”
He stared at the doors over my shoulder. “My parents, Rachel . . .” When his gaze returned to mine, his pale eyes were glossy. “I’m scared to go in there,” he whispered.
“I am, too,” I told him. Successfully dislodging his cell phone, I grabbed his hand. It tightened around mine like a vice, like I was the only thing keeping him upright. “We’ll go in together, okay?”
Looking like a lost little boy who had finally found someone to guide him home, Matt nodded at me. Together, we walked into the hospital to await Kellan’s fate.
Deacon and the rest of the boys from Holeshot were waiting back inside the ER, as was Taskmaster Tory and some of the crew members. They all looked just as worried as we were. While everyone settled into a comfortable place to wait, I called everyone I could think of—Jenny, Cheyenne, Kate, my parents, Kellan’s dad. Most of them had already heard the news by this point, but talking to them gave me something to do besides worrying about Kellan.
When I had exhausted the contact list in my phone, Anna pulled me into a bathroom to clean me up; I was still a blood-covered mess. She washed my face and my hands and tore off one of her layered long-sleeved T-shirts. It was a maternity shirt and way too big for me, but it effectively hid the blood splattered across my top. Still ripe with emotion, Anna lightly kissed the bandage on my head. “I never want to see your head wrapped in gauze again,” she told me.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I nodded in agreement. “Me either.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Starting to lose it, she brought her hands to her face.
Knowing she needed to cry, I held her tight and let her. I stopped myself from crying along with her, though. There was no need. Kellan was fine.
When we got back to the waiting room, I noticed people staring out the window, pointing and whispering. I didn’t really care what they were finding so interesting, I just wanted news on Kellan. But Deacon was with them and he motioned me over. “You gotta see this, Kiera.”
Feeling stiff, sore, tired, and drained, I shuffled over to the wall of windows where people were gathering. Not knowing what to expect, I peeked outside. It was almost lunchtime, and there was a group of people across the street, leaning against a low wall by a parking lot. They looked like they were having a picnic. Fascinating. I was about to ask what the big deal was when I noticed the shirts under their jackets. They were all wearing D-Bags shirts, and the opaque cups they were holding as they stood in a line on the sidewalk weren’t holding beverages, they had small candlesticks inserted through them that gave the cups a cheery glow on this dreary day. My heart swelled at the sight of even more people loving Kellan. He wouldn’t believe this.
I knew the answer, but I had to ask the question anyway. “Are they here for Kellan?”
Deacon smiled as he stared at the growing crowd. “Yes.”
Warmth filled me as I watched this silent vigil for Kellan. I could almost feel the healing, positive energy flowing from them. Kellan needed to see this. He needed to see how much he was cared about, how much he was loved.
“Mrs. Kyle?”