A few minutes later, I finished telling them what I could remember and the police officer thanked me, but it still didn’t feel like enough. I sank into myself once again, falling into the black pit that surrounded me.
“Hold on to me, baby.” Blake reached beneath my knees and behind my back, scooping me up effortlessly. I clutched fistfuls of his jacket and buried my face in his chest, sobs wracking through me. “You’re safe. I’ve got you now.” Blake soothed me before turning his attention to the police officers. “Thank you, gentlemen. Are they taking her to St. Luke’s?”
“Yes.”
“I’m taking her to the hospital to be with her friend. You can contact me if you hear anything from her.” He gave the officer his number before solidifying his hold on me and walking away.
Blake carried me the couple blocks to the hospital. I was grateful for his strength since I didn’t trust my legs to support me. He set me down in the front vestibule. “You gonna be okay?”
“I couldn’t stop it. Why didn’t I stop it?” I covered my face with my hands and began to sob again.
“Hey, don’t do that to yourself.” Blake lifted my chin with his finger. “There was no way you could’ve stopped it. You can’t control things like that. You just have to be strong for her now. Can you do that?”
I took in a deep, trembling breath and sniffled. “Yes.”
“That’s my girl. Wait here.” I watched Blake’s broad back head to the service desk. He spoke to a gray-haired woman. As she searched her computer, he rested his forearm on the counter, his body twisted to watch me.
Blake nodded as she gave him the information we needed, and then he came over to take my hand. He guided me to the elevator, and my stomach sank with dread at what I would find once we got to her floor. Blake curled his arm around my middle, pulled me close, and pressed a kiss to my hair.
I spent the ride twisting my fingers until they lost circulation. When the doors glided open, I stood immobilized, my legs feeling as though they were replaced with concrete stumps.
Blake put his free arm out to hold the doors. “You can do this.”
“I’m so scared. What if she didn’t . . . What if she’s . . .” Dead. I couldn’t force myself to say it aloud.
Blake simply applied pressure to my back and guided me onto the floor. We walked over to a reception desk, and he gave another gray-haired woman Sandra’s name.
“They have her in surgery already. You can sit in the waiting area and a doctor will come and see you as soon as they’re finished,” she said matter-of-factly.
Sitting. Standing. Pacing. Crying.
Mad. Sad. Scared. Restless. Numb.
I was numb.
By the time the young-looking doctor walked through the door, removing his mask, I’d become desensitized. My limbs prickled back to life with each step he took; my breathing hanging low in my chest.
Sandra’s parents had arrived shortly after us. They leaped to their feet and scurried to meet the doctor halfway. Her mom’s red-rimmed eyes were too much to bear. There was no consoling her, and I was in no shape to try. What a way to meet for the first time.
The doctor removed his surgical cap and addressed her parents. I stood behind them, hanging on his every word. “Your daughter’s a fighter. She’s banged up pretty bad, but I think she’ll be okay.”
“Oh, thank God.” Sandra’s mother sank into her husband’s arms and wept.
“There’s some internal bleeding, which we have under control, but we’ll have to keep a close eye on it. She’s got a few broken ribs, a broken leg, and a fracture in her skull. Right now it looks as though she only has a concussion, but we need to keep her under observation and continue to watch for any swelling in her brain. She’s not out of the woods just yet, but I’m confident she’ll be okay. You can see her as soon as she’s awake.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Sandra’s dad shook the doctor’s hand, still cradling his wife. He looked like he’d aged a lifetime in these last few hours.
When she woke, I wasn’t sure I was ready to see her. I sat with bated breath as Sandra’s parents took the time they needed with her. Part of me was afraid she’d still look the same as when I’d left her—broken and bloodied, blank and lifeless emerald eyes staring at me.
Suddenly, I realized I’d never let Jessie and Jace know what was going on. I sent a quick text to each, letting them know what happened and that she was going to be all right.
“Eva, sweetie. She’s asking for you.” Sandra’s mother’s voice broke me from my thoughts. At my hesitation, she placed her hand on my shoulder. “I was nervous too, but she’s okay. Do you want me to go with you?”
“I’ll take her, Mrs. Neis.” Blake placed his hand on my knee and smiled up at her.
She smiled weakly. “Go ahead. She’ll be happy to see you both. Oh, and Eva . . .”
“Yes, Mrs. Neis?”
Her eyes glistened with new tears. “Thank you for taking care of my baby.”
“I didn’t do anything.” I looked down at my lap, fighting the urge to bawl.
“You did more than you know, honey. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” She patted my hand. “Now, go see your friend.”