Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(103)

When we arrived, I stood back and let the paramedics wheel both patients inside. I tried to go with them into the room they took Kat, but was led by a nurse to a lounge area. “You don’t understand. That’s my wife,” I lied.

“Sir, we understand you’re with them.”

“Her. I’m with the female. Not the male victim,” I corrected.

“As soon as she’s examined and her injuries are determined I’ll be back out to get you. Until then, please let us do our jobs.”

Instead of sitting like I’d been told, I stood there, waiting for that door to come back open. I needed to know something; anything!

I paced.

I knocked.

I rang bells.

I paced some more.

Anything was better than sitting and waiting. The longer it took, the worse I imagined it to be. I was losing hope fast if I had any left at all.

When they refused to answer the door I began beating on it, screaming at the top of my lungs for someone to help me. The people who were waiting quietly got up and left the room. A few minutes later my family arrived, crowding in to see if I knew anything.

Then I saw my daughter, and I lost it. I’d never cried so hard in my life, and it didn’t stop there.

“None of you get it. She’s here because of Branch. It’s his f*cking fault.”

“Brooks, watch your mouth.” My mother was not happy with me. I knew they were all worried.

I was holding onto my chest, finding it hard to catch my breath. “You don’t get it. This could have all been avoided. He beats her. She’s married to a man who abuses her. Don’t you get it? I was trying to save her; to give them both a new life. I was trying to get them away from him. He doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near my daughter or Kat. He doesn’t deserve anything!” I picked up a chair and proceeded to throw it at the door. Branch and my dad got a hold of me as soon as a nurse was exiting.

Security was called, and I was led to a small holding area. While sitting there, begging him to help me out, a doctor came into the room. “I hear you’re giving my nurses quite a show.”

“I just want answers. My girlfriend’s been in an accident. They won’t tell me anything.”

“She’s unconscious. We’re running tests to make sure her head is okay. We need to reset her hip because it’s been dislocated. You’ve got to calm down. I don’t want to have to contact the authorities because we have a man going rogue in our hospital. I can’t let you in the room with your girlfriend until you can manage your temper.”

“I’m sorry, doc, but you’ve got my whole future back in that room. I’m afraid I can’t calm down until I get to see her. My heart is beating out of my chest. It literally hurts. I feel like I’m going to pass out. I can’t calm down. I won’t.”

“Have you suffered from anxiety before?”

“What? No never.”

He got on his little phone and made a call. A few seconds later he sat down on a chair in front of me. “What do you do for a living, sir?”

“I’m a Sergeant in the United States Army.”

“Really?” He sounded surprised.

“A few months ago I got back from doing a tour in Afghanistan. The only reason I survived is because of that woman you have in the back.”

“Are you allergic to any medications?”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to give you something to help you calm down.”

“I don’t need anything,” I argued.

When our eyes met I knew I didn’t have a choice. I’d pissed too many people off. “I’m not allergic to anything.”

“I’ll let your family know where they can find you. A nurse will be by to give you something to relax. Have you had anything to drink today?”

“No, sir.”

“As soon as I know more about your girlfriend I’ll come find you.”

A few moments later a nurse came in. She triaged me from a small laptop and handed me a cup of water with one tiny pill.

“What is it?”

“Lorazepam. It’s a low dose.”

“What the hell is it for again?” I wasn’t taking medicine. I wasn’t even the damn patient.

“It’s for anxiety, panic attacks. Trust me, you’ll feel better almost immediately.”

I thought about all the time overseas where I’d witness mass destruction, and how I could have used something to help me calm down. In this case, like those, my temper was getting the best of me.

I popped the pill in my mouth, hoping it would alleviate some of the pain I was suffering from. Instead I started to feel drowsy. The last thing I remember was walking back into the waiting room with my family and sitting down in a chair.





Chapter 51


“Brooks, wake up,” my dad said as he continued shaking me. I sat up straight and looked around the room, finding that the rest of my family weren’t anywhere around.

“What happened?”

“You’ve been asleep for several hours. Whatever that nurse gave you knocked you right out. She’s come out to check on you every hour. She even took your vitals once.”

“I’m not used to taking any sort of medication. It must have been super powered. What’s going on? Where is everyone? Did they leave for the night?”