Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(155)

Stepping apart from Anna, I swallowed three times so I could speak. “He’s still in surgery.” Plastering on a fake smile, I added, “But he’ll be fine.”

Anna rubbed my back, “Kiera, I saw the accident on the Internet. The reporters caught every second of it.”

Blinking away the collecting moisture in my eyes, I locked gazes with her. “He’ll be fine,” I reiterated.

Eyes shimmering, Griffin stared down at his daughter. Evan enclosed me in a warm hug. When he pulled back, I scrunched my brows; it felt weird with my partially numb head. “Where’s Matt? Isn’t he here?”

Griffin sniffed, then looked toward a set of automatic doors. “He’s still outside. He said he needed to make some calls before he came in here . . .”

Giving Evan one last squeeze, I looked over to the doors. Sure enough, in the distance, I could see Matt pacing back and forth. He looked troubled, but that was to be expected. “I’m going to go let him know about Kellan.”

Everyone nodded at me. Anna cuddled into Griffin’s side. For once, the way the pair embraced each other was heartwarming and spoke volumes about how much they really did love each other. The way they looked at each other said even more. Turning from them, I made my way to Matt. He had to be just as worried as his band mates.

Halfway to the doors, the phone I was still clutching in my hand rang. Relief mixed with pain when I saw who was calling me. “Denny, I’m so glad you called, I—”

He cut me off. “I saw the accident on the news. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Denny let out a long, relieved exhale. “I was so worried. The footage is scary as hell, they won’t even show all of it on TV. God, I am so happy to hear your voice.”

I closed my eyes as I walked through the doors that led to where Matt was still walking back and forth. “I’m fine, but Kellan—”

Denny’s voice was so quiet, I almost didn’t hear him over the hum of the doors. “Please tell me he’s okay.”

I pressed my lips tight together. God, I hated saying it. I hated thinking it. I hated everything about this moment. “He’s in surgery. They aren’t sure . . .”

“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.”