The Single Dad (The Dalton Family #3)(91)

“Ford—”

“I’m supposed to fucking protect her.” The hinges that held the metal together snapped, sending the cushions across the room. “I promised her I would always protect her.” He lifted the second chair, but when he had it up, he didn’t smash it like the first one. He held it against his chest and then lowered it, gripping the armrest. “When I looked at her on that stretcher, she was so fucking tiny.” The emotion in his voice was thick, the tears in his eyes heavy. “She was in so much pain, enough that it made her pass out.” He looked up, our eyes connecting. “Oh God, what if she doesn’t make it?” His chest heaved. “What if she doesn’t survive?” He fell into the seat that he’d just been holding, his arm resting on his knee, his palm holding his forehead. “I can’t live in a world that Everly’s not in.”

I rushed to his side, falling to the floor in front of him, hugging his legs.

“She has to be okay, Sydney. She has to be.”

I clung to him even harder, pressing my face against his knee. “She will be.” I swallowed, my own tears dropping. “She’s going to be just fine.”

I didn’t move off the floor.

I stayed just like that, wrapped around him, giving him my comfort.

But it didn’t help.

Because with each breath that he took, the emotion continued to build on his face. The anger as well as he squeezed his fingers into a fist. The angst in his inhales every time he sucked in air.

The only time it all stopped was when the door opened, Ford’s mom and dad rushing into the room. Dominick and Jenner were right behind. Jo and Kendall too.

Ford’s mom pulled him into a hug.

“Mom, they have my baby girl.”

The sound of him, the pain, it caused me to cry even harder, and Dominick wrapped his arms around me.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Dominick said, not letting me go.

More arms circled me.

More words were said.

I heard Ford speak. I heard him give answers.

I heard his family’s encouragement that was supposed to make us feel better.

But it didn’t.

The unknown was too much.

I just wanted one thing—we all did.

While we waited, I couldn’t look at my phone.

I couldn’t take a deep breath.

Not until the door opened one final time, a nurse walking into the room, who said, “Which one of you is Ford Dalton?”

“That’s me,” Ford said, taking several steps forward. “Where’s Everly? What’s happening to her?”

A stabbing pain shot through my stomach, and I gripped it with both hands, my fingers shaking so badly that I was almost hitting my ribs.

The nurse said, “Everly’s in surgery. She has a ruptured spleen, multiple broken ribs. A concussion. But she’s a little fighter, and we anticipate a full recovery.”

The entire room sighed.

“However, she’s lost a great deal of blood. We need to do a blood transfusion.” She continued to look at Ford, adding, “We’ve had quite a few emergencies today, and we’re running low on O positive. I came out to ask if you’ll donate blood to your daughter.”

He stared at her.

He said nothing.

And after several seconds passed, he took a few steps toward the remaining chair and back to the door.

He was pacing again.

What is he doing?

Why isn’t he rushing out the door to donate his blood?

“Ford?” I said.

He looked at me, and then he glanced at the nurse. “I can’t donate to her. I’m not O positive. I’m AB.”

“AB?” The nurse paused, confusion filling her face. “In my thirty-two years as a pediatric nurse, I’ve never seen or heard of a child having O positive if one of their parents is AB.”

He took a breath, holding it in. “That’s because I’m not her biological father.”





Twenty-Three





Ford





Silence penetrated the room. It was so quiet that I could have heard a fucking pin drop.

I knew the bomb I’d just detonated. I knew it would affect them tremendously, but I couldn’t worry about that now.

“I’m—”

“What did you just say?” my father voiced, cutting me off as I was about to address the nurse. “You’re not Everly’s biological father? But how?”

I continued looking at the nurse, ignoring my father as I tried again to say, “I’m happy to give AB, but I know that won’t be of any help.”

She shook her head. “It won’t.”

“I can donate,” Sydney said from behind me.

I turned to face her as she was pushing herself off the wall, walking toward the nurse and me.

“I happen to be O positive,” she added.

I glanced at the nurse as she asked, “Are you all right with this? Her blood will be tested before it’s given to Everly.”

“Yes,” I replied. “Of course.”

The nurse held the door open a little wider and voiced, “Please come with me,” to Sydney.

As they disappeared and the door shut, I felt everyone’s eyes on me.