Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 139029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 695(@200wpm)___ 556(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
She was standing in the same position when Holly and Knox came through the door.
Jessie turned her head as Holly approached. Her ashen face had tears running down her cheeks.
“Do you know anything yet?”
“No.” Suddenly, Jessie remembered someone Knox had forgotten to mention about calling. “You should call Rachel.”
“Knox called Cash. They’re on their way. She just called us to say that Jo had gotten there to watch Mag and Ema.” Holly started crying again. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. He was walking across the parking lot and just stopped and grabbed his head.” Jessie started crying alongside Holly. Jessie didn’t tell her that Knox had had to shock Dustin’s heart to get it to beat again. She didn’t think she would be able to get the words out.
“I told her how grave the situation is, that I had to use the AED. I told his family when I talked to them,” Knox told her, coming from the front as he heard the last words she had said. “Dr. Price is working on Dustin. He’ll be out to talk to you when he can.”
Holt had been stoically standing by her side the whole time. When he motioned toward the doorway, Jessie saw Rachel and her husband, Cash, come through the door at the same time as Tate and Sutton. The two couples made a beeline to where they were standing in the hallway.
“Where’s Greer?” Tate asked Knox abruptly.
“He was in Jamestown. He should be here in a minute,” Knox answered.
“What happened?”
Jessie repeated what she had seen to Tate. Dustin’s brother looked like he had aged ten years since she had last seen him at the barn raising. Rachel didn’t look any better. Cash was holding her by his side, softly murmuring to calm her down.
Holly went to the desk to ask how much longer before the doctor would be out, while Cash moved Rachel to the wall so the hospital employees could walk past. The whole time, Cash kept talking to Rachel.
“Remember the baby, Rach. Keep calm. Breathe, Vixen.”
Jessie felt her eyes fill with tears. Her fear for Dustin was tearing her apart. Her fear of losing him had been the uppermost thought in her mind until she looked at Rachel, remembering when Dustin had told her about Rachel losing her last baby. She understood that Cash was terrified he was going to lose another one.
One of his arms was holding her close while another was on her abdomen, stroking it through her dress, as if he was soothing the child inside.
Jessie’s heart leapt expectantly when the door opened next to Knox, and Dr. Price came out. His face wasn’t reassuring, and if she hadn’t wanted to keep Rachel calm, she would have broken down. His grim manner was already telling them it wasn’t going to be good news.
“Follow me. I’ve requested a room where we can talk privately.”
As Dr. Price started to lead the way, Holly started crying.
The swishing of the hospital door opening had everyone glancing around to see Greer running inside. He didn’t try to talk to any of them, giving the doctor his attention.
“I want to see Dustin. Now,” he demanded.
The doctor’s face became even grimmer. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible, Greer. I was about—”
Jessie gave a startled gasp when Greer shoved the doctor against the wall by his medical coat.
“You better not tell me you let my brother die before I could get to him.” Greer’s grief was so tangible that it took Holt and Knox to pry him away.
The doctor straightened his coat. “Follow me. We’ll talk in private. And Greer, if you touch me again, I will have you escorted off the hospital’s property.”
Jessie started to get in the line to follow behind the doctor, expecting Holt to come with her.
“I’ll wait here.”
She nodded, hurrying behind Rachel and Cash, praying they wouldn’t leave her out of the discussion. She was the last one to step into the room. The doctor was still standing outside the door after directing them inside.
Staring at the group as they each took a seat, he said, “I’ll be right back.” Then he closed the door.
Jessie started wringing her hands, waiting for him to come back. The wait seemed interminable.
Greer was starting to get out of his chair when the doctor finally came back to take a seat in front of them.
“I wish I had some good news to tell you. This is the hardest part of my job—to inform family members that they are going to lose a member.”
“We ain’t going to lose shit! I ain’t going to sit here and listen to this. I want to see Dustin right now!”
“Greer, please let—”
“No!”
“Greer, shut up.” Tate’s firm command silencing his brother had the room focusing back on Dr. Price.
“Thank you. First, I want to make you aware that I know what you’re capable of, and that’s why you’re so determined to get to Dustin. Your brother knows you very well. He told me that when this time came, you wouldn’t want to listen to me.”