MASON

I felt everything and nothing. The hard plastic of the waiting room chair digging into my spine. The hum of the fluorescent lights vibrating my skin. Lyla pressed tight against my side. My arm resting on Justin’s shoulders.

Yet I couldn’t take in any of it. Not truly. The room was full of people. Cain and Kennedy. Taylor. Jensen and Tuck. The only reason Liam and Tessa weren’t present was because they were watching everyone’s kids.

I knew all of them were here, yet I couldn’t make out any of their faces. Everything was just a bit blurry, as if what was happening wasn’t real.

I didn’t want it to be. Wished I could just shake myself and wake up from the nightmare. I blinked a few times. Everything in front of me remained the same.

The ambulance had rushed Anna to the hospital. Cain had driven behind, not letting up on his speed until we reached the emergency room. But they’d taken her away before I had a chance to see her. To know if she was breathing again.

A nurse had given me dry scrubs to change into and guided Cain and me to a private waiting room. That had to mean it was bad. If she hadn’t put us in with the general public, she thought we’d be getting bad news.

I struggled to breathe. My ribs felt too tight around my lungs—the air unable to get in.

This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t lose her. The last words I’d said to Anna had cut deep. A wound I needed the chance to make right.

Walker appeared in the doorway and motioned to me. I stiffened but gave Justin’s shoulder a squeeze and pressed a kiss to the top of Lyla’s head. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Promise?” Lyla asked, her eyes red.

“Promise.”

Kennedy swooped in, wrapping an arm around Lyla. “I’ve got you, Lyla Bean.”

Lyla burrowed into Kennedy’s hold, and I mouthed thank you to her. She gave me a wavering smile. “We’ll be fine. Take your time.”

I glanced at Justin, Cain on his other side. He was trying to hold it together, but I knew he was dying inside. “You tell Cain if you need anything.”

He nodded. “They got the bad guy?”

“They got him,” I assured Justin. I didn’t know the details, but I knew that Cain had taken Derek down in a tackle, and the police had cuffed him shortly after. Now, I needed to know everything I could. So when Anna woke up, I could assure her that everything was okay. That she was safe.

I headed into the hall where Walker was waiting.

“Any word from the doctors?” he asked.

“Nothing yet. What about you?”