“Thank you.” Jax hung up and tossed her phone on the bed. She grabbed her sneakers and socks and pulled them on.

“What’s going on?”

Jax froze. She had completely forgotten about Meredith. “Gretchen’s in the hospital. I have to go.”

Meredith sat up. Her blond hair was tousled and her face heavy with concern. She held the sheets around her bare chest. “What happened?”

“She fell or something. Listen, you can stay if you want. Just lock the door in the morning when you leave.”

“I can come with you.”

“No.” She took a deep breath, knowing she was being a little harsh. But this was no place for Meredith. “I appreciate it, though.” Jax put on her thickest sweater and grabbed her leather jacket from the back of her bedroom door. She crawled across her king-sized bed and gave Meredith a quick kiss. “I’ll talk to you later.” She grabbed her phone from the bed and started out.

“I’m surprised she still has you as her emergency contact.” Meredith’s simple words stopped her in the doorway.

Jax thought of the past few years and everything she and Gretchen had been through. Every fight and hurtful word. “So am I,” she said, turning back to Meredith one last time. “I guess she missed that when she filed for divorce.” Jax felt the familiar flare of anger in her chest. On her way out the door, she dialed Amanda. Ever vigilant, Amanda picked up on the first ring.

“Jax? What the hell?” Amanda’s voice was deep and froggy, but mostly filled with confusion.

“Gretchen fell and is being airlifted to Jersey Shore. I’m heading there now.” Jax climbed into her pickup and started the ignition. She blasted the heat, trying her best to cut the January chill from the space around her. But her shivering had very little to do with the brutal winter.

“Is she okay?” Amanda’s voice was muffled by a shuffling sound. “I mean, obviously she’s not okay but…is she okay?”

“All I know is she suffered a head injury. They didn’t give me any more details.”

“Well, did you think to ask any questions?”

“No, I didn’t.” Jax tightened her grip on the steering wheel and pulled out onto the highway. She tried her best to drive calmly, knowing the phone was already enough of a distraction. “I was more concerned with getting to the hospital.”

“I should be there.”

“Will you just stay with Caleb?” Just mentioning her four-year-old’s name hit her with a fresh wave of panic. What would happen if Gretchen…? “I’ll talk to the doctors when I get there and get all the information. I don’t want to scare him.”

Amanda stayed silent for a minute. “Fine. But I swear to God, Jax, if anything happens to my sister, and I’m not there because you don’t keep me in the loop—”

“I will. I promise.”

“Fine.” Amanda disconnected the call.

Jax spent the remainder of the twenty-five-minute drive stewing in silence. She imagined every horrific outcome. She pictured their son standing at his mother’s grave, not understanding what was happening. Christmases without Gretchen, Caleb’s fifth birthday, his high school graduation…