“I’m going to wait right here,” Grady promised. “I won’t leave this spot.”
James finally acquiesced, letting Finn and the two men lead him down the hallway and toward an examination room. Once he was sure that James was being taken care of, Grady let the worry he’d been fighting off get a foothold.
If Mandy died, his brother would join her. It might not be physically, but it would certainly be emotionally. He would never recover from this.
Even with that realization, Grady couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the situation. The mere idea that he might never see Mandy again, hear her snarky mouth, listen to her infectious laughter … it was too much to fathom.
He sank into one of the lobby chairs, dropping his head into his hands. This couldn’t be happening. Why was this happening? Everyone had just gotten to a place where they were truly happy. How could one night shatter an entire family?
Grady stirred when he felt a hand on his shoulder, finding Sophie’s concerned face looking down at him when he glanced up.
“Is she … ?”
Grady shook his head, pulling Sophie down onto his lap and sinking into her warmth. She wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but he was beyond caring. He needed her right now. He needed her strength. “We don’t know yet. They’re still working on her.”
“Where is James?”
“Finn managed to talk him into being checked out,” Grady said. “They’re doing it now.”
“Do you think he’s okay?”
Grady shrugged. “Physically or emotionally?”
“Physically,” Sophie said. “I know he’s not okay emotionally. I was the first one to get to him after the explosion.”
Grady shuddered. “Were you there?”
“No. I was inside. You couldn’t miss the sound. You know me. I thought it was a gang bombing or something. I ran out to see what was going on.”
Grady pressed his face into her chest as she wrapped an arm around his shaking shoulders. “You ran outside because you thought it was a gang bombing? Are you trying to kill me?”
“I wasn’t really thinking,” Sophie said. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to find James and Mandy out there. At first … at first I thought she was dead. He was holding her in his arms and she wasn’t moving, and he looked so lost. When I realized she was still alive, I had to talk him into letting the paramedics take her. If he was more in control of himself, I’m not sure he would have let them.”
“He seems a little scattered,” Grady admitted.
Sophie pressed her lips to Grady’s forehead. “She needs to be okay.”
Grady tightened his arms around her waist. “She will be.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because this family won’t survive if she’s not,” Grady said. “James needs her, which means we need her. She’ll pull through.”
Sophie could only hope he was right.
JAMES couldn’t take much more of the poking and prodding. He’d allowed the two nurses to draw blood, clean up a few shallow cuts, and run a battery of small tests. He was done now.
“I’m fine.”
Finn rolled his neck, the audible crack filling the room. “Let them finish.”
“They’re finished,” James said, jumping down from the gurney. “My ears have cleared and I’m not seeing double. I don’t have a concussion. I didn’t hit my head. I have no internal injuries. I’m fine.”
Finn glanced in the direction of the nurses. “Is he?”
“As far as we can tell, he’s fine.”
“Great,” James said, striding toward the door. “I need to find my blonde.”
Finn sighed as he followed. He was worried what James would find at the end of his journey.
Sophie and Grady were sitting in the lobby when James and Finn returned. Sophie was on her feet, heading in James’ direction, before Grady could stop her. “Are you okay?”
James ignored the question. “Have you heard anything?”
Grady shook his head. “They’re still working on her.”
“They have to know something now,” James argued. “They have to.”
He turned, the receptionist at the desk in his line of sight, when Sophie stilled him with a hand on his arm. “A doctor is coming.”
James turned, meeting the weary countenance of the approaching man with a level gaze. “How is she?”
“You’re here for Ms. Avery?”
“Yes. How is she?” James’ heart rolled painfully. He didn’t want to hear an update almost as much as he needed to hear one.
“She’s stable,” the doctor said, motioning to the chairs. “Let’s sit down.”