“MOM!” TANNER RUSHES into the apartment, tears lining her face, which instantly puts me on high mom alert.
“What?”
“It’s … Cam.” She sniffles and shakes her head, sucking in a deep breath. I see the moment her spine stiffens, and all the strength that belongs to my Tanner comes into place. “It’s Dagger. He’s in the hospital. It’s bad. We need to go.”
Tanner races around the room as I sit there, momentarily in shock. She slips on my shoes and pulls me to my feet just as I snap back to reality.
“What happened?” I ask as she pushes me out the door, holding her purse and mine.
“Car,” she orders, putting me in and strapping me like I’m a child, which maybe I am in this moment because I feel a bit lost.
Tanner throws the car into gear, and I hang on to the door for support.
“Talk, Tanner,” I tell her curtly.
“Rhys said the doctors think he had a heart attack, but he was riding his bike at the time.”
I close my eyes as tears fall from them, and my heart peels layers away from it, broken. No. Shit, no.
“It’s bad, Mom. He had a helmet on, which helped, but he was going too fast when he laid out the bike.”
“What else?” I ask, my voice low, my stomach already twisting and turning. I’m pretty sure I’m on the verge of throwing up.
Tanner sniffles again, and I snap to her. I didn’t even think. Shit. I move my hand to her thigh and begin rubbing it up and down.
“Baby, it will all be okay. Let’s just get there and find out what’s going on.” I try to reassure her. She nods and I lay my head back on the seat.
He can’t die. He can’t. I just found him again.
Entering the hospital, the stench of dread fills me with each step I take. As we walk down the long, white corridor, the lights are too bright; everything is too bright. Tanner continues to lead me while I follow wordlessly. We enter a large room where Dagger’s brothers and their women stand in wait.
Tanner heads straight to Rhys who engulfs her in his arms. Her head rests on his chest as Rhys’s eyes close, telling me he needs her just as much as she needs him.
A soft hand comes to my arm, and I turn to see Ma, who gives me her warmth. I take it with her soft words in my ear.
“What’s happening?” I pull back, looking at the room. The solemn faces aren’t giving me any encouragement.
Pops comes up, pulling Ma in his arms. “He’s in surgery. They have to get a stint in his heart to open a closed artery. Not only that, but he broke his left arm, and they have to go in and repair that.” He shakes his head, almost seeming lost in his thoughts. “He’s got a hell of a road burn, and they believe he has a concussion. We just have to wait.”
Wait. Oh, that’s easier said than done.
Tanner wraps her arms around me, hugging me tightly. This is not how this was supposed to go. Not that I had any sort of plan, but him getting hurt was not on that list at all.
“FAMILY OF CAMERON Wagner.” A man in a green scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck comes out and looks around the room.
I rise to my feet as the brothers and their women do, too. I tug Tanner close to me, holding her hand for support.
The doctor takes us all in then clears his throat. “Mr. Wagner?”
“Dagger,” Rhys says, making the doctor jump, eye him, and then swallow.
“Mr. Dagger. We put the stint in his heart and found no damage, which is excellent. We had to put a metal rod next to his bone.” He points to his arm just above his wrist. “It is casted and will remain that way for six weeks. He also has several abrasions to his legs, chest, arms, and face. Those, we treated and are giving him antibiotics.”
“So, he’s okay?” I ask as Tanner squeezes my hand.
“We need to keep an eye on his brain and make sure the swelling goes down from the concussion. Other than that, he’s a very, very lucky man.”
I let out a deep breath then gasp in air. I guess I forgot to breathe there for a bit.
“Can I see him?” I ask.
“Are you his wife?”
I stand there, stunned a moment by the question.
“Yes, she is, and I’m his daughter,” Tanner says from beside me, helping me out. I love that girl.
“Give us a couple of hours. He’s still very heavily sedated from surgery. We’ll come and get you.” He gives us a soft smile.
Pops steps forward with his arm outstretched, and the doctor takes it. “Thank you, sir,” he says as the other brothers go up one by one and shake the man’s hand.
Apprehension creeps in the doctor’s eyes, but he holds strong as he turns around and leaves.
I sit back in the chair and hold my head in my hands. I’m too old for this shit. I love him, and I’m going to tell him that as soon as I see him. I’m done wasting time.