The doctor nodded and began pushing the stretcher into one of the rooms. I tried to follow him but he stopped me. “Blood-related?”

“She’s my girlfriend. It’s—”

“Let us do our job, Son.” The doctor shut the door in my face. I clenched my right hand, forgetting someone was holding it.

Turning, I saw Alyssa. She smiled, as her eyes pooled with unshed tears. “She’ll be fine, Alec. I promise.”

In an instant Demetri and Jaymeson were there.

I told them what happened, alternating between freaking out and needing a sedative to being so damn angry at myself that I wanted to puke.

“Oh, shit.” Jaymeson pointed at the doors. “Looks like we have company.”

Ruben and the rest of the production crew barged into the hospital. The worst part? Ruben was smiling. As if this was the best thing to happen to him since he saw his face in the mirror.

“Alec… How are you feeling now that—”

Jaymeson’s fist surged forward, connecting with Ruben’s jaw perfectly. He hit the floor with a large thud. The cameraman put his camera away and swore.

“Thank God. I’ve been wanting to do that for days.”

The rest of the crew sighed in relief and turned off the cameras and recorders.

“Can you guys just…” I exhaled. “Not film today?”

“Sure thing.” The cameraman nodded. “What about him?”

We all looked to the ground where Ruben was groaning and holding his jaw. “I’ll sue you for touching me!”

“Drown him?” I suggested.

“Death by seagulls.” This from Demetri. I’m sure that was his greatest fear, considering he was terrified of birds.

“Leave,” a voice said from behind us. I turned to see Dr. Murray, scrubs on, glaring at Ruben. “This is a hospital. No cameras, no media. Leave now before I call security.”

Ruben waved him off and struggled to his feet. The production crew waved goodbye and escorted an angry Ruben out of the emergency room.

“Idiot.” Dr. Murray snorted. “Now, about April.”

Demetri and Jaymeson tensed.

“She’s stable. We’re putting her in a private room, but…” Bad news, he was going to deliver bad news. The lines around his eyes seemed deeper as he shifted nervously on his feet. “There were an awful lot of drugs in her system. Not just from the pills but from a few other sources. It seems that she’s been mixing cocaine, pills, ecstasy, and a few antidepressants. We’re lucky she’s alive, especially if she’s been drinking as much as her tests confirm she has. Her alcohol level upon entry into the hospital was .20 that’s almost three times the legal limit and she’s not a large woman by any means.”

My heart sank as I watched Jaymeson’s face fall. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we see her?”

“Not yet,” Dr. Murray said. “She needs to rest. We had to pump her stomach.”

“Right.” Jaymeson opened his eyes and looked at Dr. Murray. “Is there anything…? I mean… What do we do?”

I realized in that moment Jaymeson was just as alone as we were. He had step-brothers and sisters and a dad who basically saw nothing but a cash cow when he looked at him.

“Treatment.” Dr. Murray nodded. “She needs to go to rehab. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make sure my daughter is comfortable.” His eyes flashed to mine, and in that instant I wanted to die. That meant he would know that Nat was pregnant, and I was the bastard who got her that way — I was the cause of so many things. I couldn’t even defend myself. As a dad he was well within his rights to shoot me where I stood. Instead, with a heavy sigh, he put his arm around me and led me down the hall away from the group.

Probably so they wouldn’t see him insert the syringe into my body, stopping my heart as well as the rest of my organs.

“You got my daughter pregnant,” he said it so calmly as if we were talking about the weather or football.

“I did.”

“You also saved her life.”

“What?” I grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look me in the eyes. “Is she okay? What happened? Does she have a concussion?”

Doctor Murray peeled my hands away from his body. “She’s stable. She has a pretty bad concussion. You probably don’t realize it, but there’s a very high amount of accidental deaths every year by people passing out in the shower. She could have drowned. She could have woken up and been so disoriented that she tripped and fell again. The possibilities are endless — so thank you. You did the right thing in driving her straight here.”

“And the baby?” I pleaded. “Tell me the baby’s okay.”

Doctor Murray smiled. “Healthy.”

“Can I see her?”

He nodded once and led me to a small hallway just off of the emergency room area. He pointed to the second door on the right and then left me alone with the love of my life.

Transported. I was literally transported back to when my dad was sick. I’d promised him I’d protect Demetri — I’d protect everyone.

How had I failed so miserably?

Slowly, I walked to her bedside. She was sleeping. Nat’s head was wrapped in white gauze. A small smile played at her lips as she sighed in her sleep and turned to her side.

I barely made it to the chair by her bed before I collapsed into a sob. My fault, my fault, my fault. The voice in my head wouldn’t stop. My hands shook as I tried to wipe the tears away. I just wanted to make it better, but I didn’t know how. I reached for Nat’s hand and engulfed it in mine, raining kisses on each of her knuckles.