Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

65| Just for tonight

Alyssa ♔
_______________

The ride to Saint Joseph's Hospital takes forever. I stare out the window, lost in my thoughts and cradling my phone in case someone calls before I get there. The nurse wouldn't tell me anything, only that both brothers had been admitted to the hospital, and they couldn't get through to the family, which was why they called me.

Inside, I'm preparing for the worst. I've always been good at staying calm in a crisis – perfected it even – but the thought of them sitting in the hospital has me spiraling. What if it's serious? What if I'm too late?

What if it's goodbye?

The pressure builds in my chest, squeezing tighter with each passing second. I've done a pretty good job of holding it together, but receiving that call in the middle of the night had been my worst nightmare, and now I just want to wake up.

By the time I reach the hospital, it's chaos. Nurses rush around in exhaustion while injured people fill the waiting rooms, and getting to the receptionist's desk seems impossible.

I hold back a little, then wait for a lull before heading to the desk, only to be told to sit down, so that's what I do. I sit and wait, all the while trying to get through to Khalil, whom I've not heard from since I left for Maddie's dorm –  so much for his promise.

My eyes flick to the clock on the wall, which ticks by with excruciating slowness. I grab a coffee from the vending machine and try not to focus on where I happen to be sitting, but the smell of disinfectant makes it pretty much impossible, and now it's all I can think about.

I remember the last time I sat in a hospital waiting room like it was yesterday, though technically, it was four years ago. My mother had been in the kitchen making smoothies when she suddenly collapsed – I later found out it was down to exhaustion – and for a brief moment, in the seconds before I called the ambulance, I was already imagining life without her.

As morbid as it sounds, I used to imagine it a lot back then – what it would feel like not to live under her shadow – but as soon as it seemed like a real possibility, I couldn't think of anything worse. I loved my mother more than anything in the world, and sometimes it takes nearly losing someone to realize it.

"Alyssa."

I freeze like a deer caught in headlights. It's his voice, I'd recognize it anywhere, but part of me is scared to turn around in case it's not, so I don't. I stare into my coffee cup, frozen and broken and exhausted.

He kneels in front of me until I'm forced to look up, and only then do I find him staring back at me. I don't say anything, I'm so transfixed by how awful he looks that I can't see past the bruises, but then, like Eureka, it hits me. He's okay.

Max is okay.

My cup has barely touched the table when he pulls me into a hug so tight that I struggle to breathe, but I don't care. I hug him back, burying my face into the side of his neck until every horrible thing about tonight is forgotten.

I don't know how long we stay like this. I just know that when I finally pull back, something cold settles over me. "Where's Kino?"

The lines on his forehead deepen, making me nervous. "They said he'll be fine, but he has to stay overnight for observation. He's still kind of out of it."

I nod, but it's hard to keep looking at him. His face is a mess, distorted and shadowed by bruises and cuts, and I can only imagine how Kino looks. "Can I see him?"

"They're not allowing anybody in except immediate family." His eyes soften, and he gets to his feet before taking my hand. "Come on; I'll take you home."