My Rebound (On My Own #2) - Carrie Ann Ryan Page 0,51
me.” I coughed, blinked. “Shit,” I growled.
She moved to her knees and then leaned forward. “Pacey? What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I rasped before I started coughing again. And I kept coughing.
My shoulders shook, and my lungs rattled, and still, I kept coughing.
Mackenzie’s eyes widened, and she leaned forward more, saying something to me. But I could barely hear it. I couldn’t hear anything.
I kept hacking, and it became harder and harder to breathe. Mackenzie reached for me, and then there was nothing.
Chapter 14
Mackenzie
My chest hurt, and I didn’t know if the labored breathing came from a possible sickness or the fact that I had almost watched Pacey die.
This couldn’t be happening. Pacey had to be okay.
I paced the hospital waiting room, expecting someone to show up that wasn’t just me, but I was alone. I’d had to call 911 for the first time in my life, and the paramedics had come and whisked Pacey away in an ambulance. An actual ambulance. I had even ridden with him. I had thought maybe I should drive and follow so I’d have my car, but my hands were shaking so much, they had asked if I wanted to ride along, so I had.
I’d never been in an ambulance before, and I never wanted to be again.
I would never get the image of Pacey looking at me before succumbing to a coughing fit and passing out in my arms out of my head.
I had reached out to him and caught him before he fell off the couch and hit his head on the coffee table. He would have smacked his face right on the corner and probably would have gotten hurt far worse than he already was.
I wish I’d been quicker. Wished I had done something. Pacey had mentioned he thought he might be sick but said that he just needed some rest. So, we had sat there and talked. And what had I done? I had added more worries to his plate by talking about Nessa.
I shouldn’t have. “This is all my fault,” I berated myself. He was in the hospital, and there was nothing I could do.
And nobody else was here. I had called Elise to tell her what had happened, and she had said that she would rally the troops so people knew what was going on.
I couldn’t even go back to be with him because I wasn’t family, nor did I have his family’s information. I had taken his phone, but I didn’t know his access code, so I couldn’t find his emergency contact information—if he even had it in there. But the nurses said that they could handle all of that since they were going to do what they could. But it wasn’t like they could tell me anything. I was glad that they couldn’t because it meant they followed the HIPAA rules, but I wanted them to tell me something. I needed to know how Pacey was. I didn’t even know where he was in the hospital anymore. They couldn’t say anything to me. I felt so alone, wondering if Pacey would be okay.
“Mackenzie Thomas?” I looked up to find a nurse in soft pink scrubs, a small smile on her face.
“That’s me.” I practically tripped over my feet to get to her.
She held out her hand, keeping me steady. “It’s okay. Mr. Ziglar is in the back. He’s asking for you.”
“He’s awake?”
Her eyes were kind as she smiled. “Yes. Come on back. He asked for you specifically, so you’re welcome to follow me. You can’t stay for long because he needs his rest, but I’m sure he will be happy to see you.”
“Okay, okay. I know you can’t tell me anything, but if he’s awake, then he can tell me.” I let out a breath, telling myself to calm down. “I’m babbling, and I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack, and I’ve never really had one before.”
She paused and looked at me. “Deep breaths. We can get you some water if you think that will help. Okay?”
I swallowed hard. “I can do that. I think.”
“Good girl. We’ll get you some water. You sit down right next to your man over here and take care of each other. It’s been a long night already, and he’s going to need to stay overnight.”
Fear twisted inside me, and I nodded. “Okay. Just tell me what to do.”
“Sit. We’ll take care of you both.” I stood in front of an open doorway, but I couldn’t see who was in