to keep some distance.” I could feel his body heat radiating through the thin material of his shirt, and it was seeping into my palm. I wanted to fist the fabric and push him away… or maybe pull him closer. I gasped at the last thought and dropped my hand just as my phone rang.
Scowling at him because, even though I couldn’t see his expression clearly, I knew he was smirking at me like the cocky asshole he was, I answered the call with a sharp, “What?”
I turned on my heel and continued toward the terminal, not bothering to see if Salinger was following or if he heeded my order to stay back. I was rattled that touching him, even lightly, scrambled my brain. It was a good thing I’d turned down the opportunity to work with him. I didn’t like how easily he got under my skin.
“Maren! Thank goodness you finally landed.” My assistant’s voice was shaky and shrill on the other end of the line. “I just got to your dad’s house after running to the store so I could stock the fridge for you guys. I noticed his truck was still in the driveway, even though he was supposed to be picking you up at the airport. I used my key to let myself in and found him unconscious in the kitchen. He was breathing, but it was very shallow. I called 911. They put him in an ambulance and are rushing him to the hospital. They said it might be a cardiac event but can’t be sure until they run some tests. I left you a couple messages to see if you wanted me to meet you at the airport and take you right to the hospital, or if you want to catch a cab and have me meet you there.” She took a breath and let it out loudly. “He didn’t look good.”
I didn’t feel my phone drop from my suddenly numb fingers. It would’ve hit the tarmac and shattered had Salinger not moved like lightning to catch it before it landed. The building in front of me started to swim before my eyes, and the ground felt like it was rushing up to meet my face as my knees turned watery and weak.
My dad was a tough guy. He was someone who didn’t ask for help or bother anyone else with his complaints and concerns. He was a quiet man, used to putting in long days of hard work. Even after I’d bought him an upgraded version of the house I’d grown up in and made sure his bank account was heavily padded, he still mowed his own yard every weekend and changed his own oil in his truck. He was always invincible in my eyes, and I couldn’t imagine a world without him in it. While our relationship was rocky on a good day, we only had each other, and he was the person I loved most in the world.
I felt my bag slip off my shoulder, but it too was saved from falling to the ground by Salinger’s quick hands. Vaguely I was aware of him talking into my phone as he pushed the strap of my bag back on my shoulder and gripped my elbow.
“Yeah. I understand. Just give me the name of the hospital, and I’ll make sure she gets there as soon as possible.”
Before I could pass out or snap out of the weird haze that engulfed me, I was being dragged the rest of the way to the terminal and hustled through the building toward where you had to go to catch a cab or grab an Uber. I almost had to jog to keep up with Salinger’s long, quick steps, but he didn’t let me fall behind as I stumbled after him. I heard someone call his name, but he didn’t falter as he hustled me into the first waiting cab he could find and gave them rushed orders to take us to the hospital.
I felt cold all over, and my heart throbbed heavily in my chest. When I was in the hospital, feeling like I’d lost everything, like I would never be able to get over the loss of the baby I already loved with everything in me, it was my father who held my hand and assured me everything would be okay while I cried more tears than any human should. He was the one who helped me put myself back together when all I