Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,92
push past her, to see who was at the center of the commotion ahead, but she held my hands tight in hers.
“Baby, Ellie is going in an ambulance to the hospital. Victor is with her. She’s breathing and talking, but she was stung by a bee, so she had to give herself a shot. Let me take you to the hospital now so you can be with her right when she gets there. Will you let me?”
My mom’s voice was so calm, she’d lulled me into something of a trance, even as my insides raged against her hold on me, fighting to get to my daughter. I barely noticed Devon’s arm around me, helping my mom guide me to her tiny hatchback. He buckled me in and kissed my head, telling me he’d meet me there, but my mind was already flying over the route to the hospital. I wasn’t there.
Rose drove fast, zipping down side streets and breaking the speed limit times ten. For once, I appreciated her. If I’d had to drive myself, I probably would have plowed into a mailbox or parked car and never made it.
I got to Ellie’s bedside when she was still being hooked up to heart monitors. Her lips were swollen and puffy, and her face was covered in red, angry hives. Veego held her hand, but she let go of him and reached for me when she saw me. He stepped back to give me room to be with her.
“Mom,” she mumbled around her swollen mouth. “I had to give myself a shot in front of Simon.”
I laughed through the tears welling in my eyes. “Aw, baby. I doubt he’s judging you. I think he’ll be glad you’re alive more than anything.” I turned to Veego. “How was her breathing?”
He was flushed, his eyes glassy. He rubbed his hand over his head. “She reacted the second it happened. She gave herself a shot, took Benadryl, and called 911 all on her own. This girl of ours is the bravest person I know.” His voice broke in the end, and he twisted away from us.
I ached, ached for her. Sure, she was brave as hell, but why did she have to be? How was this fair, that my little girl couldn’t enjoy a festival with her friends, her crush, without being hyper-vigilant about what she touched and the air she breathed?
The irrational part of my brain said I should have been with her. I could have prevented it, or at the very least been the one to treat her when she was stung. I hated that she had to do it on her own.
The doctor treating her told us her breathing sounded good for now, but they needed her to stay for at least six hours, maybe longer due to the severity of her allergies. For now, she was in the place she needed to be, she was safe, and I could breathe.
After a while, Ellie and Veego started watching a movie together, and I went out in the hall to collect myself. Devon paced right outside her door, his hands in his hair. When he noticed me, his head lifted, and he had a wild look in his eyes.
“Ellie?” he demanded.
“She’s fine now. They have to monitor her for a few hours.”
He walked toward me, his arms extended, palms up. I shook my head. “No?” he asked, a repeat of before.
“No. Just go,” I squeezed out. “Just leave. There’s nothing for you here.”
Hold me, comfort me, love me. Don’t make me beg for you to stay. Want to stay.
“Kat…” His head bowed as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Tell Ellie I said bye.”
Devon Chambers came into Sunnyville with a bang and walked out with barely a whimper. I told myself he was always going to go. I’d known it from the beginning. Hell, I’d wanted it from the beginning. But somewhere along the way, he’d convinced me it was okay to want more—more than a visit every few months and loose and casual. He’d convinced me to open my heart, then he walked away with it as a souvenir.
Twenty-Eight
Devon
I felt like an astronaut returning from a year on the space station when I arrived in New York. Gravity weighed me down, compressing my joints and putting strain on my heart, and I had no time to acclimate to my new atmosphere. The day after I got back into town, I met with Horse in his private recording studio.