truck stops at the entrance. “Carson, I was there. There was no time to get him anywhere else. Go. I’ll park.”
Time isn’t something I have to waste. I’m out and through the doors before I hear him pull away from the curb. I get directions for the OR waiting room but the place isn’t exactly Mount Sinai. It takes me less than a minute to find them.
Shit.
Jarvis and Grady are sitting guard on either side of Bella who has my daughter curled in her lap.
Bella’s usually light blues are red, bloodshot, pained. She’s been mine since she was a twenty-three-year-old rookie operative. I thought I’d seen every side of her—happy, livid, and turned on. But during our time together, I’ve never seen her like this.
Anguished … for me.
“Love.” She presses her lips to the top of Abbott’s head and strokes her hair where my daughter is clutching Bella’s shirt. “Your daddy is here.”
Abbott jerks and her eyes dart around the room. And my feet come unstuck.
I’ve got her in my arms by the time I’ve closed half the distance between us. Abbott wraps herself around me like she’ll never let go.
“Baby.”
I feel her tears against my skin. “Is he gonna die like Gramma did?”
Bella has her arms wrapped around her middle and shakes her head.
I rub Abbott’s back and move to Bella. “I don’t know, Abbs.”
When I get my arm around Bella and tuck her to my side, the world seems a little less out of whack.
But only slightly.
I press my lips to Bella’s forehead. “You shouldn’t be here.”
She wraps her arm around me and holds on tight. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
I look down at her. “Thank you.”
She shakes her head and turns her eyes to Abbott. “Are you hungry?”
She shrugs and lays her head on my shoulder.
Jarvis and Grady join our huddle and Grady smiles at Abbott. “Hey, peanut. I’m starving. Why don’t we go find a vending machine? You can get whatever you want and I’ll bring you right back.”
Abbott doesn’t look like she wants to go anywhere but I need an update on Red and I’d rather she not be here. “It’s okay. You go with Grady—I work with him. I’m going to see what I can find out about Grandpa while you’re gone. At least get a snack.”
Abbott twists her fingers. “I don’t know…”
Grady smirks. “I’m a sucker for a vending machine. I hope we find a good one but if you don’t come with me, I won’t know what you want. I’ll have to get you some broccoli or something.”
Abbott’s face screws up and it seems the thought of broccoli from a vending machine pushes her over the top. “Okay.”
Grady takes her hand. “You could not pick a better guy to take you for junk food. We might empty the thing.”
Great.
The minute they turn down the hall, Bella plants her face in my chest and a shiver runs through her body. “I’m sorry, Cole. So sorry.”
I lift Bella’s face and tip my forehead to hers. “Thank you. And thank you for being here for Abbott.”
She drags a hand through her messy hair. “She’s scared, Cole. I don’t know what to say to her. She understands what could—”
“I know she does. There’s nothing we can do until we know more. Let me see if I can track down someone to check on him.”
I kiss her one more time before letting her go, but the moment I do, a man in blue scrubs appears. He and I are wearing matching pants.
He surveys the room as he swipes off his scrubs hat that, for some reason, has fishing lures printed all over it. The oranges and yellows and blues pop off the black background and I can’t take my eyes off them. I’m not sure if it’s my lack of sleep or lack of food or lack of sanity, because the colors mesmerize me.
“Isaac Carson?”
“Red,” I correct as Bella’s hand finds mine but I don’t look away from the damn lures on his hat. “Everyone calls him Red.”
The man stuffs the hat into his scrubs pocket and I’m forced to look at his face, something I didn’t want to do, because I knew if I did, I’d know.
I can read anyone’s expression and his might be the easiest one I’ve ever interpreted.
“You’re family?” he asks.
I pull Bella into me tighter. “I’m his son.”
The man nods and starts telling me shit I already know. “Your father had three complete blockages and two partials. The echo upon arrival showed