I shook my head, then winced at the sharp pain in my skull. "Just... can we just get to a hospital? Please?" My voice cracked again, then dissolved into sobs that shook my whole chest.
Dylan didn't need any more persuading. He buckled my seat belt, then rushed around the hood of the car while barking commands at some of the armed guys spilling out of Ruth's house. Ruth’s house. Fuck, one emotional drama at a time. First, we had to get to the hospital so I could confirm the reason for the pain and fear spiking in my chest.
Then I could mourn them all.
A moment later Dylan was behind the wheel, his vehicle speeding down the snow-covered streets like a demon was on our ass. All the while I cried and hugged my arms around myself, like that could slow the bleeding somehow.
"Brooke, you need to talk to me," Dylan implored as he drove with his fingers all but strangling the steering wheel. It wouldn't take long to get to the local hospital; I'd seen it when we were leaving Walmart. So I just clamped my lips shut and shook my head again, despite how badly my head pounded.
What use would it be to tell Dylan now? Tell him that I was probably pregnant with his baby, and now...
"Brooke!" he shouted, making me jump in fright. "Fuck, I'm sorry. Sorry. Shit, I didn't mean to frighten you, but you're really scaring me."
I swallowed heavily, parting my lips to reply, but no sound came out. I had literally no words to give him in this situation. Thankfully, though, the lights of town were coming closer with every passing second, so I just stayed silent and sent weak, hopeless prayers that some miracle might happen—that I wasn't miscarrying my unexpected pregnancy before I could even decide how I felt about it.
Dylan stopped our vehicle directly in front of the tiny hospital, ignoring all the "no stopping" signs, and left the engine running. He threw open his door and was jerking mine open before I could even unbuckle my seat belt.
He scooped me up in his arms, but his grip on me was surprisingly gentle for all the tension vibrating through his body.
"I've got you, Brooke. It's okay, you're going to be okay. I'm so sorry; fuck, this is all my fault. Help! We need a doctor!" he shouted to the nearest staff member as the sliding doors admitted us and the fluorescent lights made my headache spike.
I squeezed my eyes shut to block out the light, trusting Dylan as a nurse guided him over to a gurney and instructed him to put me down. A doctor soon joined her, and the questions came thick and fast. Dylan answered most, giving short, sharp responses about my injuries, but then the one question came that he couldn't handle.
"Ma’am," the doctor repeated, and I cracked my lids open to meet the woman's concerned eyes. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"
I didn't immediately respond. I couldn't. But as tears streamed down my face, I forced the words past my lips because if there was any hope, then they needed the facts.
"Maybe," I croaked in a sorrowful whisper. "I think so."
From the corner of my eye, I saw Dylan freeze. If not for his dark complexion, he might've just blanched whiter than me.
The doctor simply gave a nod and coaxed me to lie back on the bed while she rattled off some orders to her nurse. Then an orderly started pushing my gurney down a corridor.
"Sir, you need to wait here." A male nurse held up a hand to block Dylan from following, and I held my breath as I waited for his response in the form of violence.
But it didn't happen. Dylan just stood there looking shocked and helpless, his green eyes locked on my face as they wheeled me away. A moment later, the doors swung closed between us, cutting him off from view, and I squeezed my eyes shut tight. It did nothing to stop the tears from leaking out, though.
The sunlight streaming through my window when I woke seemed almost cruel. How dare the sun rise all happy and bright after the night we'd just suffered through? My baby… possibly dying as I lay here. Ruth, brutally murdered in her beautiful home. All because of me.
No. Not because of me. Because of Blake.
Anger burned through my veins like acid as I thought of everything