in my chest loosened. Still, fresh tears rolled down my face from the sheer staggering emotions talking to Bree's doctor had resurfaced.
Archer scooped me up in gentle arms and lifted me into his lap. His arms linked around my waist as I cuddled into his huge frame, and he murmured soothing nothings in my ear as the doctor continued to outline Bree's injuries.
I only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying. Her leg was broken in three places and needed bolts to stabilize the bones. Her wrist had been crushed and would likely need several more surgeries in the months to come. Probably the most serious was her head injury, which had caused swelling in her brain. They'd done something to relieve the pressure and drain the fluid, the doctor said, and he seemed pleased with how it'd all gone.
The next thing he said saw me startle upright, though.
"What did you just say?" I exclaimed, positive I'd just heard him wrong.
The doctor shot me an uncertain look, then nervously cast his eyes over my guys. He seemed to know who they were and was breaking the rules of confidentiality on account of that.
"I said, the baby seems to be totally fine. It's a miracle, obviously, and she'll be required to remain in the hospital for the duration of the pregnancy so we can monitor the fetal growth closely. But all signs seem positive so far." He reached out and patted Dallas's shoulder in a comforting way, but my friend seemed totally shell-shocked. Stunned.
"She's recovering from the anesthesia now," the doctor continued when he realized Dallas wasn't going to say anything, "so it'll be some time before any of you can see her. Would you like us to call you when it's okay?"
This seemed to shake Dallas out of his trance. "What? No. No, we'll wait here. I mean—" He shot a quick look at me and the guys. "I mean I'll wait here. I'm not leaving."
"We'll all wait," I said firmly, meeting Dallas's panic-filled gaze. "Thank you, doctor. Please let us know as soon as Dallas can go in."
The doctor nodded, assuring us that he would, then left.
"Did you know?" My friend asked me in a broken voice, his eyes accusing.
I shook my head firmly, grateful that my painkillers allowed me that gesture. "I had no clue. None. I can't believe—"
"I'm gonna be a dad," Dallas whispered in total shock.
My best friend's baby almost died today.
Guilt flooded every inch of my body, choking me and rolling my stomach sharply. I scrambled out of Archer's arms abruptly and raced in the direction of the ladies’ room.
Bree had almost died.
Her baby had almost died.
I needed to find out who was behind that attack and make them pay.
45
Kody followed me into the ladies’ room not a minute later, sitting with me on the cold tiled floor as my body trembled and my stomach rolled. I never had been a big vomiter, even when I was sure I would. So eventually I had to accept the fact that I couldn't expel my guilt so easily.
I crawled into his lap as he leaned against the wall and let him wrap me in his comforting warmth for a while.
"We'll get them, babe," he whispered as he stroked his fingers through my tangled hair, gently working the knots out as he found them. "None of those bastards today walked away, but until we find the money behind the hit..."
"They'll keep coming," I finished, already knowing this. "Archer thinks it's one of my relatives on my mom's side." I sat up slightly, peering at him with a small frown. "Are we looking into that more?"
Kody jerked a nod. "Absolutely. And I agree with him... but they're not easy people to find. Even before Arch erased your mom's paper trail, they'd muddied the waters already. When we get home, I'll get Archer to run through all the info we have. There's not much, but maybe you'll spot something we've missed."
I sighed. He probably had a good point; sitting on the restroom floor wasn't the ideal place to start combing through all the clues on who might be trying to assassinate me.
Guilt was still clogging my arteries, but I knew that wouldn't change any time soon. Not until we could hold someone responsible for what'd happened to Bree.
Someone in addition to me, that was. Because if not for me being in her car, this whole day would have ended differently. Maybe Bree and her baby would have been