Four Letter Word (Love Logic #2) - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,103

up?”

“I need you to not freak out,” he replies, and my heart rate kicks up a few more notches.

“Not the thing to say to keep someone from thinking the worst,” I grit out through my teeth, forcing my feet to move again so I can make it the rest of the way to my office, carefully closing the door behind me and leaning back against it for support.

“I’m with Bishop right now,” he goes on, his voice unsettlingly calm.

“For the love of fuck, Hudson, spit it the fuck out.”

“There was a little accident.”

The room seems to tilt beneath my feet. “Who? Bishop? What happened? Is he okay?” I can hardly force the words past my lips, afraid to hear the answer and desperately needing it at the same time.

“It was Bishop, and he’s going to be fine. Apparently, he went out for lunch and got T-boned by some idiot on his way back. He was unconscious initially, so they called me because I’m listed as his emergency contact. He’s awake now, and they said everything should be fine. They’re still checking him out, but it doesn’t seem like anything major except for a concussion.”

I bite back the momentary flair of jealousy at Hudson being his emergency contact. It makes sense; he probably set that up ages ago, long before I moved back. And it’s the least important thing to focus on right now.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Did you call Riot or should I?”

“Would you mind? I want to get back to the waiting room, so I don’t miss any updates.”

“No problem.”

I end the call and push myself off the door, my knees a little shaky under me. Bishop could’ve died. Some asshole driver could’ve taken him from us in the blink of an eye. Horrifying scenarios of an entirely different phone call from Hudson haunt me as I hurry back out of my office.

“Jane,” I flag down my assistant. “Whatever I have for the rest of the day, I need you to reschedule it for me. My partner was in an accident; I have to go to the hospital to make sure he’s okay.”

“Not a problem,” she answers, giving me a sympathetic look that makes me even more anxious. I don’t need sympathy. Bishop will be fine. A concussion isn’t great, but it could certainly be worse.

As soon as I get in my car, I use the Bluetooth to call Riot and let him know about the situation, and he says he’ll meet me at the hospital.

The drive to the hospital and my subsequent search for the correct waiting room are a blur, my mind solely focused on getting to Bishop so I can see with my own eyes that he’s going to be okay.

I find Hudson pacing back and forth, his hands shoved in his pockets, his shoulders hunched.

“Belly,” I breathe out his old nickname without thinking, my mind latching on to the comforting familiarity of it on my tongue. His head snaps up, and surprise flickers through his eyes.

“Griff,” he says back, the briefest smile tilting the corner of his lips before they pull taut with concern all over again.

“Did you get an update? How’s he doing?”

“No updates yet,” he answers.

Footsteps echo loudly behind me, and I turn my head to find Riot rushing over to us, concern etched deep in his features as well.

“Is he okay? Can we see him?” he asks, going straight for Hudson first and wrapping him in a hug. Hudson’s fingers dig into his back as he hugs him back and mumbles something I can’t hear. Guilt and regret join the emotions already raging through me. If I wasn’t holding a grudge still, I could worm my way into their hug and share in the comfort they’re giving each other.

They finally part, and Riot reaches for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine and giving it a squeeze. I move closer, leaning into him to find some comfort of my own. He keeps one hand on Hudson’s shoulder, and as silly as it seems, the three of us being connected feels like we’re somehow providing strength for Bishop. We can be his foundation to hold him up.

A nurse appears, and Hudson straightens up. “How is he?”

Her eyes dart between the three of us, clearly trying to figure out what type of relationship we have. I might bother to be annoyed if I wasn’t so worried.

“You’re Bishop’s partner?” she asks, zeroing in on Hudson.

“Yes.” He steps forward, and Riot’s hand falls from