her computer. “Yes, I see her here. She’s been moved into surgery.”
“Surgery?” I gasped. “What for?”
“The bullet went into her thigh and hit an artery. She’s lost a lot of blood. The doctors and support staff are working diligently right now. I can move you into the waiting area, and then when the doctor has any information, he can come directly to you.”
I felt sick. This couldn’t be happening.
Court stepped forward. “That would be great. Thank you.”
The woman nodded with a sad smile. She pushed a button that buzzed us through to the back and then directed us to a separate, much more secluded space. “A doctor will be out to speak with you as soon as they can.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
The waiting area was practically deserted. There was a woman alone in the back corner, but otherwise, it was just me and Court. I sank into a seat at the front. My feet were anxiously tap, tap, tapping away. All the adrenaline that had coursed through my body when I got that phone call was still hyping up my system.
Court plopped down next to me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I held my hand up. “Don’t talk to me.”
He sighed. “Okay.”
“And you don’t know if she’ll be okay. We don’t know anything.”
“Yes, but…”
I glared at him. “Don’t.”
He fell silent.
We both did.
All I could do was stare at the doors and wait. I tried to call my dad. Tonight was the only time that I was thankful for the three-hour time difference. Because even though it was already one in the morning here, it was only ten at night in LA. He answered right away, begged for more news, any news, and promised that he and Ashley would be out on the first flight that they could get.
“My dad and stepmom are coming,” I said and sat back down.
“Good,” he said softly.
And then we returned to silence.
And waiting.
And feeling like I was going to vomit.
I didn’t know how long we’d been sitting there. It could have been minutes or hours or days. It felt endless.
But then a doctor appeared. Court and I both stood. The woman in the corner stood, too. We all waited, breathless, hoping it was us and not the other. Feeling bad that we even thought it.
“Anna English?” the doctor asked.
“That’s me,” I said, rushing forward with relief.
“Your sister has just finished surgery. We were able to repair the damage to her femoral artery, but she lost a lot of blood. We had to give her a transfusion. She’s currently stable.”
“Oh, thank god,” I gasped out. My legs buckled underneath me, and I fought to stay upright.
“Her friend is still in surgery though,” he said softly.
“Her friend,” I said stupidly, not comprehending. Then, it hit me. “Bea?”
“Yes. Taylor was wheeled in with Beatrice Reynolds. We’ve reached out to her family, but we’ve had no luck so far. If you know how to reach them, it would be really helpful.”
I blinked. “I don’t. They’re college friends. We’re in LA. I think Bea… uh, Beatrice is from Boston.”
“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Well, I thought we’d ask.”
“Is Bea going to be okay?”
The doctor frowned. There was a no on his face. Written all over his expression. A terrifying look that said everything he didn’t. “She’s still in surgery. We’ll know more in the next couple of hours.”
I nodded mutely, terrified. It could have been Taylor. The words ran like a mantra through my mind.
“Can I see my sister now?”
“Yes. She’s resting, but you can go in to be with her.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, choking on the words.
A nurse came and brought Court and me to Taylor’s room. I stepped inside first to find my beautiful little sister hooked up to an IV. She was dressed in a nightgown and looked as pale as death. The covers were pulled up to her chest, but it couldn’t disguise the state of her left leg. It looked huge and bulbous under the covers, as if it had been wrapped around and around and around until it looked like the game Hot Potato and I was meant to unwrap it to find candy.
My feet carried me farther into the room. I sank into the seat next to Taylor and gently took her hand into mine. I didn’t know what to do or what to say or how long she’d be asleep.
Court stood nearby, just inside the room, as if he didn’t know whether to be in or out. As if he