he didn’t want her to feel obligated in any way to him. He went after Haley because he knew where to find her and it was faster than trying to explain that to anyone else.
“I’ll be there, Kyle. Don’t worry.”
They were pulling up to the dock and Haley was sobbing softly. “We’re here. The EMTs are going to come and get you and then…”
She lifted her head and her eyes went wide. “You’re coming with me, right? I mean…you’re not just going to leave me, are you?”
All he could do was be honest with her. Cupping her face, he said, “I would never leave you. I’ll be with you the whole time.”
By now, there was a crowd on the dock, and when the first EMT went to gently take Haley from his arms, she looked at Kyle sadly. “I’m so sorry. I ruined everything.”
He rubbed her arm and gave her a sad smile. “You don’t need to apologize for how you feel, Hales. Now come on, let’s go get warmed up.” Leaning back, he watched as she was carried off the boat and onto a waiting gurney. Hunter handed him his shirt and all the rest of his things. “Thanks.” Slowly, he came to his feet and realized he felt a little woozy himself.
“Good thing you’ve got such a hard head,” Hunter said, steadying him on his feet. He looked up at the next team of EMTs. “He jumped in to save her and hit his head. Make sure they check for a concussion.” Then he stepped back as Kyle was helped out of the boat.
They hadn’t gone more than three feet when he turned back toward the boat. “Call Sydney right away. Let her know…maybe Violet can drive her to the hospital or…” His words started to slur and then everything went black.
The drive seemed to take forever, and luckily Violet was completely sympathetic to the fact that she just couldn’t even think about having a conversation. As soon as Hunter had called, Sydney grabbed her purse and ran out the door and Violet was right behind her.
There had been a houseful of people there and she didn’t remember even saying goodbye to any of them.
At the hospital, she was quickly taken to the triage room where Haley was being treated and as soon as she saw her, she burst into tears.
And so did Haley.
Hugging her tight, Sydney couldn’t believe she was really there and safe. All afternoon she had been consumed with despair over what was going to happen and it was almost too much to believe she was going to be okay.
“I’m so sorry, Aunt Syd! I’m so sorry!”
“Shh…” she whispered, sitting on the bed beside her and kissing her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” There were dozens of questions she wanted to ask, but now wasn’t the time. A doctor came in and introduced himself and explained that Haley had a moderate case of hypothermia and they were going to keep her overnight for treatment and observation. They were currently waiting to get her a room and he would be back in to see her in an hour.
All in all, it was a little anticlimactic, but she was relieved to be alone with her so they could talk.
Taking both Haley’s hands in hers, she softly asked, “What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did is?”
“I know,” Haley whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks again. “I just wanted to get away and be with Grandma and Grandpa. My family. I didn’t know how else to get there, and driving the boat had been so easy that I thought I could do it.”
“Haley,” Sydney began, doing her best to keep her voice calm and soothing. “I’m your family too. And like it or not, I’m the one who is here with you. We have to find a way to live together without all this drama and hatred.” She waited until Haley looked up at her. “Do you have any idea how devastated I was when we couldn’t find you? I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you too. I’ve already lost my sister; I can’t lose you too!”
They hugged again.
“I was so scared,” Haley explained. “I slept on the boat last night just because I didn’t know where to go or what to do. That’s when I got the idea to go to Grandma’s. Everything started out fine, but then I started to panic and