Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,60

waiting for something to happen. For somebody to do something that would get the man she cared about safely home. She wanted him to be in her bed, his large body surrounding hers, his early-morning bristles scraping her skin as he kissed her.

Autumn looked up to see Lucas approaching their group, his face grim.

Jackson caught his gaze. “Has something happened?” he asked.

“We just got word from the Coast Guard. Two men were found down the shoreline. From their descriptions, it sounds like Griff and Sam.”

“From their descriptions?” Breck asked, his brows knitting together. “What does that mean? Are they okay?”

The heart that had swollen to twice its size felt like it was trying to force its way out of Autumn’s chest.

“I don’t know,” Lucas said, his voice full of angry confusion. “They’re in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. I’m heading there now if you want to come.”

“Which hospital?” Aiden asked.

“Silver City.”

Aiden nodded. “Okay, I’ll take my car,” he said to Lucas. “I can fit Breck, Jackson, and Autumn in. We’ll meet you there.”

20

“Are you okay?” Aiden asked as he pushed his foot down on the gas, his wheels spinning on the grass as the car lurched forward. Like Lucas on the drive to the cove, his jaw was tight, his eyes narrow as he steered the car toward the coastal road that led to the highway and the hospital twenty minutes away.

“Me?” Autumn asked, looking around to check who he was talking to.

“Yeah, you.” His lip quirked up. “You haven’t said a word since I got here.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. Or how to say it. “I don’t even know if I should be here. If he’d want me to come to the hospital.”

“He’ll want you,” Jackson said from the backseat. “I can guarantee that. If you weren’t here we’d never hear the end of it. So stop worrying.”

The sun was beginning to rise above the mountains, pale orange rays flooding the land between the foothills and the ocean. Aiden blinked as the road curved toward it, pulling down the visor to shield his eyes.

“He’ll be okay, right?” Breck said to nobody in particular. “He’s a strong guy. Nothing can hurt him.”

“He was okay when we surfed the scree,” Jackson said, and Breck let out a short laugh. “And when we dived off the cliffs for a dare.”

“We were kids then,” Breck murmured. “Invincible. Or we thought we were.”

“Yeah, but we also ended up in the hospital both times.”

“Remember the way Deenie screamed at us?” Breck asked. “She scared the hell out of me.”

Jack shook his head. “And now she’s almost your mother-in-law. How’s that working out for you?”

Autumn turned to stare out of the window, letting their conversation wash over her like a cool balm. They weren’t panicking, and neither should she. He’d be okay. He had to be. She couldn’t live with it if he wasn’t.

She couldn’t live without him. The thought hit her like a wrecking ball.

She was still thinking about it when Aiden pulled up in the hospital parking lot, and the four of them hurried over to the main entrance, the glass doors opening silently to let them inside. One of Lucas’s fire fighters was waiting for them in the lobby, and he walked across the grey tiled floor when he saw them.

“They’re on the third floor,” he told them. “Lucas just went up. Take the elevator over there.”

The sound of their footsteps echoed through the mostly-empty waiting area, none of them saying a word as Breck pressed the button to call the elevator. The silence accompanied them into the elevator, the only sound their shallow breaths as the car slowly accelerated to the third floor, then made a loud ding as the doors opened, ready for them to step out.

“He’s there,” Jackson said, his voice loud and full of relief as he turned left down the hallway. “He’s okay. He’s all right.”

Autumn looked over his shoulder, her mouth dry. Then she saw Griff standing by the wall, wearing green scrubs, his hair wet, his face and bare arms covered in bruises and cuts. He was talking to Lucas, who was nodding and answering his questions. But then Jackson ran over and threw his arms around him, hugging him tight.

“Damn it, man. You scared the hell out of us. I thought you were dead.”

Griff hugged him back. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Then Breck was there, too, hugging them both and laughing. “You okay? Where did all