open his eyes and look at her. She wanted to beg him to come back to her. And yet she wondered if she was strong enough for love. Is it better to be alone than to suffer the ache of loss?
His blood pressure cuff expanded automatically, and she lifted her gaze to watch, satisfied at the reading. She continued to cling to his hand, her upper body half-laying on the mattress with him. Fatigue pulled at every fiber of her being, weighing upon her limbs, and she closed her eyes, willing the world to disappear for a few minutes.
“I can’t believe the fuckin’ ER lost her!”
Erin lifted her head and jerked around, staring at the doorway as she recognized the voice. Before she had a chance to move, Sean came barreling into the room, his face set in stone, a wild look in his eyes. As exhausted as she was, it still hit her that she’d never seen him when he wasn’t calm and in charge. His feet stuttered to a halt as his gaze landed on her. The air rushed audibly from his lungs as he gasped, “Erin! Oh, thank God, Erin!” He looked over his shoulder and called out, “She’s here, she’s here!”
Still processing her oldest brother rushing into the room, her gaze shot behind him as Rory came flying around the corner, running into Sean before he could stop. The look on his face was so similar to Sean’s, also not like Rory’s typical expression. Neither man spoke as she pushed herself to standing, her hand still clinging to Torin’s who, upon a quick glance, was still sleeping.
Sean rushed toward her, his arms encircling her. “Christ Almighty, Erin. Jesus, thank God, thank God.”
Rory was upon them in two steps, his front pressed against her back, and she was sandwiched between two of her brothers, their warmth touching her frozen body.
“The whole fuckin’ family is terrified, Erin,” Sean said, his mouth pressed against her head. “Ryker managed to get a message to us that Caitlyn was safe but said you refused to leave.”
With her face still smushed against his chest, she said, “I had to try to help. But there was so much… there was so much blood… but I had to try to help.”
Sean, still whispering against her hair, said, “I’ve got to get ahold of the family.” He shifted his body so that he turned her, allowing Rory to pull her against his chest. She didn’t open her eyes but listened as Sean made a call.
“Dad, I found her. At Hope City General Hospital. Yeah, she’d left the ER to go up to Torin’s room. Yeah… yeah… I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”
Sean looked over his shoulder, his gaze moving from the top of her stitched head, snagging on her bloodied shirt, and down to her bandaged legs.
“She looks banged up. No, I don’t know, Dad. Just let Mom and the others know, and I’ll find out more. Yeah, I’ll call as soon as I can. Tell Harper and Sandy to stay there with the rest of you. Rory and I will get her home as soon as we can.”
Sean disconnected and shoved his phone into his pocket, walking back over to stand near her.
“They’re worried.” Erin’s voice sounded as tired as her body. She lifted her head to glance at Rory, finding him and Sean sharing a look.
“Of course, they’re worried. We all were. There was a fuckin’ explosion, and we eventually knew that you were nearby. We didn’t know what happened. It wasn’t until Ryker was able to get a hold of us that we even knew you were alive.” Sean’s hand shot up, his fingers dragging through his hair before he squeezed the back of his neck, tension radiating from him.
“Oh…”
His gaze shot to hers, and his chin jerked down before his eyes opened wider. “Oh? Just oh?”
“Bro,” Rory breathed, his voice barely a whisper.
She turned to look at Rory again, watching as he slowly shook his head toward Sean. Rory turned his attention back to her, and offered a gentle smile, still speaking slow and soft. “Did they check you out in the ER, Erin?”
She nodded, then let go of his arm and slumped back into the chair, her body once again so tired her legs would not support her to stand.
“Why did you leave the ER, honey?” Rory asked.
“I didn’t know where Torin was.” Now she was whispering, each word pulled from her.
Rory nodded and squatted next to her chair.