“They’re right, you know.” Emma swallowed back her rising emotions. “It’s best if you stay here, where the doctors and nurses can monitor you. Just in case.”
“I know.” Mac sighed. “I just really hate hospitals.”
“Then be a good patient, and we’ll spring you from this one as soon as the doctor gives you the all-clear. Deal?”
“Deal.” The other woman looked back at her brother as if he was the only other person in the room.
The conversation reminded Emma of the words Trace had spoken to her earlier.
Once you’re cleared, I’ll personally take you to go see Jake and Mac, both.
So far, he’d made good on that promise. And now that they knew Mac was going to be okay...
“Have you heard from Jake?” Emma directed the question to her brother, who was pulling her in for a hug. “I want to go see him.”
Instead of giving her an answer, Sean gave her a tight, loving squeeze. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Closing her eyes, Emma relished the hug. Her brother was a bit banged up, but otherwise okay. Miraculously, he and Mac werebothgoing to be okay.
Thank you, God.
But she didn’t miss the way he’d totally bypassed her question about Jake.
“I’m fine.” Emma pulled herself back. “And I’m so thankful the both of you are, too. Now, what about Jake? How is he?”
“We don’t really know.” Sean and Mac shared a look as he made his way back over to his chair. “They won’t let anyone else up there, yet.”
“Up where?”
Sitting down again, something flashed behind her brother’s eyes. A look that made her stomach start to fall.
“Intensive Care.” Mac answered for him.
Emma’s stomach dropped to her feet. “Jake’s in the ICU?”
She may have only been working for the man for a few weeks, but her brother had told her so many stories about the infamous Jake McQueen, she felt like she knew him as well as Coop did.
“Olivia’s with him, now.” Mac swiped at a fallen tear.
“How bad?” Trace spoke up from his place by the door.
“We don’t know all of the specifics yet.” A muscle in Sean’s jaw twitched. “The most serious injury was blunt force trauma to his head from being blown through the wall.”
“He’s in a coma.” Mac’s anguished whisper seemed deafening in the quiet room.
“Acoma?” Trace ran a hand over his scruff-covered jaw. “Son of a bitch.”
Emma’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, god.”
The look on Sean’s face matched the one darkening Trace’s hard features. “Trev said Jake also had a collapsed lung, and several of his ribs were broken. They were able to fix the lung, but the ribs will take time to heal.”
“But he’s going to be okay, right?” Emma could hear the hope in her own voice. “I mean, h-he’ll wake up?”
Hehadto. If he didn’t...if she could’ve prevented him being so badly injured by warning him sooner...
“Emma,” Trace rasped her name as a warning.
Her eyes shot to his, her heart stuttering from the way he was staring straight through her.