Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
My heart slammed. My lungs struggled to get air, my chest too tight. I kept seeing Rush jump, his body fly off the bike and crash to the ground, his bike going down on top of him. Bikes sped around him, and he hadn’t moved. Why in the fuck hadn’t he moved?
I’d seen him crash before. He was a motocross racer, for God’s sake; it came with the territory. But I’d never seen him not get up afterward, never seen him get carried off the track on a stretcher.
“Christ, I fucking hate Atlanta traffic!” I fought to focus on my breathing. I was a nurse. I’d worked ER for a couple of years, dealt with trauma situations. I could handle this. He was Rush. Nothing bad could happen to him. He knew what he was doing. He’d be fine. He was going to be fine.
“We’re almost there,” Beau said as he reached into the back seat and squeezed my hand. We were in Ash’s car, and Sawyer and Camden were following in Sawyer’s.
“He’ll be good. He’s a tough son of a bitch. He’s used to this. He knows what he’s doing,” Ash added.
“Oh, and because he knows what he’s doing, he can’t get hurt?” I snapped.
“Hey.” Beau looked back at me. “He’s trying to help. We’re all worried about him.”
He was right. I knew he was, but still, I crossed my arms and looked out the window. I heard Ash whisper to Beau that it was fine, but really, I’d like Beau to tell me he’d sit there and be calm if it were Ash who was hurt.
But Beau and Ash are together, they’re in love. It’s not the same as what Rush is to you…
Which I’d be smart to remember. Rush and I were friends, friends who liked to fuck, didn’t anymore, but friends all the same. I wasn’t stupid. He might have had a small crush on me. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know that, but I also knew I’d never be to him what Ash was to Beau. Eventually, he would have walked away, which was why I had first.
The second Ash parked at the hospital, I jumped out of the car. Without waiting for them, I ran toward the ER with my heart in my throat. Fucking dirt bikes. I didn’t understand it…how he could love something that was so goddamn dangerous. Couldn’t he like, I don’t know, reading or some shit like that? Nope, he had to like bikes that went fast and jumped big things.
The sliding glass doors pulled open to reveal a waiting room full of people. My hands were shaking as I waited my turn to speak to the guy sitting at the triage station. “I’m here to see Rush Alexander,” I said, my words too fast, my voice too jumbled. What the fuck was my problem? He was fine. I knew he had to be fine. I needed to chill the fuck out.
“Are you family?” he asked, and I paused for a moment. I knew how this went. I’d been working in a hospital my entire career.
Do it. He won’t care.
I’d have a much better chance of getting back there if I did it. I mean, it was a harmless lie, right? The whole point was so I could see Rush and he wouldn’t be alone.
“Sir?” the guy prompted.
“Umm…yeah. I’m his partner…as in boyfriend.” I added the second part in case he had any doubts. The moment the words left my mouth, I felt my friends step up behind me, because of fucking course they just had to hear my lie, my claim to be Rush’s boyfriend.
It was as if someone legit turned off the volume in the waiting room. It went oddly quiet, which was likely an exaggeration, but still, something was off. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as a man behind me said, “Did you know about this, Mama K? I didn’t know Rush had a boyfriend.”
Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God.
“Shhh,” the woman said. “Oh, hey. Hi. I’ve heard so much about you!”
I turned around to see a lady with Rush’s gray eyes and brown hair. She smiled, and it was his smile. Holy fuck. What had I done? What in the hell was Rush’s mom doing there?
A gorgeous guy with brownish-blond hair stood beside her. He looked about our age, and wore a scowl. He crossed his arms protectively.
Someone kill me now. I’d just lied about being Rush’s boyfriend in front of his mom and…who the fuck was this guy? Why did he look like he wanted to tear me apart? And not in the I’m-going-to-wreck-your-ass kind of way.
“Um…hi…” And wait… “You’ve heard about me?”
“Of course!” She walked over and gave me a hug. “I’m Kathy. It’s so nice to meet you.”