"Three months?"

"She won't have to wear the sling the entire time. She can probably remove it after three weeks and only wear it at night for the next four weeks. But any activity that requires her to put pressure on that part of the body? Minimum amount of rest is twelve weeks."

"What other treatment will she need?"

"We're keeping her overnight. Unless something unexpected shows up from the accident, I'll release her tomorrow. She'll need rest. I'll write a script for pain meds. She'll need to see her regular doctor in two weeks just to make sure everything is healing properly. She'll need physical therapy at some point."

His thoughts were racing as he tried to process it all. "What about school?"

"Your call. But since she is right handed, and she won't be able to use that hand or arm for the first two weeks, I suggest she remain at home. My other concern is an accidental fall. Sidewalks, parking lots and roads are dangerously icy this time of year. For her, even a minor fall could cause major damage."

"Understood. And thank you."

Dr. Abernathy motioned to Roger. "Start her on Demerol." They conversed in medical jargon.

Gavin kissed Sierra's forehead. "I love you. We'll get you fixed up, I promise."

"I have to stay here overnight?"

"They just want to make sure you don't have other injuries."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm scared."

"I know, sweetheart. But I'll be right here."

"You're staying with me?"

"Do you really think I'd leave you alone when you're hurting?"

"No. It's just...I thought you'd be mad. I'm so sorry."

"I know you are. Why don't you close your eyes? I know you're in a lot of pain."

She nodded.

Roger took him aside. "We're moving her into a regular room."

"A private room," Gavin insisted.

"Does your insurance cover that?"

"I'll cover it."

"Okay. I'll let them know. Once she's in her room we'll start the pain meds."

Gavin watched as they lifted Sierra from one bed to the next. He followed behind two nurses and one orderly as they wheeled the bed down the hallway and into a small room.

After hooking Sierra up to more machines, Roger injected the pain meds into her IV and spoke to her softly. He ditched the used surgical gloves and stopped in front of Gavin. "This stuff works pretty fast. But I'll be back in ten minutes to check on her."

Gavin hauled the chair beside the bed and held Sierra's hand between his, finally able to take a breath. Finally believing she'd be okay.

"Daddy?"

G.o.d, that made his heart hurt. She hadn't called him that in years. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I love you."

Don't cry. "I love you too."

After a few minutes, she stopped stirring. Her breathing slowed.

Roger returned and discreetly checked on her, without disturbing her. "She's asleep. I know you're staying here tonight and that's fine. But there's a waiting room full of people asking for you. It's late and she can't have visitors, so could you please deal with them?"

Gavin sent Sierra an anxious look.

"She's out. I promise she won't know you're gone."

"Okay." He took a minute to compose himself before he left the room.

Charlie and Vi jumped up the instant they saw him. Ben was standing next to Cam, still in uniform. Quinn threw the magazine he was reading on the table and stood.

Vi rushed forward and put her hands on his face. "Are you all right?"

"No, not really." He inhaled and told them Sierra's diagnosis. "The pain meds just kicked in so she's asleep. I'm staying with her tonight."

"Anything we can do?" Quinn asked.

"I'll need someone to bring my car tomorrow."

"Or one of us could pick you up when you're ready," Charlie offered.

He didn't want to be beholden to anyone. Ben understood that. He said, "I can drop it by in the morning."

"Thanks."

The three people sitting in the back of the room approached the group. Gavin recognized Chet and Remy West. His gaze narrowed on the taller young guy standing between them with a blanket dangling from his shoulders.

That f.u.c.ker Boone West.

He moved quickly, latching onto the kid's jacket and hauling him up until they were nose to nose. "You have a f.u.c.kload of nerve being here when you're the reason my daughter is in the f.u.c.king hospital."

"Let him go," Chet said sharply.

Gavin shook Boone. "Don't have anything to say?"

"Gavin," Ben said in that listen to me listen to me voice. "Let him go. It's not what you think." voice. "Let him go. It's not what you think."

"I think I want to kick his a.s.s."

"Typical McKay macho bulls.h.i.t," Remy snapped. "Let him go right f.u.c.king now or you're dealing with me."

"And me," Chet said.

He released him. But he didn't back off.

Neither did Boone. "How is Sierra?"

"How the h.e.l.l do you think she is? She's got a broken collarbone, a concussion and she's in the hospital."

A pet.i.te redhead bulled her way between Gavin and Boone, her focus on Gavin. "Back off. Sit your a.s.s down."

"Who are you?"

"Joely Monroe. I'm Boone's doctor. And if you shake him like that again, I'll have Cam arrest you for a.s.sault. He was also in the accident."

"But he's not in a G.o.dd.a.m.ned hospital bed so it can't be that bad."

"Wrong. He doesn't have health insurance, which is why I'm here as a favor to his uncles. Checking to make sure he doesn't need to be hospitalized. He also had hypothermia and he refused to leave until he saw you and knew how Sierra was."

Gavin had no response for that.

"Thanks, Doc. I'll take it from here." Cam pointed at two chairs facing each other. "Gavin. Take a seat. Boone, you too."

Gavin didn't argue. Neither did Boone.

"Now, Boone, why don't you tell Gavin what you told us."

Boone aimed his face at the carpet.

Probably out of guilt that the kid couldn't even look him in the eye.

"No rush," Cam said.

Chet and Remy stood behind him; each had a hand on his shoulder. "The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can get you to our place, get you warmed up and doped up so you can rest."

Boone nodded and winced slightly. "I showed up at a party and Sierra was there. She'd been drinking."

Gavin listened as the kid detailed what'd gone on. His stomach pitched when he heard the word blowout blowout. "You were driving Sierra's car and you had a blowout?"

"That's how the accident happened, although her car was running like s.h.i.t before that so it could've been a combination of factors. I was driving about forty-five when the right front tire blew. I stepped on the brake and the back end skidded out on the ice. I managed to get the car slowed down but we still hit the ditch at thirty miles per hour. My airbag deployed. Sierra's didn't. At the angle we hit, the pa.s.senger's door got wedged open."

A sick feeling took root. "It's twenty degrees below zero outside."

"Yeah. Once the powder from the airbag cleared out, I saw Sierra was unconscious and I knew we were in the middle of f.u.c.king nowhere..." Boone paused to take a breath. "I shoved my airbag aside and hoped like h.e.l.l Sierra had stashed a cold weather emergency kit someplace. I crawled out and opened the rear hatch. I found the thermal blanket and tucked it around her as best as I could after I checked her vitals."

"Vitals?" Gavin repeated. "Why would you do that?"

"I'm an EMT. She came to when I was checking her and I suspected between the impact and seatbelt, she'd broken her collarbone. My cell phone was dead so I found hers and called the ambulance line directly. They were en route to the hospital from another accident. Given our location, I knew it'd be thirty minutes before the ambulance even reached us." That's when Boone looked Gavin in the eye. His eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry. The instant that tire blew I knew we were gonna crash. I tried to..."

This kid that he'd accused of hurting his daughter had actually saved her. Saved her Saved her. Saved her from drinking and driving. Saved her from hypothermia. Saved her by being an experienced driver. Because if Sierra had been behind the wheel? She probably wouldn't have known what to do during a blowout. It might've been hours before anyone found her...in subzero temperatures, alone, injured...she wouldn't have made it long.

The horror of the situation hit him anew and he started to lose it. His body shook. He couldn't breathe. He wanted to laugh, scream and cry all at the same time.

Then Vi was tugging him to his feet. Telling everyone he needed some air.

He clutched her hand, followed her blindly as she led him to another small waiting area. She placed her cold hands on his cheeks and got right in his face. "Gavin," she said softly. "It's okay. Let it out."

"I... What if... She..."

"She's okay."

"But... I can't..."

"It's just you and me here. Go on, son, and let it out. I've got you."

Gavin broke down, crying quietly, silently. His body trembling as he curled into her and let her hold him up. His thoughts bounced between being grateful that Sierra was all right and being paralyzed with fear about what if what if scenarios now that he knew the truth. scenarios now that he knew the truth.

He began to regain control when his grat.i.tude overtook his fear. He squeezed Vi before he released her. "Thank you." He could barely look her in the eye. "How did you know?"

"A tough front only lasts so long and then those tiny cracks start to appear. No one else saw it, if you're worried about that, but I recognized it." She fussed with his shirt collar.

"How?" Gavin expected her to say because I'm your mother because I'm your mother, but her answer surprised him.

"Because I'm the same way. I never want anyone to see me as weak. Even when a few tears don't make you weak, they make you human."

"I'm really glad you're here. I..." Just say it Just say it. "Didn't think I needed anyone and apparently I do."

She smiled softly. "Along those lines...please let us help you when Sierra comes home. She won't be a happy camper bound up and homebound and the more people who show her they love her and want to entertain her, the better. Plus, it'll keep you two from being at each other's throats for the duration. I know the two of you b.u.t.t heads frequently."

That was an understatement. "I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

"Good. Now I know you're chomping at the bit to check on her, so I'll send the people in the waiting room home." She kissed his cheek. "Not that I'm meddling or telling you what to do, but you owe that boy an apology."

Jesus. He acted like such a jacka.s.s. a.s.suming. Bl.u.s.tering. He owed Boone West more than he could ever repay him.

He'd deal with that another day. He had a long night ahead of him.

Chapter Thirty