Page 69 of Thrown Off Balance

“She can’t die,” I whisper.

“Kelsey called Derek. He knew what was happening and he’s been waiting with an operating room ready in case something happened. She’ll be ok as long as they can get her there.”

I drop my face into my hands and try to stop my head from spinning.

“Dad, is he ok?” Jax’s voice comes from the backseat. I didn’t even know he was in the car, but of course he was. It’s Jax. If something bad is happening to me, he won't let me go through it alone.

“No. He’s in shock. Give him a few minutes.”

What feels like seconds later, we pull into the ER and I hop out of the car before it even comes to a complete stop. Uncle Jesse’s already there, he grabs my arm and leads me through a maze of hallways. He doesn’t try to talk to me or tell me everything will be ok. He just gets me where I need to be.

Once we’re in the private waiting room, he lowers me into a chair and squats down in front of me.

“Listen to me. Sloan’s in the operating room already. Derek met the ambulance outside and had her taken directly there. He didn’t waste a second. He’s the best surgeon I’ve ever met. He’s going to save her and now that you’re here, I'm going to help him.”

I blink and he’s gone. Everything seems fuzzy and like a nightmare I can’t get out of. I shake my head and lean back so I'm staring up at the ceiling.

Dad settles into a seat on one side of me and Jax is on the other. They don’t say anything, but I know they’re here for me. It doesn’t matter what I need.

Tears spill down my cheeks as I think about Sloan. I can’t lose her, I don’t know how I’ll survive without her. I need her more than I need my next breath.

“We’re here for you, Cody,” Dad whispers as he drapes an arm around my shoulders and tugs me against his side. “We’ll get through this no matter what happens.”

“I can’t handle this,” I whimper as my body shakes with a sob.

“Aunt Kelsey’s in the operating room with her and says she’s going to be ok. They were able to stop the bleeding. Derek called a vascular surgeon. He’s repairing the artery right now and she’s getting a blood transfusion, but she’ll be ok. She’s going to be ok, Cody.” Jax pats me on the back as my tears come even harder.

I thought I was going to lose her. I didn’t know how I’d go back to living again without her. I'm not sure I’d even want to.

“Hey,” I whisper as Sloan slowly blinks her eyes open.

“Hi,” she rasps. I know there’s a good chance her throat will be sore from the endotracheal tube. Summer gave me a complete rundown of what to expect. She said she wasn’t risking Sloan’s airway and wanted to have complete control with an endotracheal tube.

“How are you doing, babe?” I smile softly as I scoot to the edge of my seat and take her hand in mine.

“I… I don’t know. What happened?”

“Well, you got shot and tried to die on us,” Jax grumbles. “Put a real damper on our plans of going out tonight.”

“Jax!” I glare at him, but all he does is shrug.

“I'm so sorry, Jax. How will you ever survive?” Sloan blinks innocently at him.

“You can’t leave us, Sloany. Never again.” He takes her free hand in his as a tear slips down his cheek. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“I don’t even know what happened. I remember getting dizzy and then nothing after that.”

“Well, Jude shot you in the thigh. So much for no one getting hurt.” Jax rolls his eyes.

“Mason told me there was no guarantee. I knew what I was signing up for,” she whispers, refusing to meet my gaze.

“You should’ve told me. I never would’ve agreed to letting him get that close to you.” I shake my head, staring at our intertwined hands.

“I was just done with hiding from him. I was tired of us having to hide behind gates and locked doors. I didn’t want him having any control over my life anymore… What happened to him?”

“Well, he won't be a problem anymore,” Jax snorts with laughter.

“Uncle Mason shot him and the bullet was fatal. They tried to save him, but he lost too much blood. He won't be able to hurt you ever again.”