Page 87 of The Bitterroot Inn (Jamison Valley 5)
“Dad had a heart attack.” Tears fell down my cheeks even though I was trying to hold them in for Coby’s sake. But the idea of losing my dad was too much and my breath hitched with a loud sob.
My hand came back to my mouth to muffle my cries.
“Take a breath,” Hunter said.
I nodded and sucked one in but it didn’t help.
I couldn’t imagine my life without Dad. I needed him. I needed him to help me raise Coby to be a good man. I needed him to walk me down the aisle if I ever got married. I needed his cuddles when I was feeling blue.
“Mommy?” Coby’s panicked voice had me swiping furiously at my face as I took another slow breath.
“It’s okay, buddy.” I unbuckled my belt so I could turn around and rub my son’s knee. “It’s going to be okay.”
He nodded but tears formed on his lower lashes.
“What did your mom say?” Hunter asked.
I turned back around and rebuckled. “Just that they’re doing some tests.”
“Peterson is on call. He’s good.” He reached for my hand and held it tight.
“Okay.” Hunter was right. Dr. Peterson had worked at the hospital for as long as I could remember and he’d seen it all. Other than Hunter, I trusted him more than any other doctor.
“We can’t take Coby,” I whispered.
Hunter’s answer was to reach for the phone in my lap and pull up a name. “Gigi, it’s Hunter. We’ve got an emergency with Maisy’s dad and need to go to the hospital. Can you watch Coby?” He listened to her for a second, then said, “Okay. We’ll be there in a few.” He hung up the phone and handed it back. “Where do I go?”
“Back to the highway, then toward town.”
As Hunter drove faster, I said a silent prayer for my dad and pulled in another shaking breath before turning back around to Coby. “Buddy, we need to go to the hospital to check on Gramps because he’s sick. Can you play with Ben for a while?”
He nodded as more tears fell. “Okay.”
“Gramps is going to be okay,” I told us both.
“Are you going to fix him?” Coby asked Hunter.
Hunter looked into the rearview mirror. “I’ll do my very best.”
Please, let him be okay. Please. Please.
My pleading prayer ran on loop.
We drove to the farmhouse in silence, other than me giving Hunter directions. When we pulled up, Jess and Gigi were waiting for us outside. Jess went right to the back to get Coby out and Gigi reached in through my open window for a hug.
“We’ve got him,” Gigi said.
“Thank you.” I looked over her shoulder to see Coby’s head resting on Jess’s strong shoulder. “We haven’t had dinner yet.”
She waved me off. “We’ll take care of everything. Just go.”
“Thanks.” Hunter waved and then pulled out of the gravel driveway, pointing the car toward town. With one hand on the steering wheel, he let me clutch his other tightly on my lap. The closer we got to the hospital, the tighter my grip became. When we turned into the Jamison Valley Hospital parking lot, my entire body was shaking.
The last time I’d been in this parking lot, Jess had been driving me away from Everett’s dead body.
My heart was racing and sweat was beading at my temples but a cold shiver crept under my skin. No matter how many breaths I sucked in, I couldn’t seem to fill my lungs.
“You can do this.” Hunter pried his hand out of my grip and opened his door.
