Rush Into You (28 page)

I always got nervous when Ryker raced, but tonight was a hundred times worse because of the rain and my already unsettled nerves. The uneasiness I’d been feeling all day was at an all time high, and though I wasn’t quite sure what I was afraid of, I was undeniably terrified right now.

The races usually ended quickly because of how fast the guys rode their bikes, but it seemed to take forever tonight. I was straining to hear the loud roar of the motorcycles over the rumbling thunder, but it proved to be impossible. I looked around desperately searching for a familiar face. I saw Jay on the other side of the crowd, and we locked eyes. She started walking towards me.

My head whipped back to the street, and I perked up the second the motorcycle engines could be heard over the thunder. As soon as I saw Ryker’s red bike rounding the bend, I felt my body relax, and a little bit of my fear fade away. He knew what he was doing, and I was sure he had raced in the rain before. He’d be fine. He was in the lead, and in a matter of seconds this race would be over and he’d be next to me, and we’d go home together.

Keith’s bike came into view a moment later right on Ryker’s tail. Ryker kept the lead, but Keith was easily keeping up. The unrelenting rain poured fat drops in rapid succession all over the pavement and people. Puddles were forming on the street, and the bikes raced right through them splashing water high into the air. My eyes strained against the heavy downpour, and tried to stay focused on Ryker. I knew they were pushing their bikes over a hundred miles per hour, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Instead of trying to pass by Ryker, I noticed Keith moving closer to him…almost as if he were aiming for him. I tensed, any shred of relief I felt a moment ago fleeing my body.

“What is he doing?” I whispered to myself under my breath, watching horrified as Keith inched even closer to Ryker. I closed my eyes for a quick second and sent a silent prayer up to God to keep him safe. A quick flash of orange sparks caught my eyes the second they reopened, startling me. They were gone before I had the chance to look closer, the rain eating them up.

My hand flew to my mouth covering my gasp as I watched Ryker fight for control of his bike. Keith charged after him, completely avoiding the opening he’d just had to pass him. There was no question in my mind what I was seeing. The moment Ryker steadied himself, Keith deliberately rammed his bike into the back of Ryker’s, not even caring about his own safety. Just yards away from the finish line, Keith and Ryker began losing control of their bikes.

“What the fuck!” I screamed at the same time everyone erupted into chaos. ”Oh no! No, no, no! Please, God, don’t let this be happening!”

There was absolutely nothing I could do right now except watch as Ryker failed to control his bike. Between being side swept by Keith and the slickness of the boulevard, there was nothing he could do except fall. The wet pavement gave him no chance to steady himself; it only assisted in bringing him to the ground faster. I shook my head frantically, trying to erase the nightmare from before my eyes.

I saw Keith swerve maniacally before skidding off the road and out of sight. The crowd screamed and ran in the opposite direction. Not a second later there was an earsplitting crash. I could see the panic and fear paralyzing Ryker as his strong grip remained locked on the handlebars. My mind flashed to all the moments I’d spent with him; images of his smile and the sound of his laughter warming me ever since the first day we met.

This couldn’t be happening to him right now.

Everything moved in slow motion as my world crashed down upon me once again. I watched my boyfriend lose the last shred of control he had as his bike tipped over and landed on top of him, pinning him onto the street. He started skidding at probably one hundred miles per hour down the slight slope of a hill. Sparks were flying endlessly and disappearing almost immediately from the rain. The screech of the metal from his bike against the pavement was never-ending, and my stomach churned at the very vivid memory it brought back for me. I fought the darkness of my own past as I took off in a sprint toward Ryker. I stopped short as he whipped right by me underneath his bike.

Luckily, I heard sirens in the distance in that exact moment, and I was grateful, but the only thing on my mind was Ryker. I needed to get to him, even though I was absolutely terrified of what I’d find when I did. I didn’t know what I’d do with myself if something happened to him. I just needed him to be okay, and everything else could be dealt with later.

Even though it was probably only a matter of seconds, a minute at the most, I felt like it took years to get to Ryker. I ran as fast as I could, dodging people and jumping over everything blocking my way. When I finally got to him, my world crumbled. Again. The sight of him, bloody and bruised while pinned beneath his almost five hundred pound motorcycle was heartbreaking. I couldn’t see his entire body because of the bike, but his limbs were bent at odd angles, and I knew he was still alive because of the agonizing groans coming from deep within his soul.

“Don’t touch him!” I shouted when a few more people ran over to him and got ready to move the bike. “The paramedics are here. Let them do it, and they’ll tell us what we need to do. We don’t want to hurt him any more than he already is by fucking something up.”

It was almost impossible to watch as the team of paramedics took Ryker’s vitals with the bike still on top of him. I couldn’t stand to see him like this, and not being able to help him at all. I couldn’t lose him. He needed to be okay. Ryker didn’t deserve this.

The paramedics worked quickly and efficiently while the police that arrived tried to keep everyone back at a safe distance. Someone grabbed my hand unexpectedly, and I jerked back in surprise to find Jay standing beside me. She didn’t say anything but just offered her support through the touch of her hand. I was grateful for her in that moment, more than she’d probably ever know.

My thoughts were racing as I watched the bike being carefully lifted from Ryker’s body. The strangled cry that erupted from him brought me to my knees. Jay kept her hand latched on mine and fell with me, trying to hold me together. I fought the sobs from breaking through, not wanting the chance of Ryker hearing my pain. He was such a selfless man that no matter how much pain he was in, I knew it would only cause him more if he heard me breaking down.

Ryker was set on the gurney and lifted into the back of the ambulance that was parked right beside us. I broke free from Jay and rushed to the ambulance. “I’m coming with him!” I shouted.

“I’m sorry miss, but you can’t come with us. Please move out of the way, we need to get this man to the hospital as soon as possible,” the paramedic said firmly.

“Please! I’m his girlfriend, I need to be with him!” I begged, crying uncontrollably.

“Even if you were family, there’s no room in the back of that ambulance right now. We need as much space as possible.” He jumped into the back of the ambulance next to Ryker and began working on him with the other paramedic.

A police officer touched my arm gently, pulling me away from the ambulance as the paramedics shut the door. I saw Jay speaking with the EMT before walking towards me.

She walked me away from the officer and over towards her car. “They’re taking him to the Breckston hospital. You can’t do anything from here, but you can help by giving them his information and going to the hospital to be near him. I’m sorry, but I can’t drive you. I’ve been drinking. I know you don’t drive,” her eyes watered, and she looked apologetic as she dug for her keys in her purse, “but you can take my car if you want to go now. Brian will bring me home. Or, you can wait and I’ll have Brian drive you to the hospital.”

Although it had been years since I’d driven a car, I still had my license. It was suspended for several years after the accident, but it was valid now. I took the keys from her outstretched hand without hesitation. My fear of driving would need to be put on hold for the sake of Ryker. He needed me.

“Thank you, Jay!” I yelled, already running the rest of the way to her car.

FEAR CONSUMED ME as I slid into the front seat of Jay’s car behind the steering wheel. My body was trembling uncontrollably, too overwhelmed with all the emotions flooding my system. My already fragile mind flashed images back and forth between my own car accident and what had just happened with Ryker.

I gripped the steering wheel and planted my feet on the floor of the car, trying to ground myself. I squeezed my eyes shut as the memories kept coming and picking up speed until all I could see was a blood bath behind my eyelids of the people I’d killed. My ears were ringing as if the sickening crash of vehicles was happening inside my head…as if the metal were scratching against my brain. I shook my head as fast as I could, trying to dispel the gruesome memories. The only thing in my mind when I opened my eyes was Ryker. I needed to get to him. He needed me to be strong.

My fear of losing him further outweighed my fear of driving.

I surveyed the area around me and noticed that mostly everyone that was here for the races had already left. These races were illegal, so when the cops showed up, everyone had scattered. The only people who remained were huddled into small groups, looking terrified and crying.

The sky was pitch black with lots of aggressive storm clouds that seemed to cover up every star in the world. The hard rain continued its downpour, attacking everything and everyone out in the open. The thunder rumbled on at frightening volumes, and the lightening had finally made its appearance. Alternating lightning bolts and sheets of white lit up the sky in flashes.

I pressed down on the brake with my right foot, and switched the gears from park to drive. I pulled from the parking spot and drove slowly into the street. If I wanted to make it to the hospital in one piece, and have everyone else on the road remain in one piece, I needed to drive carefully regardless of how fast I wanted to get there. Once I got a feel for the power behind Jay’s car, I pressed down further on the gas and drove the speed limit down the boulevard. My nerves were still sky high, but I slowly became more comfortable behind the wheel.

I drove to the Breckston Hospital, then pulled the Mustang into the hospital parking lot. I fully took in my surroundings and realized where I was. Although I had been concentrating on the road, my mind was way too busy to focus on the significance of what I was doing. I knew people who worked at this hospital. I couldn’t dwell on any of that, though. Ryker’s safety was more important than anything.

I parked the car and jumped out as if it were on fire. I ran as fast as I could on trembling legs to the automatic doors of the main entrance. The brightness of the cold white lobby was a startling contrast from the black and stormy outdoors. It took my eyes a moment to adjust before I located the bored looking middle aged woman at the reception desk in the corner. I ran to where she was, my sneakers squeaking from the rain the whole way.

“I need Ryker Rosse’s room number. Please, it’s an emergency.”

My shaking hands were set on the counter between us and the woman looked at them with obvious disgust marring her features. She slowly raised her eyes to my face, making it obvious that my presence bothered her. I saw the exact moment when she recognized who I was. She used to be my neighbor when I lived at my parents’ house. We’d had a friendly relationship, and I used to help bring her trash barrels up from the street each week. After my car accident, she’d made a huge scene about me touching her property and threatened to call the cops. We never spoke again after that, but I’d received an abundance of dirty looks from her.

“Miss. Carter. What a surprise.” Her nasally voice expressed her disdain.

“Please, there’s been an accident.” I tried to calm myself down. “I need to get to Ryker Rosse’s room immediately. Can I have the number?”

She made no move to locate the information on her computer, and just continued to stare down her nose at me. “Tell me. Why is it, my dear, that you always seem to be involved in
accidents
?”

“Listen, Mrs. Gallagher. With all due respect, I’m not here for a social visit. I just need you to do your job and get me the information I requested.”

Her mouth hung open in shock, then she pushed her rolling chair away from her desk more and stood, smoothing out her skirt suit. “I’m going to call security right now, and have them remove you from this building for harassment.”

I didn’t have time for her antics or any other distractions, so I ran as quickly as I could down the hall and took a right past the bank of elevators. I had no idea what room Ryker was in, never mind what floor he was on, but I figured starting in the emergency room would be a safe bet.

I pushed the doors to the ER waiting room open and bolted straight to the registration table before me. I was paranoid that Mrs. Gallagher already called security, and was worried that someone else would recognize me. Luckily, I didn’t know the bored looking young man who sat behind the desk. He must have been in his early twenties, and looked like he’d rather be anywhere but at work. He was occupied with a candy game on his cell phone that I knew all too well.