It felt like one of the horrible nightmares I had been having. Only, I wasn’t the one hit with the car, nor was I the one in the accident. Exhausted, I fell against Alec. His strong hands came around my stomach, pulling me into a backward hug. My eyes darted to my mom who was speaking to one of the triage nurses.

I felt Alec sigh behind me. “We should go sit down.”

My throat felt all closed up. I wasn’t sure I could trust myself to speak without breaking down.

We sat in silence for over an hour and still hadn’t heard anything. My grip on Alec’s hand hadn’t lessened any. I wasn’t even sure he knew I was still sitting next to him. His eyes were trained on the double doors leading into the emergency room.

“He’s going to be okay,” I finally said, my hand clenching even tighter than before.

Alec said nothing. He didn’t even blink.

I let go of his hand and began rubbing the back of his neck, desperate for him to make any sort of noise, or at least acknowledge that I was there. I didn’t want him to feel alone.

“Alec,” I tried again. “Is there anyone I need to call?”

Slowly, Alec shook his head. “I don’t know, I can’t think right now…”

“Your manager? Agent? Someone to handle the media?”

“Crap.” Alec finally broke his stare from the double doors and looked at me. “Nat, I don’t think I can do it, I can’t—” His voice cracked.

“Give me your phone.” I held out my hand.

Alec dug into his pocket and gave me his sleek silver iPhone, typing in the password before he gave it to me.

I scrolled through the address book. Alec was still tense next to me, but he watched me and then pointed out his agent’s number.

I nodded and dialed.

Explaining the accident was earth-shaking. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I was doing this for both Alec and Demetri. I repeated the story over twelve times to their managers, assistants, agents. Over an hour later I was finally hanging up and Alec’s phone was blinking that it only had 20% battery power left.

My head pounded with the start of a headache as I shoved the phone back into his hand. “Thank you,” he murmured.

I embraced him tightly and laid my head over his shoulder. “Any word?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Is there anything else I can do?” I asked in a small voice.

Alec relaxed a bit and flashed me a small smile. “Honestly, Nat. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty. Just sit by me. It helps.”

“I love you.”

He was silent.

Dread filled my belly as I waited for his response. Did this change things between us? Did he blame me for Demetri’s freak out?

“I love you too, Nat.” His voice was hoarse.

Tears pooled in my eyes, and then the double doors flew open. My dad strode towards us, his eyes were tired. I could see the strain on his face.

It seemed like time stood still. Each step he took toward us felt like an eternity. I realized if I just concentrated on the floor where he was stepping, listened to the steady cadence of his shoes against the tile, I wouldn’t pass out. I could even my breathing.

“Alec.” My dad. The very same dad who hadn’t once hugged me in my whole life, pulled my boyfriend into the tightest hug I’ve ever seen, and then opened his arms to me.

We stayed like that for a few minutes. Dad stepped back. “He’s going to be fine.”

I lost it.

Tears streamed down my face, my body wracked with sobs. Alec wordlessly pulled me to his side. “Can we see him?”

“Not yet.” My dad looked from Alec to me. “We had to induce a coma so he could heal. We’ll pull him out of it when I think he’s out of the woods. He has four broken ribs, and a bruised spleen. His left wrist is completely shattered and one of his lungs was punctured. He has a mild concussion, and his face is severely bruised. His right cheek bone is fractured but other than that he’s doing just fine.”

Yeah, other than his entire body being broken. I could feel Alec tense next to me. I knew what he was thinking. His brother was okay, but he could have died. He’s also left-handed, meaning he wouldn’t be able to play guitar for quite a while. I knew enough about Demetri to know music was his only escape. I shuddered to think of what he would turn to if he didn’t have his music.

“Sir?” Alec’s voice cracked. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say. Other than I owe you everything.”

My dad smiled genuinely and patted Alec on the back. “It was my pleasure. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on our patient.”

Guilt stabbed my chest. I had always thought my parents didn’t care. Was it possible that they actually did? For my dad to do what he did, to embrace me, and then be so genuine with Alec. Confused, I just kept my mouth shut and allowed my brain to replay images of my past.

“Nat,” Alec whispered next to me. My head snapped up. “Thank you, for taking care of things, for the calls and—” He shook his head and licked his lips then looked back down at the floor. “I honestly don’t know what I would do without you.”

I hugged him tight. “I’m sorry, Alec. If I could have known, maybe—”

“No.” Alec jerked back and glared. “Don’t even think about blaming yourself for this! We all go through crap, Nat. That’s life. It’s how you react to it that defines the person you grow into.”