“Now, it’s a little different from the style you usually go for, but I really think—”
“Love it!”
I smiled and tried to contain the relief in my voice. “I’m glad.”
“I love this modern twist you put on it.”
“All right, well, make sure it all looks good, and if it does, I’ll put the order in.”
“No changes, I’m happy with this one, whoever had the balls to change it up on me deserves a raise.”
Smiling to myself, I wished my boss could’ve been in here for this call. “Okay. I’ll put the order in right . . . now.” I trailed off as my cell phone vibrated with Parker’s school on the ID. Fear gripped at my chest and I hurried to get off the phone. “Have a good rest of your week, Mr. Walton.”
“Bye now.”
“Hello?” I answered my cell as I hung up the office phone, and held my breath.
“Miss Hudson?”
“Yes.” Please, God, please let Parker just be in trouble.
“This is Assistant Principal Reese from Parker’s elementary school.”
“Hi, is everything okay?”
“Ma’am, we had to call an ambulance to take Parker to the hos—”
“What?!” I yelled into the phone and stood so fast my desk chair rolled back until it hit the wall.
“They just loaded him up and left a few minutes ago.”
I gripped at my head and spun in a tight circle as I tried to think of what I had to do. “Aren’t you—aren’t you supposed to call me before you just take him to the hospital?”
“He fell off the gym set during the lunch recess and was knocked unconscious, he still hadn’t woken up by the time the ambulance left.”
I stopped spinning abruptly and my entire body trembled as I reached blindly for my chair. “W-what? He . . . are you sure it was Parker?”
“Yes, and I’m so sorry to have to be the one to call you. But are you able to go to the hospital, or have another family member meet them there?”
“Is he okay? He’s going to be okay right?” I don’t know how I’d ended up on the floor, but I couldn’t figure out how to get back up. I wasn’t seeing anything other than Parker.
The man was silent for a few seconds. “It was a pretty bad fall, Miss Hudson. You should probably get to the hospital. Maybe have someone drive you.”
Why wasn’t he telling me if Parker would be okay or not? Why was he talking like he wouldn’t be? Fat tears quickly fell down my cheeks, and my head jerked to the right when my boss touched my shoulder.
“I’m going,” I said into the phone before ending the call and letting my boss help me stand.
“What happened? I heard you—”
“P-parker was rushed—” I cut off on a sob, and pressed down onto Coen’s name on my phone. “I have to go.”
He just nodded and stepped back as I frantically searched for my purse.
I took off running down the hall and out of the building as Coen’s voice mail picked up. Ending the call only to call him again, I begged for him to answer.
Just before I ended the call again, he answered. “Hey, Ray, I’m in the middle of a shoot.” He must have heard my sobs because he quickly asked, “Babe, what’s wrong?” Panic filled his tone.
“Parker’s school called! They said—they said he fell off something on the playground and was unconscious.” Another sob burst from my chest as I cranked the engine on my car and pulled out of the parking spot. “He was taken to the hospital by ambulance, he still wasn’t waking up by the time they left. He said it was bad, Coen, he couldn’t even tell me he was going to be okay!”
Coen’s ragged breaths filled the phone. “What? No . . . no.”
I choked on my tears, and the sound must have finally broken through Coen’s denial.
“Oh my God. I’m on my way.”
“Coen, tell me he’s going to be okay,” I pleaded.
“He’s going to be fine, Reagan. He’s going to be fine. Babe, you shouldn’t be driving. Pull over, let me pick you up.”
“No!” I yelled. “I can’t sit here and do nothing, I need to get to him. I have to go!”
“Damn it!” he gritted, but I knew by his tone that he’d acknowledged I wouldn’t be waiting for him. “Reagan Hudson, listen to me. Keep yourself safe. I’m on my way and I’ll meet you there.”
I nodded and whispered some sort of good-bye before ending the call and calling my mom. The entire time I prayed Parker would be okay.
Coen—October 27, 2010
I PARKED IN the first spot I found, and didn’t even bother to check if it was a handicap space or not. I didn’t f**king care. They could tow my car if they wanted. I’d already run out on a client after barely telling him why I was leaving, and gone over double the speed limit the entire way . . . a goddamn handicap space wasn’t going to stop me from getting in that hospital.
Running into the ER, I looked around the waiting room and rushed to the window when I didn’t see Reagan or anyone from her family. “Parker Hudson.”
The lady looked at me like I’d just ruined her day before sighing. “Can I help you, sir?”
“Parker Hudson, he was brought in here by ambulance not long ago. Where is he?” Adrenaline was coursing through my body, and I was five seconds from breaking through the locked doors and finding him myself. I didn’t know if Reagan had made it here okay, I didn’t know if Parker was awake yet . . . I was flipping the f**k out.