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Kate exhaled slowly, which told Gia that she was doing her best tohold it together. But when Gia looked further, she could see that Kate’s handswere shaking, a sure sign that, internally, she was a wreck. Her eyes flutteredclosed briefly and she swallowed before continuing. “Apparently the danger forAutumn is high. If her blood pressure gets any lower, we’re looking at thepotential for organ damage or a heart attack. For the twins, it could decreasetheir blood flow.”

“What’s the plan?” Gia asked, wanting the doctors to solve thisproblem before those awful consequences were even possibilities.

“They’re going to treat her BP and keep her overnight formonitoring. We don’t want to deliver the babies at this point, at onlythirty-two weeks, but the doctors say it’s something we’ll have to consider ifAutumn’s life is at risk.”

“Oh, no,” Hadley said, hugging herself.

“It’s going to be fine,” Isabel said, putting her arms aroundHadley. “The doctors know what they’re doing.”

Gia nodded, needing to believe that. “Yep. They do. By tomorrow,that blood pressure will be much more in range.” There was an old saying,fake it till you make it,and Gia planned to apply that adage here. Everything would be just fine. Shewould cling to that until told differently.

Kate nodded, worry now creasing her face. “Autumn’s asleep rightnow. But I can call you guys if anything changes.”

“Thanks, Kate,” Gia said, and gave her pal a hug, as did Hadleyand Isabel. But when Kate disappeared down the hall again, nobody made the moveto leave. They looked at one another.

“I don’t think I can just go home,” Hadley said, finally. “Notuntil I know more.”

Isabel returned to her original chair in the waiting area and tooka seat. “Me neither.”

“Then we’re all in agreement,” Gia said. “Let’s order in somefood. Could be a long night.”

When she reflected on it, staying wasn’t even a question in theirminds, really. Gia understood that her friend was in trouble, and it wasn’t anoption for her to go about her day as if that weren’t the case. With hershoulder, she nudged Hadley, who nudged her back. Isabel smiled over at them.She would sit here with Hadley and Isabel, and they would be there…just to bethere.

It’s what friends did.

* * *

Two hours later, after a round of Chinese delivery, the three ofthem recessed to the quiet of their own thoughts and keeping-busy tasks. Hadleyread a mystery novel. Isabel tick-tacked away on her laptop, most likelywriting something brilliant, and Gia kept herself occupied on her phone. Shereturned some email, looked over her most recent stats, and headed over toSurfline.com to catch up on the latest round of projections and interviews withher competitors and colleagues. She didn’t get very far. The headline, splashedbig and bold across the top of her screen, brought the world to a stop. Sheslid to the edge of her chair and blinked hard to be sure she’d read itcorrectly.

Elle BrittonRushed to Hospital in Ambulance from Hermosa Beach

She stood up and reread the headline. It didn’t fully computeuntil it did, and she couldn’t find her breath. She opened her mouth to tellher friends, but the words failed her. She closed it again.

“G, what’s wrong?” Hadley asked, looking alarmed.

Isabel stood up next to Gia. “Hey, you’re white as a sheet. Palerthan me. Say something.”

She thrust the phone at them. “I think something bad happened,”she finally choked out.

Hadley took the phone as Isabel peered over her shoulder at theheadline. Gia felt their sympathetic stares turn to her, but all she couldconcentrate on was the fact that the floor felt uneven and the air haddisappeared. Or maybe her throat had constricted. She looked around for help,but what help would there be? “It doesn’t say much other than there was asurfing accident, and an ambulance on scene that left with lights and sirens,”Hadley told them.

“Does it say where they took her?” Gia asked, attempting toestablish logical thought progression.

“She could be here,” Hadley offered.

“What do I do? How do I find out?” Gia asked. Her brain wasn’thers. She needed guidance. She needed information. She needed Elle. God, hadn’tshe always?

Isabel leapt into action. “Let’s do this. Had, stay here in casethere’s word about Autumn. Text me if there’s anything. I’ll walk with Gia tothe admissions desk and see what we can find out.”

“Okay, but let me know,” Hadley said. “I’m just going to besitting here worried.”

“Will do.”

Gia followed Isabel down the hall like a lost child following adependable adult. Her hands were numb, and her thoughts jumped from one awfulconclusion to another, never settling for long. She flashed on happier images,too. Of Elle, her face when she smiled, her fist curled beneath her chin as sheslept. If anything happened to her, Gia wouldn’t recover. There would be nopoint. If she was hurt, Gia wasn’t sure how she’d cope. The idea alone had herfeeling nauseous. She wanted to trade places with her, to do something to erasewhatever horrible thing had happened and take it on herself. God, what in theworld had happened out there anyway?

“Hi,” Isabel said, to the woman at the circular desk in the lobbyof the hospital. “Hoping you can help us. We were told our friend had beenbrought in following a surfing accident.”

The woman nodded, as if confirming the information, but offerednothing further.