Page 28 of Evergreen Desires (Wildheart Chronicles #1)

My heart pounded in my chest, and my knees gave out, causing me to fall back against a table in the greenhouse. I couldn’t catch my breath, and the world spun around me.

I couldn’t speak, tears filling my eyes as I handed him the phone with Mat still on the line. Will took the call and asked, "Mat, what's wrong?"

He turned and led me towards the door, grabbing some shoes for me without missing a beat. "I'll drive."

I was grateful for Will's support as he drove me to the hospital. My mind was in a frenzy, memories of past tragedies flashing before me. I remembered the night my mother died and how Will was there for me then, just like he was here now.

When we arrived at the hospital, seeing Mat's patrol car reassured me that Jake was not alone. Will was already on his phone, figuring out from Mat where to go.

As soon as I entered the room, relief washed over me. Jake was sitting up in bed, answering Mat's questions. I rushed to his side and kissed him gently, trying not to hurt him further. My hands trembled as I ran them over his body, checking for injuries without touching him too roughly.

"I am fine, I promise. You can give me a hug if you want," Jake said with a smile.

I didn’t need any more encouragement. I pulled him into an embrace, holding him close and inhaling his sweet scent. I was relieved beyond words to have him safe in my arms.

Mat continued to ask questions, and Jake recounted the terrifying incident. He hadn’t seen the driver, and he told us that the van was just an old, plain white panel van with no windows.

"Could Rich be behind this?" I asked, unable to keep the worry out of my voice .

Mat looked serious. "Desperate people do desperate things. We'll keep an eye out for any vehicles matching the description."

As the hours passed by, I stayed by Jake's side, holding his hand and reassuring him that everything would be okay. I was thankful when the doctor decided to keep him overnight for observation.

"I'll stay with you," I told him, determined to be there for every step of his recovery.

With Will's help, I gathered some clothes and Jake's laptop to make him more comfortable. I was grateful for the support of my friends, but my mind was still in turmoil.

As the night wore on, I couldn’t sleep, pacing, unable to get comfortable in the chair beside Jake’s hospital bed for even a moment.My head was a jumbled mess of fears and uncertainties.

Who would want to hurt Jake? Even if it was an attempt to just scare him or to scare me.

I didn’t want to lose Jake like I did Mom, but I couldn’t put him in harm's way. I couldn’t live with myself if he was really hurt, especially if it was because of me.

I knew I was sticking to my guns trying to do the right thing and not taking the easy way out.

I knew the cliché. The right thing was usually the most difficult.

Would Jake be better off without me? He would be safer.

Could I live without him? Could Rich really be behind this?

What if I just gave up the cannabis farm?

Would Will be okay with that? Jake knew about my beast. Would that cause more issues if he was pissed at me?

He could tell everyone. He could ruin me.

I wanted to find the person who did this to Jake and tear them apart.

I was not a murderer, but Jake deserved to be protected, right?

“Jake needs to be safe,” I mumbled to myself. Hearing it out loud made a difference. I knew I couldn’t bear to lose Jake, but I also couldn’t bear the notion of putting him in harm's way because of my work.

I resigned to take care of Jake and get him home and healed. He could stay with me for as long as he wanted. Forever even. But I needed to end this relationship. For his safety, I'd do whatever it took.