Page 44 of Revived (Lucky Ones #1)
Sullivan Byrne
S tanding at the window in the box at the rink, I’m so content. I have my beautiful fiancé in my arms. My brother’s team is up one in game five of the Stanley Cup finals, where they lead the series in a three-two split. If they win this, they win the cup.
“Come on, Flynn! Pass the damn puck!” Kieran shouts as if Flynn can hear him from all the way up here.
Oh, yeah; my entire family is here. Shocking, I know. We’ve made a lot of improvements in the past year. We still keep our relation to each other discreet, but we get together more often. Flynn grumbles about it, but I know he secretly likes seeing everyone more frequently.
Elle turns in my arms and presses up on her toes to kiss the underside of my jaw. We’ve had a hard year, but we’ve grown so much. She’s now coaching girls at the elite level and is loving it, and I’m still at the station.
“I love you so much.” She beams up at me like I hold all the answers to life's problems.
“I love you, Boo.” I smile down at her before pressing my lips gently to hers.
“Eww!” Maeve and Lorcan call from across the box.
“Mama, Uncle Sully is kissing Aunt Elle, again.” Maeve’s little voice sing songs.
“Sister Bear, leave them alone.” Clara quietly chastises, but the mischievous gleam in her little eyes is one I know well. She’s a Byrne through and through.
Rhett is glued to what’s going on down at the rink.
He’s in the full swing of being a teenager, and because he’s a ‘too cool’ teenager, to him, Flynn and our friends are the coolest people he knows.
He’s obsessed with all sports but has taken up ju-jitsu.
According to his Da, he’s really good at it too.
“Uh, guys?” Rhett calls from his spot at the glass. “They just pulled Uncle Flynn off the ice.” All of our heads whip over to where Flynn is going back and forth with one of his coaches. We all watch as he nods and walks into the tunnels.
What the hell is that about?
“What was going on before he came off the ice, Bear?” Declan asks our nephew as we try to figure out why they would have pulled him off the ice.
“Nothing. I mean, he took that hit earlier in the period, but the play they pulled him off of didn't seem like anything was wrong. He just passed the puck to Wood.” Rhett shrugs.
“They may be checking in after his hit to make sure he’s okay. It must not be anything big because no one has called me.” I remind everyone, but my stomach still sinks, and I begin to fidget with the hem of Elle’s shirt.
We watch the rest of the game while half paying attention.
No one has called me, but he hasn’t come back out either.
Even the announcers are wondering about where he went.
It isn’t until the game is over and his team wins, but still no Flynn, that my heartrate kicks up a few notches.
My phone vibrates, and I pull it out with the finesse of a newborn giraffe.
Flynn: Emergency. Need you at D.C Doctors. Third floor. Can’t talk.
I flash the screen to Elle so she can read it before pocketing it and walking over to my brothers and my best friends. The spouses and kids are preoccupied, so I don’t have to worry about anyone overhearing me.
“I just got a text from Flynn. He said to meet him at D.C Doctor’s and that it’s an emergency. I have to go. Someone needs to make sure the family gets home safe, but I need to get to him. Something’s wrong.”
“Clara and I will go too. Everyone else get the women and children to the house before coming up.” Rowan’s deep voice commands the group, and no one even dares to argue.
Without another word, I turn and grab Elle’s hand. We have to get to the hospital now. Her thumb rubs up and down the side of mine the whole way there while constantly reminding me that it’ll be okay.
But what if he isn’t okay? What the fuck am I supposed to do without the other half of my soul? The entire ride on the elevator I’m struggling with what I’m going to find at the other end of these doors. When the doors finally open, I’m stunned.
Why the fuck are we in the mother and baby unit.
The End…