Page 55 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)
FIFTY-FOUR
Noah
As the trees start to thin, the ambulance lights come into view, and my shoulders relax a little more.
Luke meets me halfway. “Is she okay?”
“I think so. She ran to me and didn’t appear to be limping. She’s scratched up, but she passed out before she could tell me.” We walk toward the open ambulance doors. “Where’s Aspen?” I ask, looking around.
“She left with Thorne,” Luke tells me as he steps in and puts on gloves.
I freeze. “Did they arrest her?” Luna will be devastated if they did.
He shakes his head. “They took her to a different hospital to be treated and will complete a formal interview. She said she wanted to tell them everything to help bring The Family down. She was one of the girls who was taken as a child from the little I’ve heard. How soon did she fall asleep?”
“Almost as soon as she jumped into my arms. She hasn’t stopped shivering, though.” I sit on the gurney with her in my arms.
“We’ll have to wake her up to make sure she’s good. Sam was checking one of the women who was found in the basement, and it looked like she took a beating as badly as Aspen did. He’ll be here in a minute or two once the next bus is here.”
I turn my head and kiss Luna’s temple. “Luna, you have to wake up now. Luke has to check you over so we can head to the hospital,” I whisper.
She groans. “I’m just cold.”
“Luna, did you hit your head or cut yourself anywhere? Were you hit?” Luke asks.
She lifts her head. “No, I just have cuts and bug bites from hiding in a log,” she says and shivers again.
“We can just take her to the ER. Let them do a full check,” Luke says as he hands us a blanket.
“I don’t need to go to the ER. I’m fine,” she says insistently.
“Maybe, but it’ll make me feel better. Also, Jess and the girls are going to meet us there so they can make sure you’re alright.”
Her eyes pop open. “Is she okay? We didn’t get to finish shopping for Jess! She needs stuff for school! Are you okay? They shot at you guys!”
“We’re both fine. We can go in a few days, or we can order it online. Whichever you’re both comfortable with.” But if it were up to me, we wouldn’t ever go shopping again.
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. How are you doing, Luna?” Sam asks as he climbs into the driver’s seat.
“I’m cold and tired, but I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the ER,” she says again.
“We have to go. That’s where the girls are, and Jess is excited to see you,” he says as Luke closes the doors.
“Ugh, fine. Although I feel like we’d be going even if they weren’t there.” She pouts.
“We just want to make sure you’re okay,” I tell her as Sam puts it into drive and starts to pull out.
“Jess is really okay, right?” She rests her head back down on my shoulder.
I hold her a little tighter. “She was scared, but she told us everything.”
Luna lifts her head, her brows furrowed. “Told you what? She was with you when everything happened.”
I take a deep breath and tell her everything Jess told us.
How Jess was treated because she left and that they took it out on Jess.
How Matthew took over when his dad and some of the other elders died of some illness, and how they made Jess feel like if they could get information about her, she could save The Family and bring you back.
The ambulance turns onto the main road, and tears fill Luna’s eyes as she processes what I told her.
“She’s really scared you’re going to hate her. Well, that everyone is going to hate her,” I add.
“How could we ever hate her? She went through so much, and it’s all my fault,” she says, and her voice breaks.
“Listen to me, my Lunabella. This is not your fault . Matthew and The Family are to blame. I told her it wasn’t her fault, just like it wasn’t yours.”
Her eyes meet mine. “I love you, Noah. Thank you for finding me, and thank you for making sure Jess was safe and knew she was loved when she needed it the most.”
“I love you too. I would do anything for both of you,” I tell her and kiss her softly.
She smiles at me as we turn into the hospital parking lot.
“Your carriage has arrived, my friends,” Luke says, and I feel Luna jump because she forgot he was here.
“Can you let Hunt know we’re here and that he can talk to Luna later after she rests some?” I ask Luke.
“Yeah, man. I can take care of that.” He gets up and opens the back doors.
I stand and walk with Luna in my arms and step down.
“I can walk, Noah,” Luna whispers.
“I know you can, but I like you in my arms. So just let me carry you.”
We walk in, and she’s quickly taken back to a room. I’m glad we told Sam to keep the girls out in the lobby until after the doctors do their exam.