Page 38

Chapter thirty-eight

Landon

A collective gasp rippled through the stadium, pulling Landon’s attention away from the timeout huddle with the other receivers and coaches. He turned toward the end zone to see what was happening and noticed half of the Sirens surrounding someone on the ground.

He saw Zoe, which meant Keala was at that end zone, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. Looking up at the big screen didn’t help at all either.

He walked toward them. Ikaika must have had the same feeling because he fell into step beside Landon. The coaches were yelling at them. One medic and then another rushed from their sideline, and dread washed over him. Scanning the group, he still couldn’t find Keala, and when the group parted to let the medics in, Landon realized why.

It was her on the ground. He didn’t think, just ran as fast as he could. When he reached her, he saw her normally golden skin was pale, especially in contrast to the colors of her cheer uniform. Her eyes, which had seemed tired in the tunnel earlier, were completely shut.

“What happened?” he asked, looking at all the cheerleaders who still lingered around her, then at the medic beside her. “What’s wrong?” he asked more forcefully. His voice sounded shaky to his own ears, and he was still panting from his sprint down the field.

“We were doing a routine and she collapsed. She seemed kind of out of it in the locker room and in practice, but I just thought it was because…” Zoe’s voice drifted off as Landon locked eyes with her, and he understood what she wasn’t saying. She’d thought things had been off because Keala was struggling with their time apart, like he was. “She didn’t eat anything for lunch though, and I haven’t seen her drink anything either.”

The second medic, the one who wasn’t on his knees at her side assessing her, put a hand on Landon’s chest. “We’re going to need everyone to give us some space to work. Now.” He used his other hand to gesture to her teammates, who listened.

“Keala!” Landon yelled, trying to get away from the medic. Hoping she’d sit up, reassure him that she was okay.

“I got him,” someone murmured, and before Landon knew it, Ikaika was the one in front of him, nudging him back.

“Ik, she’s okay, right? She…”

“We need to listen to the medics. They’re here to help,” his friend said. When Landon took a few steps back, eyes never leaving her, Ikaika let go but kept a hand firmly placed on Landon’s chest.

The first medic used a stethoscope, talking quietly with the other. Landon couldn’t hear them, and it was driving him wild. Their faces gave away nothing. “What are they saying?” He moved toward them again, but Ikaika pushed him back. “Ik, she has to be okay.”

“Let them work. You’ve seen them. You know they know what they’re doing. They’ll help her.”

A third medic ran up, handing something off to the first, and after speaking to them quietly, took off toward the sideline again.

Why isn’t she waking up? Get up, baby. Get up .

They pricked her finger. Nodded to each other. Placed a small, metallic device against two of her fingers, turning their attention to a tablet screen. Landon ran a hand through his hair, hopelessly trying to make out what they were saying.

The third medic came back with a small, reddish-orange, rectangular box. Ikaika turned to watch too. The woman took out a vial of white powder, uncapped it, then pushed liquid from a syringe inside. She shook the vial, then used the syringe to pull out the liquid.

As she got ready to inject it into Keala’s leg, Landon cringed. “What are they doing? What is that?”

“I’m not sure.”

After putting the syringe back into the case, the second medic pressed on her leg, and then they pushed Keala onto her side. Panic rose in Landon’s chest when he noticed a cart coming toward them. She wasn’t going to be able to get up and walk? That couldn’t be right.

“No, no. She’s—she’s fine. She’s going to—she’s fine.” He got louder with each word. He’d just seen Keala before the game. She had looked sad, sure, but she’d given no indication that she hadn’t been physically okay.

Ikaika looked back at Landon, concern etched into every one of his features. Ikaika, who was so strong, who had been through so much, looked concerned. That broke something inside of Landon. His eyes welled with tears and his throat closed up, scratchy like sandpaper.

The image of his mother collapsing in the living room flashed in his mind. The feel of shock shutting his whole body down, of struggling to breathe while Colton yelled for help to get her in the car. Of doctors poking her, prodding her, buzzing around her in her final moments. Suddenly, it wasn’t Keala on the field but his mom, frail from the chemo, dehydrated and tired beyond belief. So many things he hadn’t gotten to say to her.

So many things he hadn’t gotten to say to Keala either.

Landon inhaled sharply, so desperate to hold her. So desperate for her to wake up and stand, like nothing had happened. Why wasn’t she waking up?

“I need her to be okay. She has to be.”

Ikaika moved his hand from Landon’s chest to his shoulder reassuringly, but that only made him feel worse.

He hadn’t even gotten to tell her how he felt about her. He had been waiting so patiently, continuing to make her food so that when she finally realized whatever had happened at work hadn’t been her fault, she would know she could come back. That he wasn’t upset. That he wanted her in his life.

And now he didn’t know if she would be okay.

He’d watched his mom slip from his grasp, too young, too hopeless to know what to do, but he wouldn’t let that happen again.

Keala’s teammates murmured among themselves, and as the cart got to her, Landon saw her stir, her eyes opening. She still wasn’t sitting up though, and that panic from before practically choked him.

The three medics loaded her onto a stretcher, then put her on the cart. Landon moved in their direction, but again, Ikaika held him back.

“Landon.” Ikaika nodded to where the Sirens stood, most with their hands over their mouths, eyes wide, mixes of concern, fear, and confusion on their faces. Beside them was Keala’s boss, Angelica. Landon had seen her a few times, always with a frown, and now she looked even more severe. She glared after the cart like Keala was gum on the sole of her boot. Heat spread through Landon’s body, crawling up his neck and prickling against his skin in a way that tightened his chest.

His friend continued, “It’s going to be okay. They’re going to take her to the hospital. I have a friend on the medic team who’ll let me know which. But you need to calm down before we cause any more of a scene. And we need to talk to Coach.”

Landon clenched his teeth but mumbled his agreement. His mind had been so singularly focused on Keala that he hadn’t noticed the thunderous applause ringing out now that she was on the cart, heading toward what he hoped was safety. None of the coaches looked happy with them, but Ikaika said something to their head coach, Ray, and he nodded for them to go.

Landon ran alongside Ikaika to the locker room, where they ripped off their pads, tossed on T-shirts, and grabbed their phones. By the time they got to Ikaika’s car, he knew which hospital Keala was going to, texting her parents to meet them there.

The entire ride to the hospital, Landon had his head in his hands, going over what Zoe had said.

If she hadn’t been eating or drinking, she was probably dehydrated. That had to be it. She just needed fluids. She was working herself too hard. It was finally catching up with her, and not even his meals had helped.

If she’d even been eating them.

When they made it to the hospital, they rushed inside the emergency room. Ikaika asked about her, and after Ikaika verified who he was, they were directed to a room right behind them.

A nurse leaving the room smiled. “Hi, is one of you a family member?”

“I’m her cousin, and her parents are on the way.”

“Great, you can follow me in and I’ll let you know her condition.”

Ikaika turned to Landon. “You’ll be okay?” Landon nodded once. “I’ll be right back.”

In the brief moment Landon saw her, he noted the IV in her arm. Her eyes were closed again, and he didn’t know if she was sleeping or unconscious.

Time ticked down. The wait, though only a few minutes, was agony. Ikaika reemerged, a small smile on his face as the nurse said she’d be back in a few minutes.

“What’s wrong? Is she going to be alright?” Landon asked, words strung together in his rush to get them out.

“She had a hypoglycemic episode, which I guess means she had low enough blood sugar that she crashed. They’re giving her fluids and are going to run a couple of tests, but assuming all is well, they’ll discharge her tonight. She’s napping now.”

Relief crashed through Landon like a wave on the shore, and he breathed a sigh, staggering back so his spine hit the wall. “Thank god. That’s…” He nodded, gulping down air. “That’s great news.”

“Yeah. Her parents are close, but I think you can come in if you want.”

Landon thought about how unhinged, how out of his mind with worry he’d been on the field when he’d realized it was her. There was no way his feelings for her hadn’t been clear, which meant he’d potentially outed their relationship not only to Angelica, but to the world. He was sure there was already speculation online about what was going on.

The last thing Keala needed when she woke up was to find out she’d lost her greatest passion. Despite leaving midway through the game, he thought he might have a good shot at swaying the Sentinels franchise to keep her on.

“There’s something I need to do first.”

Ikaika nodded his understanding, handing Landon his keys so he could get back to the stadium.

He didn’t care what he lost, as long as she woke up knowing the thing she loved the most was still hers.

Landon didn’t realize he hadn’t felt that familiar hospital itch until he was halfway to the stadium.