Roger put his hand on Gavin’s arm. “Calm down.”

“I am calm. Who was driving?”

“Her boyfriend.”

Since when did Sierra have a boyfriend? As he looked at Roger. “You said two positive things. What’s the other one?”

“She wore her seatbelt. She only ended up with a broken collarbone and didn’t go through the windshield.”

White spots danced in front of Gavin’s eyes and he swayed.

“Whoa, there. Let’s sit down for a second.”

“No. I’m fine. Just…no one’s told me anything about what happened or how it happened or that she had…” Broken body parts. He managed a hoarse, “What else?”

“I’ll let the doctor discuss that with you. You’re ready to see her?”

“Yes.”

Roger walked to a room at the end of the hallway.

With each footstep Gavin’s heart beat faster. His mouth was so dry he couldn’t swallow. His gut churned. His pulse pounded in his eyes, in his ears, in his throat. Hospital sounds morphed into brutal silence in his head, making him feel like he was underwater.

Then he was beside her and he almost wept at seeing the most precious thing in his life lying in a hospital bed attached to an IV. Her dark hair was pulled back, showing the paleness of her face against the white pillow. Bruises dotted her face, jaw and neck. Her lips were reddened, cracked and chapped. Her right arm was strapped in a sling and resting on her belly. She wore a hospital gown. The left side of her body from her shoulder down was covered with several blankets. He was as afraid to touch her as he was afraid not to touch her.

Roger said, “It’s okay. You can get closer.”

Gavin murmured, “Why’s she covered up?”

“Hypothermia. She was really chilled when they brought her in.”

“How long was she out in the elements?”

“Dad?”

His heart leapt at hearing her voice. “Sierra-bear. I’m here, sweetheart.”

Her eyes opened. Tears immediately poured out. “I’m so sorry. I know I was stupid… I never meant—”

“Ssh.” He held her face in his hands. She was so cold. “We can talk about all that other stuff later. I’m just happy you’re mostly all right.” He swiped away her tears with his thumbs and kissed her forehead. He let his lips linger, needing to reassure himself she was breathing.

“But I need to know if Boone is okay.”

Gavin pulled back and looked into her pain-filled eyes. “Boone?”

“Boone West. He was driving.”

Boone West. Why did that name sound familiar? Right. The punk-ass kid who’d worked on the garage with Chet and Remy West. If that little fucker was responsible for the accident it didn’t matter if he was all right because Gavin was going to fucking kill him.

“Your boyfriend is okay,” Roger said. “He’s being checked out in another room.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Sierra whispered.

“Even if he was, he wouldn’t be after this,” Gavin snapped.

“Don’t be mad at him. He wouldn’t let me drive because I’d been drinking. It’s not his fault.”

“Not his fault,” Gavin repeated. “You’re in the hospital after he wrecked your car. That puts him entirely at fault.”

“Mr. Daniels,” Roger warned.

Gavin clenched and unclenched his fists. He wanted to inflict pain on that kid for the pain Sierra was suffering through. Somehow, he got control. He touched Sierra’s good shoulder, but she flinched anyway.

“Don’t. That hurts.” More tears slid down her face.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Gavin looked at Roger. “Have you given her anything for the pain?”

Alan shook his head. “She’s a minor and we couldn’t administer anything until you arrived. Plus, it’s too risky with alcohol in her system. She’s on an IV to clear it out faster. Meantime, we’re putting an icepack on the injury every thirty minutes until it’s safe to give her pain meds.”

Dammit. He felt so helpless. He wanted her to stop hurting now.

A white-coat-wearing doctor came around the curtain. He said, “I’m Dr. Abernathy,” to Gavin, but he focused on Sierra. “How are you feeling, young lady?”

She whispered, “Stupid.”

He smiled. “I hear that a lot in here, trust me. Let’s talk about your injury. You in pain?”

Sierra nodded.

“Scale of one to ten, ten being the highest.”

“Nine.”

The doctor jotted that down. “How about your head?”

“Hurts really bad. So does my neck.”

“Your entire body will feel like that for several more days, sorry to say. But I’ll point out that you’re lucky. The accident could’ve been a lot worse.” He gently patted her good shoulder. Then he faced Gavin. “You’re her father?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll get right to it. The CT scan revealed a mild concussion, which is actually good news. I expected a little more head trauma since the airbag didn’t deploy.”

Jesus.

“Her clavicle sustained a fracture. A little worse than a hairline fracture, not as bad as a multiple fracture. Given her age, I’d say she’ll heal completely in twelve weeks.”

“Three months?”

“She won’t have to wear the sling the entire time. She can probably remove it after three weeks and only wear it at night for the next four weeks. But any activity that requires her to put pressure on that part of the body? Minimum amount of rest is twelve weeks.”

“What other treatment will she need?”

“We’re keeping her overnight. Unless something unexpected shows up from the accident, I’ll release her tomorrow. She’ll need rest. I’ll write a script for pain meds. She’ll need to see her regular doctor in two weeks just to make sure everything is healing properly. She’ll need physical therapy at some point.”

His thoughts were racing as he tried to process it all. “What about school?”

“Your call. But since she is right handed, and she won’t be able to use that hand or arm for the first two weeks, I suggest she remain at home. My other concern is an accidental fall. Sidewalks, parking lots and roads are dangerously icy this time of year. For her, even a minor fall could cause major damage.”

“Understood. And thank you.”

Dr. Abernathy motioned to Roger. “Start her on Demerol.” They conversed in medical jargon.

Gavin kissed Sierra’s forehead. “I love you. We’ll get you fixed up, I promise.”

“I have to stay here overnight?”

“They just want to make sure you don’t have other injuries.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared.”

“I know, sweetheart. But I’ll be right here.”

“You’re staying with me?”

“Do you really think I’d leave you alone when you’re hurting?”

“No. It’s just…I thought you’d be mad. I’m so sorry.”

“I know you are. Why don’t you close your eyes? I know you’re in a lot of pain.”

She nodded.

Roger took him aside. “We’re moving her into a regular room.”

“A private room,” Gavin insisted.

“Does your insurance cover that?”

“I’ll cover it.”

“Okay. I’ll let them know. Once she’s in her room we’ll start the pain meds.”

Gavin watched as they lifted Sierra from one bed to the next. He followed behind two nurses and one orderly as they wheeled the bed down the hallway and into a small room.

After hooking Sierra up to more machines, Roger injected the pain meds into her IV and spoke to her softly. He ditched the used surgical gloves and stopped in front of Gavin. “This stuff works pretty fast. But I’ll be back in ten minutes to check on her.”

Gavin hauled the chair beside the bed and held Sierra’s hand between his, finally able to take a breath. Finally believing she’d be okay.

“Daddy?”

God, that made his heart hurt. She hadn’t called him that in years. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“I love you.”

Don’t cry. “I love you too.”

After a few minutes, she stopped stirring. Her breathing slowed.

Roger returned and discreetly checked on her, without disturbing her. “She’s asleep. I know you’re staying here tonight and that’s fine. But there’s a waiting room full of people asking for you. It’s late and she can’t have visitors, so could you please deal with them?”

Gavin sent Sierra an anxious look.

“She’s out. I promise she won’t know you’re gone.”

“Okay.” He took a minute to compose himself before he left the room.

Charlie and Vi jumped up the instant they saw him. Ben was standing next to Cam, still in uniform. Quinn threw the magazine he was reading on the table and stood.

Vi rushed forward and put her hands on his face. “Are you all right?”

“No, not really.” He inhaled and told them Sierra’s diagnosis. “The pain meds just kicked in so she’s asleep. I’m staying with her tonight.”

“Anything we can do?” Quinn asked.

“I’ll need someone to bring my car tomorrow.”

“Or one of us could pick you up when you’re ready,” Charlie offered.

He didn’t want to be beholden to anyone. Ben understood that. He said, “I can drop it by in the morning.”

“Thanks.”

The three people sitting in the back of the room approached the group. Gavin recognized Chet and Remy West. His gaze narrowed on the taller young guy standing between them with a blanket dangling from his shoulders.

That fucker Boone West.