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Finn followed the gurney out to the ambulance. He noticed the members of the building's staff
standing vigil on the sidelines, all of them clearly worried for a woman he sensed might be one of
their favorite residents. Standing next to the gurney, he squeezed her hand before they loaded her into
the box. "I'm right here, Hadley."
She weakly squeezed his hand and closed her eyes. Feeling the rush of adrenaline that had fed
his body for the last ten minutes fade, he climbed onto the front seat and fastened his seatbelt. While
he waited for the fireman who would be driving to join him in the cab, Finn used Hadley's phone to
contact her parents. It was the very last phone call he had ever wanted to make.
"Hadley! You're missing the best part of the night!" Eddie Rivera bellowed in to the phone, his
voice filled with happiness. "They just cut the cake."
"Eddie, it's Finn."
"Finn? What's wrong?"
"You need to meet us at Memorial Hermann. Hadley had a strange episode. I called 9-1-1.
We're in an ambulance right now."
"We'll be there as soon as possible."
The line went dead, and Finn closed his eyes as he imagined the fear and turmoil her parents
would experience now. Before tucking away her phone, he sent a text message to Coby. She had
ducked out of the reception after dinner to go to work at Faze. She might not even see the message
until early morning, but he wanted her to know as soon as possible.
It was a blur from the moment the fireman punched the gas and flicked on his siren. The
screaming wail and the flashing lights brought back unwanted memories. He heard snippets of the
conversation in the back of the box. Every time a medic spoke, he tensed and expected the worst.
In no time at all, they were pulling into the emergency room ambulance bay. He stood out of the
way as she was unloaded but made sure she could see him again. Trailing the gurney, he hugged a
wall in the corner of the room while doctors and nurses filed in and out of the space. She was poked,
prodded and received more medication. The terrified look on her face just killed him. It left him
feeling weak and impotent. He wanted to gather her close and make all this bullshit go away.
"Where is my daughter?" Eddie Rivera's voice carried across the busy ER.
Finn stepped out of the room and lifted his hand, waving it to get Eddie's attention. The Rivera
patriarch strode toward him. Before Eddie could speak, a nurse tersely informed them, "Only one
family member at a time."
"You should stay with her." Finn gestured to the room. He had done all he could. Hadley
needed a medical advocate at her side who knew her complicated history. "She needs you right now."
Eddie stopped him before he had taken even two steps. He squeezed Finn's shoulder. "I m glad
you were with her tonight."
"So am I."
Eddie patted his back. "She'll be all right, son."
Nodding at Eddie and refusing to believe anything else, he left the emergency room and entered
the waiting room just in time to see Dom and Tres rushing inside. They exchange stares before Dom
gestured to a trio of open seats in a quiet corner. He joined the two Rivera brothers and took the seat
next to Dom. His choice earned an amused glance from Tres.
The youngest Rivera brother spoke first. "Hadley told Dom about her heart problems earlier
tonight. He filled me in on the drive over here."
Dom cracked his battered knuckles. "What happened?"
He didn't take offense to Dom's gruff tone. "She had an episode of her arrhythmia. It was
different than the others so I called for an ambulance."
"What triggered it?" Dom wondered. Finn hesitated a moment too long to answer. The roughest
of the Rivera men actually looked embarrassed. A flush spread along his neck. "Oh." With an angered
growl, he snarled, "It's a good thing we're sitting in an ER. You'll be able to limp in for an x-ray when
I'm done kicking your ass."
"Dom!" Aghast, Tres whacked his brother on the head. "Dude!"
Too late, Dom realized what he had said. An expression of genuine regret crossed his face.
"Hey, Finn, man, I didn't mean it like that. It wasn't a rag on your leg."
Glad to see the rocker was all bark and no bite, he waved his hand. "It's fine. I've heard it all."
"No, it's not. Hadley cares about you, and I respect that. I respect you. What you gave? It's not a
joke, man. I'm sorry."
"We're all right," Finn assured him.
"I don't know why you're always such a caveman about protecting Hadley, Dom." Tres frowned
at his brother. "She's an adult. Let her have some fun."
"She's our baby sister."
"And how many little sisters have you fucked while on tour? How many angry brothers have I
had to chase away from the tour bus or a hotel room?"
"That's different."
"You're a jackass."
"And you're a "
"Hey," Finn cut in and gestured to their surroundings.
Both men grumbled but stayed quiet for a while.
Tres laughed. "Can you imagine Dad's face when he hears what Hadley was up to before her
heart went haywire?" Shooting Finn a look, he warned, "You might want to start carrying a piece.
When he finds out you were corrupting his innocent baby girl, he's going to sic Hector on you."
The reminder of Hector Salas wasn't a welcome one. Finn pretended not to know who Hector
was but found himself wondering when the cartel henchman would contact him again. With his luck, it
would be very soon.
"You want a soda?" Dom smacked his arm to get his attention. "I m making a vending machine
run."
"Sure."
When they were alone, Tres patted Finn's back. "Hadley is a tough girl. She'll pull through this.
She always does."
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