Nicholas POV:
“Jefferson! Nicholas!”
I glanced over and grimaced at the waving mayor, debating in my head whether it would be too insulting to pretend I hadn’t heard him. When my father started making his way over, I kissed Willow’s cheek in resignation.
“It’s the mayor. Give me just a second.” She nodded with an understanding smile. “It’s okay. Go ahead.”
My mother responded and I paused, an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. Flakes of snow were falling and it was freezing cold out here. It wouldn’t be good for Willow to stand around in this weather. But I hated letting her out of my reach.
I glanced over to my father and the mayor and then back to Willow, her cheeks rosy from the cold. I squeezed her hand and nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I hurried over to shake the mayor’s hand and oblige him with a bit of small talk.
“Nicholas!” His hand gripped mine in an enthusiastic shake. “It’s been too long since we’ve talked.”
“Yes, I’ve been quite busy.”
He laughed. “I heard you were recently married. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
His eyes swept from mine to my father and back again. “I think the three of us should have lunch soon. I want to discuss my plan to propose changing term limit laws and would love to have your support.”
I nodded and pretended to listen while he and Dad droned on. My mind was on Willow and wishing we were back at home already.
It was the sounds of my mother’s screams that broke me out of my thoughts. I spun around and rushed over to the washroom, confused at seeing my mother shaking and crying next to Rosemary when I flung the door open.
Where was Willow? Then my eyes fell on the broken figure in the corner. There was a familiar coat, the dress, the diamonds sparkling in the dark night.
It was Willow.
No.
No.
There was a roaring in my head as I realized why my mother was screaming.
It was like everything was in slow motion as I reached her. There was blood. So much blood. I tried to see where she was bleeding from so I could stop it but was shoved away by my father.
I hadn’t even realized there was a group of people surrounding us.
“Don’t move her, Nicholas! She might have a spinal injury.”
I felt useless, kneeling there next to her and watching as my father looked her over. I kept calling her name, hoping she would lift her head and open her eyes and tell me she was okay.
There were still screams and shouting and crying behind me, but I didn’t know or care who they came from. It was like a fog descended on my world. Everything I cared about was fractured and fragmented on the cold cement in front of me.
She was my whole world, and I had failed her. I should have been beside her, holding her arm like I was supposed to. How could I have let her go down those stairs with only my mother? Stupid! I hated myself. She had slipped and fallen because I was an idiot!
“Nicholas!” Someone gripped my shoulder, and I lifted my eyes from Willow’s body to find my father in my face. “Come on. Move back and let them get her on a stretcher.”
I hadn’t even realized the flashing lights, sirens, police, and EMTs surrounding us. I shook my head, standing up and moving back so they could work.
My mother grabbed my arm, tears streaming down her face. “It was Rosemary. Rosemary did this.”
Her words didn’t register at first. I simply couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. Then I remembered the scene I saw after her first shouts. Rosemary had been standing there, looking down at Willow.
It suddenly became clear what had happened. “Rosemary hurt Willow?” I asked.
She nods, crying into her hands.
I turned around, scanning the faces around me. There was Rosemary, maybe twenty feet away, and being handcuffed by a police officer. She stared back, her chin lifted in defiance and then smiled at me.
An anger so intense burned through me, I could barely see straight. I charged toward her with every intention of killing her right there on the spot. Several hands were on me at once, holding me back.
“You bitch!” I yelled. “You did this!”
They moved her away, toward an open door of a police car, but she turned her head back in my direction. “I hope she dies.”
She was shoved into the backseat and the door closed before I could try to lunge for her again. I wasn’t sure if they were trying to protect me from her or her from me. Even as I watched the police car drive away and was held steady by several people, those four words kept echoing in my head.
I didn’t understand it. I didn’t understand how Rosemary could hurt Willow like that. If she wanted to hurt someone, she should have tried to hurt me. Willow had never done anything to her. The scene around me was so chaotic , but I finally shook off those trying to detain me and made it over to the ambulance just as they were sliding Willow’s stretcher inside.
“I’m her husband. I’m going with her.”
Nobody was listening to me, they were too busy hovering over her and getting ready to take off. I jumped inside and sat down in a corner, trying to stay out of the action but wishing I could hold her hand. I briefly got a glimpse of my parents before the doors were shut, my father’s face set in concern as he held my still sobbing mother.
Then the ambulance started racing through the streets. The anger I’d felt a few minutes before was fading, being replaced by worry for every second Willow lay there motionless. There was a thick brace around her neck, and one side of her face was already showing bruises along with the scrapes.
“Is she… is she going to be okay?” I asked, my voice hoarse and hesitant as I tried to speak around the huge lump in my throat. Nobody answered.
When we pulled in front of the emergency entrance, there was already a team of doctors and nurses waiting when the doors of the ambulance opened again. They had Willow out and on another stretcher immediately, all of them rushing her inside. I ran after them, down a few corridors and past a busy nurse’s station, but was blocked before I could enter the last room with the swinging doors.
“Sir, you can’t go in there.”
“She’s my wife.”
“I understand,” the nurse said, her eyes sympathetic. “We need you to wait out here.”
They didn’t know Willow like I did. They didn’t know Willow would want me in there with her. She didn’t like to be alone.
She’d made me promise her once that I’d never leave her alone.
“She needs me with her. Please.”
“Sir, need to wait right now. As soon as the doctors have assessed her injuries, we’ll find you.” She nods to the two orderlies who had appeared at the two orderlies who had waiting at my side. “Can you please escort this gentleman to the area?”
“This way, Sir.” One of them tried to take my arm, but I yanked it away from his hold.
I stared at the nurse. “Her name is Willow Rowe. She’s pregnant with our son. Are they going to be okay?”
“I promise as soon as we have any information, I will find you, Mr. Rowe.”
The doors to the room swung open as a nurse ran out with something and another person ran in. The sounds of machines blaring and shouted orders were all I could hear. I couldn’t even get a glimpse of Willow because her bed was surrounded by doctors and nurses rushing around.
Someone grabbed my arm again, more forcefully this time. “Mr. Rowe, this way.”
They started leading me away, but I turned my head back to the nurse one last time.
“Tell her I love her.”