Chapter 329
Something changed in his expression, clarity breaking through the fog of pain for just a moment. Our babies,” he said, and his hand moved shakily toward my stomach before falling back down. “Have to… protect them.”
“They need you,” I said. “I need you. So you have to fight, okay? You have to stay with me.”
“Not… going anywhere, his words were getting more slurred. “Have babies… to meet. Have to… teach them… fo race.”
“They’re not racing,” I said firmly, even though I was sobbing. “They’re never getting on a bike.”
‘We’ll see, he almost smiled, and then his eyes closed again.
“Tristan? TRISTAN!”
“He’s still breathing, Derek said, his hand on Tristan’s chest. “Pulse is steady. He just passed out, probably from the pain and blood loss.”
The ambulance sirens were getting closer and the crowd was backing up to let them through, creating a clear path.
Sarah knelt beside me, her arm around my shoulders. “He’s going to be okay,” she said, but her voice was shaking. “He’s strong, Orion said his healing is already working. He’s going to be fine.”
But there was so much blood. His head was still bleeding, the gash across his scalp deep and ugly. His leg was definitely broken, possibly in multiple places. And I didn’t know what internal injuries he had, what damage had been done when his body hit the ground, when his head cracked against concrete.
The paramedics arrived and surrounded him, asking questions Derek was answering while I just held Tristan’s hand and tried not to fall apart
completely.
They were putting a neck brace on him, stabilizing his head, checking his vitals, starting an IV line.
“We need to transport immediately,” one paramedic said. “Possible skull fracture, definitely serious head trauma.”
“I’m coming with him,” I said.
‘Ma’am, we can only take family…”
‘I’m his fiancée and I’m seven weeks pregnant with his twins and I’m coming with him,” my voice came out sharp, commanding, leaving no room for argument. “Try to stop me.”
The paramedic looked at his partner, who shrugged. “She can ride up front.”
They loaded Tristan onto a stretcher with professional efficiency, careful not to jostle him, keeping his spine stable.
I watched them lift him into the ambulance, watched them strap him down, watched the monitors start beeping as they hooked him up to machines.
I climbed in front and Orion leaned in the window. “We’ll be right behind you,” he said, Sarah visible in the background, her face streaked with tears. ‘He’s going to make it, Athena. He’s too stubborn not to.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
1/2
1:25 pm P
Chapter 329
The ambulance doors slammed and we were moving, lights flashing, siren screaming, and I turned in my seat to watch the paramedics work on Tristan
through the gap between the seats.
They were moving fast, hands sure despite the ambulance’s movement, calling out vitals and numbers I didn’t understand.
“BP dropping,” one said.
“Possible internal bleeding,” another replied. “We need to move faster.”
The driver sped up and I gripped the dashboard, watching Tristan’s face, watching his chest rise and fall, counting each breath like it was precious.
Because it was.
Because I’d asked him to race,
almost died.
had told him I wanted to see it one more time, had pushed him when he was ready to be done with this life. And he’d
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, knowing he couldn’t hear me. “I’m so sorry.”
But even as I said it, even as the guilt threatened to crush me, I knew Tristan wouldn’t blame me. He’d wanted this. Had needed to prove, to himself more than anyone, that he still had it, that months away from racing hadn’t dulled his edge.
And he had proven it. He’d been magnificent.
The best there ever was.
My hand went to my stomach where two tiny lives were growing, barely formed, barely real, but already so important. “Your daddy’s a champion,” I told them softly, my voice breaking. “He’s the best racer who ever lived, and he’s going to be okay. He has to be, because you need him. Because I need him.”
The ambulance screamed through the night, lights flashing red and blue against buildings, and I held on to hope and prayed I was right.
Prayed that Tristan’s healing was strong enough to withstand this.
Prayed that I hadn’t just lost the man I loved because I’d wanted to see him race one more time.
Prayed that our babies would get to meet their father.
The paramedic called out more numbers and the monitors beeped faster and I just sat there, helpless, watching through the gap as they fought to keep him stable, to keep him alive, while the city blurred past outside the windows and all I could do was pray.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
