She opened her door and went to the den. The moment she entered the room, conversation ceased. Mac looked at her, a pained expression on his face. Tears streamed down Keely’s face. Immediately, Scarlett thought Keely had miscarried.
Mac took a step toward her. “Scarlett, you need to sit down.”
She glanced from him to Keely. “It’s not the baby?” she asked, confused.
“No, the baby’s fine,” Keely assured her.
“Then . . . what . . .” Her voice trailed off as Mac gently guided her to the sofa. He took the seat next to her while Keely perched on the arm beside her, her hand rubbing Scarlett’s back.
“There’s been an accident,” Mac began.
“Rhett?” she asked, worried that he’d tried to do too much. Or worse—that another stalker had attacked him.
“Not Rhett,” he assured her. “It’s Wynn. He was in a car accident,” Mac explained.
Nausea flipped her stomach upside down. Bile rose and threatened to erupt. Scarlett forced it back down. Mac said was. Did that mean Wynn was dead? Please, God, no. She couldn’t bear it.
Keely took her hand. “A drunk driver ran a red light last night. He struck Wynn’s car. He’s in the hospital.”
“I’ve got to go. I’ve got to be there.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “How do you know?” she demanded.
“I heard a news report on my way home,” Mac said gently. “Go get dressed. We’ll take you to the hospital.”
Like a zombie, Scarlett wandered back to the bedroom. She went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face as reality set in.
Wynn was hurt. He could be dying. He could be gone by the time she got there.
And he’d never know they’d made a baby.
She choked back the tears and told herself to snap out of it. Quickly, she dressed. By the time she returned to the kitchen, Keely was also ready.
“Mac’s in the car.”
Scarlett nodded and picked up her purse. She spotted her phone and lifted it from the wireless charger, dropping it into her purse. They went outside and got into Mac’s truck. Her eyes met his in the rearview mirror.
“Mac, you’ve been up all night,” she said. “You should stay home and get some rest.”
He turned around and glared at her. “You think I could sleep when I know how you’re hurting? Just shut up, Scarlett,” he growled as he backed out of the driveway.
Keely glanced over her shoulder to check on her. Scarlett nodded that she was okay. She hadn’t taken offense at Mac’s words. She would’ve responded the same way. As they drove, she took out her phone, wondering if she should text Rhett and Cassie and let them know. She saw she had over a dozen text messages and quickly scrolled through them. They all came from Wynn’s phone and were from his sister.
She also had a voicemail from Cady and listened to it.
Scarlett, it’s Cady Youngblood, Wynn’s sister. I’ve texted you. Please. I know you and Wynn argued but he needs you. He’s fighting for his life, Scarlett. Please, please come.
Her hands shaking, Scarlett tapped the phone to call Cady back. She answered on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“Cady, it’s Scarlett. I just got your messages. I’m on my way.”
A muffled sob escaped. Scarlett remained quiet. Keely turned and looked at her with concern.
Finally, Cady said, “Hurry,” and ended the call.
Scarlett took a deep breath. “It sounds bad,” she said.
She wanted to text her family but it was barely six o’clock. Seven in Phoenix, so she shot Carreen a text that said Wynn had been in an accident and asked her sister to pray for him. After that, she turned off her phone and dumped it inside her purse.
They reached Cedars-Sinai. Mac parked and he and Keely flanked her as they hurried past the vultures gathered outside the entrance. The paparazzi shouted questions at her but everything was a blur. She let Mac and Keely push her along until they reached the elevator. She told him what floor Cady had texted and the room number. From the messages, she’d learned Wynn was in intensive care with possible neurological damage.
The floor was quiet as they departed the elevator. A nurse met them and asked what patient they were here to see. When Scarlett said Wynn Gallagher, the nurse began shaking her head and ordered them back onto the elevator.
Before Scarlett could protest, a voice said, “It’s okay.”
She saw a young woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a beautiful purple dress, a prosthetic leg sticking out from under it. It could only be Cady. Scarlett broke away and ran to her, embracing her tightly.
“Thank you for calling me,” she said fervently.
“Come with me. Your friends will have to wait.” Cady spoke to the nurse and returned to Scarlett. “She’ll take care of them.”
Scarlett looked at Keely and Mac. Keely blew Scarlett a kiss and Mac gave her a thumbs up as Cady tugged on her. Scarlett hurried down the corridor. A man with Wynn’s height and eye color but not his rugged build was slumped against a wall. He heard them coming and opened his eyes.
Stepping toward her, he said, “I’m Del.”
She hugged him.
“Tell me how he is. What happened. When I can see him.”
Del swallowed. “A drunk driver T-boned him. Ran a red light and crashed into the driver’s side. I’ve repped some personal injury cases that were similar. A side crash is the most devastating kind of car wreck. They kill more people than head-on collisions. It’s because the side of a car doesn’t have safety features like airbags and bumpers and so a driver is pretty much unprotected.”
Scarlett clasped her hands tightly in front
