Weigh Down on Me

|Chapter Five|

The emergency room was flooded with anxious family members waiting for any word that their loved ones were going to be okay. My stomach had been in knots the entire drive here, and neither of us said anything.

Noah's hand was on the small of my back as he questioned the receptionist. I heard her faintly tell him she can't give us any information if we aren't family and he let out a frustrated grunt. As we turned to walk away, she gave me an apologetic shrug and a small, "Sorry."

He led me over to a set of chairs in the corner, and I dropped onto the plastic seat heavily.

Noah pulled out his phone hesitantly and quickly scrolled through his contacts until he landed on Ellie. I felt a pang of jealousy at seeing another woman's name on his phone, but it quickly dissipated as he started talking in a hushed tone.

I could barely make out what he was saying, and I didn't want to eavesdrop. I focused my attention on the double doors leading back to the patients' rooms and I couldn't help but wonder what happened.

Noah shoved his phone back in his pocket and gave me a weary smile. "Nicks sister will be here within the hour."

Ellie was Nicks sister. I nodded slowly at him, not knowing how to react to what was unfolding before us. I knew that once Ellie got here, we would at least get some information about Nick. Chelsea didn't have family nearby, and even if she did, they were estranged anyway.

She grew up in a very wealthy household where status was the most important aspect of a person. Each of the Ryder siblings were to inherit their trust fund at the age of 25, but they had to join the family business to do so. Chelsea was the only one of her four siblings who didn't follow in their father's footsteps.

Ever since leaving home and going to college, her family hasn't reached out to her once to check to see how she was doing. I think that is why she latched onto her sorority sisters so easily, they were like family to her.

Noah grabbed my hand firmly and stood up as Nick approached us from the double doors. His face was stained with blood, and his once white t-shirt was a bright shade of red. There was so much blood it made my stomach queasy.

Noah released my hand and threw his arms around Nick. Nick buried his face in Noah's neck and let out a loud sob. My heart started beating wildly in my chest and my brain began playing all the worst-case scenarios.

Nick lifted his head from Noah's shoulder and glanced back at me with apologetic eyes. "I looked down for one second." He started before breaking out into uncontrollable sobs.

Tears welled in my eyes and Noah shot a concerned look at me. I sat back down on the chair slowly and watched as Noah led Nick to the seat next to me.

"Is she okay?" My voice trembled with fear and uncertainty.

He nodded and wiped his nose with the hem of his shirt. "I think so, they are running some tests now on them."

Them. Chelsea and the baby.

I let out a sigh of relief and settled back into the chair. Noah's jaw unclenched and I could tell he was feeling the same amount of relief that I was.

"I called Ellie." Noah stated cautiously. The look on Nicks face told me that there was something big I was missing.

"You what?" His voice rose an octave and he pushed himself up off the chair to get in Noah's face.

Noah placed his hands on his chest to keep him at a distance. "I didn't know if you were okay, and they wouldn't tell us anything because we aren't family."