Keep On Walking (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 3 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Forty

❝death (pronounced dɛθ or deth), noun
the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.❞

The last thing she could remember was the sound of a car starting, and the warm feel of lips on hers. And an experience... something beyond her comprehension.

But now, she could feel blankets. There was a beeping sound, and trolleys clattering from a fair distance away. Ryan didn't open her eyes at first. She tried to get the feeling back into her fingers and toes first. She could feel bandages on her wrists, and on her waist. Maybe there were stitches on her neck? She couldn't tell. Her eyebrow felt sore, too.

She opened her eyes slowly. She was in a hospital room by herself, with no one but Lynette beside her. She was reading something on her phone. "Lyn?" said Ryan softly, and she jumped, looking up.

"Oh, my goodness," whispered Lynette, before moving her chair closer to Ryan's bedside. "Oh, darling, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine." She looked up, noticing the bag of blood connected to her arm by a tube. "Where's Hunter?"

"He has a mild concussion. He just went to get some lunch." She shook her head. "Oh, Ryan, I'm so sorry. I didn't know... I swear I didn't know that you didn't. Dahlia put ideas in my head, told me things I didn't want to believe..."

"She did the same to me, Lyn," said Ryan. She winced. "Could you maybe get a nurse? I'm in a little bit of pain."

She pressed the nurse button. "What did she tell you?"

"She got me to go to her brother's party. He drugged me, but I didn't sleep with him. He stuck the idea in my head, too. I didn't know. I thought I had..."

Lynette took one of Ryan's bandaged hands, squeezing it and rubbing the warmth back into her fingers. "I was so worried when Lucky called and told me that neither of you were answering..."

"Where are the kids?"

"They're with Hunter. He didn't need much, just some medicine for his headache. He was let out early. You need a couple more days."

"Why?"

"You went into hypolovenic shock a moment before Hunter got you to a hospital."

"What does that mean?"

"Your heart failed because of the amount of blood you lost. You had an external hemmorhage from the wounds, and so you lost too much blood than what was healthy. Thankfully, they treated you in time."

"I had a heart attack?"

"Yes. He's been very worried about you."

"How long was I out?"

"It's been about a day now."

She nodded slightly. "I'm... I'm lucky to be alive, aren't I?"

Before she could answer, Hunter appeared at the door. "You're awake!" He almost ran to her. "How do you feel? Do you need something?"

"I had a heart attack," she mumbled, still shocked. "I'm not even thirty."

Hunter pursed his lips. "It's only a one time thing. You're somewhat better now." He shook his head, taking her hand. "I can only imagine what might have happened if it had been me, too. What would I have done if neither of us could do anything?"

"Don't think about that," she said gently, squeezing his hand. "We're safe. We're alive."

He reached over and caressed her cheek. "God, I was so worried that you might have something seriously wrong..."