On Thin Ice

49

My bones shuddered as my heart pounded against my chest so hard I swore I could see the jumps through my shirt. I gripped the passenger's side door, my knuckles straining and turning white while the tension in the car made it hard to breathe.

The surroundings blurred together as Josh sped down the road. Ian and Trevor sat in the backseat, none of us saying anything to lighten the mood.

Images of Fox lying in a hospital bed invaded my thoughts. Wren didn't know a lot about what exactly had happened or what condition he was in. He just knew that he was injured. The lack of details did nothing to ease my nerves. Not knowing was the worst part, fearing the worst case scenario.

I didn't want to think about what condition he was in. He could be bruised and broken or left hurt and alone before someone had gotten to him.

My eyes stung as I choked on sobs. Josh sent me a worried glance but I kept my eyes staring straight ahead. I fought the urge to look at the clock, too worried about how long it was taking us to get there.

Tires screeching brought me back to reality, taking in my surroundings as Josh took a sharp turn into the hospital parking lot. I barely waited for him to stop the car before getting out and rushing through the doors.

I fumbled with my phone as I quickly tried to call Wren back to find out his whereabouts, and more importantly, Fox's. The phone only rang a couple times before Wren showed up from around a corner. I hung up the phone and made my way over to him.

"Where's Fox?" I instantly asked, Josh, Trevor, and Ian following behind me.

"They're doing some tests," Wren said. "We haven't been able to see him yet."

"What kind of tests?" I asked, frustration evident in my tone.

"Some x-rays I think and a concussion screening," Wren replied. "He's conscious, we're hoping it's nothing too serious. You can come wait with us."

At his words, it seemed like I could finally breathe again. The air pushed out of my lungs and the squeeze on my heart loosened as I followed Wren over to the waiting area outside Fox's room. His whole family was already sitting and waiting for their chance to see him.

Fox's mom was the first person I made eye contact with and she sent me a sympathetic look. I was suddenly conscious of the tears I was still holding in my eyes.

"Elijah," Vanessa called out, motioning for me to go beside her. "He's going to be okay. The doctor already came and told us."

I let out a sigh of relief as Vanessa put a comforting arm around me.

"She also told us that he was being irritable and asked us if that was normal," Leo added from beside his wife. "And I said 'Yep, that's our boy.'"

"Do you know what happened?" I asked his parents in a small voice, laughing slightly at Leo's words.

"He was on the side of the road with the car when he called us," Vanessa began. "And when we got to him he was pretty banged up but he hadn't crashed the car. We were too worried about getting him to the hospital so we didn't question him too much."

I was left confused at her explanation but I didn't question her further. I just had to wait to see Fox. He would explain everything.

The rest of the siblings spoke quietly with each other while Josh, Ian, and Trevor stood up against the wall. I made eye contact with Ian, who kept his face impassive. He was never one to show emotions, and tonight was no exception.

Waiting was agonizing, my worry for him making it impossible for me to stand still. I had never felt this jittery in my life. My heart felt like it was crawling up my throat, blocking any words from coming out as I stood there. Every time a doctor walked by, I hoped it was his, until finally, it was.