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  He had to help her. He couldn’t just sit there. Laying her down, he moved his hands to her chest, pressing hard as he administered CPR.

  “Oh my God, Tate.”

  Tate looked up to see Lucas looking down at him, his hands out in front of him and panic on his face as he crouched down beside them, “Fuck, is she breathing? Please say she’s breathing.” Tate shook his head quickly as the tears rushed across his face and down his arms as he continued CPR. Sobs ripped through him as he blew air into her mouth and went back to the compressions. “The ambulance is coming, hold on Audrey, hold on,” Lucas yelled but it was like Tate was in a bubble and everything around him was so far away. He felt like he was passing out, his chest was cramping and he felt like he couldn’t breathe as people moved around him.

  “Tate move,” he heard Lucas say, “the paramedics are here.” Tate finally looked up, seeing two paramedics standing behind Lucas. “Move, let them take over,” Lucas said slowly again, and Tate nodded, slowly moving away. The paramedics were on her within seconds as Lucas pulled Tate away, taking him in his arms. “Breathe, man, breathe.” Tate shook his head, moving out of Lucas’ arms and looking down at Audrey’s lifeless body as the paramedics worked on her.

  He hadn’t saved her, he hadn’t brought her back.

  He let her die, because he wasn’t here to protect her, just like he wasn’t there to save his parents and sister.

  She was gone.

  He moved his hands to his eyes, wiping away the tears as he moved out the door. He braced his hands against the pillar outside of their condos, and took in deep shuddering breaths. All of a sudden a wave of nausea hit him hard, and he found himself vomiting all over the side of his porch. Shaking, Tate expelled all of his stomach content before standing up and resting his arms above his head. She couldn’t be gone, she couldn’t. It wasn’t fair! What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he get a break? Was he going to lose everyone he loved?

  Glancing out at his yard, he saw cops, paramedics, and firefighters, filling the yard. Their neighbors stood in the doorways watching and talking to each other about what was going on. FBI Agents were surrounding someone and when one of the agents moved to his left to write down the information his partner had, Tate saw who it was.

  The man who took his sunshine away.

  Tate was across the yard within seconds, lounging for Levi, knocking him to the ground. Sitting up, Tate’s fist only connected twice with Levi’s face before he was being pulled off him by officers. His knuckles were on fire, his heart was breaking and he still couldn’t breathe but he didn’t care, he had to get to Levi. Pulling away from the cops, he got away and dropped down on Levi’s body, this time only getting one hit in before they pulled him off Levi. The officer flipped Tate over, his mouth filling with cold grass as the officer handcuffed his hands behind his back.

  “What the fuck are you doing! That fucker beat the shit out of his girlfriend; he is not in his right mind!” Tate heard Lucas yell as they picked up and took him to a cop car. Tate didn’t struggle. He didn’t resist. He just went. What else could he do?

  He just lost the one person he had left.

  ***

  Fallon couldn’t breathe.

  Running full speed through the hospital to the ER, she felt like her lungs were about to burst from her chest. Her nausea was in full force but she couldn’t deal with it right now. She couldn’t deal with anything, she could only run. She heard her mother and father behind her, running and trying to keep up, but she couldn’t wait.

  Audrey was hurt and she had to get to her. Now.

  She knew it! She knew as soon as Lucas called telling her about what Levi had done, the mother fucker was going to mess with her baby sister. She just didn’t know that he would hurt her like this. Didn’t know he would go to this extreme. How could he? Who could hurt someone so sweet and so beautiful? Tears burned Fallon’s eyes as she ran until finally she saw the sign for the ER. Pushing the door open, she ran to the front desk.

  “My sister was taken here. I have to see her or the doctor who is caring for her. Please. Her name is Audrey Jane Parker; I am her sister Fallon Brooks. Please.”

  The receptionist looked startled but she nodded and typed quickly on her keyboard. Then she looked up at Fallon, “She was brought in thirty-three minutes ago. There is no other information available. Let me call back and see if they can give me anything.”

  Fallon nodded, her head pounding on her chest as her parents came up behind her. “Do they know anything?” William asked, breathing heavily.

  “No, she is calling back now,” Fallon answered as she pulled out her phone. Hitting Lucas’ icon, it rang until he answered.

  “Baby, I can’t talk right now.”

  “Was she breathing?”

  “Yes, they resuscitated her, but she was still unconscious when they put her in the back of the ambulance. I am on my way to the police station to get Tate, have you seen or heard anything?”

  “No, I just got here, had to drop Aiden off at Susie’s and then meet my parents before coming up here.”

  “Okay, call me when you know something.”

  “Okay, love you.”

  “Love you, baby girl; everything is going to be fine.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Fallon said and then she hung up just as the receptionist hung up her phone.

  “She is under the care of Dr. Aquino. He is finishing up and then he will be out to speak with you.”

  “Is she okay?” William asked his hand clutching Fallon’s. She looked down to where he held her hand and then back up at him. He was beyond himself with worry. They all were.

  “I can’t give you that information, sir, but Dr. Aquino will be right out.”

  Fallon nodded, taking her parents over to a set of chairs. Without thinking, she jumped up and made them both coffees before she brought the cups back to them.

  “Fallon, baby, sit down,” Nora implored, reaching out for Fallon, but she resisted by moving away.

  “I need to use the bathroom.”

  Leaving her parents, she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Once it was locked she let out the breath she was holding and crumbled to the floor. How did this happen? Why? Why Audrey? Sobbing, Fallon crawled across bathroom floor, ignoring the fact that she probably contracted something from the floor, and started puking in the toilet. She held her gut as she threw up her body mass, tears streaming down her face for her sister, and her heart heavy for Tate. He had already lost everything, and there was a chance that he could lose Audrey and their unborn baby.

  Oh shit.

  The baby, did they know about the baby?

  Fallon rushed up, washed her mouth out and ran out of the bathroom to her parents. A doctor stood before them, talking while moving his hands as Fallon rushed up.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Aquino, please start over, my daughter was in the bathroom,” Nora asked gently, taking a hold of Fallon’s hands.

  “Yes, of course, like I said, Ms. Parker’s injuries are very severe. Her face is badly bruised and damaged. She has dental injuries, her two top front teeth were knocked out along with two from the bottom. Her nose is broken, her left eye socket is fractured and her left ankle is broken. But the injury that mostly concerns us is the swelling in her brain. We have started Mannitol to help with the swelling. She is still unconscious and there is a respirator breathing for her. We don’t want her waking and moving and causing further damage, so we are keeping her sedated. When you see her, there will be tubes and machines that are helping her and it can be scary, but she is in good hands. We are keeping a close eye on her and the pressure in her brain. We will know more about her prognosis as the night goes on.”

  “When can we see her?” William asked before Fallon could say anything.

  “Soon. She is being transferred to ICU. Once she’s there only two of you can go in at a time. If you want, you are more than welcome to go up there now.”

  “Thank you Doctor,” William s