Hot Pursuit - Denise A. Agnew [38]
Her cell phone rang and she jumped. It was connected to a charger in the kitchen. She practically sprinted for it, sliding in the kitchen. She grabbed the phone, almost ripping the charger out of the wall.
“Hello?”
“Lucy?” Vic’s voice sounded funny.
She frowned. “Vic? Where are you?”
“Severely side-tracked. Listen, there’s a problem.”
A sour sensation filled her stomach and she placed her other hand over her midriff. “Oh?”
“I don’t think I can make it to the party. You’re not going to believe this. A car careened across the street on ice and T-boned me on the passenger side.”
Alarm erased any horrible suspicions she’d had a second ago. “What? Oh, my God. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but the other driver isn’t. It’s Danny.”
Silence echoed in her head. She couldn’t believe what Vic had said. It wasn’t possible. “No.”
“Yes. The police say he had an open whiskey bottle in his car.”
“Oh, God.” She headed back toward her room to snatch her purse and coat.
“They’re loading him up right now, and they want me to ride along.”
Concerned edged upward. “I thought you said you’re fine.”
“I might have hit my head.”
“Might have?” Her voice rose. She opened her closet and grabbed her coat, almost dropping her phone as she leaned over to fetch her purse off the closet floor. “Might have?”
He laughed softly, but the sound didn’t have much humor. “Hey, I’m fine.”
The sickness in her stomach now didn’t come from nerves. At least not the kind she’d experienced thinking of the party. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
Wind whisked across Lucy’s face with sharp teeth as she hurried as fast as she dared over ice in the hospital parking lot. Despite her thick parka, boots and gloves, the near-zero temperature threatened to bite through her clothing.
With the hospital parking full to overflowing, she’d had to take a spot on the street. Not an easy venture when a good chunk of the street had snow piled along the sides. She’d walked a half block in the whirling arctic winds. Maybe wearing those jeans would have proved the smarter idea. She didn’t care. Mixed feelings assaulted her from every angle. Worry for Vic headed the pack, a sick feeling wearing away at her composure. Second came concern for Danny. She’d called Neena and Mitch to let them know what was happening, and they planned to head to the hospital as well.
She entered the emergency room in a rush, gaze darting around the waiting area. Surprisingly the room wasn’t crowded, but she didn’t see Vic anywhere. After checking in with the desk, they had her use a telephone located on one wall to inquire about Danny and Vic. A nurse told her no information was available yet. Call back in fifteen minutes. Damn it. She was tempted to chew her nails, but she hadn’t done that since she was fourteen. Taking a deep breath to drown her nerves, she found a seat. She chewed on her lower lip for a second, then rubbed her arms. Once in a while the automatic doors in the emergency room would slide open and arctic air would blast by. She kept her coat on, but pushed back the hood and stuffed her gloves in her zippered pockets. She felt tempted to break the no-cell-phone rule and try and call Vic’s phone. The rule-following part of Lucy kept her in line. She fidgeted in her chair. Friggin’ hell. She needed to know what was happening, and she had a feeling it would take a damned long time to find out.
Ten minutes later, Neena and Mitch strode in, as well as Jake and Marisa. Sean and Eve followed in another few minutes. Keith and Freddie were on their heels. They all hugged her.
She managed a smile. “You all came.”
Eve returned her smile with a soft, reassuring voice and gaze. “Of course.”
Jake settled his big form in a chair across from Lucy. He scrubbed one hand through his short, dark hair. His mouth was a grim line. “Vic doesn’t have anyone else here but you and us.”