Page 79 of Kate & Hudson

Voicemail again. “Hey Baby. It’s me again. Give me a call as soon as you get this message. Or any of the other messages I’ve left you. I love you.” I hang up and send yet another text, but she doesn’t answer. Where the hell is she?

I try calling and texting Grace, thinking she may be with Kate, but she’s not answering either.

“You promised me I could talk to the cops if I put this stupid mask on!” Gladys yells at me from the hospital bed across the room.

“No. I told you that you could talk to the cops once the doctors have evaluated you.” I correct her. “I’ll be right outside, Gladys. When the cops show up, I’ll make sure to send them your way.”

I walk out into the hallway as she yells at me. “You better!” I can hear her coughing and the nurses fighting with her to put her oxygen mask back on.

“Here. Looks like you could use it.” Janet hands me a yellow sports drink.

I take it, “Thanks.”

“Thank you for helping with her. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep her on the gurney much longer, let alone get the mask back on her face.” She drinks from her red sports drink.

“Yeah, she’s a spunky old gal, isn’t she?” I down the rest of my drink. “Thanks for this. We almost ready to go?”

Janet’s eyes get shifty, and she looks all around me, but not at me. “Almost. Just a few more minutes.”

“What’s going on, Janet?” I question her. “I don’t have time to hang around the ER, so you or your partner can flirt with the doctors. I need to get back to my station.” Actually, I need to get back to my truck so I can go find Kate. Neither she nor Grace are answering their phones and I’m starting to worry even more.

Janet nods her head. “I know. The Chief told us. Just a few more minutes.” She says nervously. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

I watch her walk away when suddenly the nurses and doctors start running around frantically. Must be another patient coming in. I hope it’s not Betty. She didn’t look too good when I left her.

Then I notice the look in Janet’s eyes from across the room. She looks scared. The overhead speakers go off, “Dr. Reid Larson. Please report to the emergency room, STAT. Incoming patient. Dr. Reid Larson to the emergency room, STAT. Incoming patient.”

As I make my way through the chaos to Janet to find out what’s going on, I hear my name called out. “Hudson!”

I look over and Declan is coming through the ER doors, his face and police uniform covered in soot. “What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Come here.” He grabs me by the shoulder and pulls me to the side.

“What’s up?” I’m filled with dread. Will this nightmare ever end?

“Look, I don’t have time to sugarcoat this. There was an explosion at Kate’s shop. She was inside. The rescue unit is right behind me. She’ll be here any minute. She’s alive, but unconscious.”

I can feel all the blood drain from my face. An explosion. At Kate’s shop. She was inside. She’s alive. He said that, right? Did I hear him right?

“Hey. You with me, man?” Declan shakes both of my shoulders.

“You said she’s alive, right?” I ask him because I need to hear it again.

He nods, “Yeah. She’s alive.”

The sounds of sirens echo down the hallway as the rescue truck pulls into the ambulance bay. We both watch as they pull the gurney out of the truck and the nurses and Reid meet it at the entrance to the ER.

Delcan pulls me back a little more as everyone rushes Kate into the ER. I only get a glimpse of her, but I can’t see much. She’s covered with one of those silver emergency blankets, wires and tubes all over her, and she’s on a backboard.

“Bring her to trauma bay two. I want her on a hundred percent oxygen, two large bore IVs wide open, labs every half hour and get X-RAY down here STAT if they’re not already here.” Reid is yelling orders as he’s following the gurney down the hallway and past us.

Reid stops and looks at both Declan and me. “I’ve got her. Don’t worry.”

I nod at him as he follows Kate into the trauma bay.

The love of my life is in the hands of one of my best friends.

They wouldn’t let me into the trauma bay with Kate. I get why, but I don’t like it. She needs to know I’m here.