Crossing Lines

Chapter 59 - Mila

Hayden Cross is a man made for dreams, not reality.

He's so goddamn charming, so unbelievably polite and good-hearted, and most of all, he's full of passion and love. Sometimes it really feels like this can't be real. I mean, if anyone told me two years ago that I'd be weak in the knees because the world's most charming quarterback keeps kissing the ever-living hell out of me, I would've sent them straight to the hospital, knowing that person needed immediate help.

But would you look at that? Here I am. Six months pregnant with this very man's child.

And God, I could not be any happier. Hayden just fulfills me—he's the piece I was missing my entire life, and the thought of us raising our child together...it just sends tears to my eyes.

But as much as I enjoy this dream, watching my man play on the field, being the spectacular quarterback he is, I know reality will catch up. It always does.

It's like I predicted it; I see the name HASS, the bright yellow burning in my brain when suddenly, Hayden flies to the ground. It all happens so quickly, I'm unable to follow everything going on. I only see Hayden on the ground with Hass on top of him, who just leans back and then suddenly smashes his head right onto Hayden's.

"No!" I scream, but then time speeds up even more. The next thing I see is Kilian pulling Hass off Hayden, his fist connecting with the man's face within seconds.

But my eyes are only on Hayden, on the paramedics now working on him before he's carried away on a stretcher. Just like that, the love of my life disappears in front of my eyes, and I can feel how it shatters my heart.

A numbness runs through my veins—the image of Hayden on that stretcher makes it hard to breathe. This man is my oxygen. I need him to survive.

"Mimi, take a deep breath. He's okay. He has to be. He's too stubborn to leave you alone. You know how possessive he is." Jasmine tries to lighten the mood, and I'm really thankful for that. But I can't bring myself to smile. It's like I can't feel my body anymore.

The only thing that's keeping me grounded is our little peanut kicking in my belly.

***

"Mimi, look at me." Jas takes my hands, her fierce eyes pleading with me to stay strong. "You need to get your momma-bear panties on now. You need to stay sane for your man and your baby, okay? We both know you're strong enough to get through this, and I need you to show that now."

I so badly want to tell her that I can't, that I can't imagine what life would be like if there was something wrong with him, if he was in a coma... So many options run through my brain, all worst-case scenarios playing out like a movie inside my head.

But I stop myself. Because Jas is right. I'll need to stay strong, if not for my sake then for my baby's, because it doesn't deserve the stress. I can't risk that.

"You're right. Let's go." We get out of the car and rush into the hospital; Dad managed to figure out where they took Hayden, and we immediately rushed over.

One of the nurses shoots us a weird look as we enter the emergency room, and Jas waves her hand in front of the poor woman's face. "We're looking for Hayden Cross. Can you tell us where he is?"

The nurse looks us over, judging us with every second her eyes land on us. "I'm sorry, but I can't give you any personal information about said patient unless you're related or married."

"She's pregnant with his child—isn't that connection enough?"

The disbelief is visible in the nurse's face, her eyes just for a second glancing down the hallway, where two security guards are standing in front of a door. "Unfortunately not. He's a VIP, ma'am. There are different rules at work here."