Chapter 187
Julian: POV
We started making our way back toward the parking area, the rain beginning to fall harder with each step. By the time we reached the main path, we were getting soaked.
"The car's just ahead," I said, raising my voice over the sound of rain hammering against leaves and stone. "Almost there."
But as we descended the winding path toward the parking lot, I noticed the stone steps were slick with a thick layer of green moss that had grown from weeks of recent rain. The old cemetery paths weren't well-maintained, and the moss made everything treacherous.
"Careful here," I called back to them, but it was too late.
Elena's foot hit a particularly thick patch of moss-covered stone. It was like stepping on black ice—her foot shot out from under her completely. She twisted instinctively to protect Lila, her shoulder hitting first, then her hip, then—
Her head cracked against the edge of a stone step with a sound that made my stomach turn.
She didn't get up.
"ELENA!"
I was moving before I even registered the decision, dropping to my knees beside them.
Lila was crying, trying to shake Elena awake, her small hands patting her mother's face.
"Mommy, wake up! Mommy!"
I checked Elena's pulse with shaking hands.
There. Weak but steady.
Blood was already matting her hair where her head had struck the stone, mixing with the rain and streaming down her neck.
"Lila, baby, I need you to let go of Mommy for a second." I kept my voice as calm as I could, even though inside I was screaming. "Can you do that for me?"
She shook her head frantically. "She won't wake up!"
"I know, princess. But I'm going to help her. I promise."
Lila's lip trembled, but she slowly released her grip on Elena. I carefully assessed Elena's position, checking for any obvious signs of spinal injury. Her breathing was shallow but steady.
"Lila, I need you to be very brave for me," I said, gently supporting Elena's head and neck. "We need to get Mommy to where the ambulance can find us more easily. Can you walk beside me while I carry her?"
Lila nodded, tears streaming down her face, but her voice was determined. "I can be brave."
I slipped one arm under Elena's knees and the other under her shoulders, being extremely careful to keep her head and neck aligned. She was completely limp, a dead weight in my arms, but I managed to lift her.
"Stay right next to me, sweetheart," I told Lila as we began the treacherous journey up the slippery stone steps. "Hold onto my jacket if you need to."
Every step was agony. The wet stone was treacherous, Elena's unconscious body was awkward to carry, and I was terrified of slipping and making her injuries worse. But I forced myself to move slowly and deliberately, testing each step before putting my full weight down.
Lila stayed pressed against my side, one small hand gripping my jacket, her eyes never leaving her mother's pale face.
"Is Mommy going to be okay?" she whispered.
"The doctors are going to fix her," I said, hoping my voice sounded more confident than I felt. "I promise, baby."
Don't you dare die on me, I thought fiercely. Not now. Not when I just got you back.
We made our way slowly up the path toward the main road, my arms burning from Elena's weight, Lila walking bravely beside us despite her tears.
They have to save her.
Because I'd already lost her once.
I wouldn't survive losing her again.
---
I crested the hill, gasping for breath, and saw the main road ahead. My legs were shaking from exhaustion and adrenaline, but I pushed forward until I found a relatively flat patch of wet grass beside the road.
Carefully, I lowered Elena onto the ground, cradling her head in my lap to keep it elevated and stable. Rain continued to soak through our clothes, but at least here we were visible to any passing cars and accessible to emergency vehicles.
"Mommy?" Lila knelt beside us, her small hands hovering uncertainly over Elena's still form.
"She's still breathing, baby," I said, pressing my palm gently against the wound on Elena's head to try to slow the bleeding. "That's good."
With my free hand, I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling as I dialed 911. The screen was slippery with rain, making it hard to see.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"My wife—she fell and hit her head—she's unconscious and bleeding—" The words tumbled out as I tried to keep pressure on Elena's wound while Lila pressed close to my side.
"Sir, I need you to stay calm. What's your location?"
I looked around frantically, trying to spot a street sign through the rain. "Woodlawn Cemetery—we're on the main road just outside the gates—"
"I'm dispatching an ambulance now. Is she breathing?"
I pressed my ear close to Elena's face, feeling the faint warmth of her breath against my cheek. "Yes, but she won't wake up."
"That's okay, sir. Keep supporting her head and neck. Don't try to move her any more than necessary. The ambulance will be there in approximately eight minutes."
A car was approaching, headlights cutting through the rain. The elderly driver slowed when he saw us, rolling down his window with a concerned expression.
"Do you need help?" he called out.
"Ambulance is coming," I called back, then spoke into the phone again. "There's a lot of blood—from where she hit her head—"
"Head wounds bleed heavily, sir. That doesn't necessarily mean the injury is severe. Just keep pressure on the wound if you can."
I adjusted my position slightly, making sure Elena's head remained stable in my lap while maintaining pressure on the bleeding. The rain was washing the blood away almost as fast as it appeared, creating pink rivulets that ran down her pale neck.
"Don't you dare leave me again," I whispered. "Don't you fucking dare."
Lila's small hand patted my wet cheek. "The doctors will fix Mommy," she said, voice breaking. "Right?"
I looked down at my daughter and forced myself to nod.
"Right, princess. The doctors will fix her."
They have to.
Because I'd already lost her once.
I wouldn't survive losing her again.
---
The ambulance arrived in less than ten minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.
Paramedics swarmed us, checking Elena's vitals, stabilizing her neck, asking me rapid-fire questions I could barely process through the panic clawing at my throat.
"Sir, you need to let us work—"
"I'm not leaving her."
"Sir—"
"I said I'm not fucking leaving her!"
One of them—a young woman with kind eyes—gently pried Lila from my arms. "We'll take care of your little girl. But you need to let them help your wife."
I watched them load Elena onto a stretcher, watched them secure her neck in a brace and cover her with a shock blanket, watched the blood continue to seep through the bandage they'd wrapped around her head.
"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, my voice raw.
The paramedic—the one who'd taken Lila—gave me a look that was probably meant to be reassuring but just made my stomach drop.
"We're doing everything we can," she said. "But you need to understand, head injuries like this... they're unpredictable."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we won't know the full extent of the damage until we get her to the hospital and run some tests."