Kiss Me Captain (Emily and Maddie) novel Chapter 32

The phone buzzes in my hand. The screen lights up with an incoming call, “Mom” displayed across the top. My heart slams against my ribs.

For a split second I consider not answering. But that’s not fair to them.

They don’t know yet. I swipe to answer, hand shaking as I lift it to my ear.

“Maddie, honey, we’re so sorry we’re running late.” Hanna Reyes’s voice comes through warm and worried, a mother’s anxiety bleeding into every word.

“This stupid car. I told your father we should have taken it in last week but no, he insisted it was fine. How are you feeling? Are you nervous? When do you skate?”

My throat closes completely. I try to speak but nothing comes out. The silence stretches between us, heavy and wrong.

“Maddie?” The warmth in her voice shifts to confusion. “Sweetheart, are you there? Can you hear me?”

I force air through my constricted throat. “Mrs. Reyes, this isn’t—this isn’t Maddie.”

The pause that follows is devastating. I can hear her processing, trying to understand why someone else is answering her daughter’s phone.

When she speaks again, her voice has gone thin and high. “Who is this? Where’s Maddie? What’s happened?”

“This is Emily Harper.” My voice cracks on my own name. “I’m Maddie’s roommate at Lakeview. Mrs. Reyes, there’s been an accident.”

“What?” The word comes out sharp, disbelieving. “What kind of accident? Where’s my daughter? Is she okay?”

“Hanna, what’s going on?” A male voice in the background, David Reyes demanding answers from his wife. “Who are you talking to? Is that Maddie?”

“It’s not Maddie.” Hanna’s voice moves away from the phone slightly as she addresses her husband.

“It’s her roommate. Something’s happened. She says there’s been an accident.”

“Give me the phone.” I hear rustling, footsteps, the unmistakable sounds of panic beginning to set in. But Hanna doesn’t hand over the phone yet.

“Emily?” Her voice comes back, stronger now but threaded with terror. “Emily, you need to tell me what happened. Right now. Is Maddie hurt? Where is she?”

“She fell during her performance.” The words come out in a rush, tripping over each other. “During her triple axel. Her ankle—it twisted wrong when she landed. She’s conscious, but she’s hurt. They’re taking her to the hospital right now.”

Hanna makes a sound that’s half sob, half gasp. “No. No, no, no. Which hospital? Where are they taking her?”

“I don’t know yet. The ambulance just left. Coach is finding out and she’ll text me.” I grip the phone tighter, wishing I had better answers.

“Mrs. Reyes, I’m so sorry. I tried to get to her but they wouldn’t let me past security. I couldn’t—”

“We’re still an hour away.” She’s crying now, full sobs breaking through her words. “This goddamn car. We should have been there. We should have been there watching her skate. David, we need to go right now.”

The door swings open and my mother appears, her face urgent and pale. “Emily, we need to go. Right now.”

I look up at her, still holding both phones. “Coach hasn’t texted yet. We don’t know which hospital—”

“The ambulance already left five minutes ago.” Mom crosses to me and gently but firmly pulls me to my feet.

“We’ll follow it. We’ll find out where they took her when we get there. But sweetheart, we need to leave now if we want any chance of getting there before she goes in for X-rays or whatever they need to do.”

I shove both phones in my pocket and grab Maddie’s bag along with my own. Mom takes my elbow, steadying me as we head for the door. “Did you tell her parents?” she asks.

“Yeah.” The word comes out hollow. “They’re driving here now. They were an hour away when I called.”

“Oh, honey.” Mom’s grip tightens. “That must have been awful.” It was. But I don’t have words for it, don’t have the capacity to process anything beyond getting to the hospital.

We push through the arena’s back exit into the parking lot. The afternoon sun is too bright. The world should look different now, but it doesn’t. “Where did we park?” I can’t remember.

“This way.” Mom guides me toward her car. “I know where it is. Just breathe, Emily. We’re going to get there. She’s going to be okay.” I want to believe her. I follow, clutching Maddie’s bag like it might keep me grounded.