I grabbed Margie and pulled her back. Then, out of nowhere, four more guys showed up. Two of them grabbed Garrett and held him while the guy who had been walking with Margie started to hit him.

“Stop!” I began screaming. “Please stop!”

I turned to look at Margie, and she was crying.

“Go get help, Margie!” I yelled.

I looked back, and both Garrett and Billy were being beaten.

“Margie!” I screamed. “Get help!”

I ran toward them, screaming for the guys to stop. One of the guys reached out and slapped me so hard across the face that I fell back.

“Fucker!” Garrett yelled, breaking free of the other guy’s grip.

I’d never seen Garrett hurt anyone, and the way he was punching this guy scared me. The other guy got up and grabbed something from a car. When I saw he had something in his hand I screamed for Garrett to watch out, but the next thing I knew, he’d hit Garrett over the head. I watched as Garrett fell to the ground. I screamed out as loud as I could, and then I saw the lights. The police were pulling up from everywhere.

One of the guys called out, “Jimbo! The fuzz are here! We’ve got to go.”

I watched as one guy hit Billy three more times before finally letting him go. He dropped to the ground and began crawling over toward Garrett.

I jumped up and ran to Garrett, calling out, “Garrett! God, please no. No!”

All of a sudden, people were everywhere, and Garrett was being put into an ambulance. Billy had blood all over him, and Margie was standing off to the side, talking to the police. I started to make my way to the ambulance. A police officer grabbed my arm.

“Please let me go with him. He is my fiancé. Please,” I begged.

They shut the doors, and I watched the ambulance drive off.

“Miss, I promise, I will drive you to Brackenridge myself. I just need you to answer a few more questions. Did you know any of the other men?”

I wrapped my arms around myself to try to calm my shaking body. I shook my head. “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

“So, you’ve never seen them before at this dance hall?” the officer asked.

Then, I remembered one of them had said a name. I spun around to face the policeman. “Jimbo—that was what one of the guys called out. Jimbo was the one who walked out with Margie.”

The police officer shook his head. “You just gave me everything I needed. I know exactly who they are. Jimbo Duran has been causing trouble for us for the last six months. We didn’t have anything to use to put him in jail, but with the assault on your fiancé and his brother, we do now.”

Margie walked up. “He told me he was taking me to a frat house.”

I glared at her. “This is your fault.”

She went to open her mouth to talk, but she shut it.

I shook my head and started pointing my finger at her. “I will never forgive you for this—ever!” I screamed.

Billy came up and took me in his arms. “Emma, it’s okay. Garrett is going to be okay.”

I tried to push Billy away. “He is not waking up, Billy. He. Is. Not. Okay!”

Margie began crying. “Em, I’m so—”

“Don’t call me Em! Only Garrett calls me that. Don’t you dare call me that.”

The officer took me gently by the arm and began walking me to his car.

I looked back and shouted, “I hate you, Margie. I hate you!”

I jumped when I felt someone touch my shoulder.

“Daddy!” I said as I jumped up and into his arms. “Oh, Daddy, no one is telling me anything, and they won’t let me in there to see Garrett. Please just tell me he is okay.”

“Emma Rose…calm down, okay? Garrett is going to be all right. He does have some big injuries, but he’ll be okay.”

I began crying as I nodded my head. “What kind of injuries?”

“Well, he is very lucky that he didn’t really get injured when they hit his head. Billy said Garrett moved at the last second, and they barely caught him, but they did hit him again when he was down.”

I tried to think back to when it had happened. “Daddy, I don’t remember them hitting him when he passed out.” I thought for a second and then looked at my father. “I did look away at Billy though.”

My father nodded his head. “Emma, I need you to sit down, okay?”

I started shaking from head to toe, and then I felt someone grab a hold of me. I turned around. “Julia!” I threw myself into her arms.

“Shh…honey, calm down. Garrett is going to be okay.”

I couldn’t even talk. I was crying so hard. When I finally settled down, Julia had me sit on the sofa. I glanced up to see my mother walking up, and she took a seat on the other side of me.

She grabbed my hand and gave me a weak smile.

Why do I get the feeling they are about to tell me something very bad? “You’re all scaring me,” I whispered.

My father bent down. “No, sweetheart. I promise you, he is okay. Now, I need you to listen carefully. Garrett does have some serious injuries, so he will be in the hospital for a while.”

I slowly nodded my head. “Tell me, Daddy.”

My father took a deep breath and glanced up. David was standing on the other side of the waiting room with a battered and bruised Billy.

When my father started talking again, I looked into his eyes and held my breath.

“Garrett has four broken ribs. His right arm is broken—”

A loud sob escaped my mouth, and my mother squeezed my hand.

“And his left leg is broken as well. He has stitches across his forehead from where the bat hit him.”

I let out a gasp. “Bat? He was hit by a bat?”

My father nodded his head. “Yes, Billy said it was a bat they used to hit Garrett. Emma, we’re going to have to cancel the wedding. There is no way Garrett will recover in a month.”

My mouth dropped open, and I shook my head. “No, Daddy, no. We’ve been waiting for so long to get married and start our lives together. This isn’t fair!” I shouted.

“I know, sweetheart. Believe me, I know. Garrett is going to have a long recovery ahead of him, and he will need your help,” my father said.

I sat up straighter and squared off my shoulders. “I’ll do whatever it takes, but I’m not putting off my marriage to Garrett for another second. The justice of the peace can marry us, and then once Garrett has recovered, we will have the wedding.” I held my breath and waited for the four of them to start arguing with me.