by Keelan Storm
He looked around and saw Hector coming up the ramp, Wesley no longer in tow, and realized he had never been more grateful to have Hector around. He wouldn’t have had a chance at stopping both his best friends by himself.
Emma was sitting on the bench next to them, her eyes wide, tears silently streaming as she watched Tucker and Annie with Izzy.
He didn’t want to look that way. It was all he could do to stay calm and collected for the others at this point. He had nearly lost his grip when he forced himself to look up at his bleeding friend the time Wesley spoke.
He had never seen anyone look so fragile, so broken. He shuddered and forced his thoughts back to the logical side of the situation. Was there anything else they needed to do?
The paramedics came running up right as he realized one major factor that had somehow managed to elude him until now. He pulled Annie back from Izzy to make room for the paramedics. She came willingly, grateful her sister would finally get some help. “Emma,” he called when they were out of the way.
She was by his side a second later. “Yeah?” Her voice sounded as weak as he felt.
He handed her his phone. “I need you to call our parents.”
“What?” Emma asked in surprise, refusal coating her voice.
“Please, Emma! I need you to do this,” Jet said in earnest. “I don’t know if I could tell Bridgette. Tucker and Annie need me,” his mind added, too close to the tears he couldn’t let fall.
Emma nodded, seeing the trouble in his eyes that he was working so hard to hide. She took the phone from his hand in a slow, timid movement.
“Call my house first,” Jet instructed. “My parents will have to watch the kids. Then call Bridgette. You’ll have to call Tucker’s parents, too. Tell them we’ll meet them at the hospital.”
She nodded to him again and fingers shaking, started scrolling through the phonebook. Jet wrapped his arms around Annie while she watched the paramedics work. He kept his eyes on her.
“What’s her name?” one of the paramedics asked as they surrounded their friend.
“Isabel,” Tucker answered.
“Are you her husband?” the same paramedic asked when she saw the ring on Izzy’s finger.
“Her fiancé,” he clarified.
“Got a name, fiancé?”
“Tucker.”
“Alright, Tucker, can you tell me what happened?”
“She fell from up there.” He motioned by turning his head and looking up to where the insignificant pompoms now lay, marking the start of the fall. “She hit her head on the corner of a bench on the way down,” he added. “It knocked her out.”
“Keep the pressure on her head,” she instructed him while they continued to work over Izzy.
Tucker pressed the shirt harder against her head as they worked. He couldn’t watch. It was too much. Instead, he continued to whisper in Izzy’s ear, doing his best to ignore the paramedics’ conversation over his fiancé’s definite and probable injuries.
“How far along is she?” the woman asked. Her voice was kind but urgent. Tucker thought he could hear something underlying in her tone.
“Twenty-seven weeks,” he answered automatically. “Why?”
The paramedics didn’t answer. They just continued to work over her.
“Why? Is something wrong with the baby?” he frantically asked as a new state of panic erupted and enveloped him. Dear God, he had never even considered that. How horrible was he? Izzy would have thought of the baby instantly.
“Tell me!” he yelled when they still didn’t respond.
“Possibly,” the woman answered and pushed Tucker out of the way to tend to Izzy’s head.
Tucker sat back, his forehead rested against shaky hands as he worked hard to breathe. His lungs felt like they had constricted, refusing to allow any air to enter. This could not be happening. Izzy would die if something happened to Destiny.
“Please, God, no!” he pleaded. “Help them!”
* * *
The ride over to the hospital in Hector’s SUV was a blur to Annie. Even the first minutes in the waiting room where they all listened to Tucker’s troubled explanation of what had happened up in the stands seemed surreal to her now. The facts of the story evaded her at the moment. She mostly remembered her mother’s tears as she had tightly held her.
It felt like it had been ages since the doctor had told them Izzy was going into emergency surgery for internal bleeding and her head wound, but the clock on the wall told her it had only been a few hours.
She lifted her head from Jet’s shoulder, and removed her hand from her mother’s to stand up, stretching her muscles that were stiff from the hours of immobile waiting. She kicked the annoying, shimmery heels further beneath the less than comfortable chair with the heel of her foot and walked barefoot over to the water cooler in the corner of the room.
Pressing the nozzle to fill the small paper cup, she sipped it slowly. The cool water felt good against her throat. It was dry and scratchy from screaming and crying. Her eyes still felt puffy from her earlier tears, but they were dry now. She had cried herself out. Now, she just felt empty. Except for the sick feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, her twin vibe in full effect.
There was no doubt in her mind that her sister would pull through, though. She’d feel it deep within her very being if Izzy wasn’t going to make it, but that feeling in her gut? She didn’t know what it meant, but she couldn’t relax as long as it was there.
When the cup was empty, she filled it again, more parched than she’d realized, and looked around the small waiting room, finding it deserted except for her friends and family.
Her mother’s head was resting against Jenna’s shoulder. The platinum blonde rested hers against the dark brunette’s. They held hands. On both their cheeks, there was evidence of dried tears.
To their right, she saw Tucker fidgeting between Jet and his father, his foot tapping impatiently against the off white linoleum, his hands constantly moving, grasping together, clutching the arms of the chair, then moving up to his face where he’d swipe at tears that would occasionally escape his red eyes.
He looked like he was going insane with worry. Annie’s heart went out to him. He truly loved her sister. She’d known that, had heard him say it before, but it wasn’t until tonight that she was able to fully grasp that his love for Izzy was just as deep as the love she held for Jet.
She noticed Jet watching her and tried to smile, but it turned out more like a grimace. Jet smiled back, understanding, and turned his head to whisper something to Tucker.
Annie looked over at Chuck then. The large, quiet man had a hand on his son’s shoulder in silent reassurance. She was a little surprised at the sudden ache the sight brought to her chest. By now, they were all past her father’s death, but she found herself wishing he could be here with them. She turned her eyes away, not wanting to think about it anymore. Her father was gone. There was no changing it.
On the other side of the mothers, she saw Hector sitting in the corner next to Emma. He was staring solemnly at the ground, his hand placed gingerly on Emma’s thigh as she leaned forward with her head buried in her hands. Her elbows rested on the baby blue tulle at her knees, the silver tiara on the chair next to her.
“Wow,” Annie thought to herself, “Did the Homecoming game really just end hours ago?” Emma didn’t need to be here. She should have been out celebrating this night. With Hector. “How did that even happen?” she wondered.
The night had been bizarre, the entire day, actually. A fantastic afternoon with Jet, her sister’s engagement to their best friend, two unlikely friends, possibly starting a relationship, the most exciting game of the season… She didn’t want to go any further down the list. She preferred the numb, unreal feeling she held about it now to actually thinking about it.
“How’s the water?” she heard a deep, unnaturally rough voice ask from behind her. She jumped as Tucker reached past h
er to grab one of the small paper cups, and shrugged in response.
“It’s water.”
He nodded and lifted the cup to his lips, but she was pretty certain he hadn’t really needed the drink. He was just looking for an excuse to get up and move.
“How’re you holding up?” she asked, though she already knew the answer. She just didn’t know what else to say.
His brow crumpled in pain. “Terrible. You?”
“Numb. I’m trying not to think about it too hard.”
“I wish I could feel nothing,” he whispered. He quickly downed his water, smashed the empty cup in his hands, and tossed it into the small trashcan on the floor.
Annie tossed her cup in after his and waited for him to look back at her, but when he didn’t, she said, “She’s going to be alright, Tucker.”
He closed his eyes, and a few tears trickled out the corners as he replied, his voice so weak she wouldn’t have recognized it as his if she hadn’t seen him speak. “She has to be.”
The meaning behind his words was strong in Annie’s ears. She took the small step over to her friend and put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, but there was resistance behind it. She lowered her hands on his back as she pulled away and heard his loud wince from above her ear.
“Tucker, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he replied a little too hastily, but she didn’t miss how he had to stop himself from reaching to his backside. Stepping behind him, Annie pulled up his T-shirt to reveal a long, horizontal, purple bruise right below the middle of his back.
“Oh, my God! Tucker!”
He yanked his shirt back down and prayed no one else had seen. “Fat chance,” he thought to himself. Annie had just revealed his sore, aching back to everyone in the waiting room. If the bruise he was certain had formed hadn’t caught their attention, Annie’s exclamation sure would have.
“What happened, sweetie?!” his mother gasped and rushed to his side.
Tucker groaned and shot his friend a dirty look. She ignored it, waiting for his answer.
“It’s just a bruise,” he explained, turning so his mother couldn’t lift his shirt, too.
“From what?” his overprotective mother demanded.
“I told you I fought with Wesley,” he said in frustration. Why were they worrying about this? His back was nothing compared to Izzy…and possibly Destiny. His stomach churned again with the revolving thought.
“Man, I know you screwed up his nose pretty bad, but your back looks horrible,” Hector said from the corner.
“Thanks,” he grumbled.
“You shouldn’t have fought him,” his mother scolded. “You know how I feel about that.”
Chuck spoke up in Tucker’s defense. “Leave him alone, Jenna. He was just defending his girlfriend.”
Hector’s expression became puzzled. “I thought y’all were engaged?”
The four other teenagers groaned. Hector might have stepped up tonight, but he sure knew how to make a difficult conversation worse.
The three adults looked at Hector in surprise, then Bridgette glanced back to Tucker. “What?” She sounded confused.
Tucker glared at his friend.
“What?!”
“They haven’t told their parents yet,” Emma explained.
Hector’s eyes widened as understanding took its place. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. You said it in front of everyone when the paramedics were there.”
“So it’s true?” Jenna asked, looking at her son.
“Yes,” he replied.
“When?” his father asked, accusation in his tone as though he thought the teens had been hiding it from them.
“It was just this afternoon. Yesterday afternoon,” he corrected, looking at the clock and seeing it was past two in the morning now. “I gave her Nana’s ring.”
“Nana’s ring?” his mother asked.
“Yeah, Nana pretty much forced me to take it over Thanksgiving.”
“You’re too young to get married,” Bridgette said tersely from her seat.
“No, we know that,” he explained quickly before their parents could get any more upset. “We have no intention of getting married anytime soon. It’s just that we know we’re going to one day, and we thought it would be a good way to show our commitment for when Destiny arrives. We love each other,” he finished with intense sincerity.
No one said anything for a few moments. Tucker looked into the green eyes the twins had inherited, waiting for Bridgette’s response, well aware the acceptance would be hardest to receive from her.
After several seconds passed, she gave a nearly imperceptible nod. “I know you do.”
“That’s great, sweetie,” Jenna said with her warm smile. “As long as you definitely wait.”
“No problem, Mom.” That was one condition neither he nor Izzy would have a problem keeping.
Satisfied, Jenna wrapped him in a hug, and he winced again, his body cringing as the steady throb in his back changed to shooting pains beneath his mother’s touch.
“That’s it. You’re getting checked out,” his mother commanded.
“I’m fine,” Tucker insisted.
“Tucker!”
“Mom!”
“Dude, just do it. It looks pretty bad,” Jet said from across the room.
“No!” he finally shouted. “I’m not leaving here until we know about Izzy!” “…and Destiny.”
He looked around at them wildly, determination in his eyes. Let them try getting him to leave this waiting room before then. His physical pain was nothing compared to what he was feeling inside.
“I know you’re worried, sweetie, but,” his mother started before her husband cut in.
“No, Jenna. It’s fine. He can wait until Izzy’s out of surgery,” Chuck replied and then looked at his son, “But you’re getting looked at before we leave.”
“Okay,” he agreed grudgingly and went to sit back down. He wanted to argue but knew from his father’s tone it would only be a waste of time.
Barely a minute passed before the door to the waiting room opened. They all looked up expectantly, and Tucker’s stomach started flip-flopping violently around when he saw the doctor step into the room.
“Bridgette,” the doctor greeted. She swallowed nervously, staring at her coworker. “Everyone here is for Isabel?” the older man asked.
“Yes,” she replied firmly, moving shakily to her feet as Jenna squeezed her hand in support.
They all stood, taking her cue for the doctor’s update. Tucker felt unsteady on his feet. It was suddenly much harder to breathe. He felt as though the very meaning for his life hung on what the doctor had to say. Jet and his father each gripped one of his shoulders. Annie was back by her mother’s side. They waited.
Compassion well in place, the doctor started. “As you know, she had quite a few injuries, but overall, the surgery went well. We casted her broken ankle and arm and managed to stop the internal bleeding. Still, we’ll need to monitor her head injury for the next few days to watch for swelling so she’ll need to be sedated for a while, but we have every reason to believe Isabel will make a full recovery.”
Relief flooded throughout the room, and the women hugged as the majority of their fears were set aside.
Tucker’s sense of relief was very brief. He hadn’t missed what the doctor failed to mention. The one thing he knew Izzy would care about when she woke.
“What about the baby?” he managed to croak.
The tension in the room grew so heavy it felt like a weight was pushing him to the ground. His knees started shaking under the pressure of what he might hear.
The doctor’s face was suddenly grave. “I’m sorry,” was all he said before Tucker sank to the floor.
The weight of his grief overtook him, the pressure too strong for his body to support. He felt as though his heart had just been ripped from his chest. His lungs burned from lack o
f oxygen, but he couldn’t breathe.
“It could be worse,” he tried to tell himself. “You could have lost Izzy, too.”
But it was a poor comfort. The loss of their unborn child was crippling to him, and he knew Izzy would take it worse. He’d only been attached to their baby for a matter of weeks. Destiny had been Izzy’s life for months. The news would kill her inside, and that would be just as bad, if not worse, as if he’d lost them both in the first place.
29
Breaking
Jet leaned against the wide, faux wood print door, slipped inside, and gave it a gentle push to close. The room was dim. A small lamp beside the bed was the only illumination other than the red and green lights coming from the machines hooked up to Izzy. He let his eyes adjust to the semi-darkness for a second and looked over at his girlfriend, who was sitting beside her sister’s bed. She turned her head when she heard the faint thud of the shutting door.
“Hey, babe,” Annie whispered.
“Hey,” he whispered back and went to stand behind her. “No change?”
“No, but the doctors lessoned her drugs earlier. She should wake up this evening.”
“Really? Where’s your mom? Doesn’t she want to be here?”
“Yeah, but she’s taking Tyler over to your house for the night. We didn’t think he should be here for when…you know. They just left a few minutes ago.”
“I’m surprised I didn’t run into them. She should have called me. I would have come to pick him up so she could have stayed.”
Annie smiled up at him. “That’s sweet, babe, but she’s coming back. Besides, Tyler needed some mom time. He’s worried.”
“I don’t blame him. It must be scary for him to see one of his sisters like this,” he replied, beginning to knead at his girlfriend’s shoulders. She dropped her head, groaning in appreciation as Jet looked down at his bandaged friend.
She looked the same as she had for the past several days since the accident. Tubes across her face and hand, her left leg and right arm in casts, her head wrapped heavily in gauze, and bruises splotched across her body. Her color was sallow, still too pale, even for Izzy.