Sebastian (The Beck Brothers #2)

by Large, Andria

  " Hello?...Jillian, slow down, what's going on?..." Jared listened for a moment before his eyes shot up and locked on Sebastian's, his face pale. "...uh huh, what hospital?...Okay, we'll be there as soon as possible...okay, bye Jillian," Jared murmured and hung up the phone before dropping it onto the desk.

  Dread twisted Sebastian's gut. What the fuck was going on? Why was Jared looking at him like that? " What is it?" Sebastian asked hoarsely.

  " It's Raelynn," Jared said grimly.

  Sebastian started shaking his head. " Don't tell me she's dead, Jared" Sebastian choked, tears welling up in his eyes.

  " No, she's not. But she's been shot and they’re not sure if she's going to make it," Jared rasped. " We need to get to Jefferson."

  Without another word, Sebastian turned and ran out of the house. He jumped into his truck and tore out of the driveway. He was frantic. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to move. He had to get to the hospital. He couldn't loose her. They had just made up. They needed more time together. Sebastian fought the urge to puke his guts up the entire ride. He parked his truck in the hospital garage and ran for the emergency room. He skidded to a halt when a familiar voice called his name.

  Sebastian spun to see Raelynn's best friend Nicole. She was in the waiting room, standing with a few other people. Sebastian rushed over to her and grabbed her shoulders. " What's going on?!" he asked frantically.

  Nicole gripped his elbows. " They just took her in for surgery. Apparently when she went to the home of the suspected killer, he was there and shot her. She was shot in the chest and stomach. Both bullets went through her vest. They need to repair the damage from the bullets. She also fell down the steps she had been standing on and cracked her skull. Her brain is swollen..."

  Sebastian felt his knees go weak and the blood drain out of his face. Nicole must have seen it too because she helped him sit in the chair that was behind him. Sebastian rubbed his suddenly aching chest with the heel of his palm. He swallowed back the bile that rose in his throat. This could not be happening.

  " Do they know if she's gonna make it?" he croaked.

  Nicole brushed away a tear that slipped from the corner of her eye. " They're not sure," she whispered.

  A tortured sound tore out of him before he could stop it. Sebastian shoved his hands into his hair and started to rock slightly in his chair. It was something he always did when he was upset. It use to soothe him when he was a kid but now it was more like a habit. It didn't really help to calm him anymore. What the fuck was he going to do? He couldn't handle loosing another woman he loved. This was going to be the end of him. He couldn't go through another funeral. Oh god, he was going to loose his fucking mind for sure this time.

  The waiting room filled up around him with Raelynn's family and co-workers. Sebastian alternated between sitting and pacing. He couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. They've only had one update since Raelynn went into surgery and that was about an hour ago. They were going on two hours now. Jared had handed him a water about a half hour ago without a word. He seemed to know that Sebastian was in no condition to talk. It took one more hour before the surgeon who worked on Raelynn came into the waiting room.

  " Where is Raelynn Reynolds' family?" The doctor called.

  Raelynn's parents, grandparents, sisters and their husbands rushed over to him. Sebastian hated that he was left out, but he wasn't family. He was her boyfriend and in hospitals that meant jack shit. Sebastian waited, his hands laced together on the top of his head. He was sure his hair was sticking straight up by now.

  The doctor spoke to the family for a good 15-20 minutes. Long enough to make Sebastian antsy. He shifted from side to side and watched the doctor's grim face as he spoke. Sebastian couldn't hear anything that he was saying, but judging from the look on his face, it wasn't good. Sebastian's stomach couldn't take much more. He's been fighting off the nausea since he first found out. Finally the doctor left and Jared headed straight for Sebastian, his face closed off, which made Sebastian worry more.

  " What did he say?" Sebastian swallowed hard. He tried to prepare himself for the worst, but he knew nothing would prepare him for loosing Raelynn.

  " It doesn't look good Sebastian. The doctor said that she died in surgery twice but they were able to revive her..." Jared murmured, raking a hand down the side of his face. "...They were able to repair the damage the bullets made. The doctor said that the chest wound was pretty bad. The bullet had nicked her heart and she had almost bled out before even getting to the hospital. The stomach wound wasn't too bad and the doctor was able to repair all the damage with no problems. Now their mostly worried about the swelling of her brain. They’re putting her in a medically induced coma to try and get the swelling to go down."

  Sebastian scrubbed a hand over his mouth. " Will she be okay?" Sebastian asked, voice trembling.

  " Right now it's a waiting game. They plan to keep her in the coma until the swelling in her brain is completely gone. They don’t know how long that will take. He said if she makes it through the first twenty four hours then her chances of surviving greatly increase. They are also worried about infection though."

  Sebastian blinked, the tears that had been building up finally falling. " Will I..." Sebastian cleared the emotion from his throat. "...Will I be able to see her?"

  Jared sighed. " The doctor said ‘family only’ because they are putting her in intensive care. She's only allowed two visitors at a time. But let me talk to Bianna, if she's okay with it I'll let you go in with her."

  " You would do that...for me?" Sebastian asked roughly.

  Jared put his hands on Sebastian's shoulders. " I know how much she means to you Sebastian. So yeah, I would do that for you."

  " Thank you," Sebastian whispered.

  Jared nodded. " I'll be back, let me talk to Bianna."

  Sebastian nodded and watched Jared go to his crying wife. Jared rubbed her arms as he talked to her. Sebastian didn't want to get his hopes up because Bianna might say no. Bianna said something to Jared, who replied. Bianna then looked over at Sebastian, her sympathy and understanding clear in her tear filled eyes. She looked back at Jared and nodded. Jared smiled softly and gave her a gentle kiss before heading back over to Sebastian.

  " She says it's okay with her," Jared said.

  Sebastian nodded. He couldn't even say anything. His throat clogged and tightened as he tried to hold himself together. Sebastian put one hand over his eyes while propping the other on his hip. He tried to take a few deep breaths but nothing seemed to be working. He really didn't want to sob like a fucking baby in front of Raelynn's family. Her parents were here and he hadn't even met them yet. It wasn't really the best time to go introducing himself.

  " Jared, I keep seeing you come over here. Who are you talking to?" an elderly female voice asked.

  Shit! Sebastian quickly collected himself and dropped his hand to see who had come over. It was an older woman, probably in her eighties. She had the standard old lady hairdo and glasses. She actually looked really great for her age. She was moving well and seemed mentally sharp. Her light blue eyes scanned over Sebastian from behind her large glasses.

  " Nana, this is Raelynn's boyfriend Sebastian Beck. Sebastian, this is Nana Eloise Reynolds," Jared introduced.

  Nana's eyes lit up and a huge smile made her wrinkled face look years younger. " Oooh, this is the man my little Rae-Rae had been talking about?"

  " Yes, this is him," Jared answered.

  Nana moved forward, her soft hands grabbing one of his. " Oh my, you're a handsome one aren't you?" Nana Eloise smirked up at him. She was shorter then Raelynn. Sebastian literally towered over her.

  Sebastian forced a tight smile. " Thank you, ma'am."

  " None of the ma'am stuff now. You'll call me Nana like everyone else," Nana said firmly, patting the hand she held in hers.

  " Okay," Sebastian whispered.

  Nana frowned up at him. She reached up and cupped his face. " I can see you're upse
t honey, but my little Rae-Rae is a strong woman and she'll make it through," Nana said gently.

  Sebastian could only nod. Nana gave his hand a squeeze then walked away. He wished he would have met her during better circumstances. She seemed like a wonderful lady. Hopefully Raelynn pulled through and he could meet the rest of her family. She was always so busy that she barely got to see them herself, let alone introduce Sebastian to them.

  When the time came for them to go see Raelynn, Jared put his arm around Sebastian's shoulders and led him upstairs with the family. The ICU floor was quiet except for the nurses moving around. There was a waiting room that they had to sit in while two people visited Raelynn at a time. Her parents went first. They both came back crying fifteen minutes later. Both sets of grandparents went, then her sister Elise and her husband Tim went. Finally Sebastian and Bianna got their turn.

  Bianna clung to Sebastian's arm as they walked down the hall to Raelynn's room. Sebastian laced his fingers in hers. He needed the support as bad as she did. Sebastian was shaking, but so was Bianna, so he didn't feel as bad about it. They stopped just outside the open door that lead to Raelynn's room. The doors were large sliding glass ones that were left open. The only thing cutting off their view of her was the curtain that was pulled across the door for some privacy.

  Bianna moved around the curtain first, pulling Sebastian in behind her. The sight of Raelynn laying in that bed would forever be burned into Sebastian's mind. She had tubes and wires everywhere. She was hooked up to a ventilator, so there was a tube coming out of her mouth. A large bandage was wrapped around her head and had a drainage tube sticking out from one side of it. Monitors beeped and clicked. Sebastian could see the bandage sticking out the top of her hospital gown. They had to open up her chest to repair the damage the bullet caused. The thought made Sebastian sick to his stomach.

  " Jesus," Sebastian breathed and pressed back against the wall just beyond the curtain.

  Bianna turned towards him, but black spots dotted his vision and he couldn't see her clearly. " Sebastian? Are you alright?" she asked, concerned.

  Sebastian shook his head furiously and pressed a hand to his chest. His heart was going to pound out of his chest and he couldn't pull in enough air. " I can't...I can't breathe," he gasped.

  Bianna grabbed his shoulders. " You're having a panic attack, sit down," she said softly, helping to guide him down the wall until he was sitting on his ass. " Pull your knees up and drop your head between them."

  Sebastian did as he was told.

  " Good. Now breathe, nice deep breaths. That's right. Good," she soothed, rubbing his back.

  " I'm sorry, Bianna," Sebastian muttered from between his knees once he could breathe again.

  " It's okay, Sebastian. This just tells me how much you care about my sister," Bianna murmured gently. " Are you better?"

  " Yeah, thank you," Sebastian said, lifting his head.

  Bianna gave him a tender smile then stood and walked over to the bed. Sebastian slowly got to his feet and made his way over to the opposite side of the bed. Sebastian took Raelynn's hand in both of his and lifted it to kiss her knuckles. Tears welled and started pouring down his face. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. It was only last night that they were making love in her bed. And now she was fighting for her life. This had to be a nightmare that he would wake up from soon.

  Bianna spoke softly to her sister from the other side of the bed while Sebastian silently cried and clutched Raelynn's hand. Bianna then looked over at Sebastian, tears streaming down her face.

  " I'll give you a minute alone with her," Bianna whispered then headed for the door.

  Sebastian stared down at Raelynn. How could this be happening? Was fate really this cruel? Would she really take away the one woman that could possibly be love of Sebastian’s life? All his anguish came to bubbling up to the surface and boiled over. A ragged sob escaped him. Sebastian bent over and dropped his forehead to the back of her hand that he'd been holding.

  " Please, don't leave me Rae," he pleaded quietly. " I couldn't handle loosing you. I need you."

  Sebastian had no idea how long he had been there. Tears continued to leak from his eyes and he had no idea if they would ever stop. He was still bent over, his head still resting on her thigh, his face turned so that he could look up at her. He didn't even know when the next time he'd be able to see her was. It killed him to not be considered her family. If he were her husband he wouldn't have this problem.

  Strong hands came to rest on his shoulders, making Sebastian start. He straightened and looked back to see Henry standing behind him. Sebastian blinked then rubbed his eyes, not sure if he was seeing correctly. " Henry?" he croaked.

  Henry squeezed his shoulders. He wasn't looking at Sebastian though. He was looking at Raelynn, his expression sad.

  " What...what are you doing here?" Sebastian asked in confusion.

  " Jared called me," Henry replied quietly, still looking over Raelynn's battered form.

  " How'd he get your number?" Sebastian asked.

  " I'm your emergency contact," Henry said, finally turning his gaze to Sebastian.

  Sebastian nodded in understanding. Jared must have had Henry's number stored in his phone for emergencies. Sebastian couldn't thank Jared enough for today. The man was truly a great person. Sebastian was beginning to consider him a friend also.

  " Visiting hours are over Sebastian, it's time to go," Henry murmured apologetically.

  Sebastian sighed heavily. He wasn't ready to leave. Sebastian leaned over and kissed Raelynn's forehead. " I'll come see you as soon as I can, sweet cheeks. Promise me you'll fight to stay alive," Sebastian whispered to her, praying that she could hear him.

  Sebastian gathered up all the strength he could muster and turned away. Henry put his arm around Sebastian's shoulders and led him from the room. As they passed the waiting room, Raelynn's family was in the process of leaving too. Sebastian went to Jared and hugged him. Jared made a surprised noise but hugged Sebastian back.

  " Thank you, Jared," Sebastian whispered.

  Jared patted his back. " You're welcome, Sebastian."

  Sebastian pulled back, giving him a tight smile before turning to leave.

  " Sebastian," Jared called.

  Sebastian turned back and looked at Jared expectantly.

  " Raelynn's parents put you on the visitors list. You can come see Raelynn whenever you want," Jared said softly.

  Sebastian sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widened slightly. Sebastian's gaze swung over to Raelynn's parents, who were standing together a little behind Jared. They both gave him a small but warm smile. Sebastian didn't know what to say. He was shocked. He was extremely grateful. And being the pussy he was, he burst into tears. He went to her parents and hugged them both at the same time, whispering ‘Thank you’ over and over. They hugged him back. Raelynn's mom started crying because he was crying. He didn't even know their names, but he didn't really care at the moment. They had just done the best thing ever for him. And he planned on taking advantage of their gift. He was going to be here everyday for Raelynn. He would will her to get better. He wouldn't give up without a fight. He had just gotten her back and they hadn't had enough time together. He wanted more and dammit, he was going to get it! Raelynn had somehow become his world and he would not let his world come crashing down a second time.

  Chapter 12

  Raelynn wanted out of the darkness. She had no idea where she was or what had happened. She couldn't remember anything. She had no idea how long she had been here. She could hear voices every now and then. But she couldn’t decipher whose voices they were. There were some male voices and some female voices. One male voice stood out but she couldn’t come up with his name. She knew he was important to her though. Whenever she heard him he told her to fight, that he needed her, that he missed her. Raelynn yearned to repeat the words to him.

  Raelynn felt the darkness slowly fading. She could hear that male voice again.
He was talking to her. Raelynn fought to listen to what he was saying. She wanted to know what he was saying. The darkness receded a little more. The man laughed. The kind of laugh that Raelynn knew was rare and special coming from this man. There was a light fog around Raelynn now.

  "...He's getting so big. Anyway, I was thinking about getting another tattoo, maybe your face on the side of my neck?" the voice chuckled. "...I'm just joking. Well partially, I do want another tattoo. Maybe something else like St. Michael..."

  Raelynn could feel her body again. She could feel a hand on her thigh, gently rubbing. She drug her eyes open as much as she could. It was only a crack, she could see only a sliver of light but nothing solid. She turned her head towards the voice, which had abruptly cut off. Raelynn let out a breathy moan, she didn't want him to stop talking!