The Wrong Time

by Alana Jade

  The elevator door dings open, but I ignore it. The people inside quickly witness what’s happening in front of them and frantically press the close door button, not wanting to be caught up in our mess.

  “Not at all, sir. But this is a hospital, and yelling at Mrs. Hamilton won’t get you anywhere. It’s best if you go back to your girlfriend’s room or leave.” The police officer takes another step toward me. I’m angry that they have that son of a bitch in the same hospital as Georgia, even if it is a different ward.

  “I’m leaving now anyway,” Lauren says from behind the officer. “I’m going to visit my son’s ex-girlfriend, who also happens to be in this hospital.”

  “Over my dead body. Go anywhere near Georgia, and I’ll have you arrested. You stay the hell away from her.” I turn my gaze to the police officer, who’s joined by a second female in uniform. “Please see she stays away from my girlfriend.” I walk forward, pressing the button on the elevator again, hoping it doesn’t take too long to open.

  “Well, you do realize, Adam, that both you and Blaze are connected, whether you like it or not?” There’s a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

  I see red and swing around to face her. “Prove it with DNA, but he’s no brother to me and never will be.” My words are filled with venom.

  The elevator dings, and before the doors have even opened, I’m pushing my way through them, trying to get away from the situation that has unfolded before me.

  Dragging my feet as I walk back to Georgia’s room, I try and think of what to say to her and whether I should bring it up at all that Blaze is in this hospital too, and that he’s my half-brother.

  As I enter her room, I see she’s sleeping peacefully and decide not to wake her given the last twenty-four hours she’s lived through. I sit in the nearby chair and slump down into the soft cushioning. Maybe getting some sleep will help me with some clarity.

  My life has been completely turned around in the space of a day, and all I can think about is finding a liquor store and spending the night trying to forget what’s happened.

  If only I had my trusty elastic band right now.

  Georgia

  “Georgia. Georgia,” The incessant sing-song voice calls to me, waking me from such a peaceful deep sleep.

  My eyes flutter open, but I don’t believe who I see. I blink several times, but it doesn’t change a thing. I’m still in my hospital room. It’s exactly the same as when I drifted off to sleep, except for a strange orange glow coming from the hall.

  They’re staring at me, strapped to this bed. I’m low to the ground so they look like giants. My stepfather, Blaze, Brick, and Rose surround me with eerie smiles plastered on their faces. Every person who I never want to see again has me trapped, and they’re enjoying every moment of it.

  Rose pulls out a needle and starts tapping my skin, laughing each time I cry in pain. Blaze has a lighter in his hand, flicking it on and off before threatening to touch it to my arm. Alfred is lightly rubbing my knee, trying to move his hand higher.

  The tears are running down to my ears and dripping onto my pillow as I flick my head back and forth, trying to watch all four of them at the same time. “Get away from me. Leave me alone,” I scream as I search for any way to get out of this situation.

  “No one can hear you, Georgia.” Blaze smiles before jabbing the lighter into my arm. The burning sensation has me gasping for breath.

  “Adam… Dad… help,” I cry.

  “They can’t help you now. They tried to stop us before.” Alfred grins, looking over his shoulder.

  I follow his gaze, lifting my head, and see Adam and my dad slumped on the floor, blood dripping from their heads and pooling around them. Their lifeless eyes are open and looking in my direction.

  Rose’s boyfriend is standing over them with an ax in his hand.

  “Nooo,” I scream, thrashing around.

  Their cackling laughter drowning out my screams.

  “Georgia… Georgia. Wake up.” Adam lightly shakes my shoulder.

  My eyes jolt open, the morning sun almost blinding me as it pours in through the window, and I see Adam standing beside me with panic in his eyes.

  “You’re alive,” I gasp.

  Adam looks at me, puzzled. “Of course, I am. I think you might have had a bad dream.’

  I take a second to calm down. My heart’s pounding against my ribcage as though it’s trying to escape.

  “You were dead. You were dead. They threw you on a pile with Dad,” I try and explain.

  “They? Who’s they? I was dead along with your dad? What kind of weird dream was this, sweetheart?” Adam wraps his hand around my head, gently pulling me to his chest.

  “Alfred was there. Rose and Blaze were there. So was Blaze’s boyfriend, Brick. Rose’s boyfriend killed you both, and they all laughed about it.”

  “Baby, it was just a dream. Calm down. You’re all clammy.”

  “It was so real, Adam. I thought you were dead,” I mumble into his chest. Warmth radiates from his body, making me feel reassured.

  Fucking bastards are messing with my dreams now.

  “I’m very much alive. Blaze is under police guard. Alfred’s nowhere near here, and no one else has been in your room. I’ve been here all night.” Adam strokes my hair, and I can feel my heart rate calming slowly.

  I snuggle once more into his chest before pulling back. “Did I sleep all night?”

  “You sure did. Almost fifteen hours. The night nurses and I agreed that you must have been beyond exhausted from the ordeal you went through.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever slept that long in all my life.”

  Adam smiles. “If you hadn’t of woken in the next hour, they would have woken you. You’re being taken for a repeat X-ray this morning on your ankle. How’s your head?”

  “Much better. Thank God for that.”

  “The police will be back this morning, and a therapist will come to see you before you leave. But the doctor I spoke to said you’ll be discharged today. Apparently, they kept you in to make sure that the drug Blaze used to knock you out was completely out of your system and had no side-effects. It was some sort of animal relaxant.”

  “Shit! He must have got that from when he worked at the vet clinic. I feel fine now. I don’t want to have to stay here any longer than I have to.”

  “You should be fine, babe, and I agree, I don’t want you here too long either. I want you home. As selfish as this sounds, I can’t sleep another night in that chair. I hope your bed’s a little better.”

  “It’s not great. But that’s not what I meant. I can’t afford how much this will cost me.” I look away from Adam. “I’ve let my health insurance lapse.”

  The one time you need it, Georgia, and it’s run out. Stupid.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ve covered everything. If they say you need to be here for six months, I’ll cover it.”

  My jaw drops. “You didn’t have to do that.” Of course, he can afford it, I know that. But given what happened, I wasn’t sure if he’d be willing to pay.

  “Yes, I did. I told you I’d look after you, and I am.” Adam places a soft kiss on my extremely messy hair. It feels like it’s full of knots. I’d kill for a shower right now, to be able to put as much conditioner as I want into my hair and let it soak for a while. Maybe a shower would help me wash the drama of yesterday away and with any luck, the dreams too.

  “You’re too much, Adam.” I grab his hand and bring it to my mouth. As desperate as I am to kiss him, I haven’t brushed my teeth in almost forty-eight hours, and I won’t subject him to that.

  “Just looking after my girl.”

  I feel warmth spread across my face at his words. While we still have a lot to discuss, I’m pleased that he’s here and calling me his girl again.

  “How’s the pain in your ankle?” Adam asks.

  “Surprisingly, it’s not too bad. It’s still sore, but I’m in nowhere near as much pain as yesterday. I think my headach
e combined with my ankle made it seem like I was overexaggerating.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t an overreaction. You were in shock.”

  “I’m still embarrassed. It was one of the worst headaches I’ve ever had.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re alive and healthy, and that’s all that matters. Maybe you don’t have a very high pain threshold, and that’s nothing to be concerned about.”

  I furrow my brows at him. “I’m not good with pain. I usually cry when I stub my toe. Getting my ears pierced was torture. It’s embarrassing. I wish I had inherited Dad’s high tolerance. Although, if he had my level, perhaps they would have found his brain tumor earlier.” I suck in a breath, stopping myself from getting upset at that thought.

  I wish he was here right now too, holding my hand.

  “Shhh… calm down. Everything will be fine, all right?” He rubs my arm up and down.

  I give Adam a small smile and nod my head. “Do I really have to talk to a therapist?”

  “I think it’s wise to see one. You need to talk to someone besides me. Give it a go. Believe me, it helps talking to someone who’s equipped to give you strategies to help you manage. Which reminds me... I need to tell you something.” His face is stern as he pulls up a chair beside my bed.

  “Can’t we talk about us when we get home?”

  “It’s not about us, Georgia.” Adam sits close to my bed, resting his elbows on the side, cupping his face in his hands.

  “Oh… well, whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  “It’s about Blaze,” he starts.

  “No. I don’t want to hear about that asshole.” I can feel the anger rising in my body, but I try not to let it get out of control.

  “Georgia, please. It’s important, I tell you.”

  “The only thing I want to hear is that he’s dead,” I coldly answer.

  It’s the truth.

  I don’t want to know anything about that bastard ever again. I hope they lock him in jail and throw away the key.

  “He’s not. Listen… I discovered something last night. I don’t have all the details yet, but I’m waiting for when I can see Mom on another good day.”

  “Your mom? What does she have to do with Blaze?”

  “It’s complicated. Yesterday, after I saw John out, I took a detour. I don’t know if I was checking to see if the police were actually guarding Blaze and the other guy, or if I wanted to confront them… but anyway, I decided against it and walked back to the elevators, and Lauren was standing there.”

  “Lauren, as in your mom’s friend? You’ve met her before?”

  “Yeah. I saw her at Mom’s nursing home a couple of days ago. So, I tried to be polite and make small talk until a police officer caught up to her telling her about her son. Then it dawned on me. You said yesterday that he goes by Sawyer, but his last name is really Hamilton, which is Lauren’s last name. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.” Adam’s eyes search mine.

  I close my eyes before taking a deep breath and reopening them while looking up at the ceiling. I know exactly where this conversation is heading. “You don’t have to tell me anymore.”

  Adam puts up his index finger on my lip to silence me. “Let me get this out. Anyway, as I said, when I visited Mom a couple of days ago, Lauren was there. Mom was really lucid, similar to when we visited her, but even better.”

  “Oh, that’s great. Bet you were so happy.” I grin, trying to change the topic.

  “I was. Georgia… Mom blurted out that I had a brother.”

  I don’t know what to do or say.

  Do I feign shock?

  Do I tell him I already know?

  Adam continues, “He’s really a half-brother. Lauren and her husband couldn’t conceive a child, so they asked my father to help them. Apparently, he did, and Brenton was the result of that. Mom started fading away after her confession. But it was Lauren’s reaction to what Mom told me that had me thinking it was true.”

  Brenton? Then why does Blaze think he’s Adam’s brother. “So, you have a brother called Brenton? How does Blaze fit into all this?” I ask.

  “Hang on? You know about Blaze?” he asks, pulling his eyebrows together.

  “Blaze told me before the car accident that he’s your brother. But I thought it was a joke. So, who’s Brenton?

  “Georgia. Blaze’s birth name is Brenton. He changed it to Blaze.”

  “Ohhh…” I had no idea Blaze had changed his name. What makes it even worse is knowing that there’s truth that awful excuse for a human being could be partially related to my beautifully kind-hearted boyfriend. It’s not possible. But given it’s coming from Adam, and the expression on his face is telling me he’s still as shell-shocked about it as I am right now.

  “Adam, I’d be demanding testing as soon as it can be arranged,” I suggest.

  “I will be.”

  Adam hangs his head before resting it on the edge of my bed. This is extra stress he shouldn’t have to deal with, but I’m sure we’ll work through it.

  “I’m sorry about everything, Georgia,” he mumbles.

  “What was that?” I ask, hoping he’ll lift his head.

  “I’m sorry about all of this. It’s all my fault.”

  “You hurt me badly, Adam. Blaze was the last person to speak to me as you did. I never thought I’d be spoken to that way again.”

  “It won’t happen again, ever.” He lifts my hand, placing a soft kiss on my skin. But it’s going to take a lot more than that to believe he won’t act that way again.

  “I want to believe you. But once bitten, twice shy. I’m hesitant. As much as I love you, it’ll take a little while to trust that you won’t treat me like that again.” I’m being brutally honest as I watch the tears well in his eyes. I know I’m hurting him with what I’m saying, but it needs to be said.

  “I’ll do all I can to prove to you that I’ll never do it again. That I am worthy of you.”

  I nod my head. “I know you will.” I take my hand and place it against the beard on his face, gently rubbing my thumb back and forth.

  We’ll get back to where we were. I know we will, but I’m still scared that there’s a part of him who can lose it so easily over something that should have been slightly embarrassing and funny afterward.

  Time will tell if we’re meant to be together.

  Adam

  Three Weeks Later…

  Parking across both mine and Basil’s spaces and switching off the engine, I turn to Georgia who’s giggling at me.

  “What?” I smile at her. “I’m making sure you can get out without further hurting your foot.”

  “Adam. I’m fine. Really. I can walk on it, even if I’m a little slower than normal.”

  “I know, but I’m trying to help you. You’ll get back to your normal self soon enough, sweetheart.” She frustrates me at times. I wish she’d accept more help, especially now when she needs it.

  “I will, and with each physiotherapy session, I’m becoming stronger. Another couple of weeks and I’ll be back to normal... well, normal as I can be.” She lets out a little giggle.

  I’m trying my hardest to show her that I can be the caring partner she deserves. We’ve been good so far, even if Georgia’s decided she’ll sleep in one of the other bedrooms for a short while. She’s used the excuse that she doesn’t want to risk hurting her ankle while she sleeps, but I know it’s because of the trust issue I introduced to our relationship.

  She was very lucky with her injury, only a small tear in the ligament and a sprain. She’s been told to keep off it for four weeks and do her exercises. I have caught her a few times now, trying to walk around the house without her crutches. My worry is that she’ll hurt herself again.

  I’ve been doing as much as I can for her, even working from home for two weeks so I could drive Georgia to physiotherapy and psychologist appointments. My real reason, though, is that I’m terrified of leaving her.

  I’ve had to come into the office for meeti
ngs and interviews over the last week, leaving her at home as I was worried my clients wouldn’t like being put off for too long, and I need to keep my company going. Not to mention, I still have a second-in-charge position to fill.

  Georgia understood, of course. I don’t think she cared, but I made sure someone from security was available to keep an eye on her at all times.

  The response I received for Zac’s position was overwhelming. It was as if every person within the company thought they were qualified for the position. I never even had a chance to advertise externally with everything that happened. But I’m blessed to have so many great candidates already working for me. It made working at home a lot easier as I was able to sit and read each resume and decide who my top five were.

  I was disappointed that Basil, Max, and Darius didn’t apply. I thought if anyone, Max would deem himself suitable for the role, and I would have happily hired him without the need for an interview. He’s proven himself to be trustworthy and right for the job. But in a brief conversation with him, he told me he’d prefer to stay where he is as Chief Financial Officer. His current role is better for him and his family.

  Lucy and Georgia were quite polite when I was verbalizing the pros and cons of hiring certain people. But I can tell they were glad to hear when I’d finally culled it down.

  Lucy must have been getting annoyed with Georgia under her feet too. She never has anyone in the house in her way, and unless she goes outside, she rarely sees my outdoor staff. But it’s been nice hearing that they’ve struck up a friendship with Lucy telling me that Georgia’s a perfect match for me.

  To my surprise, Georgia is actually feeling better with each one of her psychology appointments. She gets a lot off her chest in each session and feels that while it will take a little while to deal with everything she’s experienced, she feels she can move forward.

  It’s much more than I can say about myself.

  It’s a daily struggle.

  I haven’t had a drink since, but it’s on my mind. A lot. I’ve had to tell Georgia I’m going to the gym when I’m heading to an AA meeting. She’s never questioned it, even though I have a full gym within my own house. Every day I struggle. I’m thinking of alcohol again, and from experience, all it will take is one opportunity, and I’ll buy some. I need to speak to Georgia about this soon. Patrick has encouraged me for the last two weeks to tell her, but there’s that fear she’ll leave me when she finds out and I just can’t shake the feeling.