by P. J. Belden
“Call Rufus,” he said loud and clear.
The anger, fear, sadness, it was pouring off him in waves. Behind all that, though, there seemed to lie a little guilt. Blame for what, she didn’t know, but it wasn’t warranted. Soon, the ringing stopped, and a man’s voice answered.
“Sage, my boy, what do I owe the honor of two calls in such a short period of time.”
“My son has been life-flighted to Harbor Union Hospital. He was hit by a car at school, on school grounds,” he growled into the phone. “You know I never ask for anything,” his voice broke, and Ember watched another tear fall down his cheek.
“Oh, son, what can I do to help? I’ll do whatever I can to help you. You’re family. No one messes with my family.”
“I want you to find out who the fuck did this to my son. Anything, everything… I’m on the way to the hospital with Ems now. We don’t even know…” He didn’t finish the thought that apparently they both were thinking.
A sob escaped from each shattered piece of her heart. Her son could be dead, or dying, and if that happened, she wouldn’t survive.
“Oh, dear, sweet child, don’t you worry about a thing. You are marrying my son. We have you covered. At all costs.”
“He’s so small…” she sobbed, the pieces of her heart splintering with every word.
Sage reached over and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly as his body shook with his quiet sadness. He was trying to stay strong for her, but she didn’t need him too. She needed him to relate, to understand. Ember already felt like she’d been losing her damn mind. This was only going to make it worse.
“Please Rufus, please find out what happened,” Sage’s voice was so broken and jolted from his tears, that she worried they may not make it to the hospital.
“I’m on it, son. I’ll come out that way now, once I get the guys started on it.”
“Thank you,” he breathed.
“Thank you,” Ember said as well.
“Don’t mention it, dear. I’m hanging up now. I’ll be there soon, son. Real soon.”
After Sage had said okay, the call ended. There wasn’t much about Rufus that Ember knew other than the little that Sage has told her, but if he’s going to help find out what happened to their baby, she didn’t care. She just didn’t care.
“Call Dad,” Sage said suddenly, and her heart froze in her chest.
She had no idea why he’d be calling his parents, but she didn’t want them anywhere near her son. But as soon as the voice filled the truck, Ember started to bawl. He called her dad, not his. Just the sound of his voice sent her over the edge.
“What’s wrong, Ember?”
“Sir, I need you to get to Harbor Union Hospital right away.”
“What’s going on,” her father questioned again, but she could hear things being moved and the jingle of his keys in the background.
“It’s Hudson. He was hit by a car at school today.”
“Why are they taking him to Harb…”
“He was taken by life-flight, daddy. Please hurry,” she pleaded with him.
“I’ll get your mother and be there before you know it. Don’t worry about calling anyone else. I’ll let the guys know.”
“They’re in the truck with us,” Sage said, and Ember had to turn around to see their sad faces.
“Can you call Jada, Isa, Bex, and Zee, please? I haven’t called anyone, but Sage.” Ember said as she stared at the guys in the backseat reaching out her hand to them.
“Zea is currently with your mother now, but I will call the girls hun. You just get there safely, okay. I love you both.”
After saying their goodbyes, another call ended. The silence inside the truck was almost suffocating. She turned around in her seat once again and laid her head down in Sage’s lap. Here she thought that she’d be sharing incredible news with him, and now this devastation has hit. Why could they never get a break? It seemed like something was always hitting her, her son, or probably even Sage.
As she cried in Sage’s lap, he ran his hand over her hair and shoulder. Every so often he’d whisper to her how much he loved her. If Sage hadn’t been here when this happened, Ember just wasn’t sure she’d have made it through it all. Not that they’ve gotten through anything, but she could tell that Sage was going to save her, again.
Before long, they pulled up to the hospital and all five of them ran into the emergency room. The place was swarming with people, but Ember had her sights set on the nurse’s desk right as they walked in and nothing stopped her from getting there. She shoved people out of the way that were just standing in the way talking about the weather. When she got to the desk, she choked on her words. Several times she tried to ask for her son, but fear choked her. Sage, thankfully, took charge.
“We need to find out information on our son. He was brought in here from his school by life-flight. They called my wife, his mother, to inform us of the accident.” Ember held her breath while she waited for whatever this nurse would tell them.
Sage’s whole body was stiff. It was killing him inside, but he had already broken down once. He couldn’t afford to do it again. Ember needed him and so did Hudson. No matter how much it killed him, Sage was determined to hold it in until he was alone. The only peace of mind that Sage had right now was that Rufus was on the case. That man would turn mountains for his family and thankfully he considered Sage one of his own. In fact, three years ago, Rufus had adopted him. Yeah, he was a legal adult, but he didn’t want his parents as his any longer. The only concern that Rufus had was what his last name has come to mean. Sage didn’t care. He didn’t want to carry that name any longer. It was something that Sage had yet to tell Ember. She would be a Tortelli, not a Jacobs. His son also carried this tainted last name, but Sage hoped to fix that very soon.
After supplying the nurse with their son’s name and birth date, she led us to some kind of conference room and told us that we’d have an update soon. The minute the door closed, Ember began to pace. She paced so much and fast that she was making him dizzy. Reaching out, he grabbed her and pulled her close. There was no amount of protecting her in this. Hell, there wasn’t a way he’d be able to save either of them from the pain they would be going through. Sage wasn’t kidding himself. He knew it was serious. To be life-flighted in, for one, was cause for that assumption. It was also because they were standing in a conference room and not in an emergency room or surgical waiting room.
Unsure of the amount of time that had passed, a knock sounded on the door. Both Ember and Sage froze. Sage’s heart stopped completely in his chest. He didn’t know what he should do, but he was afraid to even breathe. Soon, the quiet worry filled them again as Ember’s parents emerged from behind the door. When they had been led in there, they informed them that his grandparents would be showing up. They had to supply the nursing station with their names for them to be allowed back.
Not but a half hour later and Rufus was entering the room. Everyone stared at him in shock. They all knew his business, but all he could hope was that they’d take the time to get to know him before making judgements.
“My boy, sweet girl, what’s been said on my grandson.” He asked the minute he reached us.
Ember looked up at him in confusion. Even though the timing wasn’t perfect, he needed to get his mind off all the thoughts that are spinning in his head. So, he decided to let her in on the path his life has gone down in the time they weren’t together.
“Remember before when I told you to trust me on the fact that he wasn’t the way I thought he was?” Ember nodded her head. “Well,” He started, but decided to change tactics. “You know how shitty parents that Donna and Collin were, right?” She nodded her head and let him continue. “Well, a few years ago, I was adopted by Rufus. My last name is no longer legally, Jacobs. It’s now Tortelli. He saved me. He’s been the father to me I wish I had, that I had in your dad until that night. His name is a force to be reckoned with, and he’s not the by the book kind of man… But thi
s man is an incredible person and will be a wonderful grandfather to our son.”
She stared at him for a few moments. It was long enough that he worried she looked at him differently for all this. Nothing was worth losing her, but nothing was worth losing his family either.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“I never knew the right time. Everyone is quick to judge him when they don’t really know him.” Sage looked around the room. “He saved me when I would certainly have died. Rufus protected me. He’s never steered me wrong…”
“The minute I saw him, I knew he was my answered prayer. After losing my Tilly to a drunk driver, I never thought my heart would ever care again. I had left for a business trip – this was when I was on the straight and narrow – and my, at that time wife, beat her to death. I’ll never be able to replace my daughter, but when I saw Sage, I knew part of me had returned. He’s not my flesh and blood, but he is to me. That little boy, you my dear, and all of you are all important to me now because you are to him.”
There was long tense silence that filled the room. Looking at the guys over the top of Ember’s head, Sage could see the fury in Grey’s eyes, but there was also compassion. Ember moved from his arms, drawing his attention away from Grey’s glare. He watched as his soon to be wife moved from his hold into his father’s. Rufus looked at him with tears dancing in his eyes. Rufus understood what that one simple act meant, and he held it for all it was worth. More of a testament that the man was not what his image was made out to be.
There was another knock, and everyone in the room seemed to suck in a breath. But again they all deflated as the girls came running in. Ember had remembered to add them to the list at the last minute. To be honest, Sage wanted just their parents in the room. He wouldn’t deny the people that have been there longer than he had been to be in the room though.
The girls ran directly to Ember and she moved to their embraces. Stepping back, Rufus stepped closer to Sage. His father gave him a hug and Sage soaked it up. With Rufus, he knew he didn’t have to be strong. Yet still, he couldn’t break down yet. Ember needed him. She was breaking with each passing second that they had to wait in this damn room for news, answers, something.
“I’m so sorry son. This is no way a parent should have to spend any of their time.”
Nodding his head silently, he watched Ember cry as her father held her again. “What did you find out?”
“It was a gray, beat up, Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra that hit him. He was near a tree and had got up to get a football that had landed there when the car struck him. He was hit from the side and flung up and over the windshield until he hit the ground behind the car. The car sped off. The sick part is that it took five long minutes for anyone to come help him. And my men have been over and over the video, but we can’t tell where that damn football was thrown from. There are no kids outside. What the hell was he doing outside?”
They both watched as Ember walked back toward Sage and he enveloped her in his arms. She looked both men straight in the eyes. Sage could see the determination in her eyes.
“Whoever did this to my little boy, to our family, I want them to pay and if I can do that I’d really thank you both.”
Leaning down he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “We’ll find out who did this, baby, and they will not like the results with what happens when you fuck with a Tortelli.”
“Or a Watson,” Ember’s father said as he stepped in front of them. “I want in on whatever it is you all have cooked up. This is my grandbaby. I watched him grow on the ultrasounds, was there for his birth, and every birthday. Whoever this is… I’ll gladly go to jail to have a piece of them.”
Just as Sage was about to correct his father-in-law, the door opened with a knock, and a doctor finally stepped into the room. No one in the room even dared to breathe at his entrance. The doctor looked around the room for a moment.
“Wow, we got a house full,” he smirked.
Sage slammed his hand down on the table. “This isn’t time for damn jokes! My son was hurt badly today. Do your fucking job and tell me what the fuck is going on!”
The doctor blanched at his sudden outburst and Ember squeezed him tighter until he looked at her. Pressing a soft kiss to his lips, she whispered for him to calm down for a bit. Returning a sweet kiss of his own, he turned his attention back to the doctor and apologized.
“It’s quite all right. It was in poor form of me to make a joke at a time like this. If you’ll all take a seat, I’ll update you.” He waited until everyone had sat down. “My name is Dr. Swiss. I’m the doctor overseeing your son’s care. He’s out of surgery now. Though he’s made it through that, he’s far from out of the woods. The accident cracked his skull, lacerated his liver, punctured several organs, broke his arm and leg on the side of impact. He also broke all ribs, and that punctured his left lung. I’m going to be honest with you. The possibility of him being able to walk again is not very high. We aren’t sure the amount of brain damage that has even been inflicted at this point. He will be kept in Pediatrics’ Intensive Care Unit until further notice. I know you all want to be there for him, but provided the small confines of his room, I’m only asking that the parents stay with him overnight. You can visit all day long, but I urge the only overnight guests are his parents.”
Everyone in the room just stared at the doctor. Tears fell from all eyes. Hudson was as bad off as he feared. If his son survived this, that boy was meant for bigger things than bringing a hot-tempered young man down to earth.
“When…” Sage cleared his throat and tried again. “When can we see him?”
“He’s still being settled in. When he’s ready, a nurse will come down here to get you.”
A few moments later the doctor excused himself and left the room. The minute the door shut, Sage picked up his chair and broke it against the wall, the drywall crumbling in the process. His whole insides felt like they’d just been ripped out and he struggled to control anything. He heard a phone ring, but he couldn’t tell who’s it was. Anger, sadness, and utter terror ran through his body.
“Who!” Rufus roared, and it was enough to get his attention.
The conversation continued on. From the one sided conversation that he could hear, they might have figured out exactly who it was. The minute the phone call ended, Sage was next to Rufus ready to listen to what happened.
“Tell me, damn it!” He roared when Rufus said nothing but looked around the room.
“It was a contract for warning. It was to get a message to…”
“To me, right?” Sage’s heart died in his chest. “It’s my fault my son is in there, isn’t it?”
“No, it was to Ember. Honey, can you tell me what this means? It might help us find out who did this.” She nodded, but tears started anew down her cheeks. Sage moved next to her and held her tightly. “The message read, ‘we told you that you hadn’t heard the last of us. This is only the start bitch.’ Do you know who might have said that?”
Ember howled in pain and fell to the floor. Sage was down next to her in minutes. He didn’t know what to do. Honestly, Sage wasn’t sure if either of them could survive on the pieces that were left of their hearts. Somehow, though, he needed to be able to keep Ember together.
“It’s Donna and Collin. They told Ember and me that day that she’d not seen the last of them. We haven’t heard anything in years. How did they know about Hudson?”
“My donors! They fucking did this to my son!” Sage stood from the floor and made his way for the door. Holden and Aspen stepped in front of him, halting his exit. He was going to kill those worthless sons of bitches. “Move it, or I’ll move you,” he growled.
“You don’t want to act right now. You need to see your son, first. What will Hudson think when he wakes up and finds out that his father didn’t even wait to see him?” Holden said standing his ground even as Sage knocked him on his ass in one punch.
Ember watched as Sage pulled his fist back again to sw
ing on Aspen. She knew she had to do something to stop his break down. This whole time in this small fucking room, Ember knew he was just barely holding it together. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell him to cry with her. Ember wouldn’t want someone telling her how to deal with this kind of moment. Telling Sage how to handle it would never happen. However, she couldn’t let him do something stupid.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to try and calm him down, there was a knock on the door, and everyone froze in spot. Aspen moved out of the way, and Holden picked himself up off the floor. Sage walked back next to Ember, and she was grateful because suddenly her legs weren’t sure if they’d support her or not.
“Would you like to come up and see your son now?” The nurse asked taking in the room.
Everyone nodded and followed the nurse out of the room and to the elevator. The elevator was crowded and it made the ride up to see her little boy even harder. Sage still simmered with rage next to her. Ember was trying to think of something to keep him in check and where he was needed, but she wasn’t sure what she could do.
As they were walking down the hall, Rufus’s phone rang, and he stayed behind. The nurse pointed to the room that their son lay in, and Ember’s feet suddenly wouldn’t move. Her whole body began to shake, and she lost all coherent thoughts.
“Baby, look at me,” Sage whispered, and she felt his rough hands on her face. When her eyes met his, she saw the devastation in them. “We need to be here and see our son. He needs us, okay?”
Nodding her head, Sage laced his fingers with hers, and they walked into the room together. There lying in the big bed, was their little boy. He was bandage everywhere. Where there weren’t bandages, there was some kind of wires, tubes, or something.
A sob escaped her. “My poor baby boy. Mommy is so sorry. If you come back to me, I’ll teach you at home. You’ll never have to be away from me again. Please come back to me.” She rested her head on the bed next to his head and cried. She could hear Sage and Rufus having a very heated conversation in the back of the room. Suddenly, he cursed loudly and made for the door.