by Anna Paige
I pulled his wallet from his things to give her as much information as I could find there but the fact was, I didn’t give a shit about the paperwork. I needed to know what was going on with him.
Eventually, I just told her I’d fill out as much as I could using the contents of his wallet, and she showed me to a waiting room right outside the scary metal doors they’d taken him through.
I sat on the edge of the faux-leather sofa, curled my body around that stupid clipboard, and sobbed until I thought I’d be sick. I heaved and shuddered and coughed with the force of my tears, soaking the stupid forms I had no intention of filling out.
Fuck it, they only gave you those things to keep you occupied anyway, and I had my fear to occupy me.
“Emily?” Dana skidded to a halt in the doorway, and Jared slammed into her back like he’d been at a dead run.
Looking at the two of them—my best friend and Ethan’s—even as the rest of the band shouldered their way into the room, I lost it. Totally lost it. I slid off the couch and onto the floor, crying so hard they couldn’t understand a word I was saying. Kade paced like a caged animal, threading his hands behind his neck and casting glances my way that said I needed to get my shit together long enough to tell them what happened. He wasn’t angry or in scary-Kade mode. He was terrified.
They all were.
Dana was on the floor next to me, hugging me to her side. I patted her knee and sat up as much as I could, taking deep, steadying breaths until I was sure I could speak without breaking down.
“He was hit by a car. Dammit got loose and ran into the street, and Ethan went after him. He was on his knees when the taxi hit him from the back and sent him flying.” I had to pause a moment as the memory of it stole my breath. “It wasn’t going fast; the driver was trying to stop, but he hit a patch of ice and couldn’t. No one has told me anything yet, so I don’t know how bad it is.”
There, I made it through. And they appeared to have understood my wavering speech for the most part.
“Fuck,” Kane muttered, slumping into one of the plastic chairs across the room.
Jared sat on the couch as close as he could to the spot where I’d slid to the floor. His hand came to rest on my shoulder and I felt it tremble as I reached back and covered it with my own.
No one spoke for a while. We sat in silence and listened to the bustle of noise and random chatter coming from the hallway. No one else came into the waiting room, and I suspected one of the guys had something to do with that.
Once news broke of Ethan’s accident, reporters and paparazzi would be all over the place.
Shit.
It would be on the news soon.
“Lennox?”
He jumped like he’d been kicked. “Yeah?”
“I have Ethan’s phone, but I don’t know the passcode. I need you to hack it like you did when you changed his ringtone.”
“Okay…” he drew out the word like a question but immediately got to his feet and came over to take the phone from my hand.
“I can’t let his parents see this on the news.”
If I thought the room was silent before, I could have heard a pin drop after that. They exchanged looks—the guys anyway—but no one said a thing.
“Unless one of you would rather do it?” I challenged.
Five seconds later, Lennox handed me the unlocked phone and hauled ass back to his seat.
It was almost funny how afraid they all were of a simple phone call.
Not me.
They needed to know their son was in trouble.
They didn’t need to hear it on the news.
They needed to get their asses to this goddamn hospital and be here for their son, or so help me God, there was going to be hell to pay.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Emily
Waiting felt like days, but really it was only a few hours—several, actually. The poor doctor looked exhausted and terrified when Kade and Kane charged him the moment he walked in the room, asking questions and looming over him the way only they could.
The good news was there was no spinal damage. The taxi hit him while he was twisted at an angle, which saved him from having his back broken. His ribs on his right side caught the brunt of the hit and because of that, several of them were fractured. One of them punctured his right lung, but only superficially, which meant they hadn’t needed a chest tube. He also had a mild concussion from his head striking the pavement, but that wasn’t a major concern, according to the doctor.
All in all, he’d been damn lucky. He’d be good as new in a couple months, back to painting and playing just like before.
I almost ended up with my own concussion when my knees gave out at the good news.
Jared spared me that with his quick reflexes.
The doctor agreed to two visitors at a time but only after the twins brow-beat him into it. Jared and I didn’t hesitate a moment, heading off after the doctor who offered to show us the way.
Walking into the room, I didn’t know what to expect. Of course, my mind had conjured the worst possible scenario, but aside from an IV and an oxygen mask, he was remarkably normal looking.
Bruised up and wearing an ass-less gown, but still my Ethan.
Jared and I stood at the foot of the bed, our trembling hands joined as we watched him. His breathing was slow and even, if not very deep. There were strips of butterfly tape near his temple, holding together the cut there.
His arms were unmarred—well, they were still covered in tattoos, but there were no injuries I could see.
“Hey, Miss Emily,” Ethan’s muffled voice whispered from behind his mask.
My eyes flew to his face, and those deep blue eyes greeted me. He even attempted a smile before wincing and giving a weak cough that clearly pained him.
I was at his side in an instant, Jared taking the opposite side of the bed as I took Ethan’s hand in mine. “My drummer boy’s awake.” I smiled down at him as twin tears dripped onto his arm. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Me too,” Jared said, and I caught him brushing away tears of his own.
“Sorry, guys.” His voice was barely above a whisper, and I knew it was hard for him to talk without pain, so I shushed him.
“Don’t talk. Just rest and get better so I can take you home.”
He raised a brow, and I saw the question in his eyes.
“Yes, home. The loft. Our home.”
He gave my hand a squeeze and offered a satisfied smile. He’d gotten the answer he wanted. “Love you,” he whispered and turned to Jared. “You too, brother.”
He reached for Jared’s hand and another wave of tears hit me when I saw the look that passed between them. Brothers. They really were.
Jared and I stood there quietly for a while, watching his eyes droop on and off from the weight of his medication.
I was wiping my cheeks again when Lennox peeked in and called me into the hall. “My turn. You have visitors waiting.” His jaw was set in a hard line, and I knew what visitors he meant.
“Have they talked to anyone?”
“Aubrey introduced herself and told them what the doc said. None of us has anything to say to them, so they just sat on the couch without another word.”
I watched his face as he leaned in and stole a peek at Ethan, who was watching us. “You think this is a mistake, don’t you?”
“I think he deserves better than them. Whether this is a mistake or not remains to be seen.”
I don’t know why, but seeing Lennox so angry on Ethan’s behalf made me want to hug him. So, I reached up and snagged his shoulder, pulling him into me. I kissed his cheek and told him what a great friend he was. When I pulled away to let Ethan know I’d be right back, Lennox was blushing.
Blushing.
I never would have thought him capable of it. Ever. And it made me kind of want to hug him again. He must have seen it on my face because he said, “That’s enough of that unless you want me to pop a boner.”
; Now that was the Lennox I’d come to expect.
Too bad I knew it was all an act.
I blew Ethan a kiss from the doorway and promised to be right back, leaving him in Lenn and Jared’s capable hands.
The time had come for a Chase family reunion.
Dana met me in the hall outside the waiting room, and I asked her to do a few things for me in preparation for when Ethan came home. I also texted Arthur to update him and check on Dammit.
Arthur texted back immediately and told me Dammit was having a ball chasing his fat tabby cat around the house.
Whoops. I forgot he was a cat person.
Please don’t let Dammit dine on that feline tonight. I can’t take more drama.
Speaking of drama…
I walked into the waiting room and nodded to Kane and Kade, who were on their feet the moment they saw me. “You guys can try to roust Jared and Lennox from his bedside, but it’s not going to be easy.”
“We’ll manage,” Kade assured me as he kissed my cheek and headed out, his twin hot on his heels.
Why did I feel like their hurry to see Ethan was equal parts concern for their friend and a desperate desire to flee from his parents?
Aubrey was the only one left in the room aside from Ethan’s mom and dad. She gave me a supportive smile that indicated she’d stay if I wanted her to.
I shook my head.
I wanted to handle this one on my own.
After a quick hug from her, I was left alone with Mr. And Mrs. Chase. I didn’t even know their first names. How sad was that?
Looking at them now, I could see pieces of him in each of them. He was built like his father, who had the same dark, wavy hair, but his eyes came from his mother. She leveled her identical blue gaze at me, and I could see the fear and shame in those eyes.
“I’m Emily. I’m the one who called you,” I told her, offering my hand.
She took it in hers and sniffled. “Nice to meet you, Emily. I’m Gail, and this is my husband Charles.”
Charles stood and offered his hand. “How is he?”
“He’s in some pain, and he’s probably going to be for a while, but the doctor says he’ll recover in six to eight weeks.”
“Does he know we’re here?” Gail asked unsteadily as Charles retook his seat beside her.
“No. And I don’t intend to tell him until I’m sure you should be here.”
Charles bristled. “Excuse me, young lady; I don’t think that decision is up to you. We’re his parents.”
I held his eye and said, “Could have fooled me.”
“Now listen here, you either speak to us with respect or—”
“No. You listen,” I cut him off, eyeing them both with thinly veiled disdain. “When your love for your son is automatic, my respect will be too.” I held up my hands when Charles tried to speak again, stopping him. “I can’t imagine what you must have gone through, how devastating it must be to lose a child, and I’m so sorry for that loss, truly I am. I see that loss in Ethan’s eyes every damn day, and I can’t imagine what it must be like for you. But losing one son is no excuse for forsaking the other. It’s Christmas Eve and to my knowledge he hasn’t heard a word from either of you. I was with him at Thanksgiving—another holiday you were pointedly absent for—and I’ve been with him every day since. Not a word from you. Not one.”
“You’re butting into something that’s none of your business.” Charles clearly had no idea how fiercely I would fight for Ethan, but he was about to find out.
“No. I’m standing up for the man I love—your son.” I glanced back and forth between them. “Your son, who lost his brother and then lost his parents. Your son, who reaches out to you and gets shot down. Your son, who wonders if you’d grieve this way if it was him who died instead of Ryan. If you would shut Ryan out and stop loving him the way you seem to have stopped loving Ethan. He actually said those words to me. Can you imagine how horrible it is to wonder a thing like that? To carry the weight of that around with you every day of your life? I sure as hell can’t. So, no, I’m not overstepping or butting in. I’m protecting him because he’s been hurt enough.”
“He doesn’t need protecting from us.”
“Again, you could’ve fooled me.” I leaned in, my anger getting the better of me as I recalled all those nights he and I talked about them, the way his voice wavered. “And if you think you can shoulder your way past me and see him anyway, I have four pissed-off band members waiting to stop you. Pull the next-of-kin card and every one of them would be happy to claim you’re delusional, obsessed fans and get you tossed out on your asses.” I met their gazes in turn, deadly serious as I laid it all out. “You either walk in there as the parents he needs, the parents he deserves, or you leave, and I’ll never tell him you were here. Those are your only options.”
Gail reached out and gripped her husband’s arm, her face reddening as tears gathered in her eyes, and she looked up at him with anguish on her face.
Before either of them could speak, I stood. “You two talk it over. Make your choice once and for all. I’m going back to hold the hand of the son you abandoned and hope you’ll make the right decision.” I paused at the door and muttered, “In case you end up needing to know, he’s in room 118.”
I strode out the door and didn’t look back, my head held high though I was anything but confident.
Because I genuinely didn’t know whether or not they’d stay.
And that broke my heart.
For all of them.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Emily
I stopped off to get some ice chips from the nurses and stood in the hallway long enough to text Dana for yet another favor.
She was already bringing me clothes and some toiletries from my place, one more thing wouldn’t be so bad, right?
At least, until she saw the size of it.
I could practically hear the string of cuss words she’d let loose even as I texted her the request.
She could yell at me later. Right now, all I cared about was Ethan.
I passed Lennox and Kane on my way back to his room, the two of them had their solemn faces on, which was a far cry from their usual constant bickering.
“He looks pretty good, don’t you think? I mean, all things considered?” Lennox asked, already nodding in answer to his own question. His eyes strayed toward the waiting room, but he didn’t ask what happened.
Kane, on the other hand had no compunction about asking. “So, how’d it go with parents of the year in there?” There was no mistaking the look on his face, and his obvious anger made him look momentarily as menacing as his twin. I didn’t know him well, of course, but from what I’d seen, it took a lot to wipe the easy smile from Kane Edenfield’s face.
And Ethan’s parents had definitely done that.
I shrugged and gave Kane and Lennox the only answer I had at that moment. “I tried. Now the only thing we can do is wait and see if they’ll do the same.”
“Wouldn’t hold my breath on that one,” Kane remarked, his angry expression slipping when he reached out to rub my upper arm. “But I think I speak for everyone when I say you’re fucking awesome for having tried. You went to bat for him and that means a lot. To all of us.”
Blinking back tears, I nodded and stepped around them before they turned me into a blubbering mess. I didn’t want to think about it yet, didn’t let myself really process what I’d done, what I’d said to Ethan’s parents. Because the truth was, it didn’t matter.
Not if they walked out the door anyway.
None of it will matter if it didn’t get through, if Ethan left here as parentless as when he was wheeled in.
Kade tipped his head in my direction when I walked back into the room. “Aubrey ducked in here like a ninja, stole a quick kiss on his cheek, and darted out again before the nurse caught her. He was asleep at the time, I think. She’s going crazy waiting her turn.” He offered a quick smile to Ethan and waved me over to take his spot. “I’ll send he
r in in a few, give you two some time alone first.”
Jared followed him out, stopping to give me a quick hug as he passed.
Finally alone with Ethan, I took the seat closest to his side. I gripped his hand and leaned over, peppering the back of it with soft kisses before holding it against my cheek. The tears started up again and wouldn’t stop.
They kept coming and coming until I thought I might dehydrate. Ethan’s other hand came to rest on the top of my head, stroking my hair, comforting me when it was him who was in pain.
“Baby, stop. It’s okay. I’ll be okay.”
Hearing how hard it was to even get those few words out gutted me, kick-starting another wave of helpless, angry, frightened tears. “I can’t stop seeing it, Ethan. It’s always there, every time I blink. I thought you were going to die. Or be paralyzed. What if you wouldn’t have been able to play or paint?” I sniffed miserably, still nuzzling his warm hand against my cheek.
“That didn’t happen. I’m here and whole, or as much as I ever was. So stop.” He coughed raggedly, clenching his teeth at the pain, and I felt like crap for acting this way, making him comfort me when it was him who needed comforting.
“I love you, Ethan. So, so much.”
“I love you too, Miss Emily,” he whispered, tugging my hand to get me to look up. “Show me that smile I adore.”
I tried, I really did, but we both knew I wasn’t capable of it just then. Not yet. Maybe when I got him home.
He wheezed and gave another painful-sounding cough, so I jumped up and got him some ice chips. He tried to take the little cup and spoon, but I refused to give them up.
His eyes lingered on my face as I sat on the edge of the bed and carefully spooned up a few chips. He allowed me to feed them to him and smiled as he let them slowly melt in his mouth. While I loaded a few more onto the spoon, he draped his arm across my thighs and the warmth of it helped me relax a bit.