Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set)

by Edwards, Scarlett

  24.

  I race through the hallways of the hospital with James on my heels.

  I see the ICU sign up ahead. I get to the doors but they’re barred.

  I grab a nurse by the arm. “Please,” I say. “My friend’s in there.”

  She looks at me, making no attempt to hide her scrutiny. “And you are?”

  “Celeste Adams. Please,” I go on my toes to peek through the little window. I can’t see anything. “My friend, Summer Blair is in there. I need to see her.”

  The nurse looks up to James and then back to me. “We can’t allow that,” she says. “You’ll have to wait in the lobby. I’m sorry.”

  She starts walking away.

  “Wait,” James says. “Can you at least tell us her condition?”

  “Are you family?” the nurse asks.

  “No,” I pipe up. “But I got a call from Officer Cooper who said—“

  “Oh!” The nurse’s eyes light up. “Yes. I know who you mean.” Her face does not betray her emotions. “I can take you to the officer.”

  “Thank you,” I say. James nods.

  We’re ushered to a private, empty room. There’s a bed off to the side. It looks exactly like the one I escaped from yesterday.

  “Hey,” James takes my hand. “It’s going to be all right. Don’t worry.”

  I nod absently. Neither of us know anything about what happened other than the scant details Officer Cooper provided over the phone. There was a crash. Summer was involved.

  That’s it. We don’t know if her condition is critical or not. We don’t know shit about how bad her injuries might be.

  I pray they’re not life-threatening.

  But at this point?

  I really have no idea.

  James starts bouncing his leg up and down. I can tell he’s as anxious as I am.

  I turn over my hand to grip his. I give a tight smile. He nods.

  Not long after we sit down, the door opens and a policewoman walks in. James and I both stand.

  “Hello,” she says. She extends her hand. “I’m Officer Cooper.”

  I take it. “Celeste.”

  She looks at James in question.

  “This is James. My boyfriend,” I tell her. She gives a slight nod, and shakes his hand.

  “Should we sit?” she asks.

  “Yes.” I plop back down on the chair. Officer Cooper takes the other one. James leans against the side of the bed.

  “Nobody’s telling us anything?” I blurt out. “I need to know, how’s Summer? What happened to her?”

  “She was involved in a collision late last night.” Officer Cooper says. “She’s alive and currently stable.”

  I exhale. “Oh thank God.”

  “There are still some things I need to discuss with you.” She glances at James. “In private, please.”

  “James can hear anything I have to say,” I tell her straight away.

  But he’s already on his feet. “I’ll wait outside.”

  Officer Cooper gives him a thin smile. “Thank you.”

  He walks out. I’m left alone with the officer.

  My palms are sweating.

  “Ms. Adams,” she begins. “The reason I called you is to ask you a few questions. It won’t take very long, but it would help with our investigation.”

  “Of course,” I say. “But I don’t understand, why is there an investigation in process?”

  “Your friend’s blood alcohol level was three times over the limit,” she says. “We also found circumstantial evidence that makes us believe the crash was… premeditated.”

  “What?” I ask. “What do you mean, premeditated? How could that be?”

  “We found a note at the crash site. It was addressed to you.”

  “And? What did it say?”

  “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but… It was a suicide letter.”

  My vision darkens. A hollow ringing sound in my ears.

  I feel like passing out.

  “Ms. Adams?”

  A suicide letter. From Summer?

  My world feels like it’s crumbling in on itself.

  “Ms. Adams.”

  A suicide letter addressed to me.

  “Ms. Adams!”

  “What? What, sorry.” Officer Cooper’s voice brings me back to the present. “Suicide? Are you certain?”

  “Yes,” Officer Cooper gives a solemn nod.

  “Summer… you said she’s stable? I mean, is she stable stable, is she going to live, or…”

  “Paramedics arrived quickly to the scene. She’s in good care now. The doctors are doing everything they can for her. I’m sorry, but that’s all I know.”

  “When did this happen?” I whisper.

  “Some time between the hours of three and four this morning.”

  My gut clenches, and I feel like I’m going to be sick.

  Between three and four.

  That’s exactly when I jerked awake feeling something was wrong. Could I have known…?

  No. Of course not. There’s no such thing as premonition.

  Still. Still. Something woke me last night. At exactly the same time as Summer… crashed.

  “It’s my understanding that you saw her last,” the officer says. “Is that right?”

  “Yes,” I say softly. “I…I think so. She left to see—“ I bite my tongue. “To see a friend.”

  “Did Summer give any indication of being distressed? Did any of her behavior seem… off to you?”

  Everything about Summer seemed off, I think.

  “She was… upset,” I say. “But she wasn’t suicidal!”

  “Some people hide it well,” the officer tells me. “Could you tell me about your relationship with her?”

  “She was a… friend. We were friends, that’s it. Roommates. We were best friends growing up.” I can’t seem to focus on the words leaving my mouth. All my thoughts are with Summer. “Can I see the note? She left it for me.”

  “Not at this time, no,” Officer Cooper says. “It’s part of evidence collected at the crash site.”

  “Evidence? Evidence for what? Are you building a case against her?” I bark an uncertain laugh. “She was drunk and she crashed. What type of evidence do you need?” I get up. “I have to see her. I have to know if—“

  “Ms. Adams. Please sit down.”

  “No!” I say. “No. I want to see my friend—“

  “You’ll be given the opportunity after she’s released from the ICU,” she tells me. Her expression softens. “Please. I only have a few more questions, and then you’ll be free to go.”

  I look from her to the door. I don’t have to be here. I’m not under arrest. I’m doing this out of my own free will.

  “Fine,” I mutter, and sit back down. “But you have to tell me what this is about.”

  She hesitates, then makes up her mind. “Two other people were injured in the crash,” she says. “A young mother and her daughter.”

  “Oh my God,” I gasp.

  “They’re both alive, but in critical condition. Your friend is being charged with an aggravated DUI. Depending on whether they live or die…

  “The felony could become vehicular homicide.”

  “No!” I exclaim. “Summer would never… she would never…”

  I can’t finish. She would never kill somebody else, not on purpose, but her behavior definitely puts people in harm’s way.

  “She was going through a lot,” I finish lamely. “Her emotions were all over the place. That’s all I know.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Adams,” she says. “You’ve been very cooperative.” She stands and holds out her hand again. “I appreciate your time.”

  25.

  Once outside I run to James and collide into him. I hold him tight.

  He hugs me and strokes my hair.

  I start to cry.

  “What did she say?” James whispers.

  “Summer tried to kill herself.” I can’t believe the words. “She crashed and
caused two serious injuries.”

  James sucks in a breath. “No.”

  “Yeah,” I murmur against him. I’m shaking. “I can’t believe it, James.”

  “How do they know she tried to kill herself?” he asks.

  “She left me a note.”

  “Did you see it?”

  “The cops have it. No.”

  “Hmm,” James intones. “This is… fucked up, Celeste.”

  “I know,” I say. Then I curse and push away. “Shit! Shit, shit, my scans…!”

  “I already spoke to the staff,” James says. “They rescheduled you an hour later. You have time.”

  I sag into him. “Thank you,” I murmur. “Thank you… for everything James.”

  He rubs my back. “Only for you,” he tells me softly. “Only for you.”

  26.

  My nerves are absolutely wracked as I go in for my scans. I’m so worried about Summer. I hope desperately that she pulls through. I’m the one who is supposed to have her life on the line.

  Not her.

  The irony is not lost on me, either. I’m the one who always spoke of being run over by a bus. And now my best friend is fighting for her life because of a car crash?

  It’s too much to handle.

  After the scans are complete, I wait for the doctor alongside James. We hold hands but don’t speak. My thoughts are with Summer. His are probably with me.

  We make a fine circle, the three of us.

  The door starts to open. I perk up. But instead of Dr. Robinson, it’s a nurse. “Are you Celeste Adams?” she asks.

  “Yes,” I say.

  “Summer’s just been released from the ICU. She’s asleep, but you’ll be able to see her after you’re done.”

  I stand up instantly. “I want to see her now,”

  James takes my hand. “We need your results first,” he says gently.

  “Fuck my results!” I spit. “We already know what they’re going to be—“

  “No,” James growls. “We don’t.”

  “Ugh!” I give an exasperated grunt. “Yes we do, James. I know what’s going on, even if you want to deny it. But Summer—“

  “Is asleep,” James gently interrupts. “If you see her now or after, it makes no difference.”

  “It does to me.”

  “And knowing about your future does to me,” James says. He tugs me back. “Sit down, Celeste. We’ll both see Summer after.”

  “She needs me,” I begin.

  James grunts, “No.”

  “She’s in room 306, whenever you decide to go,” the nurse tells us. “Oh. The doctor’s coming down the hall now.”

  “See?” James says. “You’ll wait.”

  “Fine,” I mutter. “Fine, fine, fine.” I sit down and cross my arms. “But I’m not happy about it.”

  “Don’t pout. It’s unbecoming.”

  I snort.

  A few seconds later, Dr. Robinson walks through the door. “Celeste,” he greets me. He notices James. “Professor Landon,” he nods.

  “You two know each other?” I ask. Then I remember, James spoke to him about me before.

  “I keep up with goings on at the university,” Dr. Robinson says. “I know a few certain distinguished faculty members.”

  James smiles. “Thank you,” he says.

  Dr. Robinson settles behind his desk. “Okay,” he looks at me. “You’ve just had your scans done, hmm? Let’s pull up the results and see what we’re dealing with.”

  James’s hand tightens on mine as the doctor looks through his computer.

  “Ah,” he says. “Here we are.” He turns the screen toward us. I see my skull outlined in black and white. “This is your most recent scan,” he says. “Now, this is the very first one you had here.”

  He overlays one over the other.

  I look at the computer screen. The area highlighted on my brain doesn’t seem any bigger.

  “It looks the same,” I say. I give an uneasy laugh. “It’s not gotten worse. That’s good, isn’t it?”

  The doctor looks seriously at me. “It’s… not what I expected, Celeste.”

  I blink. “What do you mean?”

  “When we increased your chemo protocol, the tumor was the same size. And now… it’s still the same size.”

  “So that means chemo isn’t working?”

  “It’s keeping the cancer at bay.” He pulls up my full-body scans and does some quick image-processing to them that changes the colors. “But… hmm. I’m not sure for how much longer.”

  My heart seizes up. “What?” I ask. “Why not? What do you mean?”

  “See these areas?” he circles my lymph nodes, my lungs. “They are the first places the cancer might spread. It hasn’t happened yet, but if it does, it can occur very quickly.”

  He takes a deep breath. “At this point, I would have expected remission. It could have been slight, it had the chance to be major, but right now, we’re looking at… nothing. No change. The tumor’s resistant.”

  “So now what?” I ask. “Do we just stay the course? What about the other symptoms I experienced? Those were new.”

  “Yes, and they worry me.” He tents his fingers together. “We’re at a little bit of a crossroads right now, Celeste.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, we can continue the course. Keep giving you the chemotherapy treatment and hope there is improvement. But if it hasn’t happened yet, the odds of that changing in the future are low.”

  “And what’s the other choice?” I ask.

  “Surgery,” he says. “We can operate and try to extract the tumor.”

  “Is that possible?” I ask. “I mean, it’s in… in my head.” I glance at James. “I don’t know if I like the idea of that.”

  “By letting it remain we risk the cancer spreading.”

  “But with regular check-ups we can keep an eye on it, can’t we?” I ask. “We don’t have to operate. I can continue the chemotherapy, you can keep monitoring me, nothing has to change. Right?” I’m speaking very quickly. My voice has taken on a nervous inflection. “We can stay with the program. Everything will be stable. Right?”

  “Celeste,” James says my name softly. “Chemotherapy is making you sick.” He touches my hand. “You’re body’s fighting the drugs as much as it is the cancer. Isn’t that right, doctor?”

  Dr. Robinson nods. “Yes. The doses you’re on are very disruptive to your body’s homeostasis. They’re putting you under a lot of stress. In my opinion?” He leans forward. “I would advise you to go for surgery. We can remove the tumor and greatly increase your odds of survival.”

  I give a nervous giggle that comes out more like a cough. “But we don’t have to operate yet, do we?”

  “No,” the doctor admits. “Everything we do is up to you. You have the final say on things.”

  “Then let’s wait,” I burst out.

  James’ head whips to me. “What?”

  “Wait,” I tell him. I look at the doctor. “I want to wait.”

  “Wait for what?” James asks in disbelief. “Celeste, you heard the doctor. Improvements are unlikely. We’re risking you getting worse.”

  “If we delay, that is the most probable outcome,” Dr. Robinson agrees.

  “There, see?” James says. “The procedure can remove the growth, Celeste. You wouldn’t have to have those awful chemotherapy drugs any longer. Don’t you want that?”

  “If the procedure is successful,” I murmur softly. My fingers trace the scar under my shirt. “I want to wait.”

  “Celeste!” James exclaims. He turns to me, opens his mouths to talk. Then stops, looks at the doctor. “Can we have a minute?”

  Dr. Robinson stands up. “Of course,” he says. He walks out the little room.

  When the door shuts, James turns on me in earnest. “Celeste—“

  “I’m not going to do it,” I cut over him. “I won’t James. Not yet.”

  “For the love of God, why?” he asks. “Look at th
e scans!” he gestures at the computer screen. “You’re not improving, Celeste! You’re putting yourself through hell with chemotherapy for what? To stay the same?”

  “I might get better,” I say.

  James scoffs. “You really think so? Why haven’t you gotten better yet, then? You’ve been on therapy for what, three, four months? The doctor said there should be improvements. There aren’t! Why would you stay the course?”

  “Because it’s working,” I stress. “It’s keeping the cancer at bay.”

  “That’s not working!” James insists. “Celeste, you barely eat. Anything you do eat ends up being thrown up an hour after. That’s not the cancer, that’s the drugs they’re giving you. How can you say they’re working?”

  “The tumor isn’t any bigger.”

  “No, but that can’t last!” James grips my wrist. “Celeste, don’t you want this to be over? Don’t you want to move on? What about the promises we made to each other? Did you just forget those?”

  “Of course not!” I fire back. “But things change, James. You can’t leave the country. You’re not capable of just picking me up and taking me away.”

  “Like hell I’m not,” he growls.

  “And I can’t just leave, either. I need to be here for Summer!” Oh God, Summer. “You’re forgetting she tried to kill herself because of me!”

  “What?” James is taken aback. “Why would you say she tried to do it because of you? You had nothing to do with it, Celeste!”

  Oh, if he only knew, I think. Instead, I say:

  “I’m not having the operation. End of.”

  “No, not end of,” James growls. His grip tightens on my wrist. “I’m not going to watch you waste away. If you can have surgery and get the tumor cut out, you’re doing it!”

  “And what makes you think it’s going to work, huh?” I fire back, my voice full of emotion. “What if they screw up, James? What if they cut my skull open and something bad happens?” My hand keeps stroking the scar. “What if I die in the operating room, James? Huh? Tell me that!”

  “Stop it,” he grabs my other hand and pulls it away from my chest. “You’re not going to die in the operating room, Celeste. They’re professionals. You’re not in some back-of-the-woods, no-name hospital in a third world country. You’re in America! We have the best doctors in the world.”