"He's in radiology getting a head CT and a chest x-ray right now," Jamie answered. "His electrocardiogram was normal, but they haven't gotten the blood work back yet."
"Is he awake?" I asked in a tremulous voice.
"Not yet." Jamie looked at me with sympathy.
"Thanks, Jamie," David told her with a smile. "I really appreciate you letting us know."
"You're welcome." She smiled brightly in return. "Dr. Caldwell will come and talk to his family when the x-rays are done." She turned and walked out of the room.
Her mention of Jensen's family filled me with dread. How would I face his mother, knowing this was my fault? Hell, how would I face Andy or Lydia? I felt my face go slack with panicked fear.
"Stop it, Syd," David said abruptly, his eyes sharp as he caught my gaze. "I see those gears turning in your head. This is not on you. This was not your fault."
"But..."
"No," he interrupted me vehemently. "Was it Lauren's fault that you tried the same thing?"
"No," I whispered reluctantly.
"Did you know he was suicidal before that damn voice mail?"
I shook my head in denial.
"He's been having problems since before you met him, and he hides it really well," David continued. "I didn't read him as suicidal at all."
I pursed my lips at his words. I didn't think Jensen was capable of this either. Intellectually, I knew he was right, but the dark nagging feeling of guilt was still there deep inside me. I didn't think it would ever go away.
Just then Andy and Lydia burst into the room. They rushed over to us with terror all over their faces. Andy immediately started asking David questions. Lydia took the chair next to me and put her arms around me. I started crying again as I realized they didn't blame me at all.
"Oh, Sydney," Lydia whispered to me as she started sobbing herself. I hugged her back tightly, grateful for her comfort. I looked up into Andy's eyes and saw tears welling up in them. I unconsciously reached my hand up toward him. He reached out immediately and squeezed my hand tightly as David finished telling them what had happened. I watched Andy's jaw clench and unclench as he stared down at me. Then a small sob escaped his control. He suddenly dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around Lydia and me. The three of us cried together, and I looked up to meet David's eyes and saw several tears falling down his face. I thought I saw a flash of loneliness cross his features, but he stood up and moved away several yards before I could be sure. When David finally looked back at me, his face was calm and in control again, like his moment of weakness had never happened.
There was a commotion by the doors. I glanced in that direction to see Jensen's mother, Erika, and a tall slender blond woman entered the ER doors. Erika and who I assumed to be Annie, Jensen's sister-in-law, hurried over to us. I had almost forgotten how much Jensen looked like his mother, with their dark hair, brilliant green eyes, and straight noses. Erika looked haggard and absolutely terrified, and after everything that she had been through this year, I couldn't blame her.
"Is he okay, Sydney?" she asked me, her voice tentative, like she was afraid of the answer to her question.
"So far, everything looks okay," I answered her as Andy stood up to move out of Erika's way. Lydia stayed seated next to me, her arm still around my shoulders. "He's having x-rays done right now, and the doctor should be out to talk to us soon."
"Then we'll all wait together," Erika announced with a nod and took the seat next to me. She grabbed my hand in hers, and settled it on the armrest.
"I'm Annie, Jensen's sister-in-law," Annie said as she held her hand out to me, her eyes bright and compassionate. "I've heard good things about you from Mom."
"I'm Sydney Harper." I took her hand and shook it, a small smile pulling up the corners of my lips. She nodded and then took the seat on the other side of Erika.
We sat in relative silence after that, with Andy pacing impatiently while the rest of huddled together for support. David left to get us some coffee and when he returned we gratefully accepted the little styrofoam cups from him. It felt like we waited an eternity until finally a tall middle-aged woman in scrubs, wearing a stethoscope around her neck, entered the waiting area. She had short brown hair, and friendly confident eyes.
"Are you Jensen's family?" she asked as she approached us.
"Yes," Erika answered immediately, her voice strained and her hand tightening almost painfully around mine. "I'm his mother."
""I'm Dr. Caldwell. I've been taking care of your son. Everything looks good so far," she reassured us with a nod. "His head scan is negative, and the chest x-ray is clear. He was a little combative when he started coming to, so we have him sedated, and he hasn't woken up yet. We have him on oxygen to get the carbon monoxide out of his system. He's stable right now, and he should wake up in a few hours."
"Can we see him?" Annie asked quietly as tears of relief fell from her eyes. Dr. Caldwell took in our group with sharp eyes that paused in recognition when she looked at David.
"Just two at a time and only for a few minutes," the doctor replied.
"I can take them back a few at a time." David offered.
"Sounds good, David." She smiled at him. "It's good to see you back home." David acknowledged her with a nod.
Erika and Annie stood immediately after the doctor had left, and David led them back into the ER. That left me alone with Andy and Lydia. Andy, who had finally stopped pacing when the doctor had started talking, came over and sat next to me, putting an arm around me silently.
"I'm sorry," I confessed, the guilt becoming too much for me to bear again.
"For what?" Andy asked in confusion as he turned to look at me.
"For all this," I said, motioning around us. "I found out he was cheating on me and ran out on him. This is all because of me."
"Wait...what?" Andy looked even more confused. "Why the hell would you think he cheated on you? He fucking adores you."
"This girl came to Jensen's house and told me what happened," I explained. "She said they hooked up in the bathroom of the restaurant that you took Jensen to last Friday night."
"Let me guess," Andy said, his face suddenly livid. "She had straight blond hair and brown eyes."
"Yeah. Did you see them together that night?" I asked incredulously, feeling sick at the thought that Jensen really had slept with her.
"That fucking cunt!" Andy blurted out as he rose and started pacing again. "That manipulative fucking whore!"
"Andy," Lydia said harshly. "We're in a hospital."
"No one's around to fucking hear me." Andy motioned around the empty room in exasperation. He turned back to me. "Her name is Delaney Morgan, and Jensen would never cheat on you with that bitch. He can't fucking stand her."
"I don't understand. Why would she lie and tell me they had sex?" I asked in confusion.
"Because that's what she does to people," he growled. "She fucks with people. She fucked Jensen over eight years ago when they dated in college. She made him think that she was the love of his life, and proceeded to fuck everything with a dick behind his back. She crushed him, humiliated him; all for the fucking challenge of seeing if she could make someone love her, and then she destroyed him."
"But he said he offered to hook up with her that night. Why would he do that if he hated her?" I was lost and confused again.
"He did that to fuck with her, to get even with her," Andy clarified. "He never had any intention of actually doing it. Unfortunately, he pissed her off, and she's been fucking with him all week since then. I told him to tell you, but he didn't want to worry or upset you." He shook his head. "I think he's still pretty angry and humiliated by what she did to him the first time, and didn't want to talk about it." Andy proceeded to tell me all the ways she had messed with Jensen's head all week.
"My God, Andy," I said. "She must have planned this whole thing." I told him about the text messages and the look she had given me when I saw her at the bar last night. Andy's eyes turned darker and d
arker with rage as I told him everything she had said to me at Jensen's place.
"That is so fucked up," Lydia said incredulously next to me. "What's wrong with that bitch?"
David walked back in with Erika and Annie in tow. They both looked shell-shocked as David ushered them to sit down next to us. He looked questioningly at Andy, Lydia, and me.
"I'll stay," Lydia said. "You two go." She motioned to Andy and me. "I don't want to see him like this. I'll wait until he's awake."
Andy and I stood and followed David through the unusually calm emergency room until we came to a wide sliding glass door. David slid the door open and motioned us in ahead of him. The room was dim and cool. I wrapped my arms around myself from the instant chill I felt. Jensen was lying in a hospital gurney in the middle of the far wall. An oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth, and I could hear the hiss of the air flowing from it. There was an IV bag hanging next to the bed attached to an IV in one of his hands. I glanced up at the heart monitor that Jensen was attached to by multiple wires on his chest, and was relieved to see that his heart was beating strong and steadily. I walked forward and stopped next to the bed. He looked so fragile lying there. I reached out and took his hand; his skin warm to the touch. I gripped his limp hand tightly in mine. I reached up with my other hand and ran my fingers through his hair tenderly.
"Jensen," I whispered under my breath as tears tumbled down my cheeks again. "I love you, baby."
"Fuck." I heard Andy breathe out from where he still stood by the door. I felt a pang of sympathy for him. David and I were used to seeing all these tubes and wires on people, but Andy wasn't at all. It had to be terrifying to see Jensen like this. He moved to stand at the foot of the bed and stared at his best friend, his eyes wide and fearful. His face started to change as the fear morphed into rage, his jaw clenching and nostrils starting to flare. I was pretty sure who that anger was directed at, and I felt anger rising inside myself at that thought. Andy's fierce eyes rose to meet mine, our mutual rage a palpable thing in the room.
"Fucking bitch," Andy mumbled as he looked at Jensen again, then fled the room in a rush.
"What was that about?" David asked as he shot a perplexed look in the direction Andy had gone.
"That girl who told me Jensen had cheated on me, is a lying manipulative bitch," I answered, my voice bitter and angry.
"What?" David asked as he approached me.
I explained what was going on to David, his face turning hard and livid as I spoke.
"She sounds like a damn sociopath," David growled out when I finished.
"Yeah, and she's fucked up Jensen's life twice now." I shook my head in disbelief with this whole messed up situation.
"You know," he began in a deep harsh voice, "I don't normally condone vengeance or revenge, but that bitch needs to pay for this fucked-up bullshit." I was taken aback by his vehement reaction and his swearing. David was usually so calm, that when something did get his ire up, it was kind of scary. You didn't want to be on the wrong side of David.
"Something tells me that Andy's already working on a plan for that," I told him.
"Oh, yeah?" David sounded darkly amused.
"Yup, that devious bastard has a scheme for everything," I answered him with an evil grin.
David nodded and looked at Jensen again. "I'll give you a minute alone with him," he said as he touched my shoulder gently and quietly left the room.
I stared at Jensen for several long moments, stroking the side of his head and feeling grateful he was still here with me. I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. I moved my lips to his ear.
"I know you didn't cheat on me, baby," I whispered, not sure if he could even hear me. "I know you love me. I know. I should never have doubted you. I'm so sorry."
Even though I knew Delaney was responsible for most of this, I was still the one who walked out on him. I was the one who hadn't listened to him or let him explain. The fact remained that I would always feel responsible for this, and it filled me with such guilt and shame that it almost took my breath away. My chest hitched with another sob.
"I love you," I told him and pulled the oxygen mask aside to press a soft kiss to his lips. I gently placed the mask back over his mouth and nose. I studied his beautiful face as I squeezed his hand once more. I turned and left the room, hoping the next time I saw him that he'd be awake. Then I could keep apologizing, and if he forgave me, spend the rest of my life making it up to him.
"So," I began as I stopped next to Andy as he stared out the window at the darkness outside. "What's the plan?" He had been standing on the opposite end of the waiting room from Lydia and Jensen's family, his body rigid and tense. I could feel his anger rolling off of him like waves of heat.
"Do you have your phone?" Andy asked curtly without looking away from the window. I handed it to him wordlessly. He took it from my hand, and I watched him open my messenger app and scroll down to the unknown number that I now knew was Delaney's. He typed out a text message and then showed it to me.
I need to talk to you, can I come over? It's killing me not knowing exactly what happened between you and that asshole.
I nodded in understanding. She wouldn't be able to resist the chance to twist the knife into me deeper, and we'd find out where she lived. Andy hit the send button, a smug smile twisting his lips and handed me back my phone. We stood silently for several long moments until my phone chirped with an incoming text. I held the phone so that we could both read it.
Okay. I feel really bad about what happened. You can come over now if you want. It was followed by an address.
"Oh, she's going to feel bad alright." Andy growled.
"What are we going to do to her?" I asked him suspiciously.
"How does an ass beating sound, Syd?"
"That would be extremely satisfying, but I don't really feel like serving a prison sentence," I answered doubtfully. Andy's eyes glanced behind me suddenly before he could reply.
"Ah, just the person I need to talk to," he said with narrowed eyes as a slow devious smile spread across his lips. I turned and followed his gaze across the room. Jensen's uncle had just entered the waiting room and was rushing over to Erika and Annie. I looked at Andy questioningly. "Don't worry. I got this." He smiled and winked at me. Whatever he was planning; he was keeping it close to the vest, but I trusted him, so I was okay with that. If anybody could make that bitch pay, it was Andy. He hurried over to Mathias, and I followed along slowly as David rose and crossed the room, meeting me halfway.
"He looks like a man on a mission," David observed with a pensive expression. "I take it that he has a plan."
"He does. He always does." I snorted a small laugh.
"You guys go do what needs to be done," David said. "I'll stay here with Jensen. Annie's taking Erika home since it's so late. I think his uncle is going with them."
"Thanks, David," I said with a grateful sigh.
"You should go to my place and get some sleep before you come back," he added as he put an arm around my shoulders and handed me his house key. "I can call you if he wakes up before then. I called Lauren, too. I told her to wait until morning to come visit, and that you were going to stay at my place tonight. I figured you'd rather be alone."
I nodded gratefully as we walked back over to Jensen's family. David really was the perfect friend. The man always thought of everything. I said good-bye to Erika and Annie as they rose to leave. I noted Andy and Mathias having a serious looking discussion near the entrance. Mathias nodded at Andy and came over to me. He gave me hug and a few sympathetic words, before pulling out his phone and hastily leaving as he brought it to his ear. I glanced over at Andy questioningly. He nodded smugly at me. Oh yeah, that boy had a plan and from the self-satisfied look on his face, it was no doubt a good one.
A little while later, Andy, Lydia, and I were driving to Delaney's place. Andy had tried to convince Lydia to let him drop her off at home, but she would have none of that. When her aqua blue eyes bl
azed with fury at the suggestion, Andy actually looked terrified and backed right down without her having to say another word.
Andy had explained his plan to me, and it was a great idea. I just hoped I could keep up my end of it without fucking everything up. I was filled with purpose and trepidation as we pulled up to the boring looking apartment complex where she lived.
"Are you ready?" Andy asked me as he looked back at me from the driver's seat, an encouraging smile on his face.
"What would you do if I said no?" I asked him with a grimace.
"You can do this Sydney," Lydia reassured me from the front passenger seat.
"You heard her," Andy added with a wink. "Lydia is always right, aren't you, babe?"
"Can I get that it writing?" Lydia asked Andy with a raised brow and a look of disbelief.
Andy ignored her comment and continued. "You know what to do. You got this," he said, his face serious now. "It's for Jensen."
I nodded as I fought down the tears that threatened to fall again. "Okay. Let's go."
Delaney's apartment was in a complex of two-story buildings with apartments on each floor, opening into a large foyer with doors to four different apartments. Her unit was on the second floor with a set of concrete steps leading up to her door. We paused just outside the entryway to the building. Andy pulled out his phone, and I got mine out as well. It took only a few moments for Andy to set up a conference call between our phones, and the third person involved in our scheme.
"We're all ready to go," Andy spoke into his phone. "Alright," he continued and nodded after listening to a voice on the other end. He looked at me with a nod, and I put my phone on speaker and slid it into the front pocket of my jeans. "Can you hear me?" Andy asked as he covered the microphone on his phone. A tinny voice answered "yes" from my pocket. "Alright, Syd, the mission is a go. We'll be down here listening if you need us."
I nodded and took in a deep breath and blew it out hard. "Here goes nothing." I turned and entered the building. I climbed the steps and turned left to face Delaney's apartment. My hand shook as I knocked on the door.
Let Me Save You Page 23