by L A Cotton
But the seconds ticked by, and no sign came. Maverick—my Maverick—one of the strongest, most determined, and loyal guys I knew, was gone.
And I didn’t know how I would survive if he never came back.
Chapter Five
Kyle
“Do you want me to come in there with you?” Laurie squeezed my hand. We’d been standing outside Rick’s room for two minutes. Lo was inside, I could see her through the blinds. I wanted to go inside, to hold and comfort her. But I couldn’t move. Fear like I’d never known before coursed through my veins.
“Kyle, it’s time.”
“I know... I just... Fuck, babe. How am I supposed to go in there?” Lo had already lost too much, more than any young woman should. If Maverick didn’t pull through this, it would crush her.
Crush all of us.
“Babe.” Laurie moved around me and took my face in her hands. “She needs you. If your places were reversed, Maverick would do this for you. You need to go to her. I can come?”
“No, you’re right.” I covered her hands with mine. “I need to do this. You’ll be okay?”
“I’ll be right out here. If you need anything—”
“I know.” One of my hands cupped the back of Laurie’s head as I kissed her deeply. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now go be with our girl.”
With a small nod, I turned for the door, slipping inside.
“Kyle, thank God.” Lo rushed over to me and I pulled her into my arms.
“Ssh, cous. I got you.”
She sobbed quietly into my t-shirt, fisting the damp material between her trembling fingers.
“I’m here. I’m right here.” We’d gotten the first flight out of Maui, but it wasn’t quick enough. I should have been here. When they got the call, I should have been here.
“Don’t do that,” Lo whispered, finally pulling away from my chest.
“Do what?” I frowned.
“I can hear your guilt from here.”
“I should have been here.”
“No.” She shook her head. “You were right where you were supposed to be, on your honeymoon. God, I’m so sorry you had to cut it short.”
“Now who’s the one talking shit?” I offered her a weak smile. “I’m right where I need to be.”
“Thank you.” Lo threw her arms around me and we stood there, silently saying everything we needed to.
We were scared...
Lost...
We needed Maverick to pull through this.
“Come on, you can get me up to speed.”
I steered her over to one of the chairs beside Maverick’s bed. It hurt to see my stepbrother lying there, hooked up to various tubes and wires. For as long as I could remember, Maverick had been the strong one. The stubborn and insurmountable one. Maverick was a force to be reckoned with. And now he was lying in a hospital bed in a coma.
“The doctors still aren’t telling us anything, not really. They’re concerned about the swelling on his brain and want to get that under control before they deal with the damage to his spine.” A fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks.
“They think it’ll be permanent?”
“It’s too soon to tell.”
“Shit.” I ran a hand over my face, letting out a long breath.
“I keep expecting someone to walk through the door and tell me it’s all a sick joke.” She smothered a sob, covering her mouth with her fist.
“Have you been home? Showered? Eaten anything?” Lo was a mess. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her skin was pale.
“I can’t eat. Your mom and Summer have been force-feeding me graham crackers. I haven’t been home. I was officially discharged yesterday, but they agreed to let me stay in here. Your dad talked to the doctor.”
It sounded like something he would do.
“You need to take care of yourself, cous.”
“I need him to wake up, Kyle. That’s all I need.”
“Can you remember the accident? My dad said you couldn’t.”
Lo nodded. “I remember bits and pieces now. We were at Hitters with Declan and his brother. We left and Maverick said he wanted to show me something...” She averted her gaze, blinking away more tears.
“Lo?”
When she finally met my stare again, the pain in her expression gutted me. “I think he was going to propose.”
“Fuck,” I breathed.
“They found the ring box, but the ring was long gone.”
“Lo, I—”
“It’s okay.” She sucked in a ragged breath. “All that matters is that he wakes up. We’ll deal with the rest then. I just need him to wake up.” Lo clutched my stepbrother’s hand in hers.
“Rick is the strongest person I know; he’ll get through this.” He had to. Because if he didn’t... no, I couldn’t think like that.
Maverick was a fighter.
If anyone could overcome this, it was him.
Lo
One week.
I sat in that hospital room watching Maverick lying there, still and unmoving. My dad, Rebecca, and Gentry begged me to go home and get some rest. But my home was here, in that hospital bed. I couldn’t leave him.
I wouldn’t.
The nurses grew used to my presence, working around me. One nurse called Jennifer, a lady with kind eyes and a warm smile, took a shine to me.
“Morning, sweetheart,” she said breezing into the room. “How are we this morning?”
I was just rolling away the foldout bed they'd had wheeled in for me four nights ago when they realized I had no plans to leave.
“I thought I felt his hand move last night.” That, or my mind was playing tricks.
“That’s good, Lo. It could be a sign he’s ready to wake up.”
Moving to the side of the bed, I brushed Maverick’s hair out of his eyes. It had already grown, the bruising on his skin fading. “Dr. Limiston said the CT scan showed the swelling around his brain has reduced. They’re talking about waking him tomorrow.”
“That’s good, sweetheart. Real good. You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to go—”
“Please, don’t tell me I need to go home.” I grimaced. “I get that enough from my family.”
“They’re not wrong.” She gave me a small smile. “When Maverick wakes up, you need to be strong. That’s when the real work starts. You’re no good to him exhausted and weary.”
“I...” I hesitated, knowing she was right, and hating it. “I’ll think about it.”
“Atta girl. He’s a lucky to have you.” She patted my shoulder.
“He’d do the same for me.” If our roles were reversed, Maverick would move mountains to make me better.
Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I’d gotten good at burying them lately. Nurse Jennifer was right, I needed to be strong.
She left, but I didn’t sit alone for long. Rebecca stuck her head into the room. “Can I?”
I frowned. “He’s your son, you don’t need my permission.”
Our family had been around a lot. But everyone gave me space. I wondered if Kyle and my dad had told them not to crowd me, but I didn’t ask.
“I know, but it’s still early and I didn’t know if you were—”
“Rebecca,” my lips curved into a small smile, “it’s fine.”
“Oh, my beautiful strong boy.” She moved beside Maverick, tracing her fingers across his cheek.
I gave her a moment, checking my phone for messages. The team had been texting non-stop, especially Darnell and Jamie, Rick’s closest friends at SU. They wanted to visit, but I’d spoken with Coach Baxter and asked them to wait. At least until we knew exactly what we were dealing with.
“How are you, sweetheart?” She came around to me and sat in the other chair. “I’ve been so worried about you here, all alone.”
“I’m not alone.” My eyes flicked to Maverick.
“Oh gosh, I didn’t mean—”
“I know. But I can’t leave him, Rebec
ca. I won’t.”
“I can understand that. And I love you all the more for it.” She clasped my hands in hers. “You make him a better person, Lo. Before you came to Wicked Bay, I was so scared I was losing him. But then you arrived, and I saw it, the connection between the two of you. Of course, I was just as worried about you doing more damage than good...” Rebecca swallowed hard before inhaling a deep breath. “You saved him. You saved my son, and I will be forever thankful that you came into our lives.” She opened her arms and I fell into them.
“I can’t lose him, Rebecca. I love him so much.”
“Ssh, sweet girl.” She brushed my hair, the way my mum had when I was a girl. It only made me cry harder. “Maverick loves you too damn much to leave you. That boy would climb the highest mountain for you.”
I sat up, drying my eyes on the sleeve of my hoodie. “Thank you, that means a lot.”
“You’re already family, Lo. But seeing the way you love my son so deeply... it steals my breath away.” Her hands slid to my face. “Thank you for believing in him when I couldn’t. For loving him when I didn’t.”
“Rebecca, I—”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” She sniffled. “I have made my peace with the past. I love that boy more than anything and we’re in a good place now. But I’ll never forget what we went through with his father, and neither will he.”
Later that day, the doctor finally gave us the news we’d all been waiting for: they were going to bring Maverick out of the coma.
“It could take anywhere up to seventy-two hours for Maverick to wake up,” Dr. Limiston said, scribbling something on his chart. “But Maverick’s vitals are all good and the swelling is down.”
“What happens next?” Gentry asked.
“Once Maverick is awake, we’ll be able to start assessing the extent of the damage to his spine. He has an incomplete spinal cord injury in the lower thoracic region. He’s likely to be disoriented and he may experience some memory loss. This is standard with the injuries he sustained so please try not to be alarmed. What Maverick needs right now is your love and support. Leave the rest up to us.” He dropped the chart into its holster. “Your son is in safe hands.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Gentry shook his hand and followed him out of the room, no doubt to grill him for more details. He’d been relentless since we were both admitted here. But I was all too happy to let someone else handle that.
A shudder worked its way through me. Kyle came over, resting his hand on my shoulder. “This is a good thing, cous. Rick will be awake in no time.”
Awake, maybe. But healed? Far from it. I knew the doctors wanted us to have hope, it was important to Maverick’s recovery. But a spinal injury? That wasn’t something you just slapped a plaster on and went about your life with.
It could mean no more basketball. His life’s dream gone in the blink of an eye.
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I wanted to be strong, I did. For Maverick, for myself. But I knew what he’d done, what he’d sacrificed to get to this point, so to have it all ripped away seemed so cruel.
“Hey.” Kyle moved around me. “We don’t know how bad it is yet.”
“I know.”
“You got to have a little faith, cous. He’s here, he’s alive. And he will come through this.” But despite the conviction in his words, I felt Kyle’s fear. It rolled off him and swirled with my own, turning the air thick and oppressive.
“Kyle’s right, sweetheart.” Rebecca offered me a reassuring smile. “Rick has too much to live for.”
All I could manage was a small nod as I approached the bed and took Maverick’s hand in mine.
“I’m right here,” I whispered, my voice cracked with pain. “Whenever you’re ready to come back to us, I’m here.”
Chapter Six
Maverick
Beep... Beep... Beep.
The persistent beeping sound lulled me from the darkness. I slowly cracked open an eye, pain radiating through my skull. “What the fuck?” I groaned, only it came out scratchy and raw.
“Maverick?” Lo’s voice grounded me and I scanned the room for my girl.
“Lo?” I was aware of two things at once.
One. Lo looked sick. Her eyes were dark and sunken, and her hair lacked its usual glossiness.
And two. I couldn’t feel anything from my waist down.
“Lo?” Panic coated my words.
Something was wrong.
Very fucking wrong.
“Where am I?”
Dumb question, asshole. I was in the hospital, that much was obvious. Hooked up to a machine with an IV running into my hand. I curled my fist, relieved when I could feel the pinch of the needle disappearing into my vein.
But I still couldn’t feel my legs.
I looked down, my heart in a vise of fear but the sheets were rumpled over my legs.
Thank fuck, they were still there.
So why couldn’t I feel them?
“What happened?” I asked.
“We were in an accident.”
An accident. Shit. I couldn’t remember anything. The last memory I had was of being at the pool house with Lo. And then nothing but an empty void.
“Are you okay?” My eyes ran over her face, searching for any signs of injury beyond the fact she looked like she’d been through hell.
“I’m okay. I had a concussion and some bumps and bruises.” Lo got up and moved toward me, tears springing from her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re awake. I thought...” She whimpered, pressing a trembling fist to her mouth.
“Come here.” I reached for her, but the movement felt jerky and strange.
“God, Maverick.” Lo bent down and touched her head to mine, her salty tears dripping onto my face.
“Ssh,” I whispered, relieved when I managed to reach out and brush her cheek with my fingers.
Confusion clouded my thoughts though. My upper limbs felt sluggish and heavy, like they didn’t belong to my body. But Lo was here and she was okay... and right now, that’s the only thing that mattered.
“I should call the nurse,” she said, finally pulling away. “They’ll want to know you’re awake.” Lo started backing away.
“Wait,” I choked out. “Tell me how bad it is.”
I knew it was bad. I couldn’t feel my legs. But still, I wanted to prepare myself.
She gave me a weak smile, swallowing down a fresh wave of tears. “We don’t know yet. I’ll get the nurse.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask Lo to give me a second, but there was something in her eyes that stopped me.
And it looked a lot like devastation.
“Ah, Maverick,” the doctor entered the room, “it’s nice to see you back with us.”
The nurse Lo had fetched earlier gave him my notes. “Vitals are good...” They proceeded to go over things while Lo held my hand and gave me a reassuring smile.
“We’ll get through this,” she whispered. “Whatever the doctor tells us, we’ll get through it, together.”
“I just want someone to tell me what’s going on,” I gritted out.
Her face paled and I felt like an asshole, but I’d been awake for at least an hour and I still knew nothing.
“Okay, Maverick, let’s see what we’re dealing with, shall we?”
“Maybe you should come with me, sweetheart?” the nurse said to Lo.
“No,” I blurted out. “She stays.”
Relief glittered in Lo’s eyes as she backed up to give the doctor some space.
“The nurse tells me you have no feeling at all?”
“Nothing.” I willed my legs to move. Imagined flexing my toes and sliding my knee upward. But the sheets remained perfectly still.
“It’s not uncommon to experience some temporary paralysis after blunt force trauma to the spinal cord. But having reviewed your scans, we’re concerned about damage to your lower thoracic region.”
“That’s why I can’t feel my legs?”
He nodded. “You h
ave something called incomplete paraplegia because of damage to your T10 and T11 vertebrae. This means that the messages from your brain to the rest of your body are not completely lost. As the swelling reduces and your vertebrae heal, we expect that you’ll regain some sensation and feeling. But it’s too early to assess the full extent of the damage yet.”
Fuck.
I swallowed hard; my body—the parts I could feel—trembling with fear and anger. “You’re telling me what? That I might never walk again?”
“Let’s take it one day at a time, Maverick. You are in good hands here. Our physical therapy and rehabilitation team is second to none and we’ll do everything in our power to aid your recovery, but right now, we don’t have all of the answers.”
I clenched the bedsheet in my fist, wondering how I’d gone from being excited about spending the summer with my girlfriend and embarking on senior year at SU, to... this.
A paraplegic with indeterminable injuries.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I tried to focus on my breathing. In and out. In and out. It could have been worse... it could have been Lo lying in this bed instead of me. But nothing I told myself eased the giant fucking knot in my stomach. Even that felt distorted. A weird numbness tingling in my gut, as if everything south of my pelvis was just gone.
“I’ll let you get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow.” I was aware of a shift in the air, footsteps on the smooth tiled floor, the swish of the door opening. But I still didn’t open my eyes.
I couldn’t.
I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be back at the pool house wrapped up in my girl, loving her. Loving our life together.
But that all seemed like a dream now.
And I was stuck in a nightmare.
Lo
“How’s he doing?” Dad squeezed my shoulder as I stood outside Maverick’s room, watching the nurse do her observations.
“He’s completely shut down.”
It had been the single worst moment of my life watching the doctor explain his injuries, watching as realisation dawned on him. And for a girl who had survived the accident that killed her mum and brother that was saying something.
