“He must have lost a lot of blood,” I announced a few minutes later to no one in particular.
“Yes,” Ivy echoed.
“It’s a good thing he has people ready and able to give him what he needs.” The nurse remarked, focused on my hand.
I’d give Drew every last drop of blood in my veins if that was what he needed. There was nothing—literally nothing—that I wouldn’t do for him.
6
Drew
* * *
There is a place between living and not living. I woke up there. The sounds were loud and disruptive. None of them made any sort of sense. And the beeping. The constant beeping, as if every moment I had left was being counted.
At first, I didn’t understand. I looked for Trent, only to see people dressed head to foot in scrubs, masks over their faces, and only their eyes on display.
I didn’t know any of these people.
I didn’t know any of these sounds.
Where is Trent?
Where am I?
Suddenly, the view of the room changed. I was no longer staring up at the faces concentrating down at me. Instead, I was above them, looking down.
Fear unlike anything I’d ever felt before squeezed my chest. Not only was I looking down at strangers, but also at myself.
There was a tube going into my nose and something else sticking out of my mouth. My skin was nearly translucent, and the veins beneath looked blue. All my clothing was cut away. So much skin was exposed… all of it cut open. All of it bloody.
Forcing my eyes away, I swallowed back the lump clogging my throat.
The doctor said something, and a tool appeared for him to take. Someone was up by my head using giant tweezer-like things to pull out pieces of something that made a small pinging sound every time they tossed one into the waiting bowl.
Something stuck grotesquely from my chest. I could see right inside my own body.
“Get someone in here to set that leg!” a man yelled. “And get me some blood! His pressure is dropping!”
I was in trouble. Even though I felt nothing, I knew what I could see.
A woman in scrubs pushed into the room, timid and slightly wary. “The family is outside. They’re demanding an update.”
“He’s alive!” the doctor snapped without even looking up.
She scurried away, and I rushed to follow. Trent. He was probably going out of his mind. I hit the door and bounced back. I ran for it again.
Blocked. Trapped. Unable to leave.
Whirling back around, I looked at my limp form. Was I tethered to my body? Did that mean this wasn’t as bad as it looked?
The rhythmic beeping signaled my life meter slowing.
“We’re losing him!” someone yelled.
I raced back toward myself, standing next to the monitor that was suddenly displaying a flat line.
“Get me a crash cart!” someone yelled.
Chaos and bodies rushed around. A sudden uncomfortable feeling clutched my chest.
“Don’t you die on us!” the doctor grunted, leaning over.
The sound of the flatlining beep made me woozy, and I felt like I was fading away.
“Here’s the blood!” A woman rushed in.
More chaos. A surge of electricity jolted my body. The door to the room swung as people rushed in and out. Bright light, the purest, most incandescent I’d ever seen, shone just outside the room.
It beckoned…
I started forward, turning my back on the ragged, nearly dead form I’d lived in for almost thirty years.
Warmth suffused me, pushing back the woozy feeling, wrapping me up in a warm hug. I thought it was the light. The closer I got, the more at ease I felt.
“Don’t give up, Mr. Forrester. There’s a man down in the lab who gave this blood just for you. He would have given us every drop he had if we’d allowed it.”
Turning my back on the light, I stared at the woman leaning over me. After another few adjustments, she stepped back, and my eyes fixated on the tube of red liquid flowing from a nearby bag right into my arm.
The beeping started again, slow at first, but it was there.
Multiple sighs echoed around the room, but I fixated on what flowed inside me.
The strength. The warmth. The life… It wasn’t coming from that beautiful glow outside.
It was Trent.
Just as my life was fading away, he offered up some of his.
Existing there between my battered body and a halo of light, the choice was clear. That light, which seemed so splendid just seconds ago, no longer held any appeal.
The only direction I wanted to go was wherever Trent was. Taking a step toward the operating table, I doubled over in pain.
So. Much. Pain.
I reached out, trying to steady myself, but when you are in between life and death, there is nothing tangible to hold you up.
Despite the immeasurable agony I knew was waiting the second I climbed back into my body, I staggered toward it anyway.
Fixing my gaze on that line of blood, I imagined Trent beside me, both his hands wrapped around one of mine.
I wouldn’t leave him. Not for peace. Not for comfort. I would endure my heart stopping over and over again because that man would burst in here and restart it himself if he had to.
That kind of loyalty… That kind of love…
It could never be beaten. Death wasn’t my fate today.
Trent was.
Searing pain took over everything the second I was back on the table. The doctors and nurses were somber and worried. Hurt cloaked me, driving out everything, dragging me under. Even though I was terrified of being alone, the blood flowing into my veins whispered…
I’m here.
7
Trent
* * *
They told me to sit down a while since I’d been in a traumatic event and then donated blood.
Blood I had to practically force them to take. Apparently, taking it from someone already injured, blah-blah-blah, wasn’t good protocol.
Fuck protocol.
Drew needed it. And because of that desperate need, they took what I was offering. I gave two pints, though they tried to cut me off at one. I started yelling about death and suing…
Then Romeo walked into the blood bank.
Drew—and hell, even I—was a celebrity of some sort. But Romeo? Around here, Romeo Anderson was like a god who walked on water.
They took the second pint, and Romeo stood over them all, smiling while I snarled and glared.
I wasn’t a guy who liked to make a scene. I was quiet, enjoyed lying low in the background… but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t step up if I needed to.
The second the IV was out of my arm, I pushed up out of the seat.
“Sir, please, sit down. Have some juice.” The nurse appeared, carrying some OJ and a cookie.
A freaking cookie.
I oughta shove that cookie—
“Thank you so much, Leigh.” Romeo cut off my thoughts as if he knew exactly what I was about to do. “I’ll just take this,” he said, grabbing the juice and cookie from her and smiling. “I’ll make sure he sits down upstairs by the OR. That’s where our family is.”
She smiled and giggled.
Romeo put a hand on my shoulder just as I stepped forward.
“Let’s go.”
Out in the hall, I looked at him. He tossed the cookie in a nearby trashcan. “I know,” he said, all charm gone and weariness instantly in place.
His blond hair was mussed, dark circles were under his eyes, and his shoulders seemed heavy. I felt bad for my behavior back there, bad that Rome had to basically make sure I didn’t snap. We were all dealing with this, not just me.
But I couldn’t bring myself to offer up any support. I didn’t have any in me. Everything I had was being channeled toward Drew.
“No word?” I asked gruffly.
“None,” he said quietly. “They took your blood back but haven’t said anything.�
�
“It’s bad, Rome,” I whispered, the words wrenching out of me and cutting me up on their way out. The edges of my vision were blurry and slightly dark. Every once in a while, dark spots would float in front of my eyes, but I ignored it.
My brother stopped abruptly, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me around, wobbly on my feet. His fingers tightened, and his eyes narrowed. “Trent?”
“I’m fine.”
“We don’t know how bad it is yet.”
Swallowing, I let my eyes find his. I let him see everything that went down to my core. “I pulled him out of the car. I saw him.”
“I know.” He swore. The hand on my shoulder wrapped around the back of my neck. “We’ve got this, okay? All of us… we’re going to be here. Drew wouldn’t dare try and quit this family, ‘cause he knows—”
The words ripped out from the deepest, most frightened part of me. “What if he doesn’t have a choice?”
Romeo fell silent. The hand holding the back of my neck pulled, and I swayed forward. He hugged me in the middle of the hallway. Florescent lights buzzed overhead, the scent of antiseptic drowned the air, and desperation clung to every single piece of me.
I couldn’t live without him. Everything before Drew was so long ago, so far away it was literally obsolete. If the earth couldn’t exist without a moon, then I couldn’t exist without my other half.
“C’mon,” I said, clearing my throat and starting forward again. “I need to be up there.”
The second we stepped off the elevator, I rushed forward.
“Trent.” Romeo beckoned, making me glance back around.
“There’s so many of us that they moved us into a waiting room.”
Frowning, I started to shake my head.
“C’mon,” he clapped me on the back. “It’s just off the hallway where you were sitting before.”
The second we stepped in, everyone in the room jumped to their feet. When they saw it was us and not a doctor, they deflated.
It was immediately obvious why the staff here moved us into a waiting room. Everyone was here. Almost the entire family. And everyone’s eyes turned to me.
Words failed me. If these people were looking to me for some sort of encouragement, for some sort of positive words that would help cut the grimness of the atmosphere, they would be disappointed.
A blur of movement caught my attention, and then a body nearly plowed into me. Thin arms wound around my midsection, and a bleached-blond head pressed against my shoulder.
“We got here as soon as we could,” Arrow said, his voice muffled against my shirt. I glanced down at the kid (Arrow would forever be a kid to me, despite the fact that he was a married, grown-ass adult), slightly taken off guard by his sudden show of affection.
Glancing up, I found Hopper standing off to the side. He was focused on Arrow, but when he felt me looking, our eyes met. A sense of understanding washed over me, for in the depths of his gaze was a haunting sort of pain.
He’d once lost someone to an accident like this.
If anyone in this room could understand the depth of pain I felt, the rawness of excruciating fear, it was him.
I wondered briefly what it cost him to be here, and I hoped I remembered later to tell him how much it meant that he showed up regardless.
Arrow’s arms tightened around my waist, and I remembered he was there and that my arms were still limp at my sides as if I had nothing left inside of me, not even a hug for a kid I knew considered Drew his best friend.
Feeling completely drained, my eyes automatically sought out the source that kept me full. I went around the room, searching for that one face… but he wasn’t here.
I knew Drew wasn’t in this room, yet my heart still looked.
Another body came forward and added to the hug I was already receiving. Curly black hair tickled my chin when Joey wrapped her arms around me and her brother-in-law.
“We’re all here for you both,” she whispered.
Against me, Arrow nodded.
Over their heads, my eyes locked on Lorhaven, the guy in the room I liked the least. Maybe because of that, looking at him was easier. Because I knew he wouldn’t have any expectations of how I should be. It didn’t matter. He’d think I was an asshole regardless.
Oddly, that brought me comfort.
He was still wearing the suit he’d been racing in, which made me remember he’d been in that race too.
“Did you get caught up in the pileup?” I asked, my voice sounding like sandpaper.
He wasn’t offended I didn’t even know. Hell, I hadn’t thought of any of the other drivers at all. The second Drew’s car went airborne, he was literally the only person to exist.
“I managed to get out,” he replied. “I tried to come help you, but the bastards wouldn’t let me through.”
Someone came into the room behind us, and I spun, the force of my movement shaking off both Joey and Arrow. Once again, disappointment stabbed me, and impatience coiled my nerves.
“It’s better you stayed out of it,” Gamble said, tucking a phone into the inside of his suit jacket. His tie was askew, and the top few buttons of his dress shirt were undone. He gestured at me the second his phone was put away. “Getting this one out of hot water is enough.”
“Me?” I echoed.
He nodded. “My lawyers have it handled. No need to concern yourself.”
Seeing the blank look on my face, Braeden stepped forward. “Do you remember anything from the accident?”
Blood. Glass. Drew being nearly mangled in the mess that had been his car.
I shook my head.
“You took out a few guys on the asphalt,” B explained. “They tried to hold you back from the wreckage.”
A low rumble vibrated my chest.
The corner of B’s lip turned up. “You Hulked out, bro. It was pretty impressive.”
“Braeden.” Ivy warned, her voice way less challenging than usual.
He shrugged. “Figured he should know. It’s trending on social right now.”
I didn’t care. If people got in my way while I was getting to Drew, they deserved what they got.
“You own half this hospital, don’t you?” I said to Gamble. “Can’t you get someone in here to tell us something?”
“I’ve been assured that we will get an update immediately. I’ve also made sure the best doctors in this hospital are taking care of Drew. He will get the best care possible.”
Romeo’s phone went off, and he lifted the screen. “It’s Liam,” he announced before stepping into the hall to answer.
“Liam?” Joey asked.
“Liam Mattison,” Braeden explained. “The Olympic snowboarder. We spent some time at his ski resort over the winter. He probably saw the news…”
Everyone quieted, and I started to pace.
“Trent,” Rimmel said, wrapping her cold hands around my wrist. “You look too pale.” Holding out the juice Romeo had brought, she pushed it into my chest. “Please drink this.”
I took it but didn’t agree to drink it.
“Romeo’s parents are on their way,” she whispered. “Braeden’s mom too.”
“They should just stay home with the kids,” I said, staring at the door. “Driving across the state isn’t necessary.”
“We’re family,” she said plainly. “It is.”
“I’ll send my plane,” Gamble interjected. “They’ll get here faster.”
Rimmel didn’t even argue. It reminded me just how bad the situation was. She went off with Gamble to make arrangements for the plane, and I was left standing there… raw.
Two doctors appeared, wearing wrinkled blue scrubs, caps on their heads, and masks hanging around their necks. They both looked weary, and seeing them that way made dread rise in my throat.
Even as I rushed forward, I had to flatten a hand against my chest because the pressure was so intense.
“How is he?”
“Next of kin?” the doc asked, glancing around at the
sea of faces.
I grabbed the front of his shirt. “Me. You can talk to me.”
Reaching between us, Romeo pulled my fist off his clothes and cleared his throat.
“We’re all a little on edge, Bruce,” Gamble said, stepping forward. “Tell us some good news.”
The doctor glanced back at me and stepped forward eagerly.
“We had a few close calls, but he’s come through surgery.”
My stomach hit my feet. “Close calls?” I rasped.
“To be blunt, he flatlined.”
I swayed, but Romeo and B stepped up behind me, offering the support of their football player frames.
“We brought him back, and now that his blood volume is stable, so is he.”
“I want to see him.” I started past.
“His injuries are extensive.”
I stopped breathing.
Ivy and Rimmel started crying.
“How bad?” Romeo asked, tucking his wife under his arm.
“His ribs broke, which punctured his lung, causing it to collapse. The medical term would be tension pneumothorax, which means the puncture was serious enough it required us to insert a chest tube that will need to stay in place for several days. We also plated a few ribs… to put them back in place.”
“I need to see him,” I demanded, ragged.
“I’m afraid there’s more.”
There was no bracing myself. There was no brace that would make any of this okay to hear. To know. To feel.
“Say it already!” I bit out.
The doctor pinned me with level eyes. “His left tibia is broken. The tibia is the larger bone in the lower part of the leg that supports your body’s weight. He will have to be in a cast for several weeks.”
I nodded. That was okay. A broken bone was to be expected.
The other doctor cleared his throat. “The patient also has a traumatic brain injury.”
My hand went to my face, covering my mouth. Silently, Hopper stepped up beside me, so close I felt the heat coming off his body.
“If he hadn’t been wearing a helmet, he probably wouldn’t have made it.”
I stumbled backward. Hopper caught me around the waist and held.
#Fate Page 3
