#Fate

by Cambria Hebert

  The smile I wore, pressed against Drew’s neck, didn’t fade. Even after I’d lost the struggle to keep this moment from turning into a memory and drifted off to sleep.

  29

  Drew

  * * *

  There was a low knock on the door before it opened. Romeo poked his head inside the room, glancing toward the bed.

  He saw us there and slowly started to back away.

  “I’m awake,” I told him, not having to whisper because my voice was just that raspy.

  The door pushed wider, and he stepped inside, followed closely by Braeden, who gingerly shut the door behind them.

  “We can come back later.” Romeo spoke quietly, stopping beside the bed. Following his stare, I glanced down at the way my hand automatically cupped around T’s face and over his ear, protecting him from any sound.

  The desire to protect him was incredibly strong right now. So strong I didn’t even think about it. My body and mind, even though injured, acted on instinct. I wasn’t even sure why, but it was a feeling I couldn’t ignore.

  “No, stay,” I replied, gesturing to a couple nearby chairs.

  Beside Romeo, Braeden folded his arms across his chest. “Dude finally passed out.”

  “Guess he can finally breathe,” Romeo murmured.

  Trent had barely moved since climbing into this bed. He was still wrapped around my body like a self-proclaimed human Band-aid. His face was pressed into my neck, and every breath he took tickled my skin.

  But seeing the way our brothers were staring at him, I was beginning to think perhaps it was me who was the Band-aid right now.

  “He hasn’t slept?” I questioned.

  Romeo shook his head. “Barely. He only left the hospital once, and that was to shower and pick up some clothes.”

  “He hasn’t eaten either,” Braeden added.

  My stomach dropped. “He hasn’t eaten or slept in five days?”

  “I think Arrow and Hop got him to eat a burrito the other day,” B replied.

  “Rim’s been force-feeding him coffee with sugar,” Romeo added.

  The mention of Rimmel made me glance to the door. “Where is everyone else?”

  “Ivy and Rimmel had to go check on the kids. The doctor said you had to go for tests, and they wanted to give you time with Trent. They’ll be back in a bit,” Braeden said.

  “Joey and Lorhaven went to tell Gamble you’re awake. Hopper and Arrow will be back later… They, uh…” His voice stalled.

  “They what?”

  “Your dad makes them uncomfortable,” Braeden put in. “Actually, I don’t think Hopper gives a shit, but he doesn’t want the kid around all that.”

  The kid = Arrow.

  He was a grown adult. A married, grown adult, but he would always be a kid to us.

  “How long have my parents been here?”

  “They got here the day after your accident,” Romeo replied, his tone clipped.

  Glancing down at T, I confirmed he was still deeply asleep. The smudges under his eyes looked like bruises.

  “It’s been bad, right?” I asked. “That’s why you two are still here and not with Rim and Ivy. You stayed for Trent.”

  Both of them remained silent. They looked tired too. Tired but determined.

  “What happened while I was out?” I pressed.

  “Trent didn’t say anything?” Braeden asked.

  I shook my head. “He told me everything was fine and passed out almost the second he lay down.”

  “Sleeping in the waiting room ain’t comfortable,” B quipped, rubbing his back.

  My eyes flashed up. “The waiting room? Why wasn’t he in here?”

  My brothers exchanged a look.

  I made a sound. “Start talking.”

  “T ain’t gonna like this,” Braeden muttered as he went to get a chair from the other side of the room.

  I shifted my attention to Romeo, knowing I would get the answers from him.

  “You remember drafting up some kind of will when you were like eighteen and left for college?” he asked, sitting down in the chair nearby.

  Braeden put his chair beside him, and the two sat side by side like two big bodyguards, filling up the entire side of the room.

  I frowned. “That was years ago.”

  “In it, you named your parents next of kin.” Romeo looked at me with knowing eyes.

  At first, I didn’t know what this had to do with anything, and then realization reared its ugly head. “You can’t be serious…” My voice was incredulous.

  B nodded. “Pops showed up, waving that document around, and kicked Trent out.”

  I jolted up, the sudden movement jarring my midsection, and breath hissed between my teeth.

  Trent made a sound, and I winced, pushing back the discomfort and putting my hand on the side of his face, attempting to settle him.

  This was a conversation best had while he was asleep.

  Sure, I would be able to drag answers out of Trent, but he’d probably downplay it. By the way everyone was acting, this was not a situation that needed downplaying.

  The look I saw in T’s eyes earlier worried me. Most people didn’t realize it, but Trent was fragile. Maybe not physically or even mentally. But emotionally, he was vulnerable. He hid it well, but this man internalized everything. If Romeo and Braeden were worried enough to stay here and watch over him and to basically go behind his back and tell me what’s been happening, then this was serious because Trent was probably worse than even they knew.

  “Maybe you should get some sleep first,” Braeden suggested, watching me gingerly settle back.

  “I’ve been sleeping for almost a week.” I rebuffed, sliding a quick glance at T. He was still sleeping soundly, his deep, even breathing a comforting sensation. Before looking up to speak, I put my hand over his ear again to muffle our voices.

  “You’re telling me that my parents showed up with some dust-covered will and declared they were in charge of me while I was out, and their first order of business was to get rid of Trent?”

  “It was your dad breathing all the fire, but your mom went along with it.”

  “That explains the doc wanting confirmation about letting him in here,” I murmured.

  “He hasn’t seen you in almost two days,” Braeden said quietly.

  I looked up sharply, my stomach tying into an uncomfortable knot.

  “He sat in the waiting room the entire time,” Romeo added. “He stayed with you in recovery after surgery, then slept beside your bed the first night. He didn’t leave your side at all until he showed up and threatened him.”

  “Why didn’t you punch him in the face?” I demanded, rage filling me.

  “Trent did.”

  Braeden sat up, a little mischief in his brown eyes. “Dude, Trent has been punching everybody.”

  “What?”

  “Gamble paid off three people to keep him out of the slammer.”

  The blood drained out of my head, and the headache I’d woken up with intensified.

  Romeo slapped B in the midsection, giving him a warning glare.

  B wasn’t intimidated and just shrugged. “It’s true.”

  I looked down at the injuries marring Trent’s wrist and hand. It looked like painful, open burns and stitches in his palm that were slightly swollen. “That what all this is from?” I gestured toward him.

  Romeo nodded. “He’s the one that pulled you out of your car.”

  “He did what?” A theme was emerging from this conversation: me freaking the fuck out about everything I was told.

  Silently, Romeo pulled out his phone, hit the screen a few times, leaned forward, and held it out for me to watch the muted footage.

  It was from a news station, coverage from the wreck at the track. It was chaos. Flames were everywhere, overturned cars, cars with bashed-in ends… metal everywhere. Emergency vehicles with flashing lights covered the scene, and water was sprayed, trying to put out the fires.

  As if there w
asn’t enough chaos, more seemed to erupt in the corner of the screen. Leaning in, I watched a man I recognized very well yelling, trying to push through the blockades and emergency crew.

  They wouldn’t let him pass.

  He wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Astonished, I watched Trent use his size and sheer panic to literally fight past anyone who got in his way. He punched and kicked and used his body as a literal battering ram. It was like he was running down the football field, making mincemeat out of anyone who rushed him.

  Except this wasn’t a game.

  Leaving a trail of bodies behind him, he vaulted over a partition and ran through the wreckage. The camera stayed focused on him all the way to the back of the wreck where my car was lying upside down against the cement wall.

  I recoiled a bit, seeing my car like that. Knowing I was inside.

  Those thoughts didn’t linger, though. Trent punched out someone else who tried to stop him from going closer, and then he climbed over the car before dropping off the top and disappearing between the wreckage and the wall.

  “What the fuck was he doing?” I muttered, still watching, though I couldn’t see him.

  “You were trapped inside. Your door was so damaged they couldn’t get to you.”

  More people rushed around. I noticed flames glowing from inside the shattered windows. “It was on fire,” I whispered, glancing down at the burns on his wrist. “Jesus,” I swore.

  “He pulled you out, and the crew finally made it around to get you.”

  “Why isn’t this shit covered?” I demanded, seeing his injuries in a whole new light. “And why do his stitches look infected?”

  “He wouldn’t let anyone touch him. He only got the stitches because he didn’t want to waste any of his blood in case you needed more.”

  In case you needed more.

  I was stupefied, shock rendering me speechless. No thoughts could form in my head. I was absolutely dumbfounded by everything I’d heard. No. By the emotions hearing this brought forth.

  “That dude ate, slept, and breathed nothing but you,” Braeden said quietly. “Even after your father tossed him out and threatened him. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  I marveled, gazing down at the big guy so gingerly wrapped around me. I was the one in the accident, but T was the one who suffered the most. So loyal. So selfless, dangerously so.

  I love him. I loved him so goddamn much I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the reason I was still alive right now was because of this man.

  Grazing my fingertips over the shell of his ear, I stroked the side of his head. As I did, the rest of B’s words penetrated my emotion-swollen brain.

  “Wait.” I glanced up from T. “My father threatened him?”

  “More than once,” Romeo said, his voice deadly quiet. “Threatened to transfer you to some unknown location where no one could find you. Threatened to get a restraining order against him to keep him out of the hospital. Even threatened to put him in jail.”

  My hand fisted in the blanket. The blanket Trent had brought here and covered me with. I couldn’t even imagine if someone tried to take him away from me when he needed me most. Hell, I’d damn near gone out of my mind when he was jumped and beaten up a few years back… and he was conscious the entire time.

  “Why would they do this?” My voice was strained. I felt as though I were a dormant volcano that had just gone active. Hot lava boiled and churned under my skin, just waiting to explode.

  “You know, I could give you some bullshit about grief making people crazy.” Romeo began, shaking his head. “But that man doesn’t even deserve the benefit of the doubt. He’s cruel.”

  “Why would they even come here?” I muttered, my mind still reeling. “They disowned me.”

  “Pops saw it as a chance to get you back. I think he was hoping your head would be fucked up and he could take advantage and turn you against Trent,” Braeden informed.

  “That would never happen,” I swore vehemently.

  “It’s just good to see you awake.” Romeo agreed. “You shortened all our lives by about ten years with this shit. The family just wouldn’t be the same without you.”

  A hard ball of emotion settled in my already inflamed throat. Emotion welled up behind the back of my eyes, threatening to spill out. “I almost died,” I whispered.

  They didn’t have to tell me. I knew. Whether it was dreams, knowledge, or just intuition, I completely understood how close I came to almost never coming back.

  Trent made a soft sound, cuddling against me a little tighter. Almost like he sensed my inner thoughts. As if he, too, understood just how close we came to being ripped apart. My body groaned a little with the shift of his weight, but I ignored it.

  “You better apologize to your sister for that shit,” B demanded. “She’s been a mess.”

  I nodded. It seemed I had a lot to apologize for. Pondering that, I stroked my fingers through T’s hair. It was kinda sticky. Pulling my hand up, I made a face. “When’s the last time he showered?”

  Romeo grinned.

  “There’s more you aren’t saying,” I said to them both.

  “Look. Your dad is a jackass. That’s all you really needed to know,” B replied. He cleared his throat. “And yeah, Ivy banned them from her life and from our kids’ lives.”

  I sighed heavily, regret making my head drop against the pillow. “Fuck.” I’d never wanted my sister caught in the middle of any of this.

  “She’s had enough, bro. And I’m glad. I don’t want that asshat around my kids either.”

  I nodded, understanding. It was for the best, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard to accept. My sister lost her parents, and what made it even worse is that she was forced to make that choice.

  “I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t do that.” Romeo cut me off. “Don’t apologize for shit that isn’t your fault. That’s not why we told you all this.”

  “Why did you?” I asked, curious. I knew full well that Trent probably told them not to say anything.

  Romeo and B exchanged a look, and the bottom fell out of my stomach once more. When Rome got out his phone, I braced myself.

  After a moment, my brother glanced between me and the phone, debating. Not saying anything, I hitched my chin at him, silently telling him to hand it over.

  Rising out of his seat, Romeo came next to the bed and turned the phone around.

  A picture speaks a thousand words.

  This one also dragged me down to that place where it felt like I was being buried by water. Where everything was muted and far away.

  Even though I sat in a room with other people, with lights and sound, all of it instantly muffled.

  The ache… Dear God, the fierce ache blooming inside me could quite possibly consume me alive. If I hadn’t understood just how harrowing things had been while I was under, it was now excruciatingly clear.

  Hand trembling, I reached for the phone, pulling the photo closer, eyes glued to the screen as if I were hypnotized.

  Yes. That. Maybe I was. The despair and loneliness captured in this photo was so strong it spilled out of the image, chaining itself around my heart.

  A man sat alone in a darkened hallway, hunched in on himself, cut off from the world. His body appeared heavy, the cold, apathetic wall the only thing there to offer support. His shoes were missing. My eyes kept going back to that detail again and again. Where were his shoes? Why did his clothes look so thin and ill-fitting?

  The way this man curled in on himself, ducking his head, hiding his face… it was like he hurt so much he wanted away from even himself.

  Without thought, I stroked my fingers over the image, trying to offer comfort to a man frozen in time. To a memory of pain so severe I felt it even though I hadn’t even been there.

  “What is this?” I rasped.

  “That’s a photo circling around the internet. An unauthorized photo of the man clinging to you right now like you might disappear,”
Romeo answered quietly. “This is what he looked like when your father basically stole the validity of your relationship out from under him. It’s also the reason we told you all this.” Pausing, Romeo rubbed a hand over his unshaven jaw and sighed. “Yeah, it’s unfair to put this on you. Fuck, you almost died. But so did he.” Romeo tapped the screen as if to remind me of the photo.

  As if it was something I would ever forget.

  “He needs you right now. We’ve done as much as we can. But the only one who can really protect him against your family is you.”

  Crushing the phone against my chest, I glanced up. There was wetness on my cheeks. I was crying.

  The sound of the door opening behind us was like a gunshot ringing through the room. The emotional bubble my family stood in burst, and the rest of the world came crashing in.

  “Time for those tests,” some dude in scrubs announced, walking right in like he was invited.

  The currents in the room hit him, and he stopped. “Oh, ah…” he said, swinging a piece of paper in his hand at his side. “I interrupted something.”

  We all stared at him.

  “I can come back,” he offered, his eyes gliding to Trent. “I wondered when he would crash.”

  I felt my dry, cracked upper lip curl. “Don’t look at him.”

  Braeden made a choked sound.

  Romeo leaned over, prying away the phone still clutched to my chest. “This is Patrick. He’s been one of your nurses since you got here. He, ah, gave T a few chances to see you when other people wouldn’t.”

  I stared back at the nurse, seeing him in a new light. “You helped Trent out?”

  “We all need someone on our side now and then.”

  I nodded, slow. “I appreciate that.”

  He nodded, and the light caught on the diamond stud in his ear. “Of course. It’s nice to see you with your eyes open.”

  Against me, Trent stirred, lifting his head to glance at me. His eyes widened when he saw me looking back.

  “Wha—” He nearly gasped, instantly pulling his body back and holding his arm up off my waist. “Drew?” He worried, pulling farther back. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m fine.” I reached out for his hand, trying to pull him back.