by Gallie, DL
Baylor
Well fuck, this isn’t working out how I planned. I needed Avery to be sad and locked away in her room, or crying at Cress’s house. But no, she’s loved up with Flynn and because of me; my actions are going to catch up with her. Maybe I need to stop with the flirting and push her toward him, that way she will move in with him and I can be free to live my life without worrying about her.
Fuck, how did it come to this?
Last night, seeing her strong and not wilting, I was kinda proud of her. Normally she’d roll over but since meeting this Flynn guy, she’s changed. But then so I have, the main difference is she’s changed for the better. Me? I’ve changed for the worse and I’ve turned into someone I barely recognize anymore. If I’m honest, I don’t like who I’ve turned into. I need to do something, but what? I’m in too deep now.
Picking up my coffee, I look around our apartment and realize I’m lonely and unhappy, I want to be the old me again. I wonder where Avie is right now. And that thought hurts; we always used to know where the other was. Flopping onto the sofa, my mind drifts to when things were good with us…
…Avie and I have are having a baking day. We are going to bake up a storm. Avie starts getting out the ingredients and I walk over to the sound system. Switching it on, I click into Spotify and crank up the tunes. “The Piña Colada Song” comes on and we sing along as we get our Martha Stewart on. We bake chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, triple chocolate muffins, and banana bread. While the treats are cooling, we whip up a lasagne for dinner tonight and Ave makes her famous caramel dumplings.
Looking around the kitchen I smile, Avie and I haven’t had a day like this in forever. We had so much fun but right now, the kitchen looks like a winter wonderland. There’s white powder all through the kitchen. We may have had a flour fight while making the béchamel sauce for the lasagne, but I’m not worried about the mess because my neat freak sister—bless her little neat cotton socks—will go all Suzy Homemaker and have every speck cleaned up before I even start to wash the conditioner out of my hair.
As that memory fades, I realize I need to change my life and I need to do it now. I want more baking days with her, I want the old us back. With a sigh, I come to the conclusion I need to change now. To say I’m in over my head is the understatement of the millennium. It started out innocently, but as time went on and the thrill subsided, I’d find new ways to get my thrills and now, well, now I’m screwed and not in the good, panting, sweaty naked way.
When Kye died, that was when I realized how deep in I was, but how the fuck am I going to get out of this? I tried to push Avery away to protect her, but that backfired spectacularly. Now she’s hurt and lying unconscious in a hospital bed because of me, and what do I do? I pretend to be her to save my own ass.
This is spiraling out of control. I need to come up with a plan and I need to do it fast because when she wakes up, I’m screwed.
30
Flynn
Holy fucking shit!
The image that Avery just sent me is burnt into my retinas, and ever since I opened that message, my cock has been rock-hard. I’m pacing in front of my door, eagerly awaiting her arrival.
Thirty minutes pass and she still isn’t here. I put it down to traffic.
Another thirty minutes passes and now I’m antsy. I feeling of unease settles in my stomach.
Sixty minutes have passed and now I’m worried. That unease has magnified tenfold and I’m worried as all fuck. Picking up my phone, I dial Avery but it rings out and goes to voicemail. “Ave lass, it's me, please call me back as soon as you get this message. I’m worried. I love you.”
Throwing my phone on the island countertop, I stare at my front door, willing it to open. With each second that passes, the feeling of dread intensifies in my gut. Just as I’m about to call her again, my phone lights up and it’s her. “Ave lass—”
“Flynn…” she blubbers, “it’s…it’s Bay.”
“What’s wrong? Where are you?” I knew something wasn’t right, I should have gone to her place rather than waiting here like a lovesick fool.
“I’m at Western General.” She sounds so broken, I know she’s on the outs with her sister right now, but at the end of the day, Baylor is her twin.
“I’m on my way.”
“Hurry.”
Before she’d hung up, I was already racing toward the door.
Thirty minutes later, I race into the ER and immediately my eyes land on Avery. She’s accompanied by two police officers. Taking a deep calming breath, I get myself under control as I walk toward them, eating up the distance quickly. She looks up and when her gaze lands on mine, a look washes over her before she throws herself at me. “Flynn,” she cries into my chest. My arms instinctively wraps around her. She falls apart in my embrace and I kiss her head and soothingly whisper ‘Shhhh’ over and over.
Looking to the officers, I recognize Cooper and Devon from when an officer was shot on the job. “Hey,” we all say in unison.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” I ask.
Cooper steps to me. “Before we do, Flynn, can I ask your relationship to Baylor and Avery Evans?”
“Avery here is my girlfriend.”
Ave nods in agreement and he explains what happened. “It seems that Baylor was attacked at the apartment she shares with Avery, earlier this evening, by two unknown assailants. Avery here, interrupted them and probably saved her sister from getting kidnapped or worse.”
“I was so scared, baby. I’m glad to be in your arms now,” she says, as she tightens her arms around me, her body tight with tension.
“Avery was giving us all she can remember but she’s in shock at the moment so her memories are vague.”
“Ave lass, I’m so glad you weren’t home when it happened.” Placing a kiss on her head, I pull her back to look at me. “Do you know who they were?”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.”
“Are they the guys from the other day?” She looks at me confused. “You mentioned two guys the other night?
“I…I don’t know. Everything’s all so fuzzy.” She sits down and rests her elbows on her knees and sighs.
Shaking my head, I run my fingers through my hair and I sit down next to her and rub her back. “What shit has your sister gotten into?”
Her head snaps toward me and the look she’s currently giving me could turn me to stone. There’s such vehemence in her gaze right now. “Who says it's her fault?” she snaps.
“I didn’t say that, I—” Before I can defend myself, Clay enters the ER and walks toward us.
Standing up, I step away from Avery and over to Clay. “Clay, dude, how’s Baylor?” I stretch out my hand to him.
“Flynn,” he says, slapping me on the back with one hand and shaking the other in that manly one-hand shake/hug. “You know I can’t discuss this with you, you’re not technically family.”
I nod my head in understanding but Avery says, “It’s fine.” As she slides her arm around my waist, snuggling into my side. I breath her in but she doesn’t smell as florally as she usually does.
“Avery, it seems that Baylor was shocked with a Taser. There’s two red barb welts on the side of her abdomen. She has a concussion. A small cut to her left cheek that needed five stitches, but luckily no broken facial bones. She has three cracked ribs and a nasty bump on the back of her head. Her face and ribs are bruised, likely from being kicked. All things considered, she’s in okay shape.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, rubbing my forehead.
Clay adds, “She’s still unconscious and we will continue to monitor her until she wakes up.”
Avery is frozen beside me. Rapidly blinking as she process his words. “Will…will she be okay?” she stammers.
“Until she regains consciousness, we won’t know about her mental state but physically, yes, she will recover from these injures.”
Avery nods her head and then falls into a chair. Looking up to Cl
ay she asks, “Can I see her?”
Clay nods his head. “Of course. Come with me. Flynn, technically, you cannot see her.”
Nodding my head, I say, “No, I understand.” I turn to Avery. “You go see your sister, and I’ll see about getting her transferred to a room upstairs.”
She stands up, wraps her arms around me, and kisses me. There’s something different about the kiss. There’s no feeling or emotion that there normally is when we kiss. I put it down the to stress of what’s happened with her sister. I watch as she follows Clay but something is niggling at me. Turning to Cooper and Devon, I fill them in on the recent issues with Baylor.
Wrapping up with the officers, I head back into the ER and stop at the nurses’ station and arrange a room for Baylor. Five minutes later, they tell me there’s a bed on four for Baylor and she’ll be moved up in a few moments. Offering to tell Avery, I make my way to the cubicle Baylor is currently in.
Stopping outside I hear her say. “Please wake up. I’m so sorry, twinsie. Please wake up for me.”
Hearing her words, I smile when I realize that even though they are going through a rough patch right now, she still cares for her sister and that only makes me love her more.
31
Avery
My body hurts.
My head aches.
Everything is fuzzy.
My eyes are heavy. I’m trying to open them but they refuse to move.
My body feels light, like I’m floating.
There’s an incessant beeping that’s grating through my brain. Make it stop.
Then I hear it, I hear him, Flynn, he’s here but what he says confuses me.
“Ave lass, she’ll be fine.”
I’m not fine, I yell in my head.
Flynn, please help me. I plead, but he can’t hear me. No one can hear me.
It's just me and my thoughts.
The beeping becomes louder and erratic.
There’s a commotion around me, I can feel it happening but my eyes won’t open for me to see. A warmth spreads over my body and I drift off into the blackness again.
I’m awake, again, and like before, everything is fuzzy.
My eyes still won’t open.
My head now has a dull ache.
My body still hurts but not as much as before.
My throat is as dry as the Sahara and I need to pee really badly, then I realize I have a catheter in and reluctantly, I empty my bladder. Eeeeew, I think to myself as the ‘Ahhhhhhhh’ feeling of when you are peeing washes over me.
Laughing within my head, I try and open my eyes but like last time, my lids are heavy and weighted down. With all my might, I concentrate and my eyes flicker open. Blinking a few times, the room comes into focus. I’m in a hospital bed, huh? Confusion wraps around me.
“Avie,” Bay says, leaning her head down, she grips my hand in hers and squeezes tightly. “I’m sorry you got caught up in this.” I’m confused as to what she’s saying. She grips my hand tighter but my lids start to droop. My body feels heavy, I can’t keep them open. No, Avery, stay awake, I plead with myself, but the darkness wins and I doze off back into the black abyss.
I’m awake and just like the previous times, I will my eyes to open but they refuse to budge. Someone is holding my hand tightly, their grip is strong and comforting. There’s a sound, I think it's a door opening. The grip on my hand disappears and I hear footsteps.
“Flynn, baby, what are you doing back here?”
What the hell?
“Just checking on my girl.”
Flynn, I shout in my head. That’s not me. Bay’s doing it again. Flynn, I shout in my head over and over, my voice hoarse from screaming at him.
My eyes flit open and it looks like my sister and boyfriend just kissed. My heart rate spikes. My heart is rapidly beating within my chest, it hurts seeing my sister kiss him. It's beating faster and faster. The beeping is getting louder and louder. Panic is building within me.
I try to speak but I can’t. My voice won’t work, I’m willing myself to speak but my body and mouth don’t want to cooperate.
Flynn steps around her—me—and races to my side, he’ll be in doctor mode right now, it calms me that he’s on my case. My heart rate slows down. My body relaxes. I try to speak but again, nothing comes out. My eyes are on his, I’m pleading with him to look at me, but he’s focused on the monitors attached to me. The monitor starts to rapidly and loudly beep and I scream inside my head for him to look at me.
Flynn! Flynn! Flynn! I scream over and over.
The door flies open and a nurse comes racing in. I beg and plead for her to look at me too but she and Flynn are chatting. Finally they turn to me but just as they do, my eyes close again. Damn it, neither of them saw me.
A warm feeling envelops my body from head to toe and once again I drift off into the darkness.
32
Flynn
I’m worried about Avery. She seems on edge and not just because her sister is in the hospital. She seems different but then again, I’ve never been with someone when a loved one is in the hospital. The doctor in me has always been reserved and watching from the outside, but this time, I’m a part of the inner circle and I don’t like it much. I definitely prefer to be on the other side of things.
Avery’s eyes keep darting around everywhere. I guess she keeps expecting the persons responsible for this attack to return. When I realise that’s why, I stop overreacting.
Baylor woke for a few moments just before. Avery froze but as quickly as she woke, she drifted off again. I guess her body needs time to heal. She’s been through a lot. She sure is one tough cookie, but then again, she is Ave’s twin, so they must be alike in that aspect. Leaving her with Baylor, I step out and walk toward the nurses’ station. Avery needs someone to lean on so I call the one person I know she’d want here, Cressida.
Dialing her number, which I got from Preston, she picks up on the second ring. “Hey, this is Cress.”
“Cressida, it’s Flynn.”
“Hey, Doc, and I’ve told you to call me Cress.
“Okay. Hi, Cress, it’s Flynn.”
“Much better,” she teases, and I find myself grinning. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
“It’s Avery—”
“What’s wrong?” Her voice increases an octave when she says this.
“We are at Western General. Bay is here.”
“Ohh shit. I’ll get Mom to watch Lexi. Be there soon.”
She hangs up and I let out a sigh. Turning around, I see Preston walking toward me. “Any change?” he asks.
Shaking my head, I reply, “Not really. She woke for a bit but was agitated so they sedated her again.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. I just called Cress, she’s on her way.” His face lights up when I mention her name. “Thanks for her number by the way.”
Before I can probe him regarding Ave’s best friend, his pager beeps and saves him from my interrogation…for now. He looks at it. “Gotta run. Keep me posted.”
Nodding, I say, “Will do.”
Aimlessly, I wander the hospital. This not being involved in the care of a patient is hard. I want to be there for Ave, but right now she’s so lost in her head and worried about Baylor. Giving her time with her sister is the best for now, so I head own to the cafeteria.
Grabbing a coffee, I take a seat and mindlessly drink it. With the first sip, I scrunch my face up; I totally should have gone to the doctors’ lounge and used the machine there, or better yet, to the shop across the road. My phone beeps with a text.
CRESS: Just parked. Meet me in the ER.
FLYNN: **thumbs up emoji**
Grinning as I hit send because I know she hates emojis, Ave told me one day when they were texting back and forth. I thought Preston and I texting in gifs was bad, but if there was a team Olympic sport for texting, Cress and Avery would be the world champions.
Standing up, I pocket my phone, dump my coffee—if you coul
d call it that—in the trash, and make my way back to the ER to meet Cress. She must be a speed walker because when I enter the waiting room, she’s already here. She races over to me. “Flynn,” she shouts. “How’s our girl?”
“I don’t know. She seems off. Doesn’t seem herself.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Yeah, I get that, but I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. I’m hoping you being here will put her at ease and pull her out of her funk.”
“If I know Avery, she’ll be putting on a brave front but on the inside, she’ll be screaming and falling apart. She and Bay may not be in the best place right now but at the end of the day, Bay is her sister, and family means everything to Avery.”
Nodding my head I agree with her. Avery is always there when you need her, and for her family. “Let’s go then.”
Cress and I head down the corridor and make our way up to Baylor’s room. We step into the room and Cress immediately envelops Avery in a hug. “Ohh, Ave, I’m so sorry. Do you know why this happened?”
She shakes her head no, closes her eyes, and lets Cress comfort her but she seems stiff. Her face is ashen with worry. Stepping over to them, I wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss the side of her head. She lifts her arms and rubs her palms up my arms. Sighing deeply, she melts into me. This is more like it, I think to myself, this is the Avery I know and love. It's all starting to work out, that is until I look over at Cress, she looks concerned.
“Ummm,” Cress says from where she’s standing. “Flynn, can you get Ave some water, she looks parched and dehydrated.”
Nodding, I whisper, “Be right back.” Kissing the side of her head, I step out into the hall and stop when I see Preston hovering outside Baylor’s room.
“Did I see Cress?” His eyes lighting up when he says her name. “She got here quickly.”
