The Dead of Winter (Seasons of Jefferson: Book 2)

by Julie Solano

  My stern tone causes Jenna to draw away from me. She drops her eyes to the floor and releases an audible sigh. “Not on this end, at least.”

  What is the deal? Why the games? Why do we have to sneak in to see her? We were all in this together. It’s been three days. They must know I’m dying to check on her. “What do you mean, not on this end?”

  “Okay, listen. I can see you’re frustrated, but you need to know something. Kaitlyn, Brody, and I have all tried to visit Peyton. Her parents won’t allow it. We’ve followed them to the room, but they’ve stopped us every time. They won’t let us in. They won’t let us see her. None of us. We wanted to protect you. We didn’t want to get you down there, only to be turned away. We knew it would crush you, but I can see it’s just doing more harm than good. So I’ve got an idea, but it’s not going to work unless we’re here alone. We’ve got to make sure your family is not around. But we’ve also got to get Peyton’s guard dog mother away from her room for a few minutes.”

  Desperate, I whimper, “A few minutes is all I need. I just need to see her to make sure she’s okay.” I can feel the tightness pulling at the tendons in my neck. Images of Peyton screaming in the middle of the raging river invade my mind. It’s the last thing I saw before everything went black. I need to see her. I need to hear her voice. I need to touch her. “What’s your plan?”

  “Well, whether you’re released today or not, it’s going to take a bit of time to process the paperwork. The Hanna Wedding is at two o’clock at the church down the street. I think the entire town is going, including our parents, so there’s going to be a skeleton crew on duty at the hospital. I’ll come up with an excuse to stay here with you. Don’t worry. I’m going to figure this out. Give me some time. I’ll be back soon, okay?”

  I give Jenna a slight nod and smile as she rises from the bed and begins to walk toward the door. She glances back over her shoulder and winks, before leaving the room. At her absence, emptiness begins to fill me once again. I don’t like being alone in the hospital, and the ache of knowing Peyton is just down the hall makes it even worse. I shrink back into my bed and try to flip through an old Four Wheeler magazine to take my mind off of my loneliness.

  Time passes slowly, but just as I thought, my parents arrive at the hospital around 11:30. They’ve brought a change of clothes, just in case I get to leave today. When the doctor stops by to go over my blood work and give me the once over, I’m disappointed that I’m stuck here for one more night. He’s concerned about my blood count and the amount of redness and swelling around my incision. My chest empties at my run of bad luck, and I can tell by the look on my parents’ faces that they feel awful for me.

  “I’m really sorry, son. But we don’t want to get you home and have something happen. I’m sure your healing might be a little slower with the tissue damage from the frostbite. I can stay here with you tonight if you’d like. Your mom can go to the wedding with Cinda and the girls.”

  Oh no. No, no, no. Parent patrol is the last thing I need. I have to get that alone time so I can sneak down to see Peyton. I can feel my head shaking before the words even leave my mouth. “Oh no, Dad. I’m all good. I’ll just sit here with my mag …”

  My words are interrupted when the heavy, wooden door creaks open. “Hi, guys!” Jenna bounces through the doorway with a soda in one hand and an overloaded grocery sack in the other. “I just passed your doctor in the hallway. What’s the word? Are you coming home?”

  I shake my head and close my eyes solemnly. “Not today.” When I look back at her, Jenna’s face is pulled into a frown. “I have a low blood count and if it doesn’t go up, I’ll need a transfusion. My incision doesn’t look so good either. I’m stuck here tonight.”

  “Well, I’ve got your cure! This is for you.” She hands me the soda, then sticks her hand in the bag, and pulls out a gigantic Gold Rush Burger.

  A smile grows across my face. “Finally, someone who knows the kind of medicine a recovering patient needs. Thanks, Jenna.”

  “I knew your favorite food would cheer you up, and there’s enough iron in that beast to get your blood count up. Eat it. We’ll have you home in no time.”

  As I peel back the wrapper from the monstrous burger, Jenna pulls a poker set from the bag. “I’ve got big plans for us tonight, Cade Monster. You and I are going to play a little Texas hold ‘em with this bad boy.”

  “Aren’t you going to the wedding?” my mom interrupts.

  “Nope, pretty sure I was uninvited when I dumped the groom’s best friend last summer. I’d rather hang out with Caden anyway. Don’t worry about us. I’m on duty tonight, guys. Go have some fun with my parents. I’ve got this.” Jenna smiles and waves my parents toward the door.

  “So, you’re going to hang out with our boy all day? That makes me feel so much better.” My mom turns to me once more. “You’re okay with this, son?” she asks hesitantly. “We don’t want to seem insensitive, leaving you here while we go to a wedding.”

  I really do need this adult-free time. There’s no way I’m getting to Peyton with my parents in the mix. I smile. “We’re all good here. Go have fun. It’s probably only one more night, and Jenna’s okay company, I guess.” Squinting my eyes, I shoot Jenna a devilish grin. “Besides, I plan on destroying her at her own game, just like I did last time.” I raise my eyebrows wiggling them up and down.

  Jenna rolls her eyes and looks at my parents, “You know he’s a cheater, right?”

  My mom and dad chuckle, heads bobbing up and down.

  “Alright, get out. Enough of you ganging up on me,” I laugh. My hamburger bun bobs up and down as I wave my parents off with my good arm.

  “Alright, son,” my mom bends down and gives me a hug. “We’ll check in after the wedding. I guess there’s really no need to worry when you’ve got your homey looking out for you.” She giggles, proud of herself that she’s picking up on some of the high school lingo she catches floating through the halls of Jefferson High. “Thanks for taking such good care of him, Jenna.”

  “That’s what homies are for, Jacie,” Jenna humorously mocks the word.

  “Well, in that case, keep him in line, and make sure he follows the doctor’s orders,” she jokes as my dad opens the door and begins to escort her from the room.

  “Really, Mom? You’re asking JENNA to keep ME in line?”

  My dad clears his throat. “Umm, Caden does have a point, honey. We might need to see how she handles today’s challenge, before we go trusting her to babysit our boy again.”

  He winks at Jenna and chuckles as the door closes behind them.

  “Speaking of homies,” Jenna leans in close and lowers her voice, “I’ve got to call Kaitlyn. We’re going to need her help on this.”

  Jenna grabs her phone and the grocery sack that carried my lunch, and she heads into the bathroom. “Why are you leaving? Can’t you talk to her in front of me? Are you trying to hide something? Cuz you know I’m going to find out whatever it is.”

  “Oh no, silly. I’m not hiding anything, just killing two birds with one stone.”

  I will never understand girls. Even when they’re not together, they still can’t go to the bathroom alone. The bathroom door closes behind Jenna, and I find myself occupying my time playing with the poker chips. When the door creaks open, I look up to see a dark haired nurse standing outside of the bathroom. She’s holding onto a wheelchair and smiling down at me. I jump a bit, not realizing the unfamiliar nurse has entered the room. When she wheels the chair toward me, the lady’s gait is faintly recognizable. Then it clicks, “You’re kidding me,” I laugh. It’s Jenna. She’s standing in front of me wearing a nurse’s uniform. The swaying, black, bobbed wig and glasses fooled me for a minute. I actually have to do a double take to make sure it’s really her. She looks so different without her long, blond hair, but I know it’s her because of her eyes. Nobody I know has those steel blue eyes. “Where did you get that uniform?”

  “I snuck it in the grocery bag under y
our lunch. I hope I don’t smell like onions,” she laughs.

  “No, where did you get it? It looks real.”

  “Oh, it’s the costume I wore for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest last year in the fall play. The wardrobe people took their jobs very seriously. I think Dr. Swenson actually gave it to them.” Jenna looks down at my future ride. “And the wheelchair was just sitting in the corner behind that curtain,” she tips her head toward the empty bed next to me. “I scoped it out earlier today. Do you think we can pull it off? Do you think anyone will recognize me?” she giggles, crumpling up the grocery bag.

  “Jenna, you practically live at my house, and it took me a minute to figure out it was you, so probably not.”

  She wheels the chair right up beside me and begins setting up the poker game on the table next to my bed. As she begins dealing the cards, I become increasingly confused.

  “What are you doing? Aren’t we going to see Peyton?”

  “I’m setting up the game in case someone shows up. Details are extremely important when it comes to pulling off a ruse like this.” She smiles at me and winks, laying down the rest of the cards. “Now we’re ready to go.”

  “Oh no!” I shake my head. “I want to see my hand first.” I gently lower myself into the chair, and use my feet to scoot myself up to the table. I glance at the cards to see the crappy hand she’s given me. Curiously, I take a look at hers. “Why do you get the good cards?”

  “Because I’m the one who’s in charge of this operation,” she smirks.

  “Fine, but when we get back to the room and play a real game, I’m dealing the cards.” Putting on my best poker face, I grab a lucky chip for the road, and let Jenna know I’m ready to go see my girl.

  “WAIT A SECOND, BUDDY! I know you’re in a hurry, but Kaitlyn should be here any minute. This won’t work without her.”

  “Why do we need to get my sister involved? Haven’t you noticed how messed up she is? She’s barely left the house by herself since she was released from the hospital. Not to mention, when she does come to visit, she hovers over me like a damn hawk. It makes me feel like I’m in a high security prison or something. Jenna, you know her guard is up right now. She’s not going to let us go down there. She’s already made it very clear that I need to stay away from that room.”

  “She’s on board with this, Caden. I talked to her earlier. She knows how upset you are. She gets it. Brody’s going to be with her, so it’s all going to work out. They’ve thought of a way to distract Peyton’s mom for us, unless you can come up with a better idea.”

  “Are you sure she’s not just coming to stop us?”

  “Cut her some slack. She’s just worried about you, that’s all. She’s only been HOVERING since they discovered the trail of shotgun shells at the scene of the accident, traced back to your stolen gun! She knows you can’t protect yourself lying here in the hospital bed with your eyes closed. She’s just looking out for you.”

  I gasp in shock at Jenna’s revelation, “What are you talking about?”

  She throws her hand up over her mouth. “Damn it,” she shakes her head and mumbles through her fingers, “I’m so stupid sometimes.”

  “Start talking, Jenna. Now. Why is everyone keeping me in the dark? What’s all this about shotgun shells?” What is she keeping from me? My mind fumbles to connect the dots between my shotgun shells and the accident. That’s right. My gun was missing from the truck when we got back with the Christmas trees. “So that sneaky, little bastard is running around with my shotgun? He made it out of the wreck alive? Where is he? What, exactly, are you trying to protect me from?”

  My breathing is heavy. Sweat begins to bead on my forehead. I hadn’t thought about Pistol’s whereabouts since the day of the accident. Naturally, I assumed that he was crushed beneath his truck or thrown into jagged rocks somewhere. His truck was tangled with mine when we went over the edge. I’m not sure where it went after we hit the first patch of trees, and I never saw him again after we rolled the first time.

  The vision repeats itself on a speeding loop. It just doesn’t make sense. How could he have survived that wreck? Anger wells within me when I realize that Jenna just let another secret slip. A secret that I should have been aware of since day one. A secret that could jeopardize all of our safety. I try not to call attention to my room by raising my voice, but the new information has my mind going haywire. Her blunder has confirmed that everyone knows more about what’s going on than I do. My face flushes with fiery heat, “What are you not telling me?” I growl through closed teeth. “Where is that little punk?”

  A tiny mumble sounds from Jenna’s direction.

  “What did you say?”

  “I said I DON’T KNOW! Are you happy now? I DON’T KNOW! Nobody does. They haven’t found Pistol anywhere. Everyone is freaking out, Caden. Your sister can’t even sleep at night, and we think that’s why Peyton’s parents won’t let anyone in to see her. Everyone is on full alert, thinking that he’s running around somewhere with your gun! The one he stole from your truck while we were hunting for Christmas trees.”

  Jenna begins to shake. She’s visibly upset, and it kills me that I’m the one who caused it. Man, I can be an ass. All I’ve been thinking about is how to get to Peyton, while my sister and our friends have been trying to shield me from an armed lunatic who could break in here at any minute. Now, more than ever, I need to get out of this hospital. I can’t be in here. It’s making all of us vulnerable. They shouldn’t be protecting me, I should be protecting them. I need to find that miserable, little maggot and end this nightmare once and for all. He could still be after my sister. Why have I been so focused on myself? T’s still in danger.

  “Where’s my phone?”

  “Why?” Jenna fidgets nervously with the pen and clipboard she found hanging at the end of my bed. “Caden, please don’t tell them I told you about the shells. I didn’t mean to let it slip.”

  “I’m not telling anyone anything. I just need to talk to Brody. I have to know what he’s doing to protect my sister.”

  “Don’t worry. Protecting Kaitlyn is all he’s been doing for days. In fact, he’s with her right now. He hasn’t left her side for one minute. He won’t let her go anywhere alone. You don’t need to call him. He’ll be here soon, and then you can question him all you want.” Jenna pauses as she bites nervously at the inside of her cheek. “But, I don’t think he has any more answers than we do.”

  For the briefest moment I’m glad my friends have been protecting me. The added stress of thinking Pistol might still be out there actually hurts. My pounding heart forces blood into my stitches. They painfully tug at the throbbing incision on my injured arm. The sheer panic I’ve yet to experience since I woke up in the hospital has suddenly come to visit, and it’s awakening nerves I never knew I had. I’m completely on edge. When the door creaks open, I dart into the wheelchair, knowing it’s time for our show to begin. She grabs a blanket from the bed and begins tucking it around me. Looking up, I find Kaitlyn and Brody standing in the doorway.

  My sister’s eyes meet mine before she begins to speak. With a hint of surprise in her voice, she apologizes, “Oh, I’m sorry, nurse. I thought my brother was alone.”

  “No need to apologize.” Jenna finishes tucking in the blanket and turns toward my sister. “It’s just me.”

  I watch Kaitlyn’s eyebrows travel up her forehead. “What’s going on here? Why are you dressed like that? Is this all part of your big plan?” One by one, the questions roll, as she makes her way toward me. When she reaches the wheelchair, her eyes zero in on mine. “Why does he look so pale? He’s sweating, Jenna. You know, if a real nurse sees you in here, she’ll pass right on by. He may not get the help he needs!” She lifts my chin, studying my eyes. “Are you okay? You look worse than yesterday. What’s going on?”

  “You tell me, T! What is going on? I want the truth, and I want it now.”

  “I’m sorry, Kaitlyn.” Jenna rushes to my sister’s side. “I did
n’t mean to say anything, I swear.”

  “What did you say to him? You know he’s still recovering. He doesn’t need any more stress.”

  “I know about my gun and the bullet casings. I know Pistol is missing, and I know we’re all in danger.”

  Kaitlyn’s eyes grow wide as she begins to slowly shake her head at Jenna. She’s clearly upset with her lack of discretion. Her glare pierces the room, and she bites at her thumbnail the way she always does when she’s angry. I use her silence as an opportunity to continue my plea to get some answers.

  “We have each other, but what about my girlfriend? She’s going through this alone. I have to see her now. She needs me.” Trying to contain my fury, I growl through my fastened teeth, “Now, will one of you please take me to her!?!”

  Concern overtakes my sister’s expression as she shrinks back toward the door. She looks at Brody as he protectively pulls her into his side. He kisses the top of her head and whispers something into her ear. She takes a deep breath and looks back in my direction. I can tell by the grimace on her face that I’ve taken her by surprise. When she came here to help me, she had no idea how worked up I’d be. I’m ashamed of the way I blasted her as soon as she walked through the door. I mentally punch myself in the face, angry with the way I treated her. She looks hurt. Hopefully she’s still willing to help me after the way I just yelled at her.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I just can’t handle not knowing what’s going on. Enough secrets, T. I’m desperate. I need your help. Can you guys please take me down to see Peyton?”

  The tension in the room is palpable. Pleading for help, my eyes bounce back and forth among all of my friends. Jenna looks to each of us, finally breaking the silence, “Okay, here’s my plan. Kaitlyn. Brody. Did you guys come up with a way to distract Peyton’s mom?”

  Kaitlyn nods, “I think so, but are you sure this is a good idea? If we get caught, what will happen to us? Isn’t there another way to see her? One that doesn’t involve sneaking into her room? I’m sure her parents will come around if we just wait a couple more days.”