“He poisoned her mind. She’s a daddy’s girl, and he’s using that to his advantage. He couldn’t care less about her; he just wants to hurt you.”
“I don’t understand that. He’s the one who left, who decided we weren’t right for each other. Never mind the fact that he was obviously correct. But why does he have to do this?”
Cecelia walked back in with the wine bottle and glasses and poured them each one. “Hopefully Wes can talk some sense into her. If she’s going to listen to anyone, it’d be him. And even if it doesn’t work right away, your father has a way of talking to someone that sits in their brain for a few days. She’ll come around.”
“I know that when they hit a certain age kids challenge their parents, but this is a little extreme.” Addie sipped her wine. “And I remember rebelling a little later than this.”
“You girls were never this bad. But you also didn’t have one parent trying to turn you against the other.” Cecelia ran a comforting hand down Victoria’s hair.
Victoria let the caress sink in. This reminded her that she didn’t have to face any of this alone. “Thanks.”
“We wouldn’t let you deal with this by yourself.” Cecelia kissed the side of her head.
* * *
Helena’s attitude didn’t change over the next few days. By Friday, Victoria was so stressed that when Helena asked to go to Julie’s house before Julie left for the math and science camp, Victoria didn’t even hesitate. Julie’s dad was home on R&R, and they were planning to go mini-golfing. Now Victoria was alone in the silent house, sitting on her bed, wondering what the hell to do with herself. She stared at her cell phone. A constant debate raged in her mind over whether or not to text Nick and try to work out what the argument had ruined. There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t wish they could have handled it differently.
The phone beckoned her. It pulled her in, lured her to text him, just once, to see if he’d even answer. Just when she reached out, it rang. Victoria stared down at the screen, not recognizing the number.
“Hello?” In the brief silence, her heart raced.
“Hello, this is St. Michael’s hospital. Are you Victoria Copeland?”
Victoria couldn’t breathe, but whispered, “Yes. I am.” Did something happen to her dad or her mom? Or one of her sisters?
“I’m sorry to inform you that Helena has been in a car accident with her friend.”
Victoria shot off the bed. “I’ll be there in five minutes.” She hung up the phone without thinking about asking which room or about particulars. She refused to contemplate a worse reality. She stepped into her flip-flops, and her hands shook as she dialed her parents’ number.
“Mom, Helena’s been in an accident.” Victoria’s voice cracked. Hot tears poured down her face, but she blindly wiped them away.
“Don’t move. We’ll be right there. You don’t need to drive,” Cecelia told her.
“Hurry.” Victoria hung up, arms hanging limply at her sides. The room spun around her, and she shut her eyes. A sudden coldness took over her body, and she blinked rapidly to try to get control. Helena had to be okay. Her baby had to be okay.
Her parents pulled into the driveway in under five minutes. She was out the door and in the car before they could get out.
“It’s okay, Victoria.” Cecelia reached back and took Victoria’s cold hands. “I called your sisters. They’re going to meet us there.”
Victoria jerked her head in a nod. She couldn’t speak over the lump in her throat. She had to see her baby.
Her father sped through town with his hazard lights on. Cars moved out of the way for them, and for that, Victoria was thankful. He pulled the car up to the emergency room doors. Victoria jumped out, forgetting to shut the door, and ran straight to the receptionist desk.
“Helena Copeland. What room?” Victoria gulped in air, but it didn’t feel like enough.
The woman looked in her computer. “ICU, ninth floor.”
Victoria’s knees gave out. “The ICU?”
Wes caught her and held her up.
Thank God for her parents. They kept her strong right now, and without them, she would’ve been lost. Wes led her to the elevator. The harsh lights of the hospital burned into her eyes and sharpened her headache. “What if she’s not okay?”
“Shh. She’s going to be fine.” Cecelia pushed the button for the ninth floor and wrapped her arms around her. Victoria laid her head on her mom’s shoulder, but she couldn’t feel any comfort through her numbness.
The rise to the ninth floor seemed to take forever, but finally the doors opened. Victoria’s legs didn’t want to move. She was so afraid of what she’d see. Wes took her hand and gently pulled her out.
The first person she spotted was Julia’s mom, Erin. Erin’s tan skin was mottled with bruises and jagged cuts. She sat in one of the waiting room chairs, hands clenched in her lap. When she saw Victoria, she rushed over and threw her arms around Victoria.
“I am so sorry. A drunk driver ran a red light, and we didn’t see him. We didn’t see him, and he hit Mark and Helena’s side.” Erin’s tears wet Victoria’s neck, and she shook against her.
“How are they?” Wes asked.
“Mark and Helena are in the back. They haven’t let us see them yet. Julia is down in the ER with my mother getting stitches in her forehead. I…I don’t know how it happened. I’m so sorry,” Erin repeated.
Victoria managed to find her voice. “It wasn’t your fault, Erin. The drunk driver shouldn’t have been driving.”
Erin nodded, blinking a few times. “The doctor said they were taking them both down for CT scans to check for internal bleeding and that they’d be right back. That was thirty minutes ago.” She ran her hands down her blood-stained jeans.
“Let’s go sit down. Dad, can you grab some coffee?” Victoria asked. Erin was in worse shape than she was and needed someone to lean on.
Wes nodded. “Sure. You wait to hear what the doctor says.”
Victoria led them all to a row of chairs. She fought off her own hysteria. She had to hold it together for everyone, had to get it together for when she saw Helena.
Chapter Thirty-Five
HER SISTERS ARRIVED a few minutes later, and her dad returned with the coffee. Victoria tried to ignore the smell of disinfectant and old pee and focused on the aroma of coffee and the warmth of the hugs her sisters gave her. Maybe both would get rid of her shock. Worry for Helena burned in her chest, and she knew if her family wasn’t there, she’d succumb to it.
“I need to call Roger.” Victoria reached for her phone, but Wes grabbed it.
“I’ll call him. You don’t need to deal with him right now.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be back in a minute. They won’t let me use the phone up here.”
“We’re all right here.” Halle sat next to her. Dark half moons hung under her eyes. “Have you heard anything?”
“They took her and Julie’s dad down for a CT. Erin said they should be back in a minute.” Victoria’s legs bounced. She couldn’t keep still; she felt like she should be doing something for Helena besides waiting. All of her and Helena’s fights over the past few weeks kept running through her mind. If anything happened to her… Victoria shook the thoughts away. If she kept thinking like that, she’d shatter.
Victoria’s gaze bounced from the waiting room to the counter, to the doors that led to the ICU. She watched a woman try to keep her three young boys in line. She snapped at them, rolling her eyes in frustration. Victoria wanted to stand and yell at the mom to not take her children for granted. That she’d made the same mistake. She bit her lip and instead focused on her hands, which she clutched together in her lap.
The atmosphere in the hospital darkened the longer Victoria waited to hear from the doctor. Her family stayed next to her, talking quietly, and their whispers drifted over her in a
fog.
“Family of Helena Copeland?”
Victoria’s head snapped toward the direction of the voice. A gray-haired man in a white coat and scrubs stood next to the elevator. She stood and crossed to him, her family following. “I’m her mother.”
The doctor nodded. “I’m Dr. Black. Helena’s CT scan came back okay, no signs of internal bleeding. She has a fractured left radius, some abrasions, and a concussion. I want to keep her overnight for observation.”
Tears burned the backs of Victoria’s eyelids. Her trembling hands covered her mouth, and her knees threatened to buckle, but she held herself together. “Can I see her?”
“She’s getting a room on the fifth floor.” Dr. Black checked Helena’s chart. “They’re moving her to room 533. I’m going to speak to Mr. Smith’s family and then I’ll come down to Helena’s room and speak more with you.”
Victoria nodded. “Mom, do you want to find Dad and let him know where we’ll be?”
“Of course.” Cecelia smiled at Victoria, relief on her face. “We’ll meet you in Helena’s room.”
Victoria and her sisters rode the elevator in silence, holding hands. The doors opened to the fifth floor, and they searched for Helena’s room.
“I’m going to text Mom and tell her where it is,” Addie said before they went in. Victoria slowly pushed the door open. A nurse stood next to Helena’s bed, checking her vitals. Helena looked so small in the hospital bed. Her black hair stood out against the white of the sheets and pale color of her skin. The bruises and scrapes on her skin looked even darker. Victoria was glad Helena was asleep and couldn’t see the look on her face.
“I’m Lydia. I’ll be her nurse until seven in the morning,” the nurse told Halle and Victoria. “I hear she’s going to be just fine. I’m going to have a cast tech in here in a few minutes to go ahead and put a splint on her wrist. We won’t be able to cast it until some of the swelling goes down. You’ll probably be home then and can go to an orthopedic doctor for that.”
Halle thanked her. Victoria already stood next to Helena, focused only on her. She took Helena’s right hand in hers and softly kissed her forehead.
“She has an IV with morphine, so she’ll probably be asleep for a while.” Lydia gestured to the door. “I’ll be right outside if you need me.”
Victoria nodded, not taking her gaze off her daughter. After the nurse left, she grabbed a chair and slid it to the bed. In the dimmed light, Helena’s skin looked yellow. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Halle crossed to the opposite side of the bed and stared down at her niece. “It’s not Mark or Erin’s fault.”
“I know that.” Victoria sighed and looked up. “I just hate that this happened and I wasn’t there for her.”
“You are now. The only reason she’s staying overnight is to keep an eye on the concussion,” Halle said. “They’re all very lucky.”
Addie stepped into the room and stopped short when she saw Helena. “Oh, she looks so bad.”
“Did you talk to Mom?” Halle asked.
“They said they’d be up in a second.” Addie stood next to Victoria and placed a hand on her shoulder.
A few minutes later the cast tech came in. He quickly made the splint and wrapped her arm in an ace bandage while Helena slept. He repeated the part about taking Helena to the orthopedic doctor, then left. Her parents came in right after. Wes’ red face and scowl warned the girls that his conversation with Roger didn’t go well.
“What is it?” Addie squeezed Victoria’s shoulder.
“I swear, I try to be nice and give him the benefit of the doubt, but Roger is such a bastard.” Wes grit his teeth.
Victoria knew her dad was pissed because he didn’t normally curse in front of the girls. “What did he say?”
“He asked if she was okay, and when I said the wreck was really bad and we were still waiting to find out, he merely told me to call him when we heard. That he was at a prestigious dinner party in New York and couldn’t leave. That Candace was counting on him to be at her side.”
“I’m going to break his face.” Addie threw her hands up. “I don’t understand him.”
Victoria couldn’t worry about Roger right now. She was just glad that Helena hadn’t been awake to hear what a shit she had for a father. All the family who mattered stood in this room, besides Lucia.
“If you give me your house keys, I’ll go grab you and Helena some clothes.” Cecelia’s gaze roamed over Helena. Victoria could tell she tried to hide her concern, to be brave for her daughter and Helena. “She’ll probably want something comfortable to wear when you head home tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. Victoria fought off the overwhelming urge to break down. “Lucia comes home tomorrow. Can you pick her up from the mall? It’ll be around noon.”
“Of course. Don’t worry about anything, darling.” Cecelia took the proffered keys. “Wes, are you riding with me?”
“Sure.” Wes hugged each of his daughters, kissed Helena’s forehead. “She’s going to be just fine. I’ll grab some food and we’ll be back in a minute.”
“I’m going to turn the TV on; it’s too quiet in here.” Addie grabbed the remote and switched it on. “Maybe the noise will make her feel more at home.”
Victoria didn’t say anything. Some of the shock was wearing off, and now that the burst of adrenaline fizzled, exhaustion was setting in. She wouldn’t sleep until she’d had a chance to make sure Helena woke up and heard her sweet voice.
Someone knocked at the door to the room. Halle motioned Victoria to sit. “I’ll get it.”
Victoria didn’t pay attention to who was at the door until she heard Nick’s voice. Despite the fact that they weren’t talking, her pulse still jumped. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, to feel safe. She managed to remain seated. At first she was confused as to how Nick heard about the accident, but then she remembered Addie had his number. She shot a questioning glance at her sister, but Addie was talking to Halle and Nick.
His brows furrowed, but when his gaze landed on Victoria, the tension left his body. Not a second later, he was beside her. “How is she?”
The concern in his voice almost undid her. “Okay.” Her lips quivered. “She has a broken wrist and a concussion.
He knelt next to her chair and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Mom and Luke are in the gift shop downstairs getting her something.”
“That’s very sweet of them. And for you to come by.” Victoria wasn’t sure how to take it that he was there. That he came to check on Helena when her own father neglected to. Holding it together was becoming hard, she knew she was going to break soon if she wasn’t careful.
Nick stared at her for a moment, his look tender, before he replied, “You and the girls are important to me. When I heard, all I could think about was getting here. I was at Mom’s having dinner, and they insisted on coming with me.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” She hoped he could see it in her face, in her eyes.
His lips lifted slightly. “Do you need me to get anything from your house?”
“Mom and Dad just left to go get some stuff. She only needs to stay overnight because of her concussion.” It didn’t get any easier saying the words, so Victoria had to force them out.
“It’s good to hear it’s not worse. How are the rest of the people who were with her?”
His words steadied her. “Julia is in a room in the ER, and her dad is getting a CT scan. I haven’t heard how he is. Erin had a few nasty bruises and cuts from the glass.”
Luke and Charlotte came in, carrying a giant pink teddy bear and some red and white balloons. Charlotte’s kind look bolstered Victoria a little. She’d been a little afraid that Charlotte would be upset with her. Luke stood next to Halle, a hand on her elbow, whispering softly. Halle leaned into him, her eyes wide and shimmering with tears.
“Is there anything we can get you?” Charlotte laid a hand on Victoria’s where she held Helena’s.
“No, thank you. I’m just waiting on her to wake up. The drugs they gave her made her drowsy.”
“Well, dear, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. Lucia’s coming home tomorrow. Do you need me to pick her up?”
Victoria burst into tears as the wall she built crumbled. These people truly cared about her daughter, and it touched her. “I’m s-sorry.” She hid her face in her hands.
Nick pulled her to him, whispered to her, ran a hand down her hair. “It’s okay, baby. Don’t apologize. We’re here for you.”
She nodded against his chest, letting his strength melt into her.
Dr. Black entered the room, checked Helena’s vitals, and reviewed her chart. “Everything looks great. Did the nurse explain to you about the cast?”
“Yes, she did.” Victoria glanced down at the splint on Helena’s arm. “We’ll go to an orthopedic doctor for the cast in a few days after the swelling goes down.”
“Good.” Dr. Black smiled kindly. “I’m going to have the nurse come in every two hours, waking her up, making sure she’s lucid and there’s no lasting effects from the concussion. We’ll keep her on the morphine for the night to help with the pain.”
“Thank you.” Victoria looked around the room at her friends and family. “How long are we allowed to have visitors?”
“Only for a few more minutes. After that, only one other person can stay until morning. Sorry, it makes it hard for the nurses to do their jobs if the room is overcrowded.”
“I understand.” Victoria rubbed Helena’s hand. “Should we wake her up now or wait?”
“She was awake for the CT, so I’d let her sleep for now,” Dr. Black suggested.
Crossing the Line Page 22
