“This is so messed up,” she said, taking a seat next to Lisa.
Chelsie sat back down. She couldn’t help but notice Devon playing a game on his phone. He cracked a smile as his points accumulated. “Really?”
Devon glanced in her direction, then back to the game. “Something wrong?”
She stared at him with her mouth open in amazement. “Yes, something’s wrong. Noah is fighting for his life a few feet away and you’re playing video games?”
“I need the distraction,” he said. “Why does it matter?”
Chelsie was about to speak, but the words stopped at her lips. Was she overreacting? She shifted in her chair and cleared her throat. “Sorry.”
A few moments of silence passed, and Devon put his phone into his pocket. “Chelsie, I care about Noah. I’m worried – just like you.”
She nodded her head and looked down at the scarlet stain in her lap. She folded in her lips and ran a hand through her cakey hair. She winced when her fingers caught on a patch of dried blood. The thought of Devon and Ruby crossed her mind and she wanted answers. Maybe she was looking for a fight – maybe she was trying to see the worst in Devon to make her feelings for Noah more justified. Whatever the reason, she needed to know. “Devon… what happened with Ruby?”
Devon didn’t flinch at her question. Chelsie wondered if he had seen it coming. “Is this really the right time to bring up past indiscretions?” he wondered, his eyes looking straight ahead.
“Probably not,” she admitted. “But I’m curious.”
He sighed and continued to fidget in his seat. “I was a dick back then. Not much more to it.”
“So, you slept with your best friend’s baby mama? The woman he was crazy about?”
“She wasn’t his ‘baby mama’ then, all right? And she was the crazy one. We both got drunk one night and it just happened. I barely drank alcohol after that point. I felt terrible – I didn’t give a shit about anyone but myself.”
Chelsie swallowed and pursed her lips together. “Doesn’t seem like much has changed.”
“What?”
“I’m just saying, you’ve been acting like an asshole lately. You haven’t been there for me. You’ve been treating the band like crap. The things you said to Noah earlier were shitty,” she told him. “I’m wondering if something changed in you or if this is who you’ve always been, and I was too blind to see it.”
An eerie silence enveloped the room and Chelsie wondered if she’d said too much. Devon’s expression changed from indifference to agitation. He sniffed and folded his hands together, then leaned his head back against the seat. Her jaw tensed in response to his lack of acknowledgement.
“That’s something only you can decide,” he said with closed eyes. He was shutting himself off from her.
Chelsie blinked slowly as the guilt hit her. She was angry. She was angry at Devon for letting her down in so many ways. She was angry at herself for putting up with it. She was angry at Ian for worming his way back into her life and destroying all the progress she had made. She was angry at her parents for not being in her life. She was angry at Noah for lying in a hospital bed unconscious when they should be out having celebratory drinks until the bar kicked them out.
She was just angry.
Chelsie knew it was her fault. She had found solace in another man, prompting Devon to push her away. She had brought Ian into her life in the first place, setting off the domino effect of trauma and bloodshed. She had chosen a chauvinistic rapist over her parents when they’d only tried to help her. And Noah… she had dragged him into all of it and put him in the line of fire.
“I need some coffee.”
She stood up and headed down the long corridor, trying not to put pressure on her right ankle. She did her best to ignore the horrified looks she received as she approached the coffee machine. She looked like a scene out of a Stephen King movie. The coffee dispensed into her paper cup, the hot steam wafting from the top. The cup warmed her hands and she wasted no time in bringing it to her lips. Chelsie didn’t wince as the piping hot liquid scalded her tongue.
She didn’t want to head back to the waiting room, so Chelsie leaned her back against the wall and slid down until her bottom hit the cold floor.
“Because I’m in love with her.”
Noah’s words had been plaguing her all night. Did he mean it? Did he just say it to throw off Ian? Did he say it because he thought they were both going to die?
Devon had never uttered those elusive words to her. Chelsie was not accustomed to being loved. She had taken the broken pieces of her life and put her world back together all by herself. She did not have anyone cheering in her corner. She never had a partner in crime. There was no one she could run to when life got hard.
Until there was Noah.
He had become her rock. He was the one wiping away her tears and calming the demons in her soul. He was the one cooking her pancakes and giving her relationship advice. Noah was there when she wanted to see a new movie and everyone else was too busy. Noah knew her birthstone, and her favorite toothpaste, and the name of her childhood goldfish. He was the first to show up when she needed a friend and he was the last to leave.
Chelsie recalled a wintery night not long ago, days before she had quit her job at The Pit Stop. It had snowed all night and into the morning hours. Chelsie was on the closing shift that evening, and had been dreading cleaning the snow off her car at 3 A.M. When she’d finally trudged through the eight inches of heavy snow with soggy socks and a frosty face, she’d noticed her car was the only one to be brushed clean. Chelsie had been dumbfounded. It was only when she got closer to the vehicle, she saw the words drawn into the snowy side: ‘Noah was here’. He had shrugged it off when she’d called him the next morning to thank him.
“It was nothing,” he had said.
But it wasn’t nothing. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.
Maybe that was love. Maybe love was clearing snow off someone’s car in the middle of the night just to make their life easier.
This revelation brought Chelsie to tears. She set down her coffee cup and clutched her legs to her chest, sobbing into her knees.
“Miss?”
She lifted her head and sniffed. A nurse stood over her with a look of concern.
“Miss, there’s an officer here to speak with you. I’m very sorry to interrupt.”
Chelsie wiped her nose with the back of her arm and nodded. “Thanks,” she said, rising to her feet.
A police officer approached her with two more men in uniform trailing behind. “Chelsie Combs?” he asked.
She sniffled. “That’s me.”
“My name is Detective Brennan. I know this is a difficult time, but I’d like to ask you a few questions about what happened tonight. Is that all right?”
Chelsie nodded.
“Good.” He flipped back a piece of a paper on his college-ruled notepad. “I know you gave a statement to the officer on the scene, but I understand those were some difficult moments. You stated your ex-boyfriend shot Mr. Hayes two times. Is this true?”
“Yes,” she said. “Noah and I had stepped into the alley behind Ernie’s to talk in private. Ian approached us with a gun and began to threaten us.”
“Do you know of any reason he would want to harm Mr. Hayes or yourself?”
“He’s insane,” she replied.
Detective Brennan jotted down notes and glanced at her. “I see. Are you ab+le to elaborate?”
Chelsie sighed. “I dated him a long time ago. He was abusive. I found the courage to leave him and he ended up raping some poor girl. He was sent to prison, but he was released on good behavior a couple of months ago.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Chelsie decided she hated the sound of his pen scratching against the yellow paper. She narrowed her eyes and continued. “He’s crazy. He was stalking me, and then he broke into my home and attacked me.”
“Okay,” the detective said, scribbling
his notes. “Do you know how he could have found you this evening?”
Chelsie paused for a moment, remembering Ian’s buddies had spotted them at the bar. “I think one of his friends called him. Or his brother. We ran into his group at Ernie’s.”
“I see,” he replied. “So, he sees you and Noah in the alley. What happened next?”
Chelsie sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. She spun the coffee cup in her hands, her eyes closing as the memories consumed her. “He said he had nothing else to lose. I started yelling at him, telling him to just shoot me and get it over with.”
“Why would you instigate him? You seemed to have known what he was capable of, yes?”
She frowned. “Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“No, no. Of course not.” Detective Brennan crossed his arms across his chest and softened his gaze. “It’s my job to try and understand why things happen the way they do. Some questions may sound offensive at times, but I assure you, I only have your best interest in mind.”
Chelsie swallowed and continued to chew on her lip. “I was tired of it. I was done running from him. I was sick of being scared all the time. I never thought…” Tears stung her eyes and she forced them back. “I never thought he would hurt Noah. I thought all he wanted was me.”
The detective nodded with a sympathetic expression. “What happened next?”
“Um… he told me he stole the gun out of my house.”
“He used your own weapon against you?”
“Well, it was Noah’s gun. He gave it to me for protection.” Chelsie shook her head. “That backfired.”
“The victim was shot with his own gun?” the detective verified.
“Yes. I believe so.”
More furious note scribbling. “How did the altercation transpire? Was there a physical quarrel?”
“No. He just… shot him.”
“Unprovoked?”
Chelsie’s eyes shot up. “No, not unprovoked. He’s been ‘provoked’ his entire life. He never should have been let out of prison.”
“My apologies, Miss. I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Noah did nothing wrong. All he tried to do was protect me. Those bullets should have been mine.” The realization hit her hard. Her chin quivered and the tears broke through. “Those bullets should have been mine.”
Detective Brennan stopped writing and took a careful step towards her. “I understand if you need more time. Would you rather come by the station tomorrow?”
Chelsie placed an unsteady hand over her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut. “Is he going to be okay?”
“I can’t answer that, unfortunately. Mr. Hayes is still in surgery. Both of the victims are.”
“Ian is not a victim.” She opened her eyes and pushed her bangs out of her face. “Write that down. Ian Masterson is no victim. He’s a monster.”
“I appreciate your cooperation, Miss Combs. Let me give you my card.” He reached into his front pocket and handed her a business card. “I hope we can talk more tomorrow.”
Chelsie watched the three men walk away and disappear down the white corridor. She blinked her eyes and placed the card in the front of her dress. As she took another sip of stale coffee, she heard commotion coming from the waiting room. Her heart rate picked up when she heard a familiar voice.
Brad.
“That celebrity prick is a dead man!” she heard Brad shout as Chelsie hurried through the double doors. A security guard was attempting to subdue him. “He killed my goddamn brother. He fucking killed him!”
Chelsie stopped short of the scene, her chest heaving. Ian was… dead?
Her friends had moved away from the altercation, along with the rest of the waiting room occupants. Chelsie brought a hand to her heart as she watched Brad thrash around in the guard’s grasp. More guards bounded into the room to assist.
“Get the fuck off me!” Brad blared, kicking his legs and trying to throw punches. “I need to see my brother.”
“He didn’t make it, son. You need to leave and calm down.” The guards gained the upper hand and dragged Brad out of the hospital. Brad continued his threats and obscenities until the glass doors sealed shut and silenced him. Chelsie let out a relieved sigh as the tension in the room began to settle. She returned to her previously occupied seat and closed her eyes. Ian was gone. Thank God Ian was gone.
That’s where Chelsie spent the next five hours – curled up in the burgundy waiting room chair. Every time a door opened her head shot up. Every time a nurse or doctor stepped out her heart skipped a beat. Her friends had all stayed except for Julia, who had to get back to her shift at The Pit Stop. Tad, Miles and Lisa were asleep, while Devon kept himself occupied with his video games. Chelsie hadn’t said a word to him for the remainder of the night.
As the sun began to peek through the hospital windows, a doctor emerged from the emergency room doors. The look on his face was unreadable. Chelsie straightened in her seat as a lump formed in the back of her throat. She squeezed Devon’s arm, and he lifted his head.
“Are you here for Noah Hayes?” the doctor asked, approaching their group.
Chelsie stood on unsteady legs as her friends stirred awake. Devon stood beside her.
“Is he okay?” Chelsie barely recognized her own voice as it trembled. “Is Noah okay?”
The doctor smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Doctor Alverez. You must be his significant other?”
Chelsie swallowed and glanced at Devon before accepting the doctor’s hand. Her grip was weak as her body struggled to stay standing upright. “Not exactly,” she said. “Do you have any updates for us?”
“I’m pleased to report that Mr. Hayes made it through surgery and is resting comfortably,” Dr. Alverez explained.
A sigh of relief resonated amongst the group. Chelsie felt an enormous weight fall away and she closed her eyes, thanking whatever higher powers existed.
The doctor continued. “He’s not out of the woods just yet and he has a long road ahead. But he’s a fighter – I’m optimistic he will get through this. I do want to mention that Mr. Hayes did suffer some extensive nerve damage. It’s too soon to tell how this will affect him, but there’s a chance he may lose function in his left arm. The bullet near his neck damaged his brachial plexus, which conducts signals to the shoulder. Some patients do lose complete function.”
Chelsie’s eyes widened at the thought of Noah unable to play guitar again.
It’s all my fault.
“… but I have high hopes that Mr. Hayes will make a proper recovery. He lost a great deal of blood and went into hypovolemic shock. I’m hopeful there are no long-term side effects.”
Chelsie blinked her eyes back open. “Can I see him?”
Dr. Alverez shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, not just yet. He’s under heavy pain medication and should not have visitors for a couple of hours. I’d suggest going home and resting and returning later.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Devon said, shaking the doctor’s hand. “We appreciate all you and your team have done.”
“I’m just happy to have good news for you,” he replied.
Chelsie offered a grateful smile and took a deep breath.
“Chelsie, you should take a shower and get some sleep,” Lisa told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you come by my apartment and I’ll drive you back in a few hours?”
She didn’t want to. Chelsie didn’t want to go anywhere until she saw Noah. But she was smeared in crusty blood, and her dress was torn to shreds. A shower would probably do her good. Taking a nap was the last thing on her mind, but her body was crumbling from exhaustion.
“Thanks, Lisa.”
“Do you need to pick up some clothes from my place?” Devon asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.
Chelsie flinched. My place. Not our place.
“She can wear something of mine,” Lisa offered. “It’s not a problem.”
“All right,” he shrugged. �
�I’m sure I’ll see you back here later. Keep me posted if you hear anything.”
Chelsie watched as Devon and his bandmates exited out the hospital doors. She felt Lisa’s reassuring touch on the small of her back.
“Let’s get you cleaned up,” Lisa said, pulling Chelsie in with a gentle squeeze.
Chelsie returned to her chair to fetch her purse. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Rosa’s number.
Rosa was frantic when she answered. “Mi muchacho, Noah! I need good news, señorita. Por favor…”
“He’s okay, Rosa. He’s stable and resting now. They think he’s going to be okay.”
“Gracias a Dios!”
Chelsie could almost see Rosa making the sign of the cross. “I’m going to my friend’s place to freshen up and I’ll head back to the hospital later. Can you bring Sam over when Noah is allowed visitors?”
“Si! Of course, mi querido.”
“Thanks, Rosa. For everything.” Chelsie pulled her purse over her shoulder and smiled her first real smile since sitting in the pub with Noah. “I’ll see you later.”
“Gracias, muchacha.”
Chelsie popped her phone into the center of her purse and followed Lisa out of the hospital. She couldn’t wait to breathe in the crisp, morning air.
Noah had lived to see another morning. It was a good day.
***
Chelsie awoke to Lisa nudging her as she lay curled up on her friend’s sofa.
“Chels, wake up.”
Chelsie rubbed her eyes to correct her blurred vision. Her mind was groggy, and her limbs felt like jelly. “How long was I out?” she muttered.
“Almost three hours,” Lisa replied. “The hospital called your phone and I answered it. They said Noah is awake and he’s asking for you.”
Chelsie jolted into a sitting position. “Oh, my God. I need to go. Can we head over now?”
“Of course. I’ll grab a coat for you.”
Chelsie stood up and winced as her right foot connected with the floor. Her ankle was still swollen and tender. She slipped into a fleece jacket, dressed in slightly oversized sweatpants and a white tank top. She combed her fingers through her hair and coated her lips in a kiwi chapstick. “Let’s go.”
Aria (Duet Series Book 1) Page 25
