“Madison,” Andrew muttered, his voice coming out shaky and low.
“I’m here, baby, I’m here,” Madison cried, taking his hand in hers.
The motion of the ambulance had jarred him awake. It was only then that he was overcome with the most excruciating pain he had ever encountered. He wanted his mind to take him somewhere else, like it used to when he was younger and he had to endure his father’s beatings. He tried to concentrate. If he could let his mind focus only on Madison and the feel of her hand on his, the softness of her skin and the gentleness of her touch. She was whispering to him. He willed himself to focus.
“Helios, honey, stay with me, baby. Don’t close your eyes again.”
“Tell your mom I’m sorry,” he stated almost incoherently.
He swallowed thickly, his throat felt dry and cracked. His heart felt like it would beat out of his chest. Oddly, the primary thought that floated in his head was that he hadn’t done what he was supposed to do. Look out for Madison and keep her safe. His forehead creased as he envisioned something bad happening to her because he messed up.
“I... I told her I’d take care of you.”
“You do, baby.”
“Tell her she needs to watch you now.”
“Don’t talk like that, Andrew. No one will ever...” she paused as his face strained. “Andrew, baby. Please. I need you. Stay awake.”
His forehead creased even further and with the motion his head pounded relentlessly. The pain was worse than anything he had ever endured previously. His mouth was opened, he could sense that, but he wasn’t sure if he was actually speaking or not. There were so many things he wanted to say but he couldn’t hear any sounds coming out of his mouth. He then felt Madison run his index finger over her ring.
“You’re my sun, Helios. How can the world exist without the sun?”
He squeezed her hand while his tongue passed over his lips. His eyes opened slowly. He needed to do this. He needed to see her but he couldn’t seem to focus. The blow to his head was making him see double. He brought his arms up, pushing his palms against his temple trying to stop the pounding but that made it worse. His eyes pinched shut as his bloodied fist came down, hitting the side of the gurney.
“Sir,” the EMT said quickly as he grabbed both wrists.
“Ma’am, please sit back,” the other EMT stated sharply.
Madison leaned back and watched as Andrew thrashed to free his arms. They were working over him and she could see that the blood from his head wound had soaked through the bandages. Madison stared in horror, shaking her head, and then he stopped moving. She had to cover her mouth to stifle the scream she wanted to emit. The next ten minutes were unbearably long. Madison watched the heart monitor and could see the number go from 110 to 112 to 114 and then back down 107.
By the time they got to the hospital, Madison was in a daze. She followed them and watched the doctors and nurses hover and work and talk rapidly. Finally, they shooed her out. She was told she needed to stay in the waiting room as they were taking him for tests. They believed he had internal hemorrhaging in his brain. With that, they whisked him away, leaving Madison crying in the waiting room. This couldn’t be right, she couldn’t accept that this was how it would be and that things could be so terribly wrong. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.
“Hello, Madison,” Nolan smiled.
“Get away from me,” Madison seethed as she slapped his hand away.
He grinned further. “Madison, I’m here to help.”
“Leave me alone.”
“Madison, we need to talk. We have court on Monday and there are a lot of things that need to be discussed.”
Madison glared at him. “I have nothing to say to you.”
Nolan turned in his seat so that he was facing her. He casually unbuttoned his jacket, relaxing his posture. Madison watched, annoyed that he was there. She was worried about Andrew and didn’t want to deal with Nolan. He placed his arm along the back of the chair and smiled that arrogant smile he wore consistently.
“Madison, you have no attorney, no ...” he rolled his eyes, “fiancé to help you.” She started to say something but he shook his head. “What you do have is me. And I can help you.”
“The only way you can help me is by leaving.”
“Madison,” he chastised.
“No, don’t Madison, me. I’m certain you and Bowers did something illegal.” She leaned closer to him. “I don’t want to be associated with any of you.”
“Madison, it’s in your best interest to meet with me.” He grinned and leaned back. “Especially now that Kurtis is dead. He oversaw the case that your name is also on. I can help you out of this situation. Don’t you see that?”
“I wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for you.”
“Be that as it may, you are in this, and it behooves you to accept a welcoming hand that’s being offered.”
Madison’s brows furrowed. “You guys are trying to set me up, but it’s not going to happen. I’m not an idiot.”
“Of course, you’re not. If you were, I wouldn’t have wanted you to work for me.”
“You wanted me to work with you for other reasons. Don’t act otherwise.”
He ran his hand along his chest, lightly tapping above his heart as he tried to be serious again. “This doesn’t have to be adversarial, Madison. Let’s get together and talk.” He pulled out a business card from inside his breast pocket and placed it in her hand. “I promise. I’ll be good,” he added with a wink before rising from his seat.
Madison stared at the card with a blank expression on her face. She couldn’t believe this was happening.
19 Limbo
Madison kept staring at the door, waiting, willing the doctor to come in and tell her something good. They had rushed Andrew to surgery over two hours ago. No one had told her anything yet. She continued to stare vacantly at the door, and when it finally opened, her heart dropped. She was hoping it was the doctor, but it wasn’t, it was her mother.
“Madison,” Jacqueline said almost in a panic as she saw her daughter in a trance like state.
“Mom!” Madison ran to her and hugged her.
Madison and Jacqueline had never been very affectionate. It wasn’t Jacqueline’s style, and after Madison’s father died, it became nonexistent. At this point, Madison didn’t care. She needed her, she needed the warmth of a mother. Although Jacqueline was uneasy with the exchange, she still held her daughter closely. After several minutes had passed, she helped her back to the seats.
“Stop crying, Madison, and tell me what’s going on,” Jacqueline stated as she wiped under Madison’s eyes.
“Kurtis, he approached us and...”
“Wait, Kurtis, the man from your office?”
“Yes.”
“The one you dated?”
“Yes, Mother,” Madison stated exacerbated. “He picked a fight with Andrew.”
“Kurtis beat up Andrew?” Jacqueline asked shocked. She remembered Kurtis and she couldn’t imagine him besting Andrew. Andrew had always seemed capable of handling himself.
“No, of course not. But ...” Madison looked down, breathing hard.
“But what? Honestly, Madison, tell me everything.”
Madison looked up, her brows furrowed. Her mother’s impatience was difficult to bear at times. “He threw Andrew into the street. Andrew was able to move but he was still hit. He has some kind of hemorrhaging in his brain, they had to take him into surgery.”
Jacqueline nodded slightly, her mind working on what she needed to do. “Did you call anyone? His aunt and uncle?”
Madison’s face strained and she shook her head. A swarm of guilt enveloped her. They would be panicked. They needed to know. Tears filled her eyes again as she remembered her mother after her father passed away. She wasn’t capable of anything, and, apparently, that was a hereditary trait.
“Give me your phone, Madison.”
Madison stared at her m
other confused. Jacqueline motioned her hand in a 'give me' like fashion and Madison handed it over to her. Jacqueline stood and walked away from her. She held the phone in her hand for a moment trying to think of what Andrew’s aunt’s name was. It wasn’t coming to her but she remembered that Aaron was his uncle. She glanced back at Madison, who was watching her curiously. Jacqueline gave her a small smile and turned again, carefully scrolling through Madison’s phone, looking for Aaron’s number. She tapped his number and it immediately began ringing.
“Hello, Madison. I’m a little busy right now,” Aaron said, winded.
“This is Jacqueline.”
“Jacqueline? Umm, hold on.”
She heard a lot of racket in the background. She tried to remember if Madison mentioned what he did for a living. She then heard a loud ringing and realized he was at school. It was then that she remembered Madison had told her he was some kind of teacher at the high school. She listened as he told the class that they needed to spend the next fifteen minutes reading. Jacqueline smiled. Every time a teacher had told her that in school she had simply turned to her friends and immediately began talking.
“Jacqueline, I’m back. Sorry about that.”
“That’s fine.”
“Is everything okay? Why are you calling from Madison’s phone?”
“There’s no easy way to say this so I will just say it and apologize up front for probably doing this insensitively. That’s not something I’m very good at.”
“My God, what happened?” he asked with panic in his voice.
“Andrew’s been hurt. Some man named Kurtis from Madison’s old office got into a fight with him and apparently, they ended up in the street. They were both hit by a car. I don’t know what became of Kurtis but Andrew was taken to the hospital.”
“When did this happen?”
“Madison called me a little over two hours go. Andrew is in surgery right now. He has some form of traumatic brain injury, some kind of hemorrhaging. I don’t have any other details. We are waiting for the doctor to tell us something.”
“Is Madison okay?”
“She’s still in shock but she was not injured from what I can tell.”
“Good, good.”
“Do you want me to call your wife?”
“No, I’ll do that.”
“Is there someone else I should call?”
“Elias Bennett. That’s her attorney. I know he and Liam are at the hospital with Jayden.”
“Their friend? What happened to him?”
“There was a fire at the shop yesterday. He was injured.”
“Jesus Christ. What are these kids mixed up in?” She said more to herself than Aaron.
“Jacqueline, please don’t leave Madison alone. My wife and I will be out there as soon as we can.”
“I will have her come and stay with me.”
“Good. Thank you for calling. I’m sure Madison is distraught.”
Jacqueline glanced over her shoulder and could see that Madison was leaning back with her head gently banging against the wall. Her eyes were closed and her face was strained. Jacqueline frowned. She was unaccustomed to seeing her generally strong and vibrant daughter look so out of sorts.
“Yes, well, that isn’t going to help the situation,” Jacqueline finally stated.
“True, but it doesn’t invalidate the feelings she’s having right now.”
“Still a rescuer, I see,” Jacqueline said with a laugh.
There was silence for a moment. “I guess so.”
Jacqueline grinned at his uncomfortableness. She wondered if he was running his hand through his hair or pinching the bridge of his nose. She remembered he used to do that at school. They never talked much after the incident with James. In all honesty, she avoided him, not wanting to relive that moment. But she would catch him watching her every so often, and then graduation came and he was gone. She was drawn out of her thoughts when she saw that a man had stepped through the door. He was in scrubs and carrying what looked like a chart. She assumed that he must be the surgeon.
“Aaron, I better go. I think the doctor just walked in.”
“Okay, thank you again.”
“You’re welcome,” she said before hanging up.
“Are you the family of Andrew Harrison?” the man asked.
Madison looked up. “Yes”
He walked towards her, as did Jacqueline. Jacqueline took a seat next to her daughter. Remembering what Aaron had said, she took her hand in hers. Madison squeezed it. The man opened the chart he had in his hand and began reading.
“We were able to contain the bleeding. At this time, we are not able to determine if there was any permanent brain damage.”
“Is he conscious?” Madison asked, her voice cracking with despair.
“No, he’s in what we call a medically induced coma.”
“When can I see him?”
“He’s in recovery right now. We will monitor his vitals for a little while longer. You should be able to see him within the hour.”
“Thank you.”
After he walked out, Madison turned to Jacqueline and leaned against her. She had to stay positive. She had to believe that Andrew would be okay because any other option was unthinkable. She couldn’t imagine a life without him. Her Andrew, wild and sexual, kind and thoughtful, extremely talented. No! She told herself. She would stay optimistic. He would be okay. She had to believe that.
Meanwhile in California
Elias walked back into the waiting room. Liam looked upset and Connor looked miserable. They had been at the hospital since early morning. Connor was actually there when he and Liam arrived. Elias harbored the thought that he might have actually slept in the waiting room until he remembered that they had watched him leave last night. Elias flipped his phone in his hand and watched Liam’s eyes move to it. He knew that Liam understood. But the fact that he had already gotten up several times to go outside and call people was taking its toll.
Elias let out a frustrated sigh as he sat down and reached for Ellie. Liam looked at him curiously but handed Ellie to him. Elias had been outside talking to the attorneys he had narrowed down, trying to sort something out. He was struggling with trying to figure out what to do. When he had awoken that morning, he felt no clearer on the situation than he had the night before. In fact, if possible, he felt worse. Having discovered what he had about Bowers, he was extremely concerned about Madison and Andrew’s wellbeing, a concern that was now magnified tenfold. How could he possibly leave their welfare to another attorney?
“What’s going on, El? You have that look,” Liam asked, drawing Elias out of his thoughts.
“I got a call from Jacqueline,” Elias replied, before kissing the top of Ellie’s head.
“Who’s Jacqueline?” Connor asked, not recognizing that name.
“Jacqueline is Madison’s mom,” Liam said to Connor and then turned back to Elias. “Why would she call you?”
Elias didn’t meet Liam’s eyes, he couldn’t. Instead, he stood Ellie up on his lap. She immediately started bouncing and giggling. It brought a much-needed smile to Elias’s face. He pulled her to him and held her close while she tugged on his hair. He could see that Liam and Connor were both staring at him. Liam now looked angry while Connor maintained a confused expression. Elias hated to tell them but knew that he needed to. He turned Ellie around and sat her on his lap.
“Andrew’s been hurt,” he finally said solemnly.
“WHAT?” Liam asked, his voice strained.
“No, no, no,” Connor said loudly as he shook his head and rose from his chair. “Hell NO!”
“Connor, lower your voice,” Elias stated calmly.
Connor grabbed his hair and nodded, but he immediately started pacing. He couldn’t comprehend how this could be happening. Both people he cared about were injured. He felt tears threatening and wanted desperately to sob in a corner like a small child or hit the wall with all his might. Neither option truly appealed to him.
Elias frowned as his gaze shifted from Connor to Liam. He took a deep breath and began. He told them everything that Jacqueline had recently communicated to him. During the conversation, Liam took Ellie back from Elias and started tending to her. He needed to do something. He didn’t want to hear this. He needed to focus on something, anything, and Ellie was the perfect distraction. His greatest fear was that something would happen to Andrew or Madison in New York. Now he had his son and his son’s best friend injured and hospitalized. This was all too much too handle.
“Liam?” Elias took Ellie from him. “Are you alright?”
Liam breathed out and nodded. “I’m sorry. This is ... crazy. Everything is so out of hand.”
“What do we do?” Connor asked, having finally stopped pacing.
“First, we calm down. We have Jayden to concern ourselves with, correct?” Elias asked, once again bouncing Ellie on his lap. She was giggling and the sound alone was lifting. When Liam and Connor both nodded, he continued, “Some things are out of our control. Worrying about them will not fix this. We need to focus on one thing at a time. Decide what we can control and what we can’t.”
“Is Madison safe out there?” Liam asked, taking another deep breath.
“She’s with her mother, but I don’t know if that’s safe or not. I have no reference point to make that assumption.”
“Maybe, shit, maybe I could go out there. I wouldn’t leave her side. I mean, you know, Jayden has you guys but Madison doesn’t have anyone. Andrew would want that, wouldn’t he? I mean what do you guys think? Is that stupid? Shit! I just need to do something. I have to help and I can’t let Madison be by herself. She needs someone to protect her. But Shit! That’s stupid. What the hell can I do?” Connor stated quickly and began frantically pacing once again.
Helios Renewed (The Helios Chronicles #3) Page 21
