“What’s the matter Aggie?”
“It’s just so… perfect.”
“I couldn’t agree more. And if Jane is as good as I know she is, we’ll be able to move in by the end of the week.”
“Thank god. I would have settled for a few weeks.”
We head back to Jane’s office so she can write up a formal offer. The times cutting it close because Grant has a business meeting he can’t get out of with some pretty big people in the restaurant world. This deal’s left him tired with the long hours he’s been putting in.
“You can come with me.”
“I’m not going to your business meeting. I’ll be bored outta my mind. How about I call Ry to pick me up?”
“Okay, call Rylan. I think he’s at the condo this afternoon anyways.”
Twenty minutes later Rylan enters the office and starts working his charm on Jane.
“You do know I’m happily married and almost double your age, right?” She laughs.
“Age is but a number. I love my women mature.” He smiles.
“I’m sure you do, but I don’t like my men immature.”
“Oh, burn!” I laugh.
He sticks his tongue out at me then ushers me out of the building after Grant kisses me goodbye. I’m not needed here anymore and I’ve had enough paperwork for a day. I’m thinking about Grant’s meetings and the trip to Vegas I need to book a ticket for as I get in Rylan’s car.
“What’s that puddle under the car?” I question.
“It rained this morning. It’s probably left over from that.”
“Your new car sure is fancy. What is it?”
“Do you really care?”
“No. It seemed like the right thing to say.” I laugh.
He starts up his new car and pulls out on the main road. “How have you been feeling?”
“Wonderful. I don’t get why women complain so much about pregnancy. I guess the only thing that’s annoying is how tired I am. But no morning sickness and with being 20 weeks tomorrow the books say I’m not at risk for it anymore. So, yay me!”
“You’re finding out the gender soon, right?”
“Tomorrow! I can’t wait!”
I hear a noise and can’t figure out what it is until I see Rylan’s leg pumping up and down.
“What the fuck?”
“What’s the matter?”
“The breaks aren’t working.” He pulls the E brake and nothing happens.
The roads are packed with cars and we’re starting to decent down a hill. The adrenaline starts pumping through my veins and terror sets in.
“We’ll have to hit something to stop us before something bad happens.”
“Hitting something is bad!” I cry.
Rylan reaches out and grabs my hand. “I’d rather pick what we hit instead of getting hit by a semi. Protect your belly as best as you can.”
I pull my knees up and turn hoping this is good enough. Nothing can happen to my baby, it just can’t. I cradle my tiny bump and pray for the best.
“Shit, we’re going too fast. I’m going to try and maneuver until we get down the hill and lose some speed. There’s an uphill road right after the lights. That’s if we don’t get hit first. We’re going too fast for me to crash into something head on. Keep a look out!”
“Oh my god! Why aren’t the brakes working?” I look all around us trying to find a potential threat.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to try and get us both out of this alive. Okay Aggie? We’re going to be okay.” I can hear the panic in his voice.
“The lights red!” I scream as I spot a truck heading straight for me!
I turn my head and look over at Rylan to reassure myself everything will be okay, that we’ll be okay.
Ry cranks the wheel hard… then everything goes black.
***
Grant
“Well, you got it.”
Damn straight we did. I refused to let this house slip through my fingers after seeing Aggie’s face light up from the moment we walked through the front door. I knew no matter what I thought, whether I hated the house… it didn’t matter. I’d do anything to bring that smile to her lips, and I just did it.
“Aggie’s gonna be thrilled. Are they good with the timeline?”
“Yup. They aren’t living there, just need to get all the furniture out. There should be no problem getting the keys in your hand by Friday.”
“Excellent. If you need anything else please call me or Agnes. Well, don’t call her until tomorrow because I need to tell her they accepted the offer.”
“Congratulations. I’ll be in touch.”
Once I’m in my car I plan the perfect way to break the news to Aggie. Maybe I’ll take her out tonight or hire a chef to come to the condo.
A firetruck and ambulance fly by my car and I tingle goes up my spine. I send a silent prayer hoping that whoever’s in trouble makes it through. It’s a little habit I’ve religiously done since Cally was in a car crash a few years back.
I turn on the radio and merge onto the street to find the traffic’s backed up almost immediately.
“Must be an accident.” I look at the time and curse. I’m supposed to be across town in twenty minutes and with this traffic there’s no way.
I’m at the top of a hill when I finally get a view of all the commotion. Holy shit. A pickup truck slammed into another car at the light. My fingers tap to the beat of the song on the radio. The traffic is crawling and I hope the accidents under control soon. This meeting’s pivotal to this merger I’ve been working on.
As I inch closer I check out the scene again. The two ambulances took off about five minutes ago. All that’s left is the tow truck getting the mangled car on its bed. A horrible banged up sleek black sports car.
It’s too much of a coincidence. But I dial Aggie’s phone anyways.
“Hey it’s Aggie, leave a message and I’ll get back to you…”
I dial Rylan’s with the same result. There’s one way to be sure and as I get out of my car after putting it in park, a sinking feeling hits my stomach.
The car behind me is blaring their horn. No doubt their commute will be even further delayed by my car being abandoned. I raise my hand signaling I’ll be back in a moment. At this point I’m not too far from where the accident was. I take a deep breath as I come upon the license plate.
“No…”
There it is, clear as day. The numbers match up, it’s Rylan’s car. I drop and sit my ass on the pavement trying to comprehend that the people carted off in the ambulance are Aggie and Rylan.
The baby.
“Excuse me sir, you need to get back in your car.”
“How bad was it?”
“Sir, you need to get up.”
“You don’t understand.” I get off the ground and look at the cop. “This is my brother’s car. My girlfriend was in there with him. Please, tell me where they went… what shape were they in?”
The cop looks at me with sympathetic eyes but says nothing.
“PLEASE! Tell me they’re okay.”
“Why don’t you get in my cruiser and I’ll drive you to the hospital. You’re in no condition to drive son.”
I agree because I know it’ll be the quickest way to get there. Once he pulls in front of the emergency room, he opens the back door and I run in for the front desk.
“Please, my family… they were just brought in.”
“Names.”
“Agnes Fletcher and Rylan Donovan.”
More soft eyes. These people don’t know how to deal with people in a crisis! I need answers, not sympathetic looks like my loved ones have died. Please let them be okay.
A nurse meets me at the doors and escorts me to a waiting room towards the back. “The doctor will be in shortly after he’s done examining the patient.”
She leaves my head spinning. Which patient is he looking over? Shouldn’t that be plural? I sit in a seat and pull at my hair with my hands going out of my fucking mind.
It feels like forever before a doctor makes his way in the room asking for the loved one’s of Agnes Fletcher.
“Right here!”
“Are you family?”
“Yes, I’m her husband.” The lie slips out easily.
“Agnes took quite the hit in the accident, but she’s stable at the moment. We need to watch her for the next 72 hours. There’s a possibility of internal bleeding and…”
“What about the baby?”
“We did an ultrasound and she seems real strong. Her heartbeat’s solid. We need to monitor her every three hours for the next several days to make sure there’s no permanent damage. Miss Fletcher seemed to have shielded her stomach at the point of impact.”
“Her?”
“Congratulations, it’s a girl.” The doctor pats me on the back.
“When can I see Aggie?”
“As soon as we get her to a room and get her hooked up. I’ll have a nurse find you.”
“What about my brother?”
The doctor looks at me with sad eyes and I brace myself for what I know is coming.
“I’m sorry son. There was too much internal bleeding. He was still in route for the hospital when he was pronounced dead.”
He walks away as I stare at him. Dead. Rylan’s dead.
I sit in a chair in the corner of the room trying to process the news.
Dead.
My little brother.
How can he be gone? I just saw him a short while ago when he picked up Aggie from the realtor’s office. Today was supposed to be a great day, we finally found our forever home. Now Aggie's laid up in the hospital, my baby girls being monitored and my brothers… dead.
I pull out my phone and dial Trevor. I can’t deal with this alone, I need my family.
“Hey man, how was the house?” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Trev…” I choke out.
“Grant what’s the matter? Grant?” He yells out my name a few more times before I control my emotions enough to give him the news of the accident.
“What’s going on Grant? How are they?”
“He… he didn’t make it.”
“You’re lying.” I can hear the hysterics in his voice.
“I wish I was.”
People in the waiting room are looking at me with sympathetic eyes as I lose it in the corner. No doubt they’ve heard my whole conversation and are grateful they aren’t in my shoes right now. What I wouldn’t give to trade places with any of them right now.
Hearing my younger brother lose it on the phone is more than I can handle. I wish he were here so we could comfort each other.
“Trev, listen to me.”
“Okay.” He whispers.
“There will be a driver outside your door in fifteen minutes. Get in and get to me. I’m going to… how the hell do I tell mom her son died over the phone?” I sob.
“We’ll do it together. I’m close to the hospital and already in my car. I’ll be there soon.”
“Trev…”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
After he hangs up I’m left there waiting to see the love of my life and in the back of my mind I can’t help thinking that she’s not out of the woods yet. It’s hard to think positive thoughts right now.
I remain seated in the corner… waiting.
Hoping that god decides to let my girls live.
I’M OKAY
Grant
It isn’t until late into the night that I’m finally able to go in and see Aggie. She had some complications and they thought she might need to go in for emergency surgery, but right now she’s stable. For now.
With Trevor at my back, I enter the room to see her lying helpless in the hospital bed hooked up to everything imaginable. Tubes are coming out of everywhere and beeping sounds fill the room.
Trevor wraps his arms around my waist before I hit the ground.
“You’re okay Grant. Look, see that monitor right there? That’s her heart beat. She’s alive… breathing.”
“I kept thinking…” I choke out.
“I know and I’m here for you. Let’s sit you in the chair next to your girl. I’m sure hearing your voice will take some of her fear away. Knowing someone she loves is here will help her road to recovery.”
“Thanks.” I manage to stand on my own and walk to the chair he places next to the bed. Trevor excuses himself from the room when he tells me our dads calling.
To say that was the hardest call I’ve ever had to make is an understatement. My father ended up having to call in the paramedics because my mom passed out when she couldn’t stop hyperventilating.
Losing a child. Tears stream down my face once again. How are they going to come back from this?
I’ve been sitting vigil at Aggie’s bedside for a half hour talking to her when a police officer enters the room.
“You are?”
“Grant Donovan, Aggies husband.”
“Funny, I don’t remember seeing a spouse when we ran her license. Don’t worry I’ll keep it to myself. Right now, we have more important matters to discuss. I need to know who would be after your girl or your brother.”
“What do you mean?”
“We had the car towed to a mechanic right away because we couldn’t figure out why they ran the red light. Then we had several witnesses saying they were weaving in and out of traffic as if they couldn’t stop. Turns out the brake lines were cut.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Afraid not Mr. Donovan. Now, any known enemies to either of them?”
“Carissa Locke.”
“Care to elaborate? An ex of your brothers?”
“Almost 15 years ago she stalked me pretty bad and kidnapped me. She’s been in jail but got released recently for good behavior. She showed up at my condo when I wasn’t home and sat with Aggie for a short time until I called. We haven’t seen her since she fled our house, but the cops have been trying to track her down. She clearly doesn’t want to be found and she’s the only person I could think of that would want to hurt Aggie. There should be an entire case on her you can read over to get you up to speed.”
“I’ll look into it when I get back to the precinct. Why was Agnes with your brother?”
I go into the whole story from looking at the house to going to the realtor’s office.
“I’ll see if there are any camera’s set up on that block. If it was her we should know it by the visual.” He stands up and shakes my hand as I sit at Aggie's side. I refuse to leave her for anything.
“Mr. Donovan?”
“Yes, sir?”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Emotions threaten to overtake me again. “Thank you, sir.”
I grab Aggie's hand as her hospital door opens again a short while later.
“Where is she?” I hear yelled as a teary-eyed Leslie runs through the door.
“Right here. I stand up and usher her to the chair I’ve been sitting in.”
“Oh my… it was bad, wasn’t it?” She sobs. “Is she going to be okay?”
“They need to monitor her and the baby for the next few days, but as long as she stays stable she should make a full recovery.”
“Thank god. Has she woken up yet?” She grabs Aggie's hand and kisses her fingers.
“Not yet.”
And that’s the part that worries me. The accident happened hours ago and she still hasn’t opened her eyes. The doctor says it can be normal with a brain injury. Maybe I’m being selfish after the horrible news about my brother, but all I want is for her to open her gorgeous brown eyes. Is that too much to ask for right now? For her to recite some stupid line from Harry Potter to me or update me with the fruit size our baby is measuring.
“She’s a fighter Grant. Her and the baby will make it through.” She nods her head like she’s trying to convince herself.
“It’s a girl.”
“Huh?”
“We’re having a girl. We weren’t supposed to find out until tomorrow, but earlier the doctor said it’s a girl.”
“A baby girl…” She sobs. “A princess just like her mother.”
“A trouble maker like her mother.” I laugh.
“How are you holding up Grant?”
“I’m okay.”
“Don’t lie to me, I talked to your brother in the hall. I’m truly sorry for your loss. I… I don’t know what to say.”
“You’ve already said enough Leslie. Thank you.”
She stands up and walks over to pull me in for a hug. With my head on her shoulder, I let all my pent-up emotions from today go. I cry for the brother I’ve lose and the love of my life fighting her way back to me. It’s like the dams been broken and there’s no end in sight.
I feel a hand on my back and when I look up I see Trevor trying not to lose it. Everything’s been one whirlwind of emotion and we haven’t been able to process. Sure, we know our brothers gone. But the grieving hasn’t started yet.
“I’m so sorry Trev, if I didn’t call him…”
“Don’t. Don’t you dare Grant. None of this is your fault.”
“It was Carissa, she cut the brake lines.” I look at the ground in shame. “She’s my problem and now she’s killed our brother.” I hold onto Trevor even harder, pulling him to me even closer.
“She’s insane, you didn’t make her do it. Don’t place the blame on yourself. You’ll never be able to live, it’ll hold you back.”
I pull back and wipe my eyes. “How’s mom doing?”
“Dad said they just boarded a plane and she’s so doped up she doesn’t even know what day it is. It’s for the best until she gets here.”
“It is. How do I explain this to them?”
“They love you, no one’s going to hold you accountable. We’re gonna do what we do best. Band together as a family and be there for each other.” He wipes the tears from his eyes and excuses himself from the room again. He’s never been an emotional guy. He probably needs to find a quiet corner to process.
I pull another chair up to the bed and take Aggie’s other hand in my own. “Come on baby, you have to wake up. I need you right now. You’re my rock.”
The Big D Page 17
