Had Enough

by Anie Michaels

  “What happened?” Riley asked him.

  I was torn on whether I wanted to know or not, but I couldn’t voice anything in that moment, so Camden started talking.

  “It happened really quickly. I’m not even sure I saw everything. We were just walking across the street, trying to get to his SUV, and this Civic came tearing around a corner. Justin tried to jump out of the way, but the Civic hit him at an angle. He flew back and hit his head, but I remember thinking how lucky he was he didn’t get pulled under the car. He might have been much worse off if he had.”

  A sob escaped me at the visual.

  “He was unconscious immediately. I don’t think he felt any pain.”

  “Did they catch the driver?”

  “He swerved like he was trying to miss Justin and then he ran into a utility pole. He’s probably in the ER right now too.”

  “I think I need to sit down,” I said, pulling away from Riley. It was all too much and I just couldn’t stand any longer. Riley helped me to a seat, then grabbed her purse.

  “I’m going to go see if I can find a vending machine or a cafeteria. I’m going to get some coffee or water. Something to snack on, too.” I knew she was talking to Camden, so I didn’t bother responding. “Will you stay here with her and text me if they come back and give any updates?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  I heard them kiss, then the sound of Riley’s footsteps disappearing down the hall. I didn’t look up. I was too busy trying to deep breathe with my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees. My head was spinning, trying to take in everything that was happening, and I was dizzy with fear. I’d never been so afraid in my life.

  Camden and I sat in silence for a few minutes. Well, silent except for the sounds of a busy hospital.

  “You know,” Camden finally said, his voice soft and gentle. “Justin told me what happened in Vegas while we were at the bar, before the accident.”

  My hands brushed over my forehead, pushing all my hair back and coming to rest on the back of my neck. I looked over at Camden. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. And I’d never seen him so happy, Had.”

  More tears welled in my eyes, spilling over as Camden put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him.

  “He and I have talked a lot over the last few months about you and him. He’s been trying to wait, trying to be patient, to give you the time you needed to let him in, and I swear he was wearing the biggest smile when he said you’d married him.”

  “He really was patient,” I said, sniffling.

  Camden pulled a tissue out of a box from the table next to him and handed it to me.

  “Thank you.”

  “He was hopeful, ya know? He just kept telling me how much he hoped you stuck around and gave him a chance to make you happy.”

  His words cut through me, split me open. I wanted that chance too, and now I wasn’t sure we were going to get it.

  “I don’t know what I’ll do if he…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence, didn’t want to give sound to that possibility.

  “Hey,” Camden said, rubbing my shoulder. “He’s going to be all right. He’s the toughest guy I know.”

  “I was ready to spend forever with him.”

  “Then you gotta make sure and tell him that when he wakes up. Give him something to fight for, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” I replied, more cries cutting through my words.

  Camden let me cry on him for another twenty minutes.

  I only looked up when I heard footsteps enter the room, hoping to see the surgeon even though it hadn’t even been an hour yet.

  “Mom?” I asked, disbelief and confusion painted on my face. “What are you doing here?” I said as I stood and walked to her, seeing my dad and Riley file in behind her. My mom held her arms open and I went straight to her, a fresh wave of tears emerging.

  “I called them,” Riley said as Camden came to her side.

  “She said you needed us, so we left right away,” my mother said as her hand rubbed my back.

  My eyes found my father. “Hi, Daddy.”

  “Hey, baby girl. Let’s sit down so you can tell us what’s going on.”

  My mom slipped from my arms and Riley approached me, speaking softly. “Don’t be mad, but I knew you’d want your mom here and I knew both your parents would want to be here to support you.”

  Of course Riley had called them. Riley had been like a second daughter since we met in college. She spent so many holidays and weekends with me at my parents’ house, she wouldn’t have hesitated to call either one of them, and I was glad she had. I didn’t realize how much I needed my mother in that moment until she was standing in front of me.

  “Of course I’m not mad at you,” I managed, emotions still making it hard to complete sentences. “Thank you.”

  “Hadley?”

  That voice belonged to Alice.

  “Alice.” I sighed in relief and turned in time to see her walking swiftly toward me.

  “What’s going on?” she asked as he pulled me into a hug.

  “Camden and Justin were out and Justin was hit by a car. He’s got some internal bleeding and they think his spleen ruptured. He went back for surgery half an hour ago.”

  “Oh, my,” my mother said from her seat, her hand covering her mouth.

  “They said he’s in critical condition,” I added. “We’re just waiting for the surgeon to come give us an update. They said it would be at least an hour, and that was about forty-five minutes ago.”

  Alice turned to her husband and his arms opened immediately. It suddenly occurred to me that my parents had no idea what was going on, or who Justin even was.

  “I know this is really crappy timing, but Alice and Allen Hunter, these are my parents, Beverly and Steven Hart.”

  “I’m so sorry about your son,” my mother offered, obviously upset by the whole situation, which was typical of my mother—she felt everything for everyone.

  “Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter are Justin’s parents, but they’re also my in-laws.”

  “In-laws?” my father asked, obviously confused, as was my mother based on the look on her face and the way her skin crinkled between her eyebrows.

  “It’s a really long story, and we were going to tell you soon, but the short version is that when Riley and Camden got married in Vegas, so did Justin and I.”

  “You got married?” my mother practically shrieked.

  “In Vegas?” my father followed.

  “Yes, but that’s totally beside the point because right now the important thing is that my husband is fighting for his life in there and I need everyone to just send all the positive energy they can muster to him. That’s all that matters right now.”

  My mother’s gaze drifted between me and Alice, and I knew she was torn between being my mother and upset I’d gotten married without her, and being a mother watching another mother go through something so traumatic.

  “Why don’t we all sit down and maybe Hadley can fill us all in while we wait to hear from the doctors,” Riley offered quietly, her voice soft and soothing.

  I let out a breath and looked at Riley, hoping she could see how grateful I was for her in that moment. Watching my parents sit, I waited until everyone looked as comfortable as possible, then started the story from the beginning.

  Everyone listened and I answered questions along the way, giving them just enough details to inform them, but keeping enough private that whatever was between Justin and me still felt special.

  I didn’t tell them Justin was the first man to ever make me feel safe with him, to make me believe he’d rather hurt himself than me.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Justin

  Clearly, something wasn’t right.

  My head was pounding, my mouth was dry, and every part of my body ached. I wanted to open my eyes, but the weight of them was overwhelming. In the distance, a rhythmic beeping grew louder and louder until it was the most prominent sound in the room. I co
uld hear voices too, but they seemed far away and muffled.

  I drifted into darkness again, almost surrendering, not given a choice to remain conscious but dragged away into the depths without consent.

  When I woke the next time, everything still hurt, but I was able to flutter my eyelids open. I blinked away the blurriness, trying to focus on something—anything—that would give me a hint as to where I was or what was happening.

  “Mr. Hunter?”

  A woman’s voice filled the room and I felt a hand gently land on my shin.

  “My name is Wanda, Mr. Hunter. You’re in the ICU and I’m the nurse taking care of you. You were hit by a car, but you’re going to be all right.”

  I tried to speak, but my throat and mouth were so dry, nothing but rasps came out. My hand came to my throat, but was snagged on something, so I lifted my other hand, trying to communicate.

  “Would you like some water?”

  I nodded gratefully. Her blurry frame disappeared but returned a moment later and something pressed against my lips. I opened and realized it was a straw, so I took a sip. Even the tiny amount of water passing through my lips made a drastic difference.

  “My wife,” I managed, trying to bring back any memory of what had happened. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s just fine, Mr. Hunter. She’s with the rest of your family in the waiting room.”

  “She’s not hurt?”

  “No. She’s a little worried about you, but she’s not hurt. Would you like to see her?”

  I nodded, but closed my eyes, the movement reminding me how much my head throbbed.

  “How’s the pain? Scale of one to ten.”

  “Four thousand,” I managed, only half-joking.

  “I’ll get you some pain meds then.”

  “My wife?” I asked again.

  “I’ll bring her back, but you need your rest, so it’ll have to be a short visit.”

  I tried to smile but felt myself fading away again, exhausted by just the short interaction.

  The next thing I heard was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard: Hadley’s voice.

  “Justin?”

  Her voice was soft but so full of emotion she sounded strange.

  “Oh my God,” she whispered as her warm fingers wrapped around mine.

  My eyes opened and my body breathed a sigh of relief when I saw she was unharmed.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I croaked. “You’re okay?”

  “Of course I’m okay,” she cried. She kissed the back of my hand, her lips pausing there for a long moment as she cried, her emotion unrestrained.

  I wanted so badly to reach out and hold her, but my body wasn’t cooperating. Everything felt heavy and weighed down.

  “It’s all right,” I said, trying to soothe her in any way I could. “I’m fine.”

  She laughed and everything became lighter.

  “Justin, you are anything but fine.”

  I tried to smile, but it didn’t last long as the pain was washing over me in waves.

  “What happened?”

  “You were hit by a car.”

  She could have told me anything and I would have been surprised. I had no recollection of anything. The last thing I remembered was dropping Hadley off with Riley and leaving with Camden.

  “I’ve been so worried.” Her voice broke on a sob again, and she rested her head in the crook of my elbow.

  “Baby, don’t cry. I’m okay. I feel great.”

  I smiled when I felt her laugh against my arm.

  “Stop,” she begged. She looked up at me, tears shining in her eyes, her mouth confused about whether it wanted to smile or frown. “I love you,” she whispered, her tone suddenly serious.

  Her words fueled me and I lifted my hand to her face, palming her cheek. “I love you too.”

  The room was suddenly filled with a flash of light and I realized the door had opened and Wanda had returned.

  “All right, Mr. Hunter. I’ve got some morphine for you, but it’s going to make you sleepy.”

  Sleep sounded amazing. The idea of the pain lessening sounded even better.

  “Sounds good,” I said, trying to give her a lame thumbs-up.

  “Can I stay with him?” Hadley asked, her voice hopeful and soft.

  “Well,” Wanda said, her eyes darting between us. “Visiting hours are technically over, but I don’t think anyone will mind if you keep him company. You just have to let him sleep.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  “All right. Have a good nap, Mr. Hunter.”

  Wanda attached a syringe to my IV port and pushed a clear liquid in, and in just moments the effects were there. Everything became a little fuzzier and I was instantly at ease. I watched through blurry eyes as Hadley stood up and leaned over me, pressing a kiss against my forehead, then everything went dark again.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Hadley

  I waited for a while and watched Justin sleep. With every breath he took I reminded myself that he was all right, that he wasn’t in danger anymore, that he wasn’t going anywhere. And even though I rationally knew all that was true, I still couldn’t shake the fear, couldn’t completely forget the terror I’d experienced just an hour before, not knowing whether or not I’d ever get to see him alive again, feel his touch, or hear his voice.

  Eventually I stood to leave because I knew his parents, my parents, Camden, and Riley would want an update. They knew he’d made it out of surgery, but that was about it.

  I looked back at him one more time before pushing the door open, and I almost couldn’t leave. I wanted to climb into the bed with him and make sure he took every breath, that his heartbeat remained steady. But I forced my feet to carry me through the door.

  The ICU was quiet and it was 3 a.m., so the lights were dim. As I walked toward the waiting room, I started to crumble. I made it around a corner before I lost my composure. I leaned back against the wall, my hands coming to cover my face, and I tried to remain silent. I wanted to tamp the fear down, to be stronger than the sadness, but in that moment I was broken.

  Bending at the waist, I cried as quietly as I could manage, feeling the tension ease with each wracking sob.

  I didn’t know how long I stood there, crying into my hands, but eventually the sobbing stopped and I managed to stand upright. Wiping the tears from my face with the back of my hand, I tried to dry off and make myself presentable, took a deep breath, then headed toward the waiting room once more.

  When I opened the door, all six pairs of eyes shot to me like lasers, and all I could do was say, “He’s okay.”

  Alice broke down in her husband’s arms, my parents looked relieved, and Camden and Riley hugged each other.

  “He doesn’t remember what happened. It seems like he’s in some pain, but he was also cracking jokes. They gave him some morphine and he’s sleeping again. But, like I said, he was awake and lucid, just in some pain.”

  “Can I go see him?” his mother asked.

  “I don’t think they’d kick you out if you’re quiet.” I gave them his room number and directions and watched as they made their way to see their son.

  “He really doesn’t remember?” Camden asked, his voice softer than I’d ever heard.

  I shook my head. “He asked me what happened and didn’t seem to remember. He was confused. Maybe it’ll come back to him, but at the moment he’s still pretty jumbled.”

  “Are you all right?” Riley asked.

  “Yes,” I replied, even though I could feel the pinching in the back of my throat that meant tears were coming again. “No,” I amended, doing the ugly trying-not-to-cry face. “I’m just really scared, is all.”

  “Oh, sweetie,” my mother said, coming to me at the same time Riley rose from her chair. They both hugged me and I tried my best to compose myself.

  “He’s going to be just fine,” Riley whispered. “I know it. He’s the most stubborn person I know.”

  I let out a laugh, but it turned into ano
ther cry, so I let it out.

  “I’m okay,” I insisted when I pulled away and saw their worried faces. “I promise. I’m just a little overwhelmed and tired. I’ll be fine.” I said the last words on a breath, letting out a large sigh, my shoulders sagging.

  “What can we do?” Riley asked.

  I shook my head as I wiped under my eyes again. “Nothing at the moment. I’m going to stay here and try to get some sleep, I guess. He’s out now and will probably sleep for a while with all the pain meds they just gave him.”

  “Do you want to stay or go?” Riley softly asked her husband, who looked almost younger with the grief on his face.

  “I guess there’s nothing for us to do here except sit. Maybe we should come back tomorrow.”

  “Would you like us to bring you anything?”

  “Maybe a change of clothes and some overnight stuff? I’m fine for tonight, but tomorrow if you wouldn’t mind bringing me some stuff, that would be awesome.”

  “Absolutely. I’ll bring you the best overnight bag ever.” Riley rubbed her hands up and down my arms.

  “Thank you,” I replied, trying not to cry again.

  “We’ll call you tomorrow, late morning,” my mother said, pulling me into a hug. “I’m so sorry this happened, sweetie. But we can’t wait to meet him when he’s feeling better. Let us know if you need anything at all, okay?” she whispered against my ear and I hugged her back, taking the comfort only a mother can offer.

  “I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” I replied. “We were going to tell everyone eventually. We just needed a little while to figure everything out.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now, Hadley,” she said soothingly.

  “Focus on making sure he gets better,” my dad said, pressing another comforting hand against my back. “We love you.”

  “I love you guys too.” I hugged my father, then Riley and Camden, and watched as they all made their way out of the waiting room and into the depths of the hospital.

  Not wanting to rush Justin’s parents, I took a few moments to myself in the waiting room, listening to the sounds of the hospital. Of footsteps down the empty hallways, the distant beeping of monitors and machines. When I felt as though exhaustion had reached its peak, I slowly made my way back to his room.