Unavoidable Bond

by C Bradley

  “Thanks, and that’s not funny.” I deadpan.

  “I wasn’t kidding.” I look up to find Brody’s eyes boring into CJ. He is mauling Nina’s neck, as she flips the French toast.

  “Easy killer,” I chuckle, forcing his eyes to meet mine by grabbing his chin with my thumb and index finger and jerking it in my direction. “I’m too hungry to have to wait for the paramedics and police to do their job, if you kill him.”

  “Okay, let’s eat!” Nina announces. Our brunch is now ready, after she pulls out toasted paninis that were tucked away into the warming drawer. This kitchen is definitely chef worthy; I should probably start strengthening my culinary skills.

  A cool and crisp breeze blows in through the window next to my side of the bed, and the scent of rain hits my senses before my eyes flutter open. The cooler weather is a welcome change, after suffering through four straight days of blistering heat, which did anything, but agree with Hannah. I’m not sure if it was the weather that caused it or just a contribution, but she has spent the greater part of the weekend snuggled up on the sofa with our little fur ball Chloe. I managed to keep myself busy with yard and house work, aside from doing everything I could to make sure Hannah was comfortable and fed.

  Rolling from my back to my side, I wrap my arms around her waist, brushing the hair from her nape, before planting a gentle kiss on it.

  “Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?”

  “Mmmmmmmm,” she groans, before draping her arm across mine, her face remaining emotionless.

  “That good, huh?” I say, wrapping my other arm around her, peppering playful kisses all over her nape, causing a giggle to seep out.

  “Hey! Not fair!” Her lower lip pokes out, before she continues, “You know how ticklish I am!”

  “Of course, I do. Why do you think I did it? You going into work today? You were pretty restless most of the night.” Untangling the flat sheet from around my legs, I slip out of bed.

  “I am. I’m going to call my doctor and see if they can fit me in today, too.” She sits up in bed, reaching over to turn off her last alarm clock. It gives her just the right amount of time to get ready and make it to work without being late.

  “I think that’s a good idea, babe.” I agree, as I lazily stroll into the walk-in closet. Grabbing the clothes that Hannah had set aside for me the night prior, I begin dressing myself for another day of long boring meetings. It’s time for the quarterly board meeting to discuss status quo and future expectations for JLC. If there ever is a time for me to prove myself a fit replacement for my father, as the president and CEO of this company, it is today. Today, I present my five-year growth plan for JLC, and it can either make or break my future with the company. I inherited the company, but not the title of president and CEO. That has to be earned, and I plan to try my hardest to live up to my father’s legacy.

  Securing my tie, I make my way back into the bedroom to find Hannah sitting on the edge of the bed, slipping on her heels.

  “Hey, beautiful. I’m gonna head down to the kitchen and get the coffee started. Can I make you something for breakfast? A bagel? A smoothie?” Leaning down, I plant a kiss on her forehead.

  “Coffee and a bagel sounds good. Thank you, handsome.” She forces a half smile for my sake, but I know she would rather go back to bed than go to work.

  “As you wish my love. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  With a quick descend of the staircase, I walk to the kitchen, opening the back door, so Chloe can go do her business. I leave the door cracked open and round the island to grab two travel mugs out of the cabinet, placing them both on the counter, before reaching for the K-cups to put into the Keurig. Once I finish the coffee, I move on to breakfast, popping a bagel in the toaster oven, before grabbing the cream cheese from the refrigerator. Chloe pushes her way in through the back door, and I close and lock it behind her. Spreading the cream cheese on the bagel, I clean up and put everything away just as I hear Hannah making her way down the stairs.

  “Hannah, here’s your coffee and bagel.” After taking breakfast from my hands, she grabs her keys and purse.

  “Knock ‘em dead, babe. I know you can do it.” Her enthusiasm for my career makes me smile, even if she was a little nervous about it in the beginning.

  “Thank you. I’ll let you know how it goes, and you let me know how you make out at the doctor. I love you.” I lean in for a quick kiss, my hand dropping to her lower back to guide her to the front door. Passing through the threshold, I close and lock the door behind me, before climbing into my truck.

  “I love you, Brody,” Hannah shouts from out of her car window, before she pulls out of the driveway.

  I click my pen open and closed again, attempting to distract my already heavy eyelids from dozing off. Four hours. This meeting has gone on for four hours. Someone please save me from this blue-collar hell.

  “Mr. Lucas, unless you have anything further to add, we’ll conclude this meeting.” Mr. Campbell’s flat voice carries through the entire boardroom. Vincent Campbell was my father’s best friend; he was elected onto the board of JLC, after he’d retired from his normal nine to five. My guess is that retirement bored the shit out of him, and he was looking for something to occupy his time between trips to the country club and vacations to Aruba.

  “I believe we can wrap this up, Mr. Campbell,” I respond, closing the leather portfolio located on the Corsica table in front of me.

  Pushing my chair back to stand, I shake hands with several members of the board, as an unspoken until next time gesture. Mr. Campbell rounds the table, giving me a firm pat on the back.

  “Great job today, Brody. The board will review your five-year plan, and a decision will be made at the board meeting next month. I’m impressed, son. Your father would be proud.”

  His words instill a sense of pride that I have been missing. Sure, my gorgeous girlfriend and my younger sister have been encouraging me for weeks, but this is different. These words come from an established executive, a mogul, and he was very close to my father. In some strange way, it meant something to me. Like this is my father’s approval delivered via Vincent Campbell. For the first time in weeks, I feel a feeling of ease. Maybe I can run this company and be as successful as my father was.

  “Thank you, Mr. Campbell. That means a great deal coming from you.” I shake his hand, before exiting the conference room. Shifting my portfolio to my left hand, I reach into my breast pocket and remove my cellphone. Jesus. Twelve missed calls and six missed texts. Scrolling through the missed call banner, I notice six calls from Micah, three from Addison, and three from Nina. Jesus, who died? My eyes widen when the text badge from Addison flashes, interrupting my scrolling.

  Addison: I don’t know where the fuck you are, but Hannah has been in an accident. Call me ASAP!

  In an instant, my heart sinks into my chest, causing panic to bubble up.

  HANNAH.

  “Hannah, the doctor is ready to see you.” Molly, Dr. Fields’ nurse, holds open the door and leads me down the familiar hallway of patient rooms. “We’re going to be in room eight, but first, let’s take care of the urinalysis, and when you’re done, we’ll do a blood draw for some standard lab reviews.”

  “Thanks, Molly.” Breaking to the left, just before room eight, I enter the restroom and follow the standard directive of providing a urine sample, placing the specimen into the little square box, then wash my hands thoroughly and make my way to the assigned room to wait for the doctor.

  “Alright, good afternoon, Hannah.” Dr. Fields smiles warmly at me. He’s been my general doctor since I was fifteen. “It’s been a while. What brings you in today?”

  I take a deep inhale, and a chuckle escapes me. “I’ve been feeling a bit off for I don’t know a week or so. Cold chills, hot flashes, nausea, and exhaustion.” I shrug and think of all the things that could be playing into my ailment.

  “Hmm, okay. Well, Molly is doing some general urinalysis work ups. I know the flu has
been circling, but that should’ve passed on its own. Any chance of pregnancy?”

  “Nope, still on the shot. I just got the reminder on Friday that my appointment is tomorrow.” I look over at the calendar, then snap my head back to Dr. Fields. “Actually, could I just get that before I go today? I’ll save a trip.” I pop my shoulders up in a casual shrug and await his response.

  “Yeah, that should be fine. Let’s do a quick exam,” he suggests, then flips a switch on the wall and within just a few seconds Molly enters.

  I follow all the prompts with a deep breath in, exhale, say ah, look here, and follow my finger. Dr. Fields excuses himself once his examination is complete to read the preliminary results of urinalysis. I pull my phone from my pocket and begin answering emails that are pushed as high priority in my work outlook exchange application. It’s a fairly light load for the workweek, so after the ten emails, I’m caught up, noticing that only five minutes have passed.

  Me: I should be home before your meeting ends. I’ll have dinner ready around 5:30. Tell the stuffy panel that you have places to go and people to do.

  I’m not surprised that Brody doesn’t respond before the knock at the door. He’s in a board meeting discussing his five-year plan, and dammit, it’s a good plan. A great plan, actually. He may hate the monkey suits, though they look great on him, and he may hate the mundane meetings, but he’s built for business.

  “Hannah, when I agreed that you could have your Depo injection to avoid a second trip into the office, I was under the impression that there was no chance of pregnancy.” Dr. Fields looks at me expectantly, which only causes me to stare back, waiting for the remainder of this consultation.

  “You’ve been feeling the exhaustion and nausea, which I believe contributes to the hot and cold sweats because you’re pregnant.”

  “No, nope. The tests must be showing a false positive,” I argue. “I just had my period.”

  “No, I think you just had some spotting, which is completely normal. This happens, Hannah. The injection is only 94 percent effective.”

  “Jesus Christ Almighty,” I cry out in frustration. We decided to forego the condoms because we are in a committed monogamous relationship. We both are clean, consenting adults, but I can’t be a mother. I mean look at the example I had from my own. Although my foster parents were good to me, I still have those awful childhood memories that won’t go away.

  “Let’s set up another appointment with Dr. Nasrin for an OB consult. In the meantime, get the prenatal vitamins filled, and I have a prescription for Vitamin D. You’re showing a significant deficiency.”

  “Okay,” I state in acceptance and understanding to his instructions, and then I take the physical script, before hopping off the table. “Anything else?”

  “I know you’re overwhelmed, but you’re going to be fine.” Dr. Fields addresses my impending anxiety panic attack. “Alright, dear?”

  “Yeah, I just need some air.”

  I don’t know how much time has passed, but I do know I’m in a hospital. I remember seeing the car cross the middle line. I remember honking my horn and slamming on the breaks. I remember hearing the screeching of the tires. And I remember arriving to Duke Raleigh Hospital strapped to a board with doctors and nurses shouting and quickly moving about.

  Then I went to sleep.

  “Hannah. Hannah can you open your eyes?” I hear Micah’s voice over the loud beeping, but I’m so exhausted. I’m fairly certain that I’ve been awake for multiple days on end. I just want Brody.

  “Micah, let her rest, or the doctor is going to make us leave.”

  Brody, call Brody. I need him!

  “She needs to wake up. They said she hit her head, clearly busting out the window. The longer she stays unconscious, the longer we don’t know the damage.”

  “Why isn’t Brody answering?”

  No! Was he in an accident on his way here? He’ll never know I’m carrying his child. Oh Jesus, the baby!

  With my lids still closed, I try to move my eyes side to side, but I can’t. They feel as if they’re filled with dirt and grime. My eyeballs are on fire, and the pressure and pain are so extreme, so I stop moving them. Instead, I try to move my arms in attempt to get someone’s attention, but they feel as if someone tied them to the hospital bed.

  “I don’t know, but they called me when they arrived on scene. Nina has called him multiple times, and you texted him. I’m sure he’s on his way.” Micah’s voice pierces my sleep. My mouth is drier than the Sahara, but my lips seem to be glued shut. What the hell is wrong with me? My pulse races and soon the only thing I can hear is my heart thumping, until the beeping near my head starts blaring.

  Soon more voices sound and a cooling sensation flows through me, my pulse calms, and I feel weightless. Unsure of how much time passes, I lay still, listening to the conversation of Micah and Addison. Occasionally, I hear Nina, but she must be speaking on the phone because it’s not information pertinent to the other conversation.

  “You guys go grab some dinner.” This comes from Micah, but his voice sounds so exhausted. How long have I been in here? Maybe he’s sending them to dinner because Brody’s almost here.

  I grip the sheets with my fingers at Micah’s protest from everyone to leave, and it must have garnered Nina’s attention.

  “Hannah, can you hear me?” Nina asks calmly. I release the sheets and grasp her hand.

  “Brody,” I whisper, but it isn’t audible.

  “Hannah, what can I get you, sweetheart?” This comes from Micah.

  I swallow hard, attempting but failing to open my eyes, so I try again. “Brody.” My throat feels tight, and my sound is broken and shaky.

  “He’s coming, Hannah. Brody is coming.” Nina squeezes my hand, but no one else speaks.

  Something feels off, and I can feel tension in the room. Tension that I feel when watching an acrobat walk the tightrope, and it’s causing my headache to pulsate.

  “Water?” I whisper, and in what feels like less than a second, the bed dips.

  “Here, Hannah. The straw is at your lips. Take a sip, sweetheart,” Micah murmurs. Fingers brush across my forehead, and I flinch, pulling away. I pry my eyes open only to see Nina staring at Micah in what appears to be shock.

  “I need to talk to Brody,” I plead then turn my head towards Micah, only to catch a tear sliding down Addison’s face. “I need him.”

  Then the tears fall endlessly down my cheeks, as I stare at the closed door.

  Everything has gone silent, except for my heartbeat.

  Thump, thump, thump.

  I hear it pounding loudly from the inside of my chest, during my drive to Duke Raleigh Hospital.

  Thump, thump, thump.

  Gasping for air, I manage to take in the smallest breaths. One by one, they set fire in my chest upon inhalation, and every movement is in slow motion. The minutes feel like hours, while I’m waiting for the red-lights to turn green. The last time I felt like this, my parents were ripped from my life too soon, and now, the love of my life has been rushed to the same hospital my parents passed in. I can’t lose Hannah because we haven’t had enough time. I haven’t had the chance to…

  BEEEEEEEEP!

  My thoughts are now jumbled by the obnoxious driver behind me. Who lays on the horn like that because I didn’t floor it, when the light turned green? Reaching my hand out the driver’s side window, I flip the angry driver off, as he passes. Prick.

  Turning into the emergency entrance of Duke Raleigh Hospital, my hands grasp the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. I come to a stop in the parking spot so quickly my heart could bounce off my ribcage. My head sinks forward in an attempt to steady my breathing, before getting out of the car.

  After a few deep breaths, I manage to remove myself from the truck and head towards the ER entrance at a hasty pace. Once inside, I seek out the nurse sitting behind the front desk of the emergency wing.

  “I’m here for Hannah Scott. She was in an accident
a few hours ago.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I need to know your name and relationship to the patient.”

  “If it’s HIPPA you’re concerned about, you already broke the violation by admitting she’s here.” I grind out through clenched teeth.

  “Sir, your name and relationship?” The gray-haired nurse waits for my answer, as if she has no more important task than knowing our relationship.

  “My name is Brody Lucas, and I’m her boyfriend. I’ve received more than fifteen calls and a dozen text messages. Please, I need to get to her.” My plea is shattered with desperation and frustration.

  Before she can answer, if she was even going to, I spot Nina and Addison exiting a room, and I run towards them, ignoring the nurse’s dismay.

  “Brody!” Nina is the first to spot me.

  “Where in the fuck have you been? We’ve been trying you nonstop!” Addison angrily shoves my chest.

  “I had the big presentation with the board today. You should have called and interrupted, Nina. How’s my girl?” I inquire, after taking notice of Addison’s tear stained cheeks.

  Before answering, Nina grabs my neck and pulls me into a hug. “She’s been asking for you, since she came to, but I need to warn you she’s pretty banged up in there.” Taking a deep breath, my sister continues, “We’re heading to the cafeteria for food. Do you want anything?”

  “I’m gonna go in and see my girl. You guys go eat.” Stepping around Nina and Addison, I push the handle down and enter the room.

  Micah disapprovingly glares in my direction. “As always, late to the party, Lucas.”

  Ignoring his blatant sarcasm, I scoot around the chair next to the bed and take a seat. Placing my hand on top of Hannah’s, my eyes begin to scan the obvious injuries.

  Micah huffs loudly. “Did you not hear me, Brody?”

  I slowly turn my head and look up, unfazed by his hostility. “I heard you. Now, can you step out and give us a minute, Micah? I want to talk to my girl.”