Chapter Nine
Scott
My alarm buzzes but I don’t need it, I’ve not slept much. I couldn’t, all I kept seeing when I closed my eyes is Hailey’s battered body. That and seeing her with a fucking bullet hole in her head. Maddie told us about the night when they were held at gunpoint, that the only way that she could save Jake, Maddie and herself was to go with him and Hailey, being Hailey wanted to make sure everyone was safe so she put herself in even more danger.
Luke drove me home from the hospital and I couldn’t contain my anger, hearing her tell me that she left her sister in the hands of a maniac pissed me off to no end.
“He had a gun to our heads, what was I supposed to do?” The crying isn’t helping with my anger, listening to her, it’s making me realize that she hasn’t fucking changed, she’s still the selfish bitch she always was.
“Call the fucking cops!” I spit out at her, “Tell any of us, we would have made sure she was safe.” I look at Luke who has a disbelieving look on his face.
“He would have hurt me!” She cries and her face is twisted into ugliness.
Luke pounds on the steering wheel, “You should still have fucking done it! She’s your goddamn sister, you should have been helping her.”
“Let me get this straight, you didn’t want to get hurt but you didn’t mind your sister being hurt.” I’m disgusted, I’ve never known such selfishness. She opens her mouth to say something but I can’t listen to any more of her shit, “Were you lying? Did you even try and save her or did you sit back and watch as he beat the crap out of her?”
She gasps as though I’ve said something nasty to her, fuck, I’ve not even started yet. “No, I know you don’t like me Scott but let me tell you something. I love my sister, I love her more than anything in this world and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that she is safe. So, fuck you for even thinking that!”
“A fine fucking job you’ve done so far. Tell me something Maddie, does loving your sister include making her homeless, carless, and penniless?” I spewed everything I’ve been thinking since I found out what she did before going to rehab.
“No, I’m the first to admit that I’ve made mistakes. I have done so wrong by Hailey and I plan on making it up to her.” Her cries are getting louder and I can’t deal with this shit anymore. I don’t even acknowledge that last remark she made, it’s bullshit, when it comes to Maddie, seeing is believing and until I see with my own fucking eyes that she’s a changed woman I won’t believe it.
Luke pulls up outside the apartment, “Call me in the morning.” He tells me and I don’t even look at Maddie as I nod to him and get out of the car and away from the toxicity that is Maddie.
My cell rings for the fifth time this morning and it’s not even 8am. Looking at the caller id, I see that it’s Soph’s name and I really don’t want to be dealing with my little sister right now. Soph has to be center of attention, has to be involved in everything and Hailey needs to be center of attention, she needs to be the one who is at the forefront of everyone’s minds so I ignore the call and jump into the shower.
I’m rushing through my shower as I want to be at the hospital by 9am, although with the Manhattan traffic I doubt I will be. As I turn off the water, I hear pounding on the door and I have no doubt in my mind that it’s Sophia, that woman doesn’t understand being ignored. I quickly wrap a towel around me and answer the door, who’s standing there? Sophia.
“You, asshole, I’ve been trying to call you all morning. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She says with attitude.
“Soph, I love you but did you ever think that I didn’t answer the calls for a reason?” I watch as her eyes shut and when they open, they’re void of emotion. Great, she’s pissed off, just what I need.
“Why?”
“Because you always involve yourself into his life, I told you to let him deal with this his own way.” Nathan says coming to stand beside her.
“I worry.” She lies to the both of us and we both know that it’s utter bullshit, “Fine, I’ll back off. I’ve got to go anyway, I need to go to Luke’s.”
“Good idea, go and annoy him… I mean visit with him for a while.” Her eyes narrow at me but Nathan laughs and she turns her attention onto him. “Okay, I’ve got to get dressed if I’m going to get to the hospital. I’ll see you later.” Nathan waves as Sophia sticks her middle finger up at me, “Classy Soph, real classy.”
She lets out a little giggle, “I aim to please.” I shake my head as I close the door that woman is crazy and I feel sorry for Nathan having to deal with her.
I make it to the hospital just after 10am, the traffic was mayhem and as soon as I reach Hailey’s room, Maddie exits with a smile on her face which falters slightly when she sees me. “She’s awake,” My whole body relaxes and I didn’t even realize I was that tense, “The doctors are just examining her now, we can go in when they’re finished.”
“Has she said anything?” I ask as I look at the officer stationed outside of her room, he looks sharp and alert.
Maddie shakes her head, “She has just stared at me, she hasn’t said a word. I’m hoping she’ll say something to the doctor.” She turns and looks at the door, she’s tense, her shoulders are hunched, but I’m not giving her an apology. I wasn’t out of line last night. She needed to face reality, she’s been given a wide berth to be the bitch she’s become and she’s gotten away with it for a long ass time. Not with me and not with Hailey, not anymore. I’m making sure nothing toxic gets to her and if that means cutting Maddie from her life then so be it.
We’ve been standing outside Hailey’s room for the past thirty minutes and Maddie hasn’t spoken since telling me the doctors were seeing her. I wish they’d hurry the fuck up, I want to see her now that she’s awake. “I know that you hate me and you have every reason to, but why are you here Scott?”
“What do you mean why am I here?” My eyes slice to her, what the hell is she talking about?
“You broke her heart and then when she finally decides to forgive you, you throw it back in her face and try and sleep with someone else.” How the fuck does she know about that? She laughs, “You may hate me but Hailey doesn’t. She’s told me everything, she used to visit me while I was in rehab, she told me everything that happened that week. Including you getting her hopes up, kissing her and then only days later crushing her heart yet again. So, I’m going to ask one more time; what the hell are you doing here Scott?”
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing here? I want Hailey, I always have and I always will and there isn’t anything you can say that will change that. You put on some act, you should really hit Broadway, you’d make a killing.” My tone holds a warning, one she’d better heed. If she stands in my way I’ll have no qualms in taking her down.
“You think she wants you? Come on Scott, even you’re not that dense. Why would she?” She’s a woman, you don’t lay a hand on women in anger. I tell myself, trying my best to reign in my anger.“What makes you so sure she’d forgive you?”
“She forgave you, didn't she?” I bite back, I’m not letting this bitch talk to me as though I’m some sort of punk. “No matter how much of an ass I’ve been I never intentionally meant to hurt Hailey, I’ve never put her into harm’s way either and I’m not a fucking selfish bitch.” I don’t give a fuck that I’m being an asshole to her, hasn’t she heard, those that live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist, I just asked a question.” She’s crazy, that’s all that there is too it. Before I can say anything, Hailey’s door opens and a barrage of doctors exit. Geez, how many doctors does she need? “Doctor, is she okay?” Maddie asks the older looking guy, he’s different from the doctor she had last night.
“We’ll know more when we get a brain scan, we want to make sure that the swelling has gone down. I’m worried about the lack of communication, she understands what is being said, she just won’t talk. It may be a sign of trauma or it
could be her way of coping. We’ll monitor her over the next couple of days.” He tells Maddie with a small smile and walks toward the next room.
I don’t wait for Maddie, I go to walk into her room but am stopped by the officer, I show him my ID and he lets me through. As I enter her room pain slices through me as I see her. Her face looks worse today than it did last night. The bruising is starting to come out and her face is now a mirage of black and blue. The swelling has gone down somewhat, I have no idea what to say to her, she hasn’t even looked in my direction. I think it’s the first time in my life that I’ve been speechless. I walk past her to stand beside her and she doesn’t even react, it’s as though she’s not really there.
“Hailey, are you hungry? You didn’t eat breakfast.” Maddie says coming to stand the other side of the bed. Hailey doesn’t acknowledge her, she doesn’t even blink. Maddie looks up at me as though I can help, Maddie looks helpless and Hailey looks haunted.
“Maddie get her a sandwich, she might eat it later.” Relief enters her eyes and she swiftly nods before exiting the room. “Hailey.” I call but she doesn’t even register it. “Hailey.” I say firmer but still nothing. “You know I’m not leaving so you may as well acknowledge me.”
She turns to me with a look of pure fear in her eyes, she doesn’t say anything, just stares. I move her arm slightly, not wanting to hurt her and climb into the bed beside her careful not to make any jarring movements that might cause her pain. She freezes as I reach out and hold her hand, not liking how close I am to her. I wait until she becomes accustomed to me being beside her and it takes a couple of minutes until it happens, but it does. “I’m wondering if I should call Jake? He doesn’t know yet and I know that if he finds out he’s going to be hurt.” She tenses again and as much as I’d love to take that as her answer I won’t. I want her to talk again, even if it’s to tell me to fuck off.
“Maddie’s worried about you, yeah who would have thought that she’d be worried about anyone but herself. She tried to protect you.” At the mention of Maddie trying to protect her she moves slightly. What I'm saying is affecting her. “Did you see her? She has a broken arm too, along with a few broken ribs.” Again, she shifts slightly and she looks down at her hand that’s in a cast.
“You know you could have come to me, you could have told me what was happening I would have helped.” I implore wanting her to see that she’s not alone. It was the wrong thing to say, she moves further away from me and her face is etched with pain.
We sit in silence, I don't want her to get hurt anymore. I wonder where the hell Maddie is? She's been gone for a long ass time. The door opens and Sophia walks in, a big smile on her face. “Morning. Now Hailey I know that you don't have anything here so I brought you some pajamas, clothes, and a few books to read.” She's too fucking cheerful, what the hell? Does she realize she's in a hospital? “How are you feeling?” She drops the bag she was carrying onto the floor and touches the hand that Hailey has in a cast. Hailey doesn't flinch but she also doesn't say anything, this can’t continue; it’s as though she’s lost all the fight inside of her.
“Is there something wrong with her? Maddie never said.” Soph asks, her eyes glued to Hailey.
“You saw Maddie? Where is she?” I’m pissed that she’s disappeared.
“Standing outside. I presumed she didn’t want to come in due to the argument you had last night.” Hailey’s eyes slide to mine, again, she doesn’t say a word she just stares. “Was it as bad as Luke says?”
What the fuck? I get of the bed and walk around to Sophia, taking her by the arm I drag her out of the room. She’s fighting me but I don’t give a shit right now. As we get into the corridor I see Maddie’s eyes widen as does the officer’s, I don’t entertain them as I focus on Sophia, “What the fuck is your problem?” I’m in a blind rage at the moment, is she stupid or just senseless?
She pulls out of the hold I have on her arm, “What the hell is my problem? Damn, Scott, what the hell is yours?” the sadness in her eyes makes me want to apologize but I don't she was well out of line. “Why the hell did you turn into the Hulk?”
“Why the fuck were you talking about an argument that had nothing to do with you?” Am I being harsh? Probably, but she pushes too far sometimes and today she overstepped the mark big time. “She's been hurt and beaten do you really think she wants to hear how much of a dick I was to her sister? No matter how right I was, she doesn't need to hear it… no she shouldn't have heard it. Why the hell did you say anything?”
“You can't treat her as though she's made of glass Scott, she's hurting enough; she doesn't need to be tiptoed around. She needs to know that she's still the same Hailey and be treated the same.” She’s mad, she doesn’t understand.
“Not everyone is the fucking ice-queen Soph, not everyone can get over the torture that you managed too. Some people need to be handled with care.” I can't believe her. “just go home Soph.” I shake my head, so fucking disappointed in her.
“No, I won’t. I get that I’m an abrasive bitch and I have no people skills but I do know one thing about being shattered and that’s exactly what she is Scott, shattered. She needs to realize that being shattered doesn’t mean broken and she has people who love her and want to help her heal.” Fuck, my sister really knows how to hit me in the gut. “I get that you love her, you always have. You need to show her that without being overbearing and controlling. She’s just left a relationship in which she had no way out.” Her voice is soft and I know that she’s trying to help but she’s not and all she’s doing is pissing me off further. “Scott,”
“I’m not him, I wouldn’t hurt her.” I grit out through clenched teeth, who the fuck does she think I am? She should know me better than that, she’s my goddamn sister. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
She takes a step back in surprise, “Whoa,” she raises her hands in surrender, “I never said you were, I would never say or even think that. Do you think that little of me? God, I was just saying to tread carefully and don’t push her. Just don’t push.” Her eyes gloss over and I feel like an asshole.
I'm over to her and pulling her into my arms. “I'm going crazy Soph. He hurt her, he beat her. You saw her. He broke my angel.” I whisper, “She hates me.”
Her hands tighten around me. “She doesn't hate you, she loves you, we all know that, just go in there and be patient. Talk nonsense to her, laughter is the greatest medicine and Scott it's about time you got your shit together. You two belong together and always have.” she pulls away from me, “You’re doing the right thing making sure nothing hurts her.” Her eyes glance toward Maddie, who's staring at us with narrowed eyes. “I'm going to go, give Hailey my love and I'll see her tomorrow.” she waves goodbye and I watch her leave.
I finally turn my attention to Maddie. “Where's the sandwich?” Her hands are empty.
“She doesn’t want one, if she did she would have said. You need to calm the hell down, Sophia was right, Hailey doesn’t need your brand of assholeness right now.”
I take a step closer to her and she stands taller, tilting her head to look at me as I do. “I may be an asshole to you because, let's face it Maddie, you’re no good to anyone. You’re full of shit and we both know it. You say you care about her, then why are you standing out here like a fucking coward? This could have been avoided if you weren't such a selfish bitch. You have to live with that for the rest of your life, that’s if it even bothers you? Tell me something Maddie, how do you sleep at night?” I’m as close to her as I can be so I don’t hit her.
“I sleep like a baby. I fucked up, I know, and I fucked up huge but I’m going to make amends and that starts with making sure my sister is nowhere near you.” She spits out. I’m over to her in a split second, she quickly scurries back until her back hits the wall, “What are you going to do? Hit me?” She has a cunning grin on her face and there’s no way I’d ever do that no matter how much I’d like too. “What are you waiting for?”
“No
matter what you say, you’re still a bitch; that isn’t ever going to change. You’re only out for one thing and that’s to see what you can get. Heed me now Maddie, Hailey is mine and there is nothing you can say that is ever going to change that and your pathetic attempt at trying to get a rise out of me won’t work. I’ve dealt with bigger bitches than you and came away smiling. Stay the fuck away from me Maddie because you won’t like who I become.” I don’t give her time to respond, I turn away and walk back into Hailey’s room. She’s the most important person right now and Maddie can fuck the hell off.
Chapter Ten
Hailey
I feel empty, like there’s something missing and I have no idea what. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I don’t want them to hear the pain I’m in right now, not from my injuries but the pain of being broken. I feel like everyone is going to judge me, think I’m stupid. Stupid for even being with him in the first place and stupid for staying with him for so long even though I did it so those I loved were safe. I should have listened to Connor, he told me there was something wrong with him. If only I had listened, none of this would have happened. I miss him so much, there’s not a day goes by that I don’t think of him.
I wonder if Scott’s going to come back, he took Sophia out of here like a man possessed. I don’t know why he did that, I wanted to find out what happened between him and my sister. I don’t doubt that she deserved it but she’s been hurt too, he should have gone easy on her. I know Maddie can be difficult but she’s my sister and I love her. Knowing that Eric hurt her anyway kills me, it was the reason why I stayed with him, he threatened her life on more than one occasion and that night that he had the gun to our heads is my recurring nightmare. There’s not a night goes by that I don’t dream of it, of him actually pulling that trigger and taking the only family I have left.
Deadly Mistake (Deadly Series Book 5) Page 9
