Surrendered

by LP Lovell

  “Okay.” I whisper.

  He raises his eyebrows and leans forward, propping his elbows on the table. “I’m sorry, did you just agree in…” He checks his watch. “Less than a minute?”

  Smug bastard.

  The dinner is amazing. For once we were just two people on a date, oh, other than the fact he just told me he bought a house in my name, and asked me to move in with him. Yeah, that’s pretty monumental.

  Once we’re in the car I turn to look at him. His face is serene and calm. I haven’t seen him look like that since…well, since I met him, I don’t think. Poor guy. I’ve come into his life like a tornado. “So, yes to Cape Verde.” I tell him, picking up our previous conversation. I thought about it over dinner, and I do kind of feel bad. He bought me a house, the least I can do is go and see it. “The only problem is that Molly and I go away together every year. It’s kind of our thing…”

  I watch as the corners of his lips twitch up. He throws me a sideways glance. “So invite her.”

  I squeal and kiss his cheek. “She is going to shit herself when she hears about this!”

  He laughs. I shoot off a quick text to Molly: We’re going to Cape Verde bitch!

  “Do you like windsurfing?” He asks.

  I shrug. “Never done it, but I’ll try anything once.”

  He cocks an eyebrow and turns his head toward me slightly. “Really? Anything?”

  I run my hand up his thigh. “Anything.” I try to hide my smile. I can only imagine the fantasies running through his mind right now.

  My phone rings loudly in my hand bag, distracting me from my taunting of Theo. I reach into my handbag and pull it out, expecting it to be a squealing Molly. Georges name flashes on the screen. I answer it.

  “Hey, babe.”

  “Lilly, where are you?” He snaps.

  “We’re on our way to Theo’s house. Why?” I frown.

  “Oh good, you’re with the sperminator. Tell him his fucking baby mama is going all crazy hormonal on my doorstep. She won’t leave, and seriously, the neighbours are going to complain if she keeps this shit up. She will not leave. Says she needs him.” He huffs. “Tell him to come deal with his shit.” I can’t even get a word in before he hangs up. What the fuck is Cassie doing out? She’s not supposed to be out until tomorrow. Shit, I don’t like this.

  I lean my head back against the head rest and let out a breath. I really hope she hasn’t gone off the rails again. “Everything okay?” Theo asks.

  “No. We need to go to mine. Cassie’s there.” I glance at him as his features tighten.

  “What the fuck?! I thought she didn’t get out of rehab until tomorrow?”

  “Well, technically she can discharge herself. Theo just stay calm okay. She probably just has nowhere to go.” I know he tries with Cassie, and he tries to hide it, but he still has serious issues with the whole thing.

  “Why go to your place? Hell, why not fucking call me?!” His body is practically vibrating.

  He turns left at the next junction heading toward my flat. I place my hand on his thigh, rubbing small circles with my thumb in an attempt to calm him.

  A few minutes later, we pull up outside the flat. George is stood in the main doorway, with Cassie on the step outside. He’s blocking her entrance into the building, and she does not look happy.

  “Stay in the car.” Theo growls at me as he undoes his seatbelt.

  “Theo.” He pauses and glances at me.

  I reach up and touch his cheek. “Breathe. Calm. Don’t lose your shit.” He takes a deep breath and presses a kiss into the inside of my wrist, making my heart throb. Then he’s gone.

  I reach over and press the button to lower the window, just an inch. It’s cold, but I’m worried that Theo might lose it. I need to leave him to handle his shit, but at the same time, I need to know when he’s going to blow and step in. Cassie is vulnerable, whether he sees it or not. She needs help and understanding, and she needs to know that he’s on her side.

  “Cassie what the fuck are you doing here?!” He shouts at her. Yep, because being an arsehole works so well on emotional pregnant women, I’m sure. I want to literally face palm. He has about as much tact as a bloody dinosaur.

  “I need you.” She cries hysterically. I watch his entire stance go rigid. I study his profile carefully in the glow of the outer light. His jaw clenches hard.

  “Seriously?!” He grates.

  “I love you.” She sobs. Oh fuck. This is going south fast. I undo my seat belt and get ready to jump out. I pause though. He needs to work this out with her. So far it’s always been me smoothing the way between them, but truth be told, it’s not my place. I wait, giving him one last chance to try and deal with her rationally.

  “Jesus fucking Christ, look at you! You’re a fucking disaster. You’re delusional.” He shouts just inches from her face. George steps between them, getting in Theo’s face. Okay, not so rational. It’s fine, George will diffuse this. My presence will only make Cassie worse. She wants Theo to help her, to acknowledge her. That’s what this is, a cry for help.

  George and Theo start growling in low voices as George blocks him from my sight. I reach down and turn the heating on, adjusting all the technical computer systems. Seriously, what’s so wrong with a dial? Red for hot, blue for cold, simple.

  My head snaps up when the door handle clicks. It takes me a moment too long to realise it’s not Theo. Cassie throws herself in the car and slams down the locks. Fuck. Oh fuck.

  Theo’s body slams against the window. “Cassie, get out of the fucking car now.” He shouts. “Lilly, get out.”

  I ignore him as I glance at the centre console where the key is still slotted in the dash. “Cassie.” I say calmly. She looks up at me, and what I see is not fucking reassuring. Her eyes are wild, the pupils dilated. She’s on something. Her face is blotchy, mascara running down her cheeks. Her hair is stringy and matted. Her pregnancy bump is covered in a dirty dress. It’s freezing and she’s wearing a dress and cardigan. “Cassie, why don’t we get you inside? Get you a shower and some warm clothes.” I smile calmly.

  “I don’t want anything from you!” She screams. “You took everything from me!” She sobs hysterically.

  “Lilly, get out of the fucking car now!” Theo punches the driver window. It cracks but doesn’t break. His eyes are wide, filled with panic. “Baby, please get out. Leave her.” He begs.

  Cassie lets out an enraged scream and turns on the engine. “Cassie, stop!” I shout as the wheels squeal and the car lurches forward. Fuck. Okay, calm, I can stop her. Talk her down.

  “Cassie, this isn’t the way. I can help you.” I tell her.

  “You can’t fucking help me!” She shrieks. She floors it to the end of my road, and turns left at the end. She doesn’t even look as she floors it straight out of the small junction. Fuck. “You have everything I want, and he doesn’t want me!” She screams. “I thought you were my friend!”

  “I am.” I try to soothe her, but she is so fucking far beyond reason right now.

  The car flies in and out of the slow moving London traffic. I scream when we narrowly miss a head on collision with an oncoming car. Car horns blare as she cuts in and out, drifting from one side of the road to the other. We jump a red light in a symphony of squealing tyres, as we miraculously manage not to die. She crashes over a speed bump and I hear the scrape of metal as the car bottoms out. She drives deeper into central London, picking up speed in the powerful Aston Martin. My heart rate is through the roof, adrenalin flooding my system as we dance with death. We take out wing mirrors as she scrapes up the side of parked cars. This car is going to be fucked. I glance down quickly. Fuck, I don’t have a seat belt on. I fumble with shaking hands, managing to fasten the belt in place.

  “Cassie, you’re going to kill yourself. Think about the baby!” I plead desperately.

  “I have nothing!” She screams. Her eyes flick around manically as the car swerves violently. Okay, fuck, this was without doubt t
he stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Why do I always seem to be a martyr for this girl? I should have just gotten out of the car. I thought she was troubled, desperate. I felt sorry for her. She’s not troubled though, she’s fucking insane. She’s suicidal, and I seem to be stuck with her inside her method of choice.

  She slams her foot down on one of the busier backstreet roads, oh fuck I know where we are. There are a set of lights ahead for a busy junction. “Cassie slow down.” Faster still. “Cassie stop!” Nothing. We’re metres barely twenty yards from the junction, so I do the only thing I can think of. I pull up the handbrake. The wheels lock and the sickening screech of rubber on tarmac fills me ears. Then we start to spin…and spin. It’s all a blur. I scream as the wall of a building whizzes across my vision. Then everything happens so fast, there’s a flash of bright light, followed by an enormous bang. I’m thrown sideways and my head cracks against the window. There’s the horrifying sound of metal bending and then I’m floating, the symphony of destruction ringing in my ears. Another huge bang, agonising pain splits across my chest, and then everything goes black.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THEO

  “There!” George shouts as he catches sight of the Aston up ahead. Cassie has left a trail of destruction in her wake, and I’ve struggled to keep up with her. The car pulls away, getting faster and faster. “Theo, she’s heading straight for a junction!” George yells.

  “I know!” I snap. I step on the accelerator. I’ve never felt so helpless before. Lilly is trapped in a car with a fucking high druggie. I watch as the Aston accelerates dangerously before suddenly locking up, all four tyres smoking. The hand brake. Lilly pulled the handbrake. The car dives to the left and goes into a flat spin. I hit the brakes of the Maserati. All I can do is watch in horror as the Aston spins faster and faster before the wheels cross the white line of the junction and the car gets smashed from the side by a lorry. The impact sends it into the air before it crashes back down into the tarmac and rolls several times, landing on its roof. George is screaming beside me, but it’s overshadowed by the screaming inside my head as I watch the nightmare unfold in front of me.

  I’m running across the street before the car has even stopped moving. No, no, no. Please no. I don’t hear or see anything except my pulse hammering in my ears, and the crumpled metal in front of me. “Lilly!” Tears blur my vision. The car is so mangled, surely no-one could survive that?

  I manage to force the mangled door open. “Lilly. Lilly, can you hear me?” The air bags are still deployed. There’s smashed glass everywhere. Lilly hangs limply in the seat, her hands touching the roof of the car. I crouch down and move the hair away from her face. I choke. Her face is covered in blood. I feel her pulse and thank everything and anything she’s alive, but it’s faint.

  “George!” I shout. He appears next to me. “I need you to help me get her out.”

  “Theo, you don’t know what injuries she has. Shouldn’t you wait for an ambulance?” He says hysterically.

  I way up my options. Blood is soaking though her shirt, spreading down her hanging arms. She’ll bleed to death before they get her out. “She’s bleeding too much. She needs a hospital now!” I snap. “Just reach in and undo her seat belt while I hold her.”

  Between us we manage to lower Lilly carefully out of the car. I scoop her into my arms and move her straight into the Mas. I recline the seat and lay her carefully on it. Her whole body is bloodied and her leg is twisted at an odd angle. Fuck. I check her over, desperately trying to find the source of the blood. Her head. I can’t find the wound, through the hair and blood. Shit. I spot a cardigan on the back seat. I do my best to fashion a pressure bandage around where the bleeding is coming from.

  “Theo, you should wait for an ambulance. They know what they’re doing!” George shouts.

  “Not fast enough!” I say as I move around the front of the car.

  “What about Cassie?” He asks.

  “Don’t care.” I growl. I swear to god, if Lilly dies… I can’t even think it.

  I jump in the car and drive as quickly, but carefully as I can. George is right, I don’t know what injuries she has, but I’m not prepared to risk losing her.

  I pick up her limp hand. “Hold in there for me, sugar. Please.” My chest feels like it’s being ripped open. Her skin is pale where it’s not cut or covered in blood.

  I pull into the A and E of the nearest hospital. I scoop her up, handling her as carefully as I can. The doors glide open and I rush into the reception area. “I need help!” I shout at the receptionist. “She was in a car crash.” Her face blanches as she takes in Lilly’s state. Within minutes Lilly is on a gurney and being rushed inside. A team of doctors and nurses start injecting her and putting tubes down her throat. I try to follow them but a thick set nurse steps in my path.

  “Sir, you cannot go in there.” She says sternly.

  “I need to see her.”

  “No, you need to let the doctor’s work on her. You being in the way will not help her.”

  “But…She…” I have nothing. “Is she going to die?” I ask quietly.

  She gives me a pity-filled look before giving me the usual doctor spiel. “We’ll do everything we can for her.” She pats my arm before moving through the double doors.

  The sign above the doors says resuscitation. I run my hands through my hair. I can’t lose her. I won’t lose her.

  I stand outside that room for what feels like hours. Eventually a nurse tells me I need to wait in the waiting room. I nod and numbly stagger in that direction. George, Molly and Hugo are all there. Molly bursts into tears when she sees me. Hugo catches her as her knees buckle. I watch everything unfold around me as though I’m watching through a TV screen, detached and uncaring. It feels like this isn’t real, like I’m watching someone else go through my own motions. This doesn’t happen. These things happen to other people, not Lilly. Not us.

  I took my eye off Cassie for a second. I let her get to me and I snapped at George. That’s all it took. I can see Lilly’s face as I screamed for her to get out of the car. In true infuriating Lilly fashion, she wouldn’t. She thought she could talk Cassie down. For a fleeting second I wonder if the baby is okay, but I soon shun the thought, because in all honestly, until I know if Lilly is okay, it doesn’t matter.

  Someone slaps me, hard. “Theo fucking pull it together!” Molly shouts. I stare at her, confused. She puts her fingers to her lips. “Oh god I’m sorry.” She starts crying. “Is she okay?”

  I drop into a chair and put my head in my hands. I have no answer for her.

  “Dude, what’s going on?” Hugo crouches in front of me.

  “I don’t know. I…I don’t know.”

  “Oh my god.” Molly starts crying again. “The blood!” George consoles her, holding her to his chest.

  I barely register her words. I’m numb. It’s like my mind has just gone into shut down. I’m not ready for this. I can’t deal with this.

  “Yeah, look I’ll go to your house and grab you some clean clothes. Give me your keys.” He holds his hand out. I glance down at my clothes. My white shirt is red, soaked with blood, Lilly’s blood. I hand him my keys. “George can you go and move the Mas from the ambulance bay?” He takes the fob off the ring and hands it to George.

  “Sure.” He says quietly.

  Molly drops into the seat next to me. I’m not sure I can handle her fragile state. “Harry?” I ask, my voice hoarse.

  She nods. “I called him. He’s on his way.” She sniffs. “He flies in tonight.”

  “Good, that’s…that’s good.” She reaches out and winds her fingers through mine. I let her hold my hand, though it brings me no comfort.

  After an hour a nurse comes and tells us that Lilly’s being taken for surgery, they won’t say what for because we’re not family. Fuck, I hate hospitals. I hate all this shit.

  So I wait anxiously. I wait to find out whether the love of my life, my heart, will live or die.

 
“Hey.” Hugo sits quietly with me. “You know she’ll pull through this. It’s Lilly. That girl fights like no-one I know. It would take a god damn force of nature to keep her down.” I say nothing. God, why is this taking so long?

  A few hours later, I’ve sent Hugo home with Molly. George waits with me, casting nervous glances my way. I check my watch. It’s been six hours since she went into surgery.

  “Where is she?!” I look up into the furious eyes of Lilly’s brother. He’s towering over me, his body tense, his eyes filled with angry tears.

  George jumps up, stepping on front of him. “She’s in surgery.” He says quietly.

  “What happened?” His voice breaks, fear and devastation over taking him. I can’t talk to him. I can’t face him right now. My own fear is tearing me apart. George takes Harry to sit by the window. They talk quietly. I ignore them. I don’t even say hello to Harry.

  It’s hours later when an older man in a white coat steps into the waiting room. “Mr. Parker?” Harry leaps out of his chair. I follow him.

  “I’m her brother.” He says.

  The guy nods. “I’m Dr. Davies. I operated on Lilly.” He clears his throat. “Your sister suffered some very serious injuries.” His face is serious and drawn. “She lost a lot of blood, and went into cardiac arrest. We managed to resuscitate her, and give her a blood transfusion before stabilising her for surgery.” She died. Lilly died. My heart clenches hard, stealing my breath as tears sting my eyes. Fuck. I fight it, determined to hear everything the doctor has to say. She may have died, but she came back. “The left hand side of her body has sustained several injuries, I suspect that this was where the impact came from. She has broken her wrist, her collar bone and some ribs. She’s also suffered a minor fracture to her skull, and has swelling on her brain. Her left femur is fractured, and her ankle was shattered. Our orthopaedic surgeon was able to pin it together, but she will need several more surgeries on it. We haven’t done too much with the other breaks, because honestly, these are the least of her problems right now.” Is he fucking serious? “The swelling on her brain is a concern. There’s no telling what kind of damage has occurred. For now, we just have to sedate her, and allow her body to heal. We’ll know more in a week or two. She also suffered a punctured lung from one of her broken ribs, and some internal bleeding. I operated to repair her damaged organs, but we’ll know how effective that’s been in the next forty eight hours. She’s in Intensive Care, we’re keeping her in a coma for now.” Lilly’s in a coma. She’s not dead though. At this stage, I can only be grateful for that.