“For what?” I ask, puzzled.
“Bringing up Shay. I didn’t mean to.”
“Not a big deal, Sienna. I brought you this shot, you look like you could use it.” I hand her the shot and she thanks me with a grin.
“Thanks, Beau.”
“I’m going to find Rob. Shay will answer eventually,” I tell her as I turn to go.
When I’m out of her view, I reach for my phone and open my thread of messages from Shay.
Me: Sienna’s been trying to call you. She’s worried, are you okay?
I watch the screen for a moment, waiting for any kind of response but nothing comes. I tuck the phone safely back into my pocket and walk over to the refrigerator to get a beer. I pop the top and let the cool liquid slide down my throat. Sienna said she’s worried because she didn’t answer and now she doesn’t answer my text. Something isn’t right, but then we have no way of knowing until she answers one of us.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, hoping to see her name, but it’s just a notification. Dammit, this is frustrating. I want to step off to the side and call her but one look at Sienna with her phone against her ear and I already know she’s trying again. Her lips begin moving and she’s waving her hands around. She glances over at me and waves that everything is okay. She must be talking to Shay finally. At least I know I can breathe a little easier now.
Rob calls me over. He’s holding up the drunken chicken he’s about to put on the pit. I laugh.
“Take a picture of this baby before it gets cooked. I’ll even smile for the camera.”
I pull the phone out of my back pocket and snap a few pictures for him. When we’re finished, he puts it on the pit and closes the lid. My mouth is already watering and it won’t be ready to eat for a while. As usual, we waited too long to get it cooking but damn it’ll be a good late night snack.
“I’m hungry now,” I joke.
“Yeah I know, we’re going to tear that shit up later. It’s going to be good. Where’s Sienna?” he asks, looking around.
I point over to Sienna, who is still talking on the phone. Her hand is over her mouth and that sense that something is wrong begins to drag over me but when Sienna sees me, she nods no. What the hell? Oh well, I grab myself another beer. I look at a few people playing beer pong and decide I want in on the next game. Rob comes and stands beside me, proclaiming we have the winners and the crowd erupts into cheers. Bunch of drunks. I can’t help but laugh as we stand and wait our turn.
Sienna’s scream jerks us from the game at hand and Rob runs and see what’s wrong but Sienna is already here with tears streaming down her face. The tears fall heavily down her face and any attempt to speak is completely botched for the time being. I just want to know what the hell is going on because just a few moments ago, she was waving me letting me know everything was okay.
Chapter 13
Shayleigh
This day should have gone so much differently. I got shown who Wyatt truly is by walking in on him getting ready to fuck the newest slutty nurse, Mona, and then I found out that I’m carrying Beau’s baby. I’m not upset about that part, however I am upset that he’s not here so I can tell him about it in person. I have to bide my time until that can happen. I finally answer Sienna’s phone call after Beau’s text. I would like to have told him everything right then and there but that would be a shitty way to hear you’re going to be a dad, so I just didn’t answer him.
Sienna can see through me whether we’re in person or on the phone, so I knew when I answered the call that something was bound to come out. She already knew I had cut all ties to Wyatt but she was shocked as hell to find out what I saw this evening. Hell, I’m still shocked and my eyes need to be bleached big time. I figured Farrah would have heard all this first but Sienna is the lucky winner and boy did she get a doozy. It wasn’t easy to come out and tell her I’m pregnant but I needed to tell her. I know she won’t tell Beau, I trust her. At first I didn’t tell her it was Beau, so she immediately began bitching. Of course everyone assumes it’s Wyatt. When I told her it was Beau, she squealed and there began our plan for how we’d tell him. She fully agrees with me on the no texting or phone call thing.
As soon as I got into my car, I put the Bluetooth on and began talking to her hands free. She began talking excitedly about baby things, and hearing her all excited helped to ease some of my anxieties. I pull out onto the freeway like normal, I’m just ready to get home. Sienna is telling me about the party they have going on and she wishes I was there even though I can’t drink. I laugh as I continue to drive up the dark road. An eighteen wheeler inches up on the side of me and I take a deep breath as he slides into my lane. He moves back and I let the breath go. That shit scares me. I’m listening to something Sienna says when the truck does it again but this time he doesn’t move, he hits the side of my car and I scream as my car gets pushed into the third lane, right into oncoming traffic. The headlights are bright, and inside I pray that the car can stop before it hits me. Sienna’s voice fills my car as she yells to find out what’s going on and I try to speak but the words won’t come out. The headlights inch closer and closer, bringing the sound of loud pangs of metal crashing all around me. The only thing I can think is please let this baby be okay and if something should happen to me, let everyone know I love them, including Beau. God, I love him. Soon the only thing I see is pure darkness.
***
Beau
Rob and I continue to stare at Sienna while she sobs uncontrollably. Rob moves over to wrap his arms around her and begins to softly talk to her. Whatever he’s saying seems to calm her down but the tears continue to fall down her face.
“What’s going on, Sienna?” I ask, unable to keep quiet any longer. The ache in my gut is telling me something is wrong and if it has to do with Shay, then I need to know.
“Come on, babe, tell us what’s going on. It’s okay,” Rob coaxes.
She looks up with bloodshot eyes and shakes her head. “It’s not okay. We need to go to Missouri now. Sh-Shay was in an accident. I heard it all. I heard the crash and she wouldn’t answer and I don’t know if she’s okay,” she sputters.
My whole world spins around at warped speed. I must have heard her wrong, that’s the only explanation. Shayleigh couldn’t have been in a wreck, it’s just not possible.
“Sienna, you sure you weren’t just hearing things?” I ask, still trying to wrap my head around this.
She turns to face me. She’s crying again and just shakes her head no. My knees give out beneath me as I fall to the ground. Sienna and Rob crouch beside me as my tears begin to fall. I don’t care that a party is happening around us, none of us care. My Shay is hurt and I’m not there for her. I should be there.
“I-I shouldn’t have left,” I cry. “I could have been there to make sure she’s okay.”
“Man…” Rob touches my shoulder. “No one knew this was going to happen. It’s not your fault.”
It isn’t my fault but blame consumes me. I was there until recently, a few weeks to be exact. I should have sucked it up and stayed and then I could be there to see her right now. At least her dad is there right now. She has someone but damn, what I wouldn’t give to be that person.
“Sienna, does her dad know? Should someone call him? I mean, I don’t know how to get ahold of him but—”
“Beau, I’m sure he knows,” she whispers.
I look around and people are staring at us. Many are taking the hint that something is indeed wrong and are beginning to leave. “We obviously can’t leave for Missouri tonight. We’ve all been drinking. We just need to go inside, pack a bag, and try to rest. We can head out first thing in the morning,” Rob says.
Sienna and I both know he’s right so we don’t even try to argue. It’s too long of a drive to risk, although I’m sober now. I can’t help but wonder about her. I want to know she’s okay. I somehow get to my feet and walk slowly toward the house. Rob and Sienna follow me and once we get inside, we each g
o our own separate ways. Once I get to my room, I shut the door and lean against it. My body sinks, falling to the floor and the sobs begin again. I can’t imagine how Sienna must have truly felt as she heard it happen. I grab my phone and open my messages. As I stare at her name, my finger roams up to the call button. I know she won’t answer the phone but I just want to hear her voicemail pick up.
The phone rings and rings and mentally I’m preparing myself to hear her voicemail pick up but instead another voice fills my ears. “Hello? Beau?” I hear the voice say.
I sit there for a second trying to figure out what’s happening before I answer. “Y-yes?”
“This is Shayleigh’s dad. I have her phone. Somehow it survived the wreck. I, uh, I was going to call you. Shayleigh is pretty banged up and right now I’m waiting for a damn doctor to tell me something else. They’re also monitoring the baby. I didn’t know she was pregnant.”
His voice sounds tired and weary. I can only imagine what he’s going through right now. That’s his daughter going through all of this. Hearing him say she’s in bad shape brings the tears back to my eyes and I sob even more. I’m stuck here and I can’t see her. What if just a few weeks ago was the last time I’ll ever see her? I can’t seriously lose her forever like this. Then he says something about a baby and confusion hits me. Baby?
“Shit,” I tell him. “I’m leaving in a few hours and heading up there, if that’s all right.”
“I think she’d really love that, son.” Hearing him say that gives me some sense of hope.
“Mr. Dougherty?”
“Yeah, son?”
“You said they’re monitoring a baby?”
“Shayleigh is around eight weeks pregnant. They were able to find the heartbeat, so that’s positive news. I’m sorry, I don’t know that I should be telling you this.”
“No, it’s fine,” I mutter. My mind races back to the night we had sex in my truck. We acted in the pure heat of passion and neither one of us bothered with a condom. I don’t know why I never thought about that until now, maybe it’s because so much turmoil was happening around that time, who knows? Is the baby mine and was she even going to tell me about it since we’ve become somewhat estranged? Now I really can’t wait to get to Missouri, and if Sienna knows this and didn’t tell me, well, right now I’ll forgive her because all I care about is Shayleigh’s well-being.
“The doctor is walking this way, have a safe drive, and if something changes I’ll call you.”
“Yes sir, thank you.”
I hang up the phone and close my eyes. A baby? I can’t seem to get that part out of my head. I guess it’s better to have at least heard it now before we got there. I’d hate to be blindsided with something like that. My mind wanders to Shay and I’m not a big religious person, but I begin to pray. I pray that she will fight through whatever this is and come out stronger than she was before. I pray that this baby inside of her will be safe, whether it belongs to me or not. I cry a little more as I say amen and pull myself from the floor. I walk to the closet and grab my duffle bag. I stuff it to the top with clothes and more clothes, leaving just enough room for my toothbrush and toothpaste. I climb into bed and attempt to fall asleep but nothing happens.
My doorknob turns and I see Sienna walking in. Her eyes are puffy, like she’s never stopped crying. She sits on my bed and stares at the wall. “Can’t sleep?” I ask her as I sit up.
She shakes her head. “No. Rob is asleep and I tried but I can’t get the sounds out of my head. She screamed, Beau. She screamed and there was nothing I could do.” Her tears start again and I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.
“I called her phone to listen to her voicemail and her dad answered.”
Sienna’s eyes dart to mine. “What did he say? Is she okay?”
“He said she was pretty banged up and he was waiting for the doctor.” I take a deep breath as I finish. “He also told me they were monitoring a baby because Shayleigh is about eight weeks pregnant.”
“Shit,” she mutters.
“You knew about the baby, didn’t you?”
She nods. “Before her wreck she called me back and began telling me how she went to talk to Wyatt to ask him to please stop making her clinicals a living hell and she walked in on him getting freaky with some nurse, so she ran out and went into the bathroom. She figured while she was in there she should take the test and it came back positive.”
Right now, I want to beat the shit out of that doctor. I knew there was something about him and the fact she had to see it to find out—well, it pisses me off even more. What if this baby is his? Dammit.
“Beau?” she says, pulling me from my thoughts. I look up at her, curious as to what she could possibly say now. “She told me that y’all didn’t use a condom that night and she’s positive this baby is yours. She was trying to figure out how to tell you in person before the accident happened.”
“She was still sleeping with him though, Sienna. It could very well be his.”
She glares at me, and the way her eyes narrow make me want to disappear. “She wasn’t still sleeping with him, Beau. After you two had sex, she cut all sexual ties with him. Even when he tried to get her to, she wouldn’t. That night I got drunk and told you I had a secret? I was trying to tell you that she didn’t choose him.”
“Shit. I’m sober as hell now. I have been since we found out. Can we wake up Rob and start driving? I can’t sit another minute in this house. I need to get to Missouri.”
For the first time in hours, Sienna smiles. Sure her smile is tear stained, but it’s a damn smile. “I need to get there too, let’s wake his ass up. He can sleep in the truck.” She stands and turns back to face me. “Things happen for a reason, Beau. This is something terrible but maybe this is what it will take to finally bring you two back together.”
She walks out and I grab that toothbrush and toothpaste and shove them into my duffle bag. Once I have it zipped up, I carry it to the living room and sit on the couch. I’m beyond ready to get on the road. Sienna comes out next, carrying two bags and one is sitting in the hall. I look at her, puzzled, and she explains that the two in her hands are hers and the other one is Rob’s. A very sleepy-eyed Rob comes walking out next, muttering a line of cuss words, and goes back in his room to grab his pillow. What a crazy last few hours. One minute we’re partying and next we’re heading on a ten hour road trip to see Shay. Each one of us praying she’s going to be okay.
Chapter 14
Beau
Because Rob is sleeping, and Sienna and I are feeling antsy to get to Missouri, we’ve only stopped once, and it was five hours into the trip. We bought enough snacks and drinks to feed a small army so we wouldn’t be tempted to stop. We rationed the drinks so bathroom stops were practically nonexistent. Ten hours later, or maybe nine, depending on how fast I drove most of the time, we are finally back in Missouri. I never thought I’d come back here on terms like this, but here I am. Sienna talked to Shay’s dad a few moments ago and he informed us which hospital she was in. Great, the very same one she works in. At least I know where I’m going. I drive straight there and park. The three of us exit the truck and make our way to the front doors. Shay’s dad meets us in the lobby and guides us to the elevators. Once we’re inside, I look at him with hopeful eyes and ask if she’s doing a little better.
“She’s stable,” he tells us, “but she’s asleep. She’s in ICU, mainly to monitor the baby, so only two people can go back at a time. I have to warn you before any of you see her, her face is pretty bruised and cut up from the glass shattering, so she isn’t going to look like you last remember her. There’s still some blood in her hair that they didn’t get out and her left arm is broken. She was very lucky on that end, considering what the car looks like. Another round of visitation is about to start if two of you want to go in first.”
Sienna’s eyes begin to water, so I answer for her. “Are you sure? We can wait if you want to go back in.”
“I’ll go when
one of you comes out, it’s fine.”
Rob pipes up and rests his hand on my shoulder. “You and Sienna go in, I’ll wait out here and find us some coffee.”
“Thanks, man,” I tell him.
Shayleigh’s dad leads us to the desk for our ICU badges. I’m freaking out on the inside. I know he warned us but the initial shock when we see her will still be there and I have to be strong for Sienna. The nurse instructs us on what we can and can’t do. We both nod our heads in agreement before she opens the door. Sienna and I wash our hands diligently before walking back to Shay’s room.
Sienna latches onto my arm and her breathing gets ragged. She’s beginning to freak out and we haven’t even seen her yet. I turn to face her and attempt to give her a reassuring smile. It’s hard to smile though, knowing what we’re about to see. I stop in front of the room. The door is open but I can’t really see anything. Taking a deep breath, I slowly walk inside. Wires and machines line the four walls of the room. Sienna looks toward Shay and a sob escapes her lips. She stops dead in her tracks, refusing to move forward. Shay has several machines hooked up to her. Silent tears roll down my cheeks as I walk toward her. Damn, what I would do to have her open her eyes and look at me. Instead they are swollen shut while she sleeps, and the beautiful face I’d grown so accustomed to seeing has a purple and black hue to it. Her usually soft, blonde hair has tinges of blood stuck in it, giving it a pinkish tint. My heart breaks just seeing this. I keep thinking we’re stuck in some sort of terrible nightmare and any minute now I will wake up and be safely tucked in bed, but that’s far from the truth. I reach for Shay’s bruised hand, gently pulling it into mine. When Sienna sees I’m touching her, she slowly inches closer.
“You can touch her, Sienna, it’s okay. She needs to know we’re here for her.” I turn back to look at Shay. “I love you, Shayleigh. I love you so much.”
Destined for A Dirt Road (Dirt Road Summer #2) Page 9
