Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brooke
It took three days for the doctors to allow me to visit Dom’s room. I had a long way to go to recovery, mainly because of the deep gash in my side from metal that had cut into me during the accident. Amazingly it had missed all my vital organs, but the doctors were still concerned about infection. Their concern hadn’t stopped me from begging to go see Dom every time they walked into my room.
He’d been rushed to emergency surgery as soon as we arrived at the hospital. When the truck rolled over, his chest had hit the steering wheel hard. No one would tell me the extent of his injuries, probably because it was terrifying enough to hear that he was in critical condition. I choked back another sob as I held on to his hand. Every time I thought about being trapped in the truck, I couldn’t hold back the trembles that took over my body. The only thing that would make me feel better was having Dom’s arms wrapped around me.
I clutched at his hand tighter and prayed we’d get answers soon because Dom being like this was torture. He was always so vibrant and full of life. The pale color of his skin wasn’t natural, and it was all too easy to imagine him not making it through this. Seeing him lifeless, lying in a bed with tubes and machines all around, was a pain worse than death, but at least it allowed me to know he wasn’t actually gone.
Sofia laid her hand on my back. She’d been oddly quiet today, but she was never far from his side. Since she was only an hour away, she’d beaten my parents to the hospital. When I woke, she was the one who told me the extent of Dom’s injuries. She’d held me, and we cried together while we waited to hear news about Dom’s condition.
“Brooke, the police brought in Dom’s backpack from the crash. Apparently it was still there from over Christmas break. Would you mind going through it and seeing if there’s anything else you can think of that might be in the car? Matt volunteered to go down to the salvage yard, but I don’t want him to if he doesn’t have to.”
I swallowed hard before answering. As painful as it was, I needed to do it because I knew his schedule the best. “Of course.”
I took the bag and walked out to the waiting room. The last thing I wanted to do was start crying in front of Sofia again. Going through Dom’s things, it was bound to happen. My fingers shook as I unfastened the zipper and started pulling each book out individually. When I came to his sketchbook, I smiled. He was constantly showing me small pieces he worked on. I flipped through quickly and pushed it back in the bag.
I looked down at a weathered piece of paper that had fallen out of his book. It took me all of two seconds to realize this was something important—something Dom might not want me to see—but it didn’t matter. My fingers trailed over the soft creases and shook slightly as I saw what he’d drawn. Dom was a talented artist, but he’d outdone himself. An incredibly detailed version of my own face stared back at me. In the sketch, my eyes were slightly narrowed and my mouth was parted—I looked happy. Thrilled even. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one else had seen the drawing. It seemed even more personal now that I knew what was on the paper.
How old is this drawing?
The corners were well worn, and the paper looked like it had been opened and shut a hundred times. Tears pricked at my eyes, and the knot in my throat made it difficult to swallow. Why Dominic? I asked God this over and over again. The unfairness made me want to scream and throw things across the room and rip everything apart so the destruction I left behind was even a drop of what I felt inside.
Instead, I sat next to Dom every day.
Waiting for a change.
Waiting for my other half to wake up.
Because there was no way I could do this without him. I’d already tried once, and I was a complete mess. He was the love of my life. Dominic made me a better person because he challenged me. He knew my limitations, but he made me want more for myself. How did someone get over losing their other half? I couldn’t do it.
My fingers clutched the paper tighter, and I let the tears fall. Crying was supposed to be cathartic, but every tear that ran down my cheek was just another reminder of what I was missing. A memory I’d never get back. Long minutes ran into hours that I was losing with him.
Matthew was the one who found me. His strong arms wrapped around me, and it reminded me of Dominic. I let myself pretend for a few minutes while he whispered into my hair. Guilt wrapped itself around my heart, but if I was going to make it through this, I needed to clutch onto any hope possible.
***
As I walked into Dom’s room, Sofia shoved something behind her back and looked at me guiltily. She shared a look with my mother and edged around the bed, further into the room so she could sit down next to the head of Dom’s bed. God, what was it now? I couldn’t take the constant roller coaster of emotions today. One more thing and I was going to lose my mind.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Sofia said quickly. “Nothing at all.”
I walked over to Dom and ran my hands down his arms gently. This whole day had me weary that something else bad might happen. Looking through Dom’s belongings was tough, but watching him lay here each day was worse. I wanted him to open up his gorgeous brown eyes and tell me this was all going to be a bad memory one day. Sofia sighed and I glanced over. She had a small black box in her hands, obviously not aware of the fact that she wasn’t hiding it anymore. I gasped and she yanked her hand back.
“Brooke--”
“Sofia, tell me what that is.”
Her head dropped and I could tell she was holding back tears. “You know what it is, mija.”
My own tears blurred my vision. “No,” I whispered. “Absolutely not.”
She nodded and choked back a sob. “Dom was going to ask you on New Years Eve while you were at Mount Bonnell. He said he wanted to start his new year off perfectly with you by his side. He didn’t care if you waited to plan the wedding, but he wanted a ring on your finger so everyone would know you were his.”
I turned to look at my mom. “Momma?”
Her cheeks were damp with tears and she smiled sadly. “I’m so sorry, baby. When you guys were visiting--” She sucked in a sharp breath. “He asked your Daddy for his blessing. He told him how much he loves you and--”
My entire world crumpled in on itself. God this wasn’t fair. Dominic and I had fought so hard to get where we were and now I didn’t even know if I could keep him. I fell down to my knees and curled into a ball. My sobs echoed through the room and bounced down the halls of this god-forsaken hospital. This place where good people came to die because life wasn’t fair. Nothing about this was remotely okay.
Strong arms picked me up and cradled me against his chest. I rubbed away the tears long enough to realize it was Matthew. He was saving me again. It wasn’t hard to realize he was just like his brother--always the constant, strong, willing to help wherever he could. I dug my face into his soft t-shirt and tried to pretend it was Dom’s arms wrapped around me. It wasn’t too hard. They were both built the same and wore the same cologne. I closed my eyes tight.
“What am I going to do if he dies?”
I whimpered, fighting back a new onslaught of tears.
Matthew kissed my forehead. “That’s not going to happen, B. He’s a fighter and I sure as hell know he’s going to fight to get back to you.”
My mom had stepped closer to Sofia and wrapped her arms around her side. Raquel had her hand over her mouth, silently sobbing on the other side of the room. I nuzzled into Matthew’s shirt, hoping that I could sleep for a few hours in his arms. He was so much like Dominic, but at the same time completely different. I just needed to pretend for a few seconds that everything wasn’t so screwed up.
***
No one pushed me to talk about what had happened, and for that, I was thankful. They stood by me, taking care of me when all I could do was take care of Dom. This was the first time I’d been alone with him in a few days. The steady, even pace of the beeping monitors helped calm me. Between me, our friends, and his family, Dom was never alone for long. I’d finally convinced Sofia, Linc and Raquel to go back to Dom’s apartment and get some sleep. They had slept or taken showers since the accident.
My parents were never far from the hospital either. They came and went the same as Dom’s family did. I just couldn’t deal, though. People talked around me, to me even, but I couldn’t bother to pay attention. The doctor had wanted to keep me another night, but I’d convinced him to release me since I wasn’t going far. The nurses kept tracking me down to Dom’s bedside anyway. Eventually they quit trying to convince me to move back to my own bed and took my vitals there.
All of our friends were trying to relieve some of the burden for Dom’s family, but the Torres family was a stubborn bunch. It was incredibly apparent where Dom had gotten it from. Sofia was the heart of the family, and seeing her so broken was enough to rip what was left of my heart into tiny pieces.
The doctors were convinced Dom would be waking up in the next twenty-four hours since his body had finally started healing. But they didn’t know what condition he’d be in mentally when he woke up. Brain damage was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. My biggest fear was he wouldn’t remember me or that he’d blame me for distracting him and causing the accident. Every time my head went to that place, I wanted to give in to the panic attack waiting to take hold. But I was terrified if it happened, the doctors would want to sedate me. Waiting for the moment Dom woke up gave me something to focus on, though. I’m not sure how I’d even convinced everyone to leave me with him alone.
Each time I sat down next to him, I saw him hanging upside down in the truck again. It would be a long time before I’d be able to shake the images. I didn’t know if I’d ever feel safe again. I wouldn’t if I didn’t have Dom.
“Dominic, you need to wake up, baby.” I gripped his hand in mine tighter. “We haven’t had enough time together yet, and damn it, you promised me we’d have forever. Baby, I’ll say yes. We can get married as soon as you want. I just need you to open up those gorgeous brown eyes, and tell me everything’s going to be okay.”
My voice was hoarse from lack of use. I whispered the words I hadn’t wanted to say in front of everyone else. When he didn’t respond, I choked back a sob. “Dom, please.”
Staring at him with all the tubes and machines around him was terrifying, but as long as they were keeping him here with me I wouldn’t let them send me into a tailspin. More than anything, I wanted him to open up his eyes and tell me he loved me again. God must hate me to give me this amazing man and keep taking him from me. I was being punished for something.
“Please,” I pleaded. “Please don’t take him.”
I rested my head on the side of his bed, careful that I didn’t pull on my stitches as I put my hand on his chest so I could feel him breathing. I must have fallen asleep at some point. When I woke up, my sides were stiff and I was practically lying on top of him. Jesus, even in my sleep, I had to get closer to him. It took me a few seconds to realize where I was, but when I felt Dom squeeze my hand, my eyes shot up to his. He was looking at me, studying my injuries without moving.
I knew he was looking at the scrapes on my face and bruises from where the seatbelt had held me in place. The emotions in his gaze burned into me, and I tried to answer him without speaking because words weren’t enough. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them fall. I gathered every ounce of strength I had and leaned over him. My lips brushed along his lips, and I whispered into his ear.
“I love you so much.”
His eyes closed briefly as I gently rested my forehead against his.
“We’re going to be together. Forever. I’m keeping you, Dominic.”