Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Mom?” Hunter’s voice shouted through the entry. Only steps behind, I watched him frantically searching the room. “Mom!”

Silence followed his response, feeling like a drum banging through the large house. The place was a tomb, void of the family who used to live here.

Hunter peeked into the kitchen, the room pristine as if it was used as a model house, not a real one. He whipped around, dashing for the stairs. Grabbing the rail, his bad leg buckling, he propelled himself as fast as he could manage.

“Mom!” Fear scraped his voice. My heart pounded louder in my ears. He jogged down the hall toward his parents’ room, shoving through the door, and I followed behind.

My mouth parted in shock. Clothing, shoes, and jewelry spewed from the walk-in closet over the room as if she had flung everything out in a fit. Empty vodka and wine bottles were scattered over the surfaces, giving the room a musky smell. But what had me reaching for my chest were the pictures strewn in piles around the room, most covering the king bed like a quilt. Pictures of the boys, posing together when they were infants, images of Colton and Hunter laughing, of birthday parties long past.

A noise came from Hunter’s throat. He scrambled through the room to the master bathroom. Grabbing the door handle, he shoved the gaping door all the way open.

A guttural cry pierced my chest, stabbing fluttering my mind and chest with panic.

No. Please. No…

But I knew my hope was pointless. My shoes hit the tile, and every muscle in my body locked up, a scream humming at the back of my throat.

Julia lay in an almost empty tub, her head slumped to the side, lids closed, dressed in what used to be a white bathrobe but was now stained a deep crimson. Trails of blood slid down from her arms, coloring the tub with crimson water.

“Mom! No. No. No… please!” Hunter screamed, falling on his knees and clambering forward, grabbing for her. “Wake up, Mom! Wake up!” He shook her shoulders, her limp form hitting against the tub.

This couldn’t be fucking happening. Not to Hunter. Jayme, move! Do something.

The years of playing nurse next to my father at work overrode all my fear. I sprang into action.

Shoving Hunter aside, I leaned in as my fingers pressed to her throat, trying to feel for proof of life. My arms trembled too hard to feel anything but my own.

“Grab that mirror!” I ordered Hunter as I climbed into the tub, my feet on either side of her, my shoes squishing into the pools of blood. Hunter reacted, grabbing the object and shoving it at me. I held it under her nose. After a few beats, I saw condensation blur the mirror. “She’s still alive.”

Barely. I didn’t want to add the last part; her breaths and heartbeat were too far apart. She was in critical danger.

“Hunter?” Chris’s voice boomed from the room, his friends’ footsteps pattering toward us.

“Call 911!” I yelled at the two running into the room, their horrified faces taking in the scene. “Now!”

Jones’s face went white, but he grabbed his phone.

Fear was shoved to the side as I went on autopilot.

“Hunter, grab me some cloths, anything. Tie them around her wrists.” My voice left no room for questions, and Chris and Hunter jumped at my order.

I picked up her arms, elevating them to slow gravity from taking any more blood. It looked like she missed an artery but had been bleeding long enough the danger level was critical. Chris and Hunter wrapped fabric around her arms while I continued to try and rouse her, making sure her airway was clear.

“Julia, stay with us,” I demanded, tapping her face. “You don’t get to fucking do this. Do you hear me? If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for Hunter. You owe him that much.”

I was pissed and scared, but I continued to run through what I remembered about deep cuts, trying to block out Hunter’s painful cries for Julia to wake up.

Sirens penetrated my heartbeat thumping against my ears, but they still felt so far away. Every millisecond meant life or death.

“Shit!” Her breath no longer coated the mirror. “Help me get her out!” I screamed, stepping to the far side of the tub. “Carefully!” Chris went in first to help lift her legs. With a baby sister and a pool, Dad had been firm on teaching me CPR. I never had to use it on Reece, but my skills were about to be tested now.

Hunter took her other side from me as I could no longer hold her weight, laying her flat on the floor. On my knees, I bent over her, laying my hands over each other on her chest. I pumped three times before breathing into her mouth. Counting the beats in my head, everything else disappeared around me, my only focus was keeping Julia alive.

I couldn’t say how long I worked on her until an unfamiliar voice called out “Miss?”

I felt hands grab my arms, but I shoved them off, not wanting to lose count. “Miss, we got this. Move out of our way!” A woman pushed me aside, taking over my spot.

Like a glass mirror smashed to the ground, reality cracked through. I blinked with confusion as EMTs moved around her, bringing in their equipment. When did they get here? How did I not notice them?

“Jayme.” Chris picked me up, dragging me out of their way. Jones pulled Hunter next to me, and the four of us huddled together in the corner of the large bathroom, watching the emergency crew working on Julia.

“One. Two. Three.” The woman who pushed me out of the way placed paddles on Julia’s chest, her body jumping as electrical shocks zapped at her nerves. It was horrific to watch, but I couldn’t turn away, locked on the scene before me.

Two more times they shocked her when the man across from her nodded. “Got a heartbeat!”

The team worked together like a chaotic dance, getting her on a gurney, IVs already dripping into her system, then rushing her out of the room and down the stairs.

A young guy in his twenties turned to us, his eyes finding me. “Good job. You probably saved her life.”

I couldn’t move, my head only dipping slightly in acknowledgment.

“She’s my mom. Can I ride with her?” The guy nodded at Hunter. Hunter squeezed my hand and gazed at me. He tugged me to follow him.

“We’ll meet you at the hospital.” Jones motioned for us to run, saying he and Chris would catch up. “I’ll call your father on the way.”

Only reacting, not thinking, I stayed right on Hunter’s heels and crawled into the ambulance next to him. Blood covered our connected hands, drenching our clothes. We didn’t say a word, but his hand stayed locked on mine as if I were the only thing tethering him to earth while the ambulance tore through town, sirens screeching like a banshee.

 

 

“Mr. Harris?” A nurse stepped into the waiting room, and Hunter bolted out of the chair.

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to let you know your mother is stable, but her heart is still stressed.”

“What does that mean?” Hunter ran a hand over his hair.

“She’s in an induced coma. She lost a lot of blood and oxygen to the brain. Sometimes this is the best way for her body to focus solely on healing itself. We won’t know about her condition for a while.” The nurse clutched her clipboard. “We’ll keep you updated the moment we know anything. We’re watching her closely.”

“When can I see her?”

“The doctor will be out soon and let you know.” The nurse went back through the doors, her white shoes squeaking across the tile.

Hunter fell back in the seat beside me, leaning his elbows on his legs, rubbing his forehead until red spots flushed his skin.

“Hey.” I grabbed his hand, curling mine around it. “Everything will be okay.”

“No, it won’t, but it hasn’t been right since Colton died.” Hunter’s shoulders sank down, exhaustion creasing his face and hanging heavy on his body.

We’d been here for hours already, but time seemed arbitrary. Jones had talked to Mr. Harris, but he wouldn’t be here until tomorrow as he was overseas for a business deal, catching the earliest flight he could. I had talked briefly to my parents, my mom determined to come down, but it was the middle of the night, and I suggested she wait. When I talked to Stevie, she also wanted to come, but I knew Hunter wouldn’t want anyone else here.

“Is he okay?” Stevie asked.

“As well as can be expected when your mother tries to commit suicide on your birthday.” Damn, I felt tired.

“Shit, Hunter has gone through too much already.”

“I know. I mean, Julia has too… one of her sons died, her marriage is crumbling, but for one second, I wish she thought of Hunter and what this would do to him. Especially because she called him right before doing it. How could you do that to your own kid?”

“Talk about mentally fucking him up.”

“This will forever haunt him.” I stared at the blood crusted on my clothes, tainting my skin a darker color. It would torment me forever as well. The images already flashed in my head like a nightmare. I gazed at Hunter. Happy fucking birthday.

My body craved to be near his. He hadn’t stop touching me from the moment we entered the ambulance, like he needed to know I was there. “I better go.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in the morning,” Stevie said softly. “And Luca is back at the hotel. Just so you know.”

Luca.

Guilt twisted my lips. I hadn’t even thought of him.

Not once.

“Okay. Thanks.” I rubbed my finger between my eyes. “And thank you for being such a great friend. I love you.”

“Love you more, Whiskey.”

Hours later, the four of us still sat in the almost vacant waiting room, waiting for the doctor to come out. Dawn glowed softly on the horizon, announcing morning’s arrival. My head lay tucked on Hunter’s shoulder, his hand laced with mine in his lap.

“Who wants coffee?” Chris stood up, trying to cover his yawn. Hunter had told us to go home several times earlier, but not one of us budged.

“Like we would fucking leave you.” Jones had shaken his head. “We’re your family. And family is there for each other. Always.”

“Second that.” Chris added. “We’re not leaving, so don’t even waste your breath saying that shit again.”

“I third that.” I squeezed his hand, his eyes finding mine. His jaw crunched down and he nodded, blinking back his tears.

“Coffee?” Now Chris pointed at me, and I nodded profusely. Adrenaline had long ago drained away, leaving all of us no more than zombies.

“Shit. Yeah. A double.” Jones rubbed the arms of the chair. “And breakfast. Starving.”

“Then your ass is coming with me.” Chris waved Jones to get up. His friend rose to his feet stretching. “You guys want anything to eat?”

“Just coffee,” Hunter muttered.

“Same.” The thought of food made me cringe.

Jones and Chris walked toward the cafeteria. Hunter and I had been in this same hospital, and I knew the layout far too well, except we had been on the other side, hooked up to machines, walking the line between life and death.

His thumb slid softly over mine, his gaze staring at our hands. “Feels both like yesterday and decades ago we were here.”

“I was just thinking that.” I brushed my head against his shoulder.

“I can’t believe we’re back here,” he practically whispered. “Everything that’s happened.” He broke off, sighing heavily. “One moment. One stupid fucking decision, and I lost my twin. My best friend. And now because of that, possibly my mother. I already lost my family, but it wasn’t like we were a great one anyway.”

“You haven’t lost your family. Jones, Chris, Doug, Megan, Cody, Krista. That’s your family, Hunter. Let them be there for you, get you through this. They love you so much.”

“What about you?” His head turned to me, his eyes sharp.

I lifted my head, leaning back.

“What about me?”

Hunter peered down at our laced hands, his head shaking. “What you did last night… My mother is only alive because of you. I couldn’t have gotten through any of this without you. Just like I couldn’t have gotten through Colton’s death without you.”

I licked my lips, nerves twisting around my throat.

“I’m plagued with what would have happened if I stopped Colton that night. If he lived. Over and over, I play out what would have happened if I hadn’t let him drive. I see him going on with football, my parents still together, him marrying some woman and having kids… but none of those scenarios lead you to me.” He stared straight ahead, swallowing. “And I hate myself because that is what makes me pause. Makes me doubt if I would do it over.” His head swung to me, agony etched in his eyes. “What kind of person would think that? Would not want his brother back in a second? And I do… Fuck, I miss him so much.” He lifted his hand, sliding his fingers up my jaw, his thumb gliding over my bottom lip. “But what’s even crueler is having you right there and I can’t have you.”

My lungs seized, ramming out the air in my chest.

“I know it’s too late. That there’s no chance…” He gripped my face harder, leaning closer. “But I’m still in love with you, Jayme. I’ve never stopped.”

Fixed in place, I couldn’t move or breathe. My heart felt like it finally took flight before being shot down, breaking into pieces over the ground.

Too late.

No chance.

Those were the words that pricked pain behind my lids, shredding my heart.

Neither of us moved away, torment roping us in place, our pained breaths mingling. I wanted to tell him I loved him too, that we would figure it out, but the very reason it would be a lie came crashing into the room.

“Daddy!” Cody’s voice jerked us a part, turning to the door. The adorable little boy, his arms open, ran straight for Hunter.

“Little man.” Hunter scooped him up. Wrapping his mini-doppelganger in his arms, his shoulders sagging with relief as he held Cody, breathing him in.

“Oh god, Hunter.” Krista came into the room, running straight for him, her arms going around the two boys. “I am so sorry. I came as soon as I got the message.” She leaned up, kissing his cheek, her eyes full of worry.

I wanted to hate her, but I couldn’t. It was obvious she loved him. And how could I fault her for that? Hunter was impossible not to fall in love with.

Too late.

No chance.

The truth of those four words overshadowed everything else he said to me. His family was here and there was no room for me. Because as much as I wanted to be there for him, we could never be just friends. And I couldn’t be that girl.

Julia’s crusted blood coating my skin and clothes suddenly bore down on me, aggravating my skin, my bones feeling like lead. I needed a shower and sleep.

Standing up, I tucked my hands in my pockets. Krista didn’t even seem to notice me. Cody jabbered away, making Hunter laugh. A mix of relief and pain swished around my stomach as the outside doors slid open, and I stepped out to the sunrise, the air already warm.

I made it ten steps when I realized I had come here in the ambulance; Stevie’s car was still at Hunter’s. I pulled out my phone, ready to call my mom.

“Jayme!” My name broke through the quiet morning, yanking my head around. Hunter jogged to me, anger lowering his eyes. “Where the hell are you going?”

Taken aback, I stuttered, “H-home.”

“So… you were going to leave without saying goodbye?” His boots hit my toes, his head wagging with fury. “You know what? Never mind. Go,” he growled, curving back around. “Running away is what you do best.

“What? What does that mean?”

“Figure it out, Jaymerson.” He waved me off. “I’m sure your boyfriend is worried about you anyway.”

“Why are you mad at me?” I stabbed at my chest. “What the hell did I do but sit by you all night?”

“And now you’re leaving.”

“Yeah.” My own anger rose like a volcano. “I thought it was best. You have your family there. I will only make things worse. I’m trying to be the good person here. Not make things uncomfortable for Krista.”

“And why’s that, Jayme?” He tilted his head, folding his arms.

Was he kidding me right now? Taunting me?

“Fuck you,” I seethed. “You know why. I’m happy for you; I really am. Hell, I saw it coming before you did. But that doesn’t mean I have to stand here and watch.” I shoved my foot at the pavement, anger and grief spilling out. “God, don’t you know how much it hurts seeing you with her, with Cody… having your baby?” A sob hiccupped in my lungs; the emotions I tried to ignore, to keep locked away for so long, burst out of their box like a piñata. “I am sorry I’m not strong enough to put myself through this. Call me selfish, but I can’t stand in the same room as Krista wishing I was her.” I spun around, needing to get away from him, where I could let my tears fall freely.

Fingers clutched my elbow, spinning me around. Hunter’s expression twisted with fury, his chest heaving, but his voice came out low and gravelly.

“You are still as fucking blind as you were when I met you.”

Rage drove up the back of my legs, flushing through my arms. My hands shoved his chest. “Screw you!”

“We’re back here again, huh?” His chest pushed back into my hands. “I thought you of all people knew me. Saw me. Or at least you would ask instead of simply believing what everyone says about me.”

“What are you talking about?” I screamed, my hands waving frantically.

“I’m not with Krista!” he bellowed, motioning back to the hospital. “Nor is that my baby.”

“What?” The question squeaked through my teeth.

His jaw twitched, his nose flaring.

“I won’t deny we tried to make a go of it… for a millisecond, but I realized fast I was only doing it because you weren’t here. Because you left me. And if you were anywhere near me, wanted me, I could never think about anyone else.” He spat out like he hated for it. “Krista deserves better than that. I could never love her. And she knows where we stand.”

My mouth parted, my mind trying to recall every encounter I had with Krista and Hunter. “But she kissed you, the first day at the garage.”

“She did that for me, thinking she was protecting me from you. Knowing how much you broke me,” he yelled. He jammed his bloody hands through his hair.

He could tell himself that all he wanted, but I saw a woman who loved him, not just protecting a friend.

“Hunter!” Krista stood out by the entrance, Cody on her hip, her eyes lowering as she took us in. “The doctors want to talk with you.”

Hunter looked to her then back to me, fatigue washing over him. “Bye, Jaymerson.”

“Hunter…” I reached for him, feeling the finality of his goodbye.

“No.” He wiggled from my grip. “Go back to your boyfriend. There’s nothing left for you here.” He started back for the entrance. Pausing, he pivoted. “I know about New York. Stevie told me. I hope everything works out for you, because you deserve it all too, Jayme.” He pressed his lips together before turning back around and disappearing through the doors of the hospital.

Standing there I realized how blind I had been. My assumptions and hurt feelings had cost me everything.

They cost me Hunter.