Chapter 26

 

 

Jackson stared at him until Reed reminded him he was driving. Then he jerked his head and returned his gaze to the road. “You said she was dead.”

“I said she lost her life,” Reed said, “not that she was dead.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“But she could wake up—”

“No,” Reed said flatly. “The doctors in Tallahassee and Miami were very clear. Aura is not waking up.”

Jackson frowned. “You said it was your fault.”

“She lost her life,” Reed insisted. “And she lost it because of me.”

“Don’t you think you’re blaming yourself a little too harshly?”

“No,” he said, looking away. “And if you could still hear someone screaming as they died, you’d probably think the same thing.”

“True,” Jackson said. “But I’m not turning around. The destination may have changed but the trip hasn’t.”

“I don’t want to see her,” Reed said quietly.

“When’s the last time you did?”

“Not since it happened,” he said.

“You never visited?” he asked.

“No,” Reed said. “So we’ll drive for a week just so you can watch her parents throw me out.”

“They’re not going to throw us out,” Jackson said.

“You don’t know what her dad said,” Reed said, looking out the window.

He lapsed into silence and Jackson eventually plugged in his phone and turned up the music. It seemed he made a point of avoiding love songs, but Reed didn’t pay much attention. His thoughts drifted to Aura and he wondered how her family would feel when he walked in the door. He even considered calling but the thought of dialing the number was too daunting, so he didn’t suggest it.

They drove throughout the day and into the night, only stopping for gas and food. At the first stop Jackson watched him like a hawk, but now that they were going, Reed sensed an inexorable pull to see Aura. Perhaps if he saw the girl he’d pledged years of his life to, he could recommit himself and try to forget Kate. If he even could.

They stopped for the night when they were tired and found a cheap hotel somewhere in Iowa. The next night they stopped in St. Louis. Reed frequently caught his roommate texting updates whenever they stopped. He offered to drive, but Jackson refused, claiming he didn’t want to go back to Colorado.

“I’m not going to turn us around,” Reed protested. “We’ve been driving for days. It would be pointless to try.”

Jackson refused to relinquish the wheel, even when the sun set and they continued to drive. Reed kept to himself but occasionally allowed himself to be drawn into conversation that didn’t relate to Aura or Kate.

It felt good to talk, but doing so was also strangely painful. Jackson had a way of finding amusement in the mundane, and several times Reed caught himself smiling. They reached Miami five days after departing and Jackson pulled into a Fairfield Inn. He paid for the room and dragged their luggage down the hall. Exhausted, Reed fell asleep in his clothes.

He awoke when Jackson flung open the drapes. “Time to go,” he said.

Reed groaned. “I can’t believe you dragged me down here.”

“I’m your date for the weekend, remember?”

Reed lifted his head to look at Jackson, who was already dressed, lacing his shoes. “You’re not as pretty as my last date.” His jaw tightened as he thought of Kate but Jackson didn't notice.

“The breakfast ends in twenty minutes,” Jackson said. “If you want to eat, you’d better hurry.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll bring you back a waffle.”

The prospect of waffles pulled Reed from the bed and he dressed. The bag had been hastily packed but at least the clothes were his. He found shorts, pants, and a variety of shirts, some of which were absurd.

“My orange jersey?” he asked, holding it aloft.

“Never know when you’re going to need to play,” Jackson reasoned.

“So Shelby picked out most and you added a few?” Then he noticed a bright green shirt and held it aloft. “What’s this?”

Jackson grinned and stood. “Kate’s roommates also helped us pack. The blondes wanted to pick an outfit that was properly somber but would remind you of Kate.”

“You regret telling them your plan to kidnap me,” Reed guessed.

“So much,” Jackson said fervently.

Reed pulled on his shoes and joined him at the door. They grabbed breakfast and returned to their room. Once they had everything packed, they checked out and loaded the car. As they left the parking lot Reed began to feel nervous.

“What if her parents throw me out?” Reed asked.

“You were her friend for what, ten years? They’re not going to throw you out. They might not even be there.”

“It’s Wednesday,” Reed said. “They’ll be here.”

“My apologies,” Jackson said. “Next time I kidnap you I’ll do it on a different day.”

Reed chuckled in amusement but it came out nervous. He took a breath to steady himself and looked out the window, watching the cityscape of Miami gradually scroll by. He’d thought about what he would do if he ever came to see Aura, but now that the moment was upon him he couldn’t think of what he would say.

Jackson followed the GPS to the hospital and found a parking spot. When he turned off the car they both sat in silence while Jackson waited expectantly. Reed realized Jackson had taken him as far as was going to and steeled himself for facing Aura.

“Let’s go,” he said.

He got out of the car and walked to the front doors of the hospital. A quick inquiry led them to the sixth floor. The elevator doors closed and Reed fidgeted in place, folding his arms and then putting them at his side repeatedly.

“Relax,” Jackson said. “They’ll be happy to see you.”

“Her father told me if I had been faster calling 911 Aura would still be with them. He said it’s my fault she’s gone.”

Jackson raised his eyebrow. “He really said that?”

“In the hospital three weeks after the accident,” Reed said. “The doctors had just informed them that there was very little brain activity and to prepare for her passing.”

“It’s been three years,” Jackson said uncertainly. “I’m sure he’s forgiven you by now.”

“We’re about to find out,” he said.

They exited the elevator into a small foyer. Chairs sat around a window, behind which a nurse worked at a computer. Hallways extended away, broken by beds and stands holding IV bags. A pair of nurses talked next to a drinking fountain while a handful of family members moved about. Everything about the floor was lethargic, reflecting the placard on the wall.

Long-Term Care

They stood outside the elevator until Reed realized Jackson was waiting for him, and a glance revealed Jackson’s nervousness. He tried to hide it, but there was a stillness about his expression, about his stance, that betrayed his worry. He looked the same before a tip-off of a big game, except then he was also excited. At least then he knew what to do when the whistle blew.

Reed stepped to the receptionist and inquired where to go, and then walked down the hallway towards room 406. Thirty steps felt like an eternity, the hallway stretching away like a race track without a finish line.

He reached the door and slowed, listening for any sounds inside, but only heard the soft whirring of machines keeping someone alive. He swallowed, struggling to keep his emotions in check. Then he stepped through the door.

His shoe squeaked against the floor and he winced as if he would wake someone. A chair scraped against the floor and then Reed stepped around the curtain to see a man rising from a chair. Their eyes met, but Reed’s gaze slid off his rigid features and settled on the woman in the bed.

Aura.