Hadley
We’d eaten an entire pizza and drunk a bottle of wine each. That’s right—we ate an entire pizza. We could put it away when we wanted to, and apparently, we wanted to do just that. Once all the confessions and tears were out of the way, we dove straight into smut territory and Riley ended up dishing most of her honeymoon shenanigans. Not all of them, I could tell, because a girl has to keep some secrets. But I pretended to be scandalized by what they did in the public pool even though I would have totally done it myself.
Riley was happy and on cloud nine being married, and it made me happy watching her smile and tell stories about Hawaii and all the naughty things that went down. Eventually, somewhere between my first and second bottle of wine, we decided to turn on our favorite episode of Sex and the City. One episode turned into two, then three. When my phone rang and I saw Justin’s name on the screen, I couldn’t help the rush of excitement that rolled through me.
Finally, almost everyone knew we were together and I didn’t have to censor myself or hide what I felt anymore. I felt free. And a little drunk.
“Hello, husband,” I answered merrily.
“I think I want you to answer the phone like that every time I call from now on.”
“Maybe you’ll get your wish.”
“Everything go okay with you and Riley?”
“Of course it did. Riley is the best friend a girl could ever ask for.”
“Damn right,” Riley yelled from the other chair, pumping a fist into the air.
“I’m glad everything went well. I think Camden is anxious to get home to his new bride, though. He’s been looking at his watch every few minutes.”
“You’re not anxious to get to your new bride?” I asked coyly.
“You know I’m always anxious to get to you.”
“Then come get me.”
“On my way.”
“Wait, you haven’t been drinking, have you?”
“I had one beer, why?”
“I just didn’t want you driving if you’d had too much.”
“We’re good, babe. Promise.”
“Okay. See you when you get here.”
“Be ready to go,” he said, his voice lower, as though he didn’t want Camden to hear.
“I’m always ready, baby.”
He groaned and I imagined him running his hand through his hair, or rubbing the back of his neck, biceps bulging.
“I’ll be there in ten.” His voice was a low rumble and my belly flipped wildly.
“Okay,” I whispered. I ended the call and let out a breath.
“Wow,” Riley said, looking at me with wide eyes. “I could feel the sexual chemistry from all the way over here. You’re going to have to meet him out at the car because I’m afraid of the damage to my house if you guys are put in the same room together. I like my furniture, thank you very much.”
“Please, we’d at least have the decency to go to the bathroom. Or the hot tub.”
“Did you guys have sex in my hot tub?” Riley asked, but I could tell she really didn’t want to know the answer.
“I’ll never tell.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “Do we have time for another episode before the guys get here?” she asked, motioning toward the TV with the remote.
“Not a full one, but they can wait a few minutes until it’s done to haul us away by our hair to our respective caves, right?”
Riley laughed out loud. “Camden, maybe. But it sounded like Justin was about ready to beat you with a club.”
“Just start the show, smart-ass.”
She giggled but pressed play regardless, and another episode of our favorite show commenced. We’d seen them all at least four times, but they never got old. One spring break during college when neither one of us had any plans to do anything fun, we lay on the floor in our living room for three days straight binge-watching the entire series.
When the episode ended it occurred to me that the guys still weren’t back.
“I wonder what’s taking them so long.”
“Did they say which bar they were at?”
“No, but Justin said he’d be here in ten minutes.”
“Maybe they got stuck in traffic.”
“Would they have stopped for condoms? I feel like they both think they’re going to get lucky tonight.”
Riley’s cheeks pinked at my words and her eyes darted away from my gaze.
“Why does the mention of condoms make you blush? You are using condoms, right?”
“We may have discussed the option of stopping birth control.”
“You’re going to have babies already? I’m not ready for babies, Riles. I just started the whole committed relationship thing. I can’t jump on the baby train.”
“You don’t have to get on the baby train! You don’t even have to go to the baby train station.”
“But if you’re getting on the baby train, then I’m aware of it. It’s like building tracks to the baby train right behind my house. I don’t ever use the train, but I can hear it going by every night and I am very aware of the baby train.”
“This is the dumbest conversation I’ve ever been a part of.”
“Are you going to have a baby?”
“Someday. Probably.”
“Soon?”
“We’re not sure. We’re talking about it. Nothing’s been decided.”
“You realize this stuff’s contagious, right? Like, I hadn’t ever considered getting married and then you did, and I caught it like a bad cold. Now you’re going to get pregnant and hug me, or some shit, and I’m going to end up preggo too.”
Riley laughed again. “That’s not really how it works.”
“Tell that to my baby bump.”
“Calm down. No one’s pregnant. You manage your reproductive organs and I’ll manage mine, okay?”
“Fine,” I replied grumpily, fully aware that I would love any baby my best friend had with her husband. There were a lot of changes happening, and I was a creature of habit. I was just getting used to the idea of Riley being married. I wanted to wait a bit until I felt like I lost her a little more. Riley was gaining everything she’d always wanted, but it seemed like I was losing her, giving up a piece of her I so desperately loved. It was all happening so quickly. I wanted us all to take a breath. To pause. To let things settle before we rocked the boat any more.
Riley’s phone rang and she looked relieved to have a distraction.
“Hey, Cam. Are you guys on your way home?” She answered with a smile, but it fell as soon as Camden’s voice came over the line. “Cam, calm down. Slow down. Talk to me. What’s going on?”
My heart stopped at the sound of her voice. We’d all heard the tone before—the way someone talks when they know something is terribly wrong. My pulse raced and my heart thundered in my chest because I knew something big was about to happen, something horrible.
I could hear the buzz of Camden’s voice, but I couldn’t make out any of his words, but when Riley’s hand flew to her mouth, something inside me made me get out of my chair. I was flying toward the door, putting my shoes on, grabbing my purse before Riley could even say a word.
“Okay, Camden, you need to stay calm. He needs you to be calm. We’ll meet you there. We’re going to take an Uber, though, because we’ve been drinking.” She paused for a moment and I heard the way she tried to hold back from crying when she said, “I love you too. We’ll see you soon.”
“What happened?” I asked urgently as soon as she took the phone from her ear.
“I’m ordering us an Uber and we need to get to the hospital, ASAP.”
“Riley, tell me what’s going on.”
She tapped on her phone a few times and I let her ignore me while she did so, but then I asked her again.
“Riley, what’s going on?”
She walked to me and framed my face with her hands.
“Justin was hit by a car and he’s being taken to the hospital in an ambulance.”
My earth tilted and the air left my lungs, almost as if someone had squeezed the oxygen right out of me. I wanted to crumble, to fold into Riley, but I needed information. “But he’s okay, right?”
“Honey, I don’t know. Camden says he wasn’t awake, but he was breathing and his heart was beating.”
“But he’s going to be okay, right?”
“Hadley, I don’t know. All I know is we have to go.”
“Okay.”
Our Uber came in record time, but it still felt like an eternity. We made every light, but we couldn’t get to the hospital fast enough.
I’d never felt fear like that before. Not when those men were breaking into the house I was sleeping in, not late at night when I was walking through a dark college campus alone with only a friend on the phone and my keys in my hand. All I could think about was that Justin was somewhere in a hospital dead or dying.
Because that would figure. That would be my luck.
The instant I turned my back on the universe and fell in love, the universe would fuck me over and take Justin away from me.
When we finally arrived at the hospital, Camden was standing outside of the emergency room looking ragged.
We jumped out of the car and Riley ran to him, wrapping her arms around him and crying against him. He buried his face in her shoulder, and I could see him shaking as he cried silently against her. I stood there, with my arms wrapped around myself as though I were cold and waited until Camden composed himself.
Eventually he pulled away and wiped his eyes. Then his gaze found mine.
“They took him in immediately, but wouldn’t let me go back with him. He was unconscious the entire way here.”
I nodded and marched past him, looking immediately for the first person of authority I could find. A woman sat behind the admit desk of the emergency room, so I went to her first.
“I am hoping to get an update on Justin Hunter’s condition. He was brought in by ambulance not long ago.”
The woman wore a badge that read Helen, R.N., and I wondered if she’d be able to shed any light on what was happening.
“Okay, I see a Justin Hunter was brought in, and he is here, but he is still in triage and being stabilized, so I don’t have anything I can update you with. Are you family?”
“Yes,” I managed, disappointed she couldn’t tell me anything. “I’m his wife.”
Her eyes darted back to the screen and her features relaxed a little, went a little softer.
“I can’t tell you anything, but I will let the attending doctor know you’re here, and she’ll update you when she can. There’s another waiting room behind these doors that’s quieter if you’d rather wait there.” She pointed to the double doors that led back to the ER. The public waiting room seemed to be full of sick and bleeding people, and it was noisy too.
“Okay,” I said, my voice raspy, on the verge of tears. “Can my friends come with me?”
“Of course. Go get them and I’ll lead you back.”
The kind nurse, Helen, led us to the waiting room and asked us if we wanted any water or coffee. We all said no and sat in silence. I was half expecting a doctor to come in and explain how Justin had died, and the other half of me was waiting for him to walk around the corner and tell me it had been a big joke. I would have kicked his ass for that, but it was a better alternative than the other option.
“Should I call his parents?”
“Shit,” Camden said, sitting up straighter. “I didn’t even think of that.”
“I can do it,” Riley said, reaching out to me. “I’ll call them, Had. You don’t have to.”
“But he’s my husband. I’m his wife. Shouldn’t I be the one to call his parents?”
“You don’t have to do anything, Hadley. You just have to be here and send him all the healing thoughts you can. Let me call.”
“No. It’s my job.” It was the silliest thing to be upset about, but in that moment I wanted to do anything that tied me to him. Any tiny thing that made me feel more like his wife, more connected to him, I wanted that. I didn’t want anyone else calling his parents, even if it was the hardest call I’d ever have to make. That was what I’d signed up for when I married him. And I wanted that responsibility because after everything, I wanted desperately to be his wife.
My phone was in my purse and when I pulled it out my hand was shaking. I managed to find Alice’s number in my contact list and hit send. As soon as I put the phone to my ear, Riley grabbed my free hand and squeezed it, giving me her support.
“Hello?”
Alice answered after a few rings and sounded very confused. I could only imagine why. It didn’t make any sense for me to be calling her, especially not at that time of night.
“Alice, it’s me, Hadley.”
“Hadley? Is everything okay?”
“Well, that’s why I’m calling.” My voice broke on the last word and I took in a sharp breath, trying to hold it together while I was on the phone. “There’s been an accident. I think you and Allen should come to the hospital.”
“An accident? Is Justin okay?”
“They’re working on him now. He was hit by a car. I think you should come here, though. The nurse said she would tell the doctor we were here and so we’re waiting for an update.”
“Oh my God,” I heard her say. I could only imagine the terror she was feeling in that moment, and I wished I didn’t have to cause her that kind of pain, but I also knew Justin’s parents deserved to know what was happening as much as I did, if not more. “Okay, we’re on our way.”
“Drive safely, okay? And just tell the admit desk at the ER that you’re here for Justin. They should let you in.”
“Okay,” she replied, only that time it was her words that were broken.
“It’s going to be okay, Alice,” I promised, even though I couldn’t believe those words myself. I wanted her to be as calm as possible, because I knew what I was feeling in that moment and I didn’t wish that on anyone.
“We’ll be there soon.”
“All right.” I hung up and fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. “They’re on their way.”
“Okay. That’s good. You did good, Hadley.”
“Thanks,” I tried to say, but ended up crying instead. Riley used her hand to tilt my head onto her shoulder, and I stayed there for a while, silently crying and trying not to get any tears on her shirt.
Twenty minutes later a woman in blue scrubs and a white coat came in the room with a tablet in her hand.
“Are you Justin Hunter’s family?”
I stood up immediately.
“I’m his wife.”
“I’m Doctor Albright. I was working on your husband when he was brought in. He presented with head trauma, low blood pressure, and wasn’t conscious and still hasn’t regained consciousness. We did a CT scan and I’m fairly certain he has internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen. He’ll have to undergo surgery to find and stop the bleeding. His condition is critical at this moment.”
“Can I see him?” I asked, my voice wobbly.
“No, I’m sorry. He’s being taken back to the OR now. Someone will update you when there’s news. The procedure will take at least an hour, but I won’t know for sure until I get in there and see what’s going on.”
“Okay, thank you.”
She gave me a curt nod, then turned and left.
When I turned around Riley was waiting for me with open arms and I didn’t hesitate. I went to her and let her hold me, trying to cry quietly.
“I can’t lose him, Riley. I only just got him. I wasted so much time trying to stay away.”
“He’s going to be fine,” I heard Camden say from behind me, his hand rubbing my shoulder gently.
“What happened?” Riley asked him.
I was torn on whether I wanted to know or not, but I couldn’t voice anything in that moment, so Camden started talking.
“It happened really quickly. I’m not even sure I saw everything. We were just walking across the street, trying to get to his SUV, and this Civic came tearing around a corner. Justin tried to jump out of the way, but the Civic hit him at an angle. He flew back and hit his head, but I remember thinking how lucky he was he didn’t get pulled under the car. He might have been much worse off if he had.”
A sob escaped me at the visual.
“He was unconscious immediately. I don’t think he felt any pain.”
“Did they catch the driver?”
“He swerved like he was trying to miss Justin and then he ran into a utility pole. He’s probably in the ER right now too.”
“I think I need to sit down,” I said, pulling away from Riley. It was all too much and I just couldn’t stand any longer. Riley helped me to a seat, then grabbed her purse.
“I’m going to go see if I can find a vending machine or a cafeteria. I’m going to get some coffee or water. Something to snack on, too.” I knew she was talking to Camden, so I didn’t bother responding. “Will you stay here with her and text me if they come back and give any updates?”
“Yeah, of course.”
I heard them kiss, then the sound of Riley’s footsteps disappearing down the hall. I didn’t look up. I was too busy trying to deep breathe with my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees. My head was spinning, trying to take in everything that was happening, and I was dizzy with fear. I’d never been so afraid in my life.
Camden and I sat in silence for a few minutes. Well, silent except for the sounds of a busy hospital.
“You know,” Camden finally said, his voice soft and gentle. “Justin told me what happened in Vegas while we were at the bar, before the accident.”
My hands brushed over my forehead, pushing all my hair back and coming to rest on the back of my neck. I looked over at Camden. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. And I’d never seen him so happy, Had.”
More tears welled in my eyes, spilling over as Camden put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into him.
“He and I have talked a lot over the last few months about you and him. He’s been trying to wait, trying to be patient, to give you the time you needed to let him in, and I swear he was wearing the biggest smile when he said you’d married him.”
“He really was patient,” I said, sniffling.
Camden pulled a tissue out of a box from the table next to him and handed it to me.
“Thank you.”
“He was hopeful, ya know? He just kept telling me how much he hoped you stuck around and gave him a chance to make you happy.”
His words cut through me, split me open. I wanted that chance too, and now I wasn’t sure we were going to get it.
“I don’t know what I’ll do if he…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence, didn’t want to give sound to that possibility.
“Hey,” Camden said, rubbing my shoulder. “He’s going to be all right. He’s the toughest guy I know.”
“I was ready to spend forever with him.”
“Then you gotta make sure and tell him that when he wakes up. Give him something to fight for, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I replied, more cries cutting through my words.
Camden let me cry on him for another twenty minutes.
I only looked up when I heard footsteps enter the room, hoping to see the surgeon even though it hadn’t even been an hour yet.
“Mom?” I asked, disbelief and confusion painted on my face. “What are you doing here?” I said as I stood and walked to her, seeing my dad and Riley file in behind her. My mom held her arms open and I went straight to her, a fresh wave of tears emerging.
“I called them,” Riley said as Camden came to her side.
“She said you needed us, so we left right away,” my mother said as her hand rubbed my back.
My eyes found my father. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey, baby girl. Let’s sit down so you can tell us what’s going on.”
My mom slipped from my arms and Riley approached me, speaking softly. “Don’t be mad, but I knew you’d want your mom here and I knew both your parents would want to be here to support you.”
Of course Riley had called them. Riley had been like a second daughter since we met in college. She spent so many holidays and weekends with me at my parents’ house, she wouldn’t have hesitated to call either one of them, and I was glad she had. I didn’t realize how much I needed my mother in that moment until she was standing in front of me.
“Of course I’m not mad at you,” I managed, emotions still making it hard to complete sentences. “Thank you.”
“Hadley?”
That voice belonged to Alice.
“Alice.” I sighed in relief and turned in time to see her walking swiftly toward me.
“What’s going on?” she asked as he pulled me into a hug.
“Camden and Justin were out and Justin was hit by a car. He’s got some internal bleeding and they think his spleen ruptured. He went back for surgery half an hour ago.”
“Oh, my,” my mother said from her seat, her hand covering her mouth.
“They said he’s in critical condition,” I added. “We’re just waiting for the surgeon to come give us an update. They said it would be at least an hour, and that was about forty-five minutes ago.”
Alice turned to her husband and his arms opened immediately. It suddenly occurred to me that my parents had no idea what was going on, or who Justin even was.
“I know this is really crappy timing, but Alice and Allen Hunter, these are my parents, Beverly and Steven Hart.”
“I’m so sorry about your son,” my mother offered, obviously upset by the whole situation, which was typical of my mother—she felt everything for everyone.
“Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hunter are Justin’s parents, but they’re also my in-laws.”
“In-laws?” my father asked, obviously confused, as was my mother based on the look on her face and the way her skin crinkled between her eyebrows.
“It’s a really long story, and we were going to tell you soon, but the short version is that when Riley and Camden got married in Vegas, so did Justin and I.”
“You got married?” my mother practically shrieked.
“In Vegas?” my father followed.
“Yes, but that’s totally beside the point because right now the important thing is that my husband is fighting for his life in there and I need everyone to just send all the positive energy they can muster to him. That’s all that matters right now.”
My mother’s gaze drifted between me and Alice, and I knew she was torn between being my mother and upset I’d gotten married without her, and being a mother watching another mother go through something so traumatic.
“Why don’t we all sit down and maybe Hadley can fill us all in while we wait to hear from the doctors,” Riley offered quietly, her voice soft and soothing.
I let out a breath and looked at Riley, hoping she could see how grateful I was for her in that moment. Watching my parents sit, I waited until everyone looked as comfortable as possible, then started the story from the beginning.
Everyone listened and I answered questions along the way, giving them just enough details to inform them, but keeping enough private that whatever was between Justin and me still felt special.
I didn’t tell them Justin was the first man to ever make me feel safe with him, to make me believe he’d rather hurt himself than me.