“Jace, man, your mom grabbed a taxi. She should be here soon,” he announces.
“We’re pushing our limit of visitors. You should head home, Audrey,” Jace says in a lifeless voice.
“I want to stay with you, babe. I need to be here for you,” I whisper.
“Please, just leave. I don’t want the drama right now. With you being here. With my mom and my brother. I can’t deal with any of it,” he replies coldly.
“Jace, I’m sure it’ll be fine that she’s here,” Em interrupts in a flat tone. She doesn’t even glance in our direction, just continues staring at the closed door.
“While I was playing in the ocean, my brother was riding in an ambulance. To the hospital, Audrey! I’d rather just be with my family right now.”
His words slice through me like a knife, and I feel like I’m bleeding out right here for all of our friends to see. “Playing? Is that what we were doing?” I ask quietly.
“Don’t twist my words,” he cautions.
“I’m not twisting your words, Jace. I’m repeating them.” I stand up and look down at where he sits on the floor. He’s hurting. I can understand that, but this is just cruel.
Instantly, his arm swings back and he slams his closed fist into the wall behind him. “Leave!” His shout echoes throughout our little waiting room and I jolt a step away from him. Without another glance in his direction, I push through the door and launch myself out into the cold, dim hallway.
“Was that really the best fucking way you could have handled that?” Cole bellows out behind the closed door.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” I hear Quinn stammer.
When there’s no answer, Cole continues, “I had no idea there was something going on between the two of you, but she didn’t deserve that. I don’t even know who the hell you are right now.”
“If Jaxon doesn’t make it through this, I won’t even know who the hell I am!” Jace growls back.
“Shut up, Jace!” I hear Em yell. “Just shut up. Don’t you dare say that again. WHEN Jaxon makes it through this, WHEN. There’s no IF. That’s not an option,” she says in an angry tone. Before she can even finish, I hear a loud thud against the wall and a frustrated groan follows. I decide to leave now before Jace punches holes in every wall of this hospital. As I quickly stride down the hallway, the nurse we met before steps out of a room and props the door open so she can wheel a cart out.
Inside, I can see Jaxon lying on a bed. He has cords, tubes, wires, and machines hooked up to him. He looks perfectly healthy, almost as if he were only taking a nap. Everyone in that waiting room down the hall is anxious to see him and little do they know he’s only two doors away.
Quinn pushes through the door and looks around frantically. When she spots me, she quickly advances in my direction. A second later, Cole pops his head out of the door and calls out to Quinn.
“I’ll be right back,” she calls, waving him off.
“Okay, babe. Just hurry, please,” he says with desperation. “You okay, pretty girl?” he asks me. I shrug my shoulders noncommittally. “Hang in there,” he adds before disappearing back into the waiting room.
I stay at Jaxon’s door, staring into his room. Willing him to wake up. This group needs him. I just don’t know how they would make it if they lost him. When Quinn reaches me, I hear her slight intake of breath.
“Oh, Jaxon...” she whispers with deep sadness.
“He looks perfectly fine, like he’s just napping,” I tell her. The nurse squeezes past us and I try to stop her before she leaves. “Excuse me, when can they see him? We’ve been here for hours, and I’m sure you can imagine how painful this is for his family not being able to be by his side.”
She shucks off her gloves and cleans her hands with the sanitizer that’s mounted outside of his door. “Well...technically I’m supposed to check a few more things, but I guess I can do that with them in here. I’m sure they’re hurting.”
“Thank you, we really appreciate it,” I say with a smile.
“Thanks.” Quinn squeezes my arm. “He’ll realize what he just did. He needs you here.” She points with her thumb back toward the room. I shake my head back and forth, not wanting to talk about the way Jace just delivered my shattered heart back to me on a silver platter.
“When do you plan on telling Cole he’s going to be a daddy?” I ask, rubbing her stomach.
She sighs and replaces my hand with hers when I move away. “I was going to do it tonight after we went to bed, but I can’t do it now. Hopefully this guy,” she points at Jaxon, “plans on waking up soon so I can tell everyone.”
“Understandable. Just know that I’m happy for you. You guys are going to be wonderful parents.”
“Don’t talk like that, Audrey. You’re speaking as if we aren’t going to see each other again. You aren’t going anywhere. You two aren’t done,” she states adamantly, grabbing a hold of my hand.
I don’t know what is going to happen anymore. A few hours ago, I was so sure of everything. Now the wind has been taken out my sails and my feet have been knocked out from under me. I can understand worrying and being in pain, but this was a side of Jace I’ve never seen before. And I hate that at the first sign of distress, he shoved me away. I squeeze Quinn’s hand with a sad smirk and walk away without a word. There is nothing left to be said. Now all I can do is hope Jaxon makes it through this.
I race to the emergency room waiting area to try and beat the tears that are threatening to come. I just need to find Lane so I can go home. When I hit the double doors, I stumble out in my haste. Moving farther away from Jace is physically excruciating. I know he’s in pain. All I want to do is hold his hand and that’s the last thing he wants from me. I can hardly breathe by the time I see Lane, who is sitting in a chair facing the doors. When he finally spots me, he charges toward me and catches me before I can crash to my knees.
“Doll?” he gasps. “No...no...is it Jaxon?”
“No, yes. No. He’s alive. I just need to get out of here,” I blurt out.
“I need you to tell me what’s wrong first, love.”
“Jace doesn’t want me here.”
His voice flattens and in a deadly calm tone he asks, “Why do you say that?”
“I just want to go home, Lane.”
He wraps his arm around my shoulders and half leads, half carries me out of the ER. As we exit the sliding doors, I hear him mumble under his breath, “I’m going to kill that asshole...”
JACE -
When Quinn leaves the room shortly after Audrey, no one speaks to me. I don’t blame them. But right now I could give a fuck because all I can think about right now is my brother. In the corner of my eye, I see Cole get up to comfort Em and ask if she needs anything. Em isn’t talking to any of us though, not unless it’s about Jax.
I begin to pace the room. We’re all getting antsy waiting in this stupid, depressing, cream-colored room. How can they ask people to sit in here for so long? It really is a prison, except they know you won’t leave so bars aren’t necessary. The door finally opens and all three of us immediately look to see who’s coming in. When it’s only Quinn, Em and I let out a deflated breath.
Cole rushes over to her and she squeezes him tightly, kisses his cheek, and then pushes off of him.
“Audrey convinced the nurse to let us in to see him,” she murmurs, while making her way back to the door.
“Oh, thank God. I knew I loved that girl.” Em quickly rushes out into the hallway.
“Is she still out there?” I ask. At this point, I don’t know if I’m asking because I don’t want to see her or because I hope she didn’t really leave.
Quinn rolls her eyes and pushes by me. “Don’t worry, she followed your orders.” Ouch. I shadow behind and with every step, my heart beats louder in my chest. What will he look like? I’ve never seen someone in a coma before. Will he look like he’s hurt or sick? I’m not sure I can stomach the idea of seeing my brother like this.