Brady nods, glances back at his friends for a dose of courage and speaks firmly, but slowly, so I have time to catch up. “We haven’t seen you in four weeks. You were there one second and gone before I could come pick you up for dinner on the day you took your GED. Chase came home and we found a note saying you didn’t want to be found. As much as we wanted to respect your choices, something felt really off about the whole thing, so we tried to find you. There wasn’t a trail, not even the doorbell camera showed you leaving or what direction you went.”
He clears his throat. “I, um, didn’t know what else to do. I thought you hopped on a bus to get far away from here. Then I got a call two days ago that you were being admitted to this hospital after a suspected overdose. We’re about thirty minutes outside the city. We were at Blake’s house to get away for a minute, and she answered assuming it was Mom or Dad. She told me on the way here that she was made aware that you were in critical condition after they had to revive you in the ambulance. You took a lot of… Easton. They had to pump your stomach and even that almost didn’t do the trick. After you were stable, you weren’t waking up, so we’ve been camping outhere until you did. No offense, but you’re really banged up, little brother. So between that and the trauma of the overdose, your body needed some time to recuperate, that’s why they had to put in a breathing tube. You’ve been in a coma for two days now.”
My gaze snaps back up from wherever it wandered off during that retelling when he squeezes my hand again. “The only thing that matters is that you’re alive. There’s a lot we’re going to have to talk about, but not now. You need some rest, buddy.”
I know he’s telling me the truth, but it’s all very distant, almost like a bedtime story. “You won’t leave?” I ask, eyes already getting heavier by the moment.
Brady shakes his head. “No way. I’m not going anywhere.” He pauses only briefly. “Matter of fact, scoot over.”
I want to, but my body doesn’t react, my brain isn’t in charge of it. Brady is undeterred, carefully maneuvering me so he can fit beside me in the impossibly small space. When he’s on his side and his arm is resting over my chest, I am finally able to sleep peacefully. The weight settles me. Brady’s kept me safe my whole life, that’s not going to change anytime soon.
~~~
When I wake up, my eyes feel dry and gritty. All the lights in the room have been dimmed as much as they’re able to be, so at least it’s not an assault on my senses to try and look around. Brady is passed the fuck out, snoring softly by my side. He’s doing a damn fine job of keeping me warm, like having an electric blanket from head to toe. Chase is also slumped, head resting on the window frame with nothing but a balled up jacket to cushion him against the hard surface. From all the little odds and ends, the three of them have clearly been a permanent fixture around here. There’re phone chargers plugged into the wall and coffee cups and water bottles grouped around by each little hangout spot they created. Even a couple of fuzzy blankets, including a bright fuchsia one that’s been laid over me andBrady. When I rub it between my fingers, I make an involuntary little happy noise. It’s so fucking soft.
“Hey, sweets,” Blakely whispers, uncurling herself from a little den of sherpa on the ground beside Chase.
I smile at her, the best I can manage which can’t be all that impressive. I’m glad the boys have had a support system, even if I’m not as close with her. She still returns the gesture and passes me a small plastic cup with a straw. “Thanks,” I rasp after a few swallows.
My stomach is doing somersaults, but it was worth it to not feel like a dead starfish. Blake nods, this time swiping a tumbler from beside Chase’s head and giving me that instead. I raise my eyebrows at her, but she’s quick to explain herself. “It’s warm jello. It’ll make your throat feel better and settle your stomach. You’re looking a little green.”
Honestly, I’d try anything at this point, so why the fuck not. After a few careful drinks, I realize she was right. “Where’d you learn that?” I ask, feeling braver. After drawing my feet up, I gesture for her to sit. Moving the chairs would wake them up, and I’m kind of enjoying how peaceful everyone seems right now.
She pulls my feet into her lap and fixes the blanket over them before answering my question. “Food is a bit weird for me sometimes, so I’ve had to find several ways to get calories when eating is more effort than it’s worth. That one is one of my faves; it keeps me from feeling sick and the sugar is a nice energy boost.”
It’s odd how honest she is about something that seems really personal. Not at all how I’m used to going about things, but considering she’s seen all my darkest secrets exposed over this hospital stay, it’s nice to feel like I’m not being judged.
“Where’d it come from?”
Like a habit, she looks at the pearl ring on her finger. “My husband brought us some survival supplies and threw that in just in case. Is it still warm?” I nod, it’s damn near perfectly hot. “Good. You look a little better already.”
“I feel a little better already.”
Blakely steels her facial features, and internally, I prepare for the worst. “Keep drinking then, because we need to have an uncomfortable talk and you’ll need your strength, honey.”
Surely she wouldn’t call me by a pet name if she’s about to lay into me for hurting her friends, right? “Okay, let’s do it.”
“Can you be honest with me? I know we don’t know each other well, but I’ve known your brother and Chase almost as long as they’ve known each other. I promise I’m trying to help, but you have to be real with me so I can.” I nod firmly. I fucking hate talks like this, but there’s too much out in the open to try and cover it all back up at this point. “Chase wanted me to look into your ex, but before I go too deep, I need to know if you willingly went back to him.”
Goosebumps break out over my arms and I’m unable to hold back a shiver. Even thinking about him makes me want to panic. “No. He had a gun, and I didn’t know what else to do. He threatened Brady and Chase if I didn’t cooperate or ran away again.”
Blakely nods, like she was expecting something like that. “Okay. I believe you, lovebug. Can I ask you some questions about him?”
“Yeah, of course.” Chase said once she has one of the strongestspill your secrets to me so I can keep them safevibes he’s ever seen in a person, and I laughed thinking he was being hyperbolic. I’m starting to think that was putting it mildly. The panic subsides when I find the calmness in her eyes. I’m safe with these people, and I can feel it.
“Did you ever meet any of his family? What were their names?”
I rack my brain, trying to think of a time where he mentioned a name. “No. I was supposed to go meet his mom one Christmas, but he made me stay home. I don’t think he ever said her name to me. Just called her mom on the rare occasions he’d talk about her. I don’t know about anyone else; he was really cagey about it.”
“That’s okay. What about your living situation? Did he own properties or rent?”
I know that one. “He rented. We moved up and down the east coast a lot, so he always rented apartments.”
She cocks her head to the side. “Did you ever sign any of the leases with him? Or go when he was signing them?”
I take another sip of my lime jello. “No. I usually never saw the place until after he had already signed the lease. Sometimes, he’d talk about what features one had over another, but I was never there before it was set in stone.”
She hums. “You’re doing great, lovebug. Do you want a break?”
