“Please stop.”Maverick heaves, gripping the ends of his hair.“Please stop.”
Charlotte shakes her head softly.“No.People need to know.She fought in that house.She’s missing a couple of nails on her fingers.Her ankle looked mangled.Her wrist is definitely broken.She had cuts and bruises in so many places.Her clothing was...”She closes her eyes, pressing her hand into Drew’s T-shirt.“Her face.I don’t know what happened.It’s not just bruises.The left side of her face looked like burst blood vessels.The whites of her eyes were red, one worse than the other.”
“I don’t need a fucking reminder!”Maverick states sharply, spinning to the redhead.“I saw it, Charlotte.”
“Hey,” Myles snaps, stepping up beside his daughter.“Don’t speak to her like that, Maverick.”
“Everyone here doesn’t need the fucking images in their head.I can’t get them out of mine, and I don’t think I’ll ever fucking sleep again.You didn’t fucking see her,” Maverick spits in his brother’s face.“Do you still see Kayla?”
Whatever the comment means has Myles’ face paling.“Yes.”
Maverick turns to Mason.“Denny?Do you still picture that day she was pulled out?”
“Stop!”Malik orders.
“Tell me you don’t hear Harlow at the club after the explosion,” Maverick demands.
“Fuck you,” Malik rasps.
“We all know Max still has nightmares about Landon,” Maverick states, staring at each of his brothers.“Fuck, I still see Faith’s foot in the rubble.”His vacant eyes stare straight ahead, the fight leaving his body.“I can never fucking help any of you.No matter what I do.You all get hurt.”
Teagan steps up to her husband, running her hands up his chest.“No, sweetheart.That is not true.”
I have no fucking idea what is happening right now, but whatever it is has each brother and wife in a chokehold, each of them hit by his words.Even Max has kept quiet.Max who...who isn’t even sitting next to his wife anymore.
“Let her finish,” Myles demands softly, rubbing his brother’s back.“This is Charlotte.Someone who loves Lily, who loves all of you.She’s not saying this to hurt you.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Maverick.Dad is right.I’m not.What I’m trying to say is Lily from a few years ago wouldn’t have fought.She would have escaped in her head or froze,” she explains and walks over to Maddox, taking his hand.“She fought for Jaxon, for Rose, and for herself.She fought for the life she is building, the future she wants.I saw it the minute I walked into that room and she was gripping onto the cot.I hate that this has happened to her.I truly do.But don’t blame Jaxon for this.Not when she fought that man with everything she had.Not when she was so incredibly brave.”She pauses to face Maverick.“Don’t blame yourself either.I’m sorry for hurting you with my words.I just can’t watch people throw blame around, even if that blame is to themselves.It minimises what she has gone through, how hard she fought.Life may throw the unthinkable at our family, but we always come out stronger.We always come out the other side together.I don’t know what some of those things you said meant, but I do know Mum is stronger because of what she went through.She has helped so many people with not only her knowledge, but because she cares.Dad helps families because of what happened to you all as kids.Lily is who she is today because of her family, and I don’t just mean the Carters.I hate that this happened to her, but I am so damn proud of her.”
Maverick tugs her into his arms.“I’m sorry.I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Is a Mrs Teagan Carter here?”a nurse calls.
Teagan steps away from Maverick on wobbly legs, facing the young nurse who makes her way down the aisle of chairs.“Yes.Is my daughter okay?”
“Mr Hayes has asked for you to come back into the room we have allocated to Mrs Hayes until we can find her a bed upstairs.”
Maverick takes her hand, supporting her when her knees knock together.“Can I come?I’m Lily’s dad.”
The nurse wrings her hands together.“He’s requested it just be Mrs Carter.He was very clear about that.”
“It’s okay,” Teagan whispers.“Stay with Faith and the boys.”
Faith is in a daze, reminding me of the day Isaac was brought in here.I had been just like that.Here but not present.I don’t even think she’s heard Charlotte’s speech, her dad’s outburst or heard the nurse.She has done nothing but stare at the floor.Not even Charlotte enticing her with Rose has helped.
A few minutes later, the doors open once again as Jaxon storms out, his expression stricken.He doesn’t stop, heading for the main doors.
Only Wyatt and I are here.We didn’t feel like anyone was safe, so besides Mum, who is in with Granddad, everyone else is hauled up at home.It’s also a good thing Wyatt asked Evie to stay with Becca at the farm.Tensions are high here, and I don’t think a Carter at the moment would be able to hold back from saying something.
Wyatt and I jerk our chin at each other and I slowly turn to Summer.“I’ll be back,” I whisper.
She nods and moves over to Freya, who turned up with Mark not long after Aiden arrived.I follow Wyatt outside, finding Jaxon leaning against the wall, screaming.
“Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!”he roars, slamming the palms of his hands into the brick wall.
“Jax?”Wyatt calls out.
Jaxon spins around, his eyes wild and feral.“We have to find him.We have to—”
