“They took him to surgery,” I say, stepping into the hall with him. “He has internal bleeding. I don’t know exactly because they weren’t allowed to give me details as I’m not family.”
His face contorts, devastation carving deep lines around his eyes. “You were with him last night,” he states like it’s a fact.
I nod. “I went to his teammate’s house after my birthday dinner. The six of us went there, and then things got…awkward, so we left.”
He blinks. “What do you mean you left?”
I swallow. “At around ten, we drove back home. Maeve stayed the night at my house.” I want to mention that Cody was on edge, but I know it’ll only drive his dad’s suspicion further. He’s going to accuse me of leaving his son when I knew something felt off. I already feel the guilt swimming in my gut, stabbing at me, but unfortunately, I let my spite get the best of me. Cody didn’t stay to sing Happy Birthday, so I didn’t stay to sleep with him again.
I continue, “He was found unconscious on the edge of campus. The nurse said a good Samaritan brought him in.” I swallow hard. The image of his injuries flashes in my head.
Judge Ravenshaw nods once sharply. “I’ll speak to the doctors.”
He disappears down the hall, leaving me standing in the middle of the hall. I attempt to take a step back in the direction of Maeve, but I can’t move. And then the tears hit me. They’re not silent tears this time. These are raw, shaking, unstoppable. My chest feels like someone is standing on it. I press a hand against the wall as my vision blurs with water. Too much water. I huff, letting the waterfall run its course. But that’s not the worst of it. I wail, regretting that I didn’t sleep over at Cody’s last night. If I did, none of this would’ve happened.
Maeve gently touches my shoulder, and I fall into her arms. She holds me up as she holds me close.
“I know, Ad. I’ve got you.”
“I don’t understand,” I cry, shaking my head again and again. “We were just with him. He was fine. You saw him, he was fine.” I grab onto her, tears and snot releasing on her hoodie. “Maeve, what happened to him?”
She holds me close, rubbing my back. “We’re going to figure it out. First, we should call your parents, so they know where you are and what’s going on.”
My parents. The thought of them makes me straighten. The disappointment in their faces if they saw me fall apart like this pulls me out of Maeve’s arms. I shake it off because I have to. It’s not like he’s dead.
I nod at Maeve, who’s still talking, even though I don’t know what she’s saying. She’s trying to comfort me, but the coldness starts to freeze over. I can’t crumble, not now when Cody needs me.
“We’ll get through this,” Maeve says, reaching for my hand. She gives me a light squeeze, grounding me in this moment.
That’s all I needed to hear.
I nod, looking down at our matching pajamas. The bell sleeves flare, the patterns are identical, and the sight eases something in my chest.
I inhale and exhale. She’s right.
“My phone is dead,” I say.
“I’ll grab my charger from my car.” She dries a tear sliding down my cheek. “Are you okay if I go for a minute?”
I nod.
She pulls me to the waiting room. I take a seat, and then she’s rushing out the front doors.
I wipe at my cheeks, trying to breathe past the tight ache that feels like it’s crushing my ribs. The hospital continues around me. More people file in as time passes. Maeve plugs my phone in, and we sit for hours waiting to hear how the surgery went.
Maeve leaves to use the bathroom, and a tall, broad man who looks familiar walks out of the hallway. His face is…bruised, and he’s wearing a sling. Wait, that’s…
His gaze drags over me slowly, not curious. Not sympathetic. Assessing. Dread consumes me whole. His dark eyes are unforgiving as they flick in the other direction, snubbing me.
He walks towards another hallway, his black boots clicking on the ground, the leather jacket slung over his good shoulder, and black skinny jeans that make his shoulders look broad.
He looks familiar, but I can’t place him.
I watch as he walks away, trying to put together where the hell I know him from.What was he doing behind those closed doors?
My gut sinks.
I watch as it clicks closed, my body shivering at the sound.
