I can't deal it's so unfair
And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it feels
Yeah it feels like
The world has grown cold
Now that you've gone away
The Offspring
Chapter Twenty Eight
Shamus
We get to the hospital and I keep my fingers entwined in Cassa’s as I storm past the reception desk and straight to the double doors and wait to be allowed through. The nurse is watching me and I am not in the mood to play sexy rock star right now. She makes her way to the small window by the doors and asks if she can help me.
I laugh darkly,“Yeah. Look we both know why I am here and I would prefer to not have a scene. I…” My words fail as she nods and I hear the click indicating the magnetic lock has released. I am so grateful she didn’t force me to say my name and who I was there to see or god forbid she was clueless and I had to replay that fucking bullshit call because it was on replay in my mind. I look to her before taking a deep breath. “Thank fuck you have a soul.”
“Of course and know my prayers are with him.” She says with glassy eyes and I take a second to remind myself how bad ass our fans are. Times like this it helps having them.
I nod in appreciation but don’t say what I know is true and that is that Noah is beyond prayer the minute he finds out his fiancé is dead…if he doesn’t know already.
I make it to the next nurses station where I see Chad and Carrie who is in hysterics. Chad is getting loud with two paramedics and a nurse. I pick up my speed and pull Sass closer but once we are withing reaching distance of them she breaks free and rushes to Carrie who cries harder at seeing her and it breaks my heart.
I take a protective stance in front of Chad who has both hands in a white knuckle fist. I look to the paramedics and the nurse and give a simple “back the fuck off.” I turn and press my hands against his chest to get him to take a few steps back. “Calm. Bro Noah needs calm right now and he needs it because Carrie is freaked the fuck out. Turn. Walk away. I got this.”
I left no room for argument even though he stared them down as he backed up. Once the sound of Carrie talking through her tears to Cass he snapped out of it and turned and walked toward them, taking both in his arms and letting them cry.
“My name is Shamus James.” I say and look to the paramedics and nurse. My voice is hollow and empty and I'm digging deep for the strength to ask what I need to ask. “I'm guessing we are waiting on Noah’s status?”
“Are you family?” The nurse asks. Before I can respond with a simple white lie of yes I hear Carrie enraged she is screaming through her tears. “I am all the blood he has god dammit. He is family by bone and I give permission for you to open your fucking trap and tell someone if my brother is alive!”
Chad literally lifts her off the ground and walks farther away as she screams pleas for them to give us anything and I no longer care about keeping it together. Carrie has Chad and Noelle so I know she will get through, but if she loses Noah she will forever be broken… its how they are built. Its also why Noah has to be okay because they are built for survival.
“Look you can see what the wait is doing to her. She will go into panic and become a health risk if you don’t give me something here. I am willing to hand over everything in my bank for her to get an answer here so do me the favor of finding anyone who is willing to bargain if your not.”
The paramedics are watching Carrie. Her jaw is chattering and she cant take a full breath and I see the switch take place as they head her way to try and calm her down or at least get her vitals checked. I look to the nurse and wish like hell I had the strength to put the charm on but my heart was broken along the rest and I was anxious to get to Cass who had to be in shock.“He is still in surgery. I wont have any news until he is out.”
“Surgery for what?” I ask hoping it’s not extreme.
Nurse hatchet wastes no time and doesn’t bother with kitten gloves and goes for the ‘like a band-Aid’ tactic. “Both his lungs are punctured as well as his spleen and a tear in his liver. He has minor head wounds that will most likely cause a concussion but there was no bleeding on the brain.” She looks at something behind me and I turn to see two of Washington’s finest dressed in blue.
“Officers.” I say but my thoughts are stuck on the plethora of fatal injuries Noah is fighting.
“Can we have a few minutes?” They ask and I cant figure why they want me.
“I just got the call that Candey was gone and that Noah was in surgery so I doubt I’ll be of help.”
“We spoke with both Mr and Mrs Blake when they got here. We are trying to establish the last hour or so of the reception to see what happened.”
“Okay. Yeah… um I left with my girlfriend Cassa maybe twenty minutes after Carrie and Chad left. I saw him holding Candey and …” I pause and feel my throat tighten with pain and sadness at Noah’s loss. Fucker was cursed or something. I might be the only one who knew what moment they shared before she left him forever. “I hadn’t paid attention to the time though.” I only cared about getting Cass home and in our bed and the list of nasty shit we got down too. “Can you tell me what happened?” I ask and I don’t know if I can take the details of Candey and Noah's final moments together.
