Chapter 49 #3
“They can come whenever. I’m okay.” It was a half lie. My body hurt something fierce, but I knew how lucky I was that the wound was all superficial. Recovering from a laparotomy would have been a million times worse. Within four minutes, the two were sneaking into my door.
“How did you guys get around visiting hours?” was the first thing that came out of my mouth, trying to make the moment a little lighthearted.
“Trina,” they answered at the same time.
“I’ll give you guys some time,” my dad said, standing up and walking out with Trina and Carol.
“Take ten or so ladies, but Audra needs to get some rest. This is just to give you all peace of mind. You can come back in the morning,” Carol added.
Jules spoke immediately. “I’m so sorry, Audra. I…” she stopped to catch her breath, “I’ve never had to act in an emergency like that, and I completely boggled it.”
Opening my arms, she gingerly came to me.
“Jules, not even close. I wasn’t capable of doing much, and you were able to be my hands.
Plus, you’re the only person in that entire bar who sprang into action.
You helped more than you will ever know.
That chest seal made all the difference.
Donovan has a chance because you were able to help me.
” She buried her head in my shoulder. It hurt like hell, but I wasn’t going to say anything.
“Hey Jules, give her a little space,” Cora said softly as she sat down on the bed. I’m sure she saw me wince. “I hear you’re going to be okay?”
“Yes, I will be. It hurts right now, but things could have been much, much worse. My biggest concern right now is Van,” I admitted.
“He told you he loved you,” Jules said quietly.
“Whaaaaaaat?” Cora gasped as she looked between Jules and me. “He did? I take it you talked to him in New York then? How did you leave that part out, Juliette?!”
“We did talk, and we agreed this thing was too good to pass up. I didn’t think “I love you” was on the table, but I can tell you it came out of my mouth without hesitation after he almost said it.
He couldn’t even get the whole thing out.
” I had to stop to catch my breath with that sentence.
“I feel sick that he’s fighting for his life right now because of me. ”
“Don’t you call him Batman? He sure as shit saved you today. You should call him BatVan!” Jules snickered. Leave it to her to be the one to try to break the tension, but I kind of loved that.
“I can’t believe it. God. This is all so, so messed up, I can’t even wrap my head around it. He’s going to jail, right?” I asked as I shifted, trying to find a comfortable position.
“From what I’ve gathered, he’ll be charged with attempted murder, and the sentence for that in South Carolina is thirty years. I’m not sure what his parents will do or how they will fight it, but you will never see him again,” Jules answered with enough conviction that I believed her.
“Has anyone contacted Donovan’s sister, McKenna?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. No one has her number,” Cora answered.
“Can one of you hand me my phone? She needs to know what’s going on,” I said. I looked through my phone, eternally grateful she made me take her number down at brunch. I called, and she answered on the second ring. The background was loud, and I wondered if she was out with Nathan’s friend again.
“Hi McKenna. I have some news. I need you in a safe spot? I have to tell you something.”
“Safe? No. What’s happening? Her voice raised in panic. Let me just get outside.” After muffled voices and a pause, it was quieter. After about a minute, she came through again, “Ok, I can hear now, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“There’s been an accident…” I started, but then my voice gave out. Jules picked up the phone from my hand and put it on speaker.
“McKenna, it’s Juliette. You’re on speakerphone. Donovan got hurt tonight. He is in the ICU with a stab wound and a collapsed lung. Audra would have called earlier, but she just woke up from a stab wound to her side.”
“What?” McKenna shouted into the phone. “What the fuck happened?” If she was with Nathan’s friend, Sebastian, partying like the other night, she was probably a little buzzed, too.
“Audra’s ex came into a bar they were at and attacked her. Donovan intervened to save her life, and got stabbed in the chest before knocking the ex out,” Jules said.
“I’m coming to you,” she replied. “I’ll leave right now.”
“He’s in the ICU and hasn’t woken up from surgery yet,” I chimed in when I got my breath back. “I’m in the hospital too, but should get released within twenty-four hours. I mean, I know you’re coming, but I can’t help you around town, McKenna, I have to stay with Donovan.”
“I can,” Jules offered. “I’ll be here for a few days and I’m staying with some friends.
You can stay there too. The house is huge.
” It was a bold move, seeing as she obviously hadn’t run it by the twins, but we all knew who she was talking about.
The two of them would give the shirt of their back to someone in need.
“Okay, thank you, I’ll take off from here, and head right to the airfield if I have to.
Donovan is the only family I care about.
I’m not even going to tell my parents if he’s stable, because they’ll just turn it into a publicity stunt.
Audra, I have to get there. I’m so scared right now.
” I could hear the slightest tremble in her voice.
“From what I understand, he’s still stable. We’re just waiting for him to wake up. Go home to pack a bag. Who knows how long you’ll be here.”
“Ok. I’m hanging up, packing, and heading to South Carolina. Audra, do you promise I have time to do all that? I can just Uber to the airfield, take off, and figure things out there,” her voice hitched again.
“I’m telling you what the nurses told me, but it sounds like you have time. I haven’t been allowed to see him yet either.”
“I’ll go as fast as I can,”
“If there’s any change, I promise I will call you immediately,” I assured her.
“Okay. And Audra, how are you? You got hurt too?” she asked.
“I did, but no major damage.” The last thing I needed to do was to have her worry about me, too. And I really was going to be fine.
“That’s good to hear. I hope the fucker who did it is dead,” she blurted out.
“Not quite, but he will be in jail for a very long time,” Jules threw in.
“Thanks for calling me, Audra. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course, McKenna. Safe travels,” I said. When we hung up, I turned to the two of them. “Speaking of travels, how’s Maeve? She’s still in Hawaii, right?” I asked.
“She is. She tried to convince Tucker to come home when she heard, which was right when they landed, but he begged for a couple of days out there. I think he’s going to propose or something because, according to Maeve, they had it out about coming back.
She was about to jump on a plane solo, and he begged for forty-eight more hours.
Ten bucks they’ll be back before then,” Cora said.
Even though I knew a proposal was the plan, I wasn’t going to spill the beans.
“And an engagement would certainly be a bright spot. Speaking of engagements, what’s your plan with Maverick now, Cora?
Where did you leave off? Saturday was so damn romantic.
Bravo to Maverick after his big mistake.
My God, you guys, I can’t believe everything that’s transpired in the last few days.
” I sagged my head back into the pillow and took a breath.
“That’s a lot of questions, friend. Though there are no engagements on my horizon, I’m going to delay opening Grá by, I’m guessing six to eight weeks, so I can spend time in California with Maverick,” Cora answered.
“I’m so happy for you, Cora.” I smiled at her as I yawned. “And you, Jules? Are you going to openly admit where you’re staying yet?”
“I’m only answering because you’re in a hospital bed with a stab wound. I’m staying at the twins’ house, which is also about to become McKenna’s accommodation as well.”
A smile spread across my face. “Color me surprised.” The three of us laughed, but it made my incision hurt, and I winced in pain right as Carol and Trina walked in.
“Okay, ladies, it’s time to head out. We need Audra to rest,” Trina said.
We exchanged hugs and goodbyes, and when they left, they pushed more painkillers into the IV. It didn’t take long before I passed out.
I got another five hours of sleep and woke up around 7:45 a.m. Trina was still there; she must have stayed all night to sit with the nurses to keep tabs on me.
She knew four of the six overnight nurses on the floor, so she had a few special privileges extended to her, like the ability to stay after visiting hours.
When I rang my call bell, she’s the one that came to help, and she assured me she’d get me to Donovan when she could.
At around 8:50 a.m., she informed me that rounds were delayed, so she wheeled me and my IV pole down to Donovan. It’d been a long time since I was on the patient end of a hospital stay, and it gave me fresh eyes to the experience that I’d rather not have.
When we got to his room, the sight of him knocked the air from my lungs.
He looked so vulnerable with the chest tube and cannulas.
Seeing as that kind of equipment was second nature to me, I didn’t quite expect the response I had, which was feeling like I got punched in the stomach.
Taking a deep breath, I puffed my cheeks to blow it out, hoping to keep it together, but my eyes became blurry with tears anyway.
As I was wheeled further into the room, someone stood up and scared the shit out of me.
“Bennett?” He shocked me because he wasn’t exactly the early bird. “What are you doing here?”
“My favorite Audra, I’m so sorry this happened.” He carefully hugged me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but he’s not. I’m worried about him, B. Why are you here though?”