Chapter 21 #2
Benji shook his head. “No idea. I think Tyson broke something. He was screaming about his arm. Joshua . . .” He rubbed at his eyes. “He was on the driver’s side too. Backseat. They were both hit pretty hard.”
Trey didn’t know what to say to make Benji feel better about Joshua. Someone he loved was in probably critical condition, and Trey couldn’t imagine that kind of fear. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if Dominic had been hurt worse in the accident. “What about the other car?”
Anger lit in Benji’s eyes. “Hit-and-run.”
“Fuck. They drove off?”
“Yeah.”
Trey untangled himself from Dominic, then cupped his boyfriend’s cheeks in his palms. Made Dominic focus on him, even though the desolation in his face made Trey want to weep. “Do you want me to call your parents?”
“I called them after you.”
Trey’s heart soared. He’d been Dominic’s first phone call. “Are they on their way?”
“Yeah. Roxy is staying with Starr.”
“Okay good.” Dominic’s parents would be a welcome presence in a very fucked-up situation. “What about Tyson’s aunt or cousin?”
“Don’t have the numbers,” Benji said. “And I don’t know where Ty’s phone is.”
Okay, then they’d deal with that later. Trey tugged Dominic down into a chair next to Benji, then sat on the other side, their hands tangled up together. As his adrenaline wound down, fatigue started to settle in.
Zelda and Robert Bounds stormed the waiting room around four thirty, sharing strong hugs with all three of them, even though Trey wasn’t the one who needed looking after.
Mrs. Bounds had a small cooler with bottles of chilled water that she passed around.
Trey urged Dominic to drink as much as he could without getting sick, then sipped at a bottle of his own.
“Has anyone told you boys anything about Lincoln or Joshua?” Mr. Bounds asked.
“No, but they know we’re all together,” Dominic said. “The nurses said they would.”
“Well, I’m going to go see if there’s an update about the boys.”
Trey was grateful for the man taking charge of the situation and being proactive. All Trey could think to do was hold Dominic’s hand.
Mr. Bounds returned a few minutes later, his expression grim.
Dominic tensed, his hand squeezing Trey’s painfully tight.
“Tyson has a broken ulna and fractured radius,” Mr. Bounds said. “It’s been set and he’s getting a cast put on. No other major injuries. He won’t be admitted.” The long pause made Trey’s stomach clench. “Lincoln and Joshua have been stabilized and taken up to the surgical floor.”
“Why?” Dominic asked.
“Joshua has some deep lacerations on his face and chest, and a broken piece of the car door is lodged in his abdomen. They need to remove it and make sure it didn’t damage any internal organs.”
Benji dropped his face into his palms and started crying. Mrs. Bounds squatted in front of him and tugged him into a firm hug.
“Lincoln?” Trey asked.
Mr. Bounds shoved his hands into his slacks. “It’s pretty serious. Lincoln has a skull fracture and has been unconscious since the accident. They wouldn’t say much beyond that. Traumatic brain injuries can be tricky.”
“But he’s gonna live, right?” Dominic asked.
“He’s young and he’s healthy, so the odds are in his favor.”
“I can’t lose him, Dad.”
“We won’t.”
Trey let go of Dominic’s hands so Mr. Bounds could wrap his son up in a tight hug.
He didn’t resent Dominic’s closeness with Lincoln anymore, and he ached for Dominic’s obvious pain.
Head injuries were scary beasts. People bounced back like nothing happened, or they ended up a vegetable.
Until the doctors told them more, all they could do was sit and hope.
He was dozing in a chair when his ringing phone jerked Trey wide awake. Seven thirty. Bobby calling. “Hey, man.”
“Dude, did you take my car again?”
Trey excused himself to the other side of the surgical waiting room.
They’d gone upstairs to wait after a slightly loopy Tyson was delivered to them.
“Had an emergency.” He filled Bobby in on the accident and everyone’s condition.
“Joshua’s in recovery right now, and his family just got here. Still no word on Lincoln though.”
“That sucks ass, man.” Bobby sounded genuinely upset, and that surprised Trey. “They get the other driver?”
“No, it was a hit-and-run.”
“Seriously? Shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh wow.” Bobby’s tone had shifted from serious to upbeat in a snap. “Oh my God, you know this means we’re competing now.”
“Competing for what?”
“Unbound, Coop, duh.”
Trey blinked at the wall. “Are you seriously thinking about that right now? Christ, Bobby, we don’t even know if Lincoln is going to live, and you’re thinking about Unbound?”
“Sorry, you’re right. Wrong time.”
“You think?” He wanted to reach across their wireless connection and strangle Bobby. “Look, can you not be an ass for a little while and do me a favor? Call Emily Ryan and tell her what’s going on with XYZ. The coordinators need to know.”
“So much for not focusing on Unbound.”
Trey grunted. “I’m thinking about them right now, not us.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll call her. You need anything, man?”
“No, I’m fine. I just . . . I need to be here for Dominic right now, okay?”
“I get it. Call if you need us.”
“I will, thanks.”
“Hey, Coop?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry I’ve been such an asshole to you recently.”
Trey could have been knocked over with a feather in that moment. “Thanks, Bobby. I’ll keep you posted.”
He returned to his seat next to Dominic and was met with a questioning gaze. “I might have stolen Bobby’s car last night,” Trey said.
“You didn’t ask him?”
“No, all I could think about was getting to you. But he’s cool with it. He knows how much I need to be here with you. He even apologized for being a dick about us.”
Dominic rested his head on Trey’s shoulder. “Once I got here and the accident sank in, you were the only person I could think to call.”
“I’m glad you did.”
“Me too.”
Benji’s and Joshua’s parents arrived around the same time, and both sets smothered Benji with love. Joshua had sailed through surgery, none of his internal organs had been damaged by the shrapnel, and he’d get a regular room once he was out of recovery. Great news for that group.
Trey didn’t know what he’d do if Lincoln didn’t make it. It would destroy Dominic. Even if they got good news, Trey hated the idea of leaving Dominic’s side for a moment, much less to spend three days in New York City, taking XYZ’s place in the competition. It wouldn’t feel right.
At the end of the day, when the chips were down, Dominic came first. And if that meant not going to Unbound and pissing off his bandmates, so be it. Fading Daze would survive.
No one could say the same about Lincoln.