14. Chapter 14
TRISTAN
Tris weres my $$
Stomach sinking, Tristan frowned at his phone before glancing down the hall toward his bedroom, where Jax still slept. He’d intended to make Jax breakfast in bed, and had already showered and laid out the ingredients for cheesy eggs, but Eve had thrown a wrench into those plans.
She’d called a few times yesterday, but he’d been too busy to answer, and he had a sneaking suspicion that he was about to pay for that.
His phone buzzed again, vibrating in his hand.
tris i dont want to make a scene.
A picture appeared beneath her bad grammar, and Tristan almost dropped the phone. Eve stood in front of The Pointe’s sign, right on the main road, her smile a warning.
Panic sloshed through Tristan’s system. The weekend had been stressful enough, and there she was, ready to make things worse.
But it was his own damn fault because he’d waited too long to fix things, and something in his brain clicked, rippling out and strengthening his resolve to steel.
This would be the final payment, because once the weekend was over, Tristan would talk to Rain and Mason about Eve’s threats and how he’d tried to mitigate them. Then he’d come clean to Jax.
However, Tristan needed to handle Eve so things could run as smoothly as possible for Jax. If she managed to cause a ruckus today, then Tristan would never forgive himself.
I’ll be there in twenty minutes. The guilt seemed heavier than usual, resting over him like a lead cloak. Stay out of sight.
Sighing, Tristan ran his hands through his hair. Already dressed, he just had to grab his keys and tux from the bedroom. Tiptoeing in, he gathered his things and was almost home free, but as he reached the door, Jax stirred.
“Where ya goin’?” his accent was more pronounced first thing in the morning, and Tristan wanted to crawl back into bed with him.
“I have to run an errand. I forgot to pay something.” Tristan tried not to grimace as the guilt doubled in weight.
“Oh, um, shit.” Jax blinked further awake, his hair tousled, a sleepy grin on his face, and Tristan’s heart spun in his chest.
“Is it okay if I meet you at work?” he ventured, trying not to look as horrible as he felt. He should be cuddling Jax all the way to the wedding hall instead of fending off someone who should’ve been out of his life years ago.
After a yawn and a careful upper body stretch, Jax hummed. “Sure, I’m going to take the hottest shower known to man.”
“I’ll leave you a spare key on the breakfast bar.” Tristan could at least extend this gesture, show his true feelings and intentions, and it worked, because Jax’s eyes went wide.
“A key ? Well, thank you, Hot Bearded Guy.”
Drawn to him, Tristan leaned over, giving Jax a thorough kiss, trying to tell him everything he wished he could say, but if Eve waited any longer, then she’d probably kick in The Pointe’s glass doors.
Reluctantly pulling away, Tristan placed his forehead against Jax’s. “Bye.”
“Mmm, bye,” Jax pecked him one last time, and Tristan hurried out before he changed his mind, anger prickling under his skin all the way to the bank. Eve had taken ten years of his life and this precious morning with Jax; he wouldn’t allow her any more of his time.
On the way to the hall, Tristan used every trick in the book to calm down, but nothing worked because his fury ran too deep. So, once he saw The Pointe, he drove past the entrance and Eve, turning at the next corner, where there were no cameras or traffic.
Pulling over, he watched as she waved her arms in exasperation, clicking her way over to him in her expensive shoes as he got out of his car .
“It’s about time, Tris!” she exclaimed loudly. “Was your twink keeping you busy?”
“Don’t call him that.” Leaning on his anger, he glared at her. She looked shocked for a few seconds, but she recovered quickly.
“Triiiis, you ignored me all day yesterday,” she whined in a baby voice that grated across his soul.
“That’s because I have a job. This job.” He pointed at the building looming to their left. “And if you keep coming here and get me fired, then I won’t have money to give you,” he bit out.
Her expression told him that she didn’t care, and she sniffed, holding out her hand. Tristan wanted to slap it away. How had he ever loved her?
Maybe the better question was did he ever love her? It might have been infatuation or delusion, but the match flame of whatever they’d had was nothing compared to the bonfire between him and Jax.
“Here. Now you can leave.” He placed an envelope of cash in her hand, and a sly grin crept across her face; it unnerved him.
“I guess.” She glanced toward the building and then back to Tristan. “Have a good day at work .” She drawled the last word, waving absently at him as she stalked off. He wanted to follow her and figure out what that grin was about, but today needed to go flawlessly, so he should get inside.
Driving to the lot, Tristan found the hall empty except for the kitchen staff, and after he checked on the walk-in, he changed into his tux and sent Jax a text.
Hope you loved the shower. At The Pointe, and everything looks good.
Opening duties kept Tristan occupied for almost an hour, and when he finally surfaced for air, he headed for the kitchen. Jax should be at The Pointe by now. How come he hadn’t checked in?
But he froze in place as Marci and Winter stepped into the main room, heading his way, and the worry on their faces made Tristan’s stomach drop.
“What’s going on?” He couldn’t hide the tremble in those words.
“Have you heard from Jax?” Marci asked, and for the second time that day, Tristan panicked.
“Why?” Sweat bloomed across his skin, his heart racing.
“He’s not here.” Winter showed Tristan their phone. “And he’s not answering our calls.”
On autopilot, Tristan checked his phone too, his knees wobbling when he realized that Jax had never replied to his text.
“…where is he?” His voice sounded far away.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Marci said softly, putting her hand on Tristan’s arm.
“He wouldn’t no-show, it’s not like him.” The anxiety in Winter’s voice added to the swirling tornado of fear inside Tristan. Worst-case scenarios tumbled through his mind, scattering his usual calm, because this was Jax . The person he cared about most in the world.
He could feel that something was wrong. Jax loved cooking; he loved being a chef, and this weekend meant everything to him. While it hadn’t gone the way he’d hoped, he’d persevered despite the sabotage, working things out. He wouldn’t just toss that all away. And he wouldn’t vanish without calling.
Four years ago, I woke up after a night out and I couldn’t move…
Icy realization ran through Tristan’s veins as he remembered something Jax had told him last month, when he’d been stretched out on Owen’s office floor, vulnerable and honest.
Now he was certain that Jax needed his help.
“Tristan?” Winter’s soft voice broke through, and he blinked down at them.
“I have to go.” He ripped off his headset. “Marci, can you-”
“I got you, hun. Find him and let me know what happened as soon as you can.” Her green eyes held worry, which was rare, confirming that Tristan’s gut was right.
Taking off, he ran through the foyer, and as he stumbled outside, he spotted Finn by The Pointe’s shuttle bus. He wore a smile, but it quickly fell from his face as Tristan approached.
“What’s wrong? Is it Ollie?” The words held the same fear that whirled through Tristan’s mind.
“No, it’s Jax.” Tristan’s voice echoed weirdly in his head. “He didn’t come in, and he’s not answering his phone or any texts. I think it’s his back.”
Frightened guilt welled up inside of him, and it must’ve shown on his face because Finn patted his shoulder. “Let’s go. I’ll drive. ”
All Tristan could do was nod, realizing that he was in no state to use a car. Following Finn to his SUV, they got in, and Finn gestured to the navigation on the dashboard.
“You guys didn’t drive in together?”
Tristan shook his head, typing in his address with shaking fingers.
“I had to run an errand.” And he hated himself because of it.
“How far away do you live?”
“It’s a ten-minute drive.”
“I’ll get there in five.” Finn quickly studied the route before peeling out of the parking lot.
Grabbing the handle above the window, Tristan tried calling Jax again, putting the phone on speaker and hoping that he was overreacting, but his panic only grew with each unanswered ring.
Finn pulled up to the building in record time, and Tristan was out of the car before it stopped, hauling himself up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. Breathless, he ran down the hall to his apartment, his hands shaking as he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
“Jax?” his voice echoed along with his footsteps, and he quickly checked the kitchen before darting to his bedroom.
He didn’t see Jax at first; the gigantic bed blocked his view of the bathroom floor, but a low moan had him rushing to the other side of the room, where his racing heart stuttered in his chest.
Curled on his side, Jax was sprawled across the threshold, his upper half in the bathroom, his lower half on the carpet, and Tristan gasped, dropping to his knees beside Jax, but he didn’t respond at all.
“Jax!” His back must’ve locked up on the way to the shower, causing him to fall. Thankfully, the bath mat his head rested on was soft and cushioned, or this would’ve been much worse.
Not knowing what to do, he placed a hand across Jax’s blazing-hot forehead. At the touch, Jax let out another low scratchy moan, as if his throat was hoarse from yelling.
How long had he been here? Tristan glanced around the room, realizing that Jax’s nightmare had happened again. His phone was on the charger beside the bed, but Jax was too far away to grasp it, and he must’ve been calling for help .
Tristan’s vision blurred, and he felt tears burn down his cheeks.
“J-Jax?” He ran knuckles down Jax’s cheek, breathing a sigh of relief as Jax cracked open his puffy eyes.
“T-Tris-tan! M-My back…” The mix of fear and relief on his tear-stained face made Tristan want to gather Jax up into his arms and hide him away from the world, keep him safe.
But he couldn’t keep Jax safe. This had happened because of Tristan, because he hadn’t been there when Jax had needed him most.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” Tristan didn’t know how he managed to talk with guilt’s hands around his throat, suffocating him, but he held strong.
“Tristan?” Finn ran into the bedroom, his eyes going wide when he saw Jax lying on the floor. “Jax!”
“It’s his back,” Tristan said as Finn dropped down next to him, pulling out his phone.
“I’m calling an ambulance.”
“N-No…” Jax’s eyes cracked open a little wider, and the fright in them made it even harder for Tristan to breathe.
“Okay, no ambulance. But you do need to go to the emergency room. Please.” Tristan put everything he could into his gaze, hoping that Jax would agree.
“…I can’t.” Tears flowed from Jax’s eyes, falling across his nose and dripping to the floor. Tristan dried them with his sleeve, thinking. How could he make this less scary for Jax?
“What if I carry you and we drive you there? I’ll be beside you every step of the way.” But it wouldn’t make up for leaving Jax alone this morning. Nothing would.
“I d-don’t know…” Jax swallowed, opening his mouth to speak, but he jolted, letting out a raspy howl.
This was much worse than what Tristan had seen before, and he stood, ripping one of the blankets from the bed and wrapping it around Jax.
Spring had been blooming across town, but the nights were still brisk, and Jax wore just pajama pants and a t-shirt.
“T-Tris-tan,” Jax took in a shuddering breath, holding onto the blanket.
“ Please. ” Tristan knelt again, putting one of his hands over Jax’s. “I promise, I won’t leave your side. But Finn and I would feel a lot better if a doctor could look you over. ”
Letting out a weighty sigh, Jax gave him a single nod, followed by a sniffle, and Tristan took a few seconds to smooth back his hair and calm him.
“I’m going to carry you now, okay?” Although he still gasped for air under guilt’s hold, once Jax gave him another nod, Tristan easily lifted him again, cringing at the cry he let out before he settled in Tristan’s arms.
Finn held the front door, called the elevator, and ran ahead to grab the car. Once Tristan hit the crisp night air, Jax whined in the back of his throat, shifting into Tristan a bit more, and it had Tristan tearing up again.
He never thought that he would lie to the one he loved, but he had, and this was the consequence. Jax trusting him so deeply was only twisting the knife, but Tristan forced it all back, remembering that Jax’s health was the main priority right now. He’d sort everything out later.
Finn drove them quickly but carefully to the closest hospital, dropping them off in front of the emergency room, and forty minutes later, Jax was in the back, waiting for a doctor. One of the nurses came to take his vitals, and concern lined her forehead as Tristan and Finn told her what happened.
Thankfully, Jax had people to advocate for him because he couldn’t form full sentences. His pain had taken away his ability to speak coherently, and Tristan couldn’t imagine what this was like for someone without family, friends, or loved ones to protect them.
“Maybe I should get in touch with his mom.” Finn stood next to Tristan, and the two of them stared down at Jax, who moaned and shifted.
Tristan was about to reply, but the doctor came in.
“I’ll go out into the hall and make some calls.” Patting Tristan’s shoulder again, Finn headed out, approval in his gaze. Somehow, that made Tristan feel even guiltier.
Once the doctor showed up, Tristan tried to answer her quickfire questions as she examined Jax, and then Jax was whisked away for an X-ray. After viewing the results, the doctor gave Jax two shots, one to ease any inflammation and another to ease his pain, and within seconds, Jax settled down.
“He needs an MRI and a treatment plan,” she said. “I’ll write up a prescription for the imaging.”
“Thanks.” Tristan stared down at Jax’s face. Despite the shots, his forehead and eyes were still lined with pain, and Tristan took his hand, wishing he could carry both the physical and mental agony.
Because Jax deserved a break. He deserved the world, and Tristan needed to become someone who could give that to him.