22. Laney
It’s late when my phone rings, Reed’s name appearing on screen.
Instantly, I know something is wrong.
I answer the call. “What’s happened?”
“Cade’s in the hospital.”
My heart stops. “What? Why?”
My first thought is that he’s had some kind of relapse.
“He’s been beaten up. He was found in a parking lot behind a bar.”
“Oh, God.”
I’m already on my feet, looking for my purse. I wish I had a car. I don’t have the patience to wait for an Uber or cab.
Reed seems to read my thoughts. “We’re on our way there now. We’ll pick you up on the way.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
I pace anxiously as I wait, my phone clutched in my hand in case they need to contact me again. At this time of night, the roads should be relatively clear, so I hope they won’t be long.
What have you been doing, Cade? I’m worried this might have something to do with me. The last time he came here drunk, I sent him away again. I shouldn’t have done that. He was reaching out to me, and I rejected him.
It feels like forever has passed when headlights finally appear, and then Reed pulls the car up beside me. Darius is in the passenger seat, so I open the rear door and jump in. I barely have time to pull it shut behind me and do up my seatbelt before Reed is on the move again.
“Has there been any more news?” I ask. “Do we know what happened yet?”
“We don’t know,” Darius says, twisting slightly in his seat. “All we got was the call to say he’d been taken to the hospital.”
I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. “If he’s not okay…”
Darius takes my hand. “Cade’s tough. You know that. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
I appreciate him trying to comfort me, but he can’t know that. None of us can.
“I just can’t believe we’re going through this again…” I let my voice trail off.
Reed drives as fast as he can. I know we’re all sick with worry.
We reach the hospital. Reed stops the car in a loading bay.
We’re probably going to get a ticket, but none of us care.
We run into the hospital. I still have Dax’s hand in mine, and he trusts me to lead the way and warn him of any trip hazards.
It’s late, but the place is still busy. Reed hurries to reception and gives Cade’s name.
The receptionist points us in the right direction.
We find Cade’s room, and I pull up short, sucking in a breath of shock.
“Oh, God, no.”
Seeing him lying in the hospital bed, his face bruised and bloodied, his eyes closed, the skin around them swollen, takes me straight back to the time in the cabin.
Except this time he has medical treatment, something he didn’t have before. I grab hold of this tiny bit of hope.
“Tell me,” Darius says. “What does he look like?”
My voice cracks as I speak. “Not good. Someone’s done a number on him.”
“You the family?” a male voice from behind us asks.
A doctor in a white coat holding a clipboard is standing in the corridor.
“Yes,” Reed says, “I’m his father. This is his brother and…” he hesitates, and then adds, “his stepsister. How is he? Is he going to be okay?”
“We think so. He was conscious when he came in, barely, but he was able to talk. That’s why we knew to call you. We’ve given him some pretty hefty painkillers, which is why he’s sleeping now.”
“He’s only sleeping?” I check. “He’s not unconscious.”
“He’s sleeping,” the doctor repeats, “but that doesn’t mean his injuries aren’t serious. He has a fractured rib, and he’s taken a serious blow to the head, most likely from a kick.”
“Who did this to him?” Reed asks.
“I’m afraid we don’t know that yet. The police will want to speak to him once he’s woken up.” The doctor glances over our way and then lowers his voice. “Can I speak to you a minute?” He directs the question at Reed.
“Of course.”
The doctor takes Reed to one side, but we can still hear them.
“He can’t afford to take any more blows to the head. He got lucky this time, but we could be looking at something called chronic traumatic brain injury, or CTBI, if this happens again.”
“What does that mean?” Reed asks.
“It’s something we see more commonly in people who do a contact sport, like boxing or football, or in our vets, or people who’ve suffered from domestic violence.
It can manifest in many different ways, depending on the patient.
In some, it’ll be mild, and they’ll only suffer from persistent headaches, memory loss, some slurring of speech, or it might affect their mood.
This can get worse as the patient gets older, however.
But in others, the effect can be extremely severe.
It can change a patient’s entire personality, resulting in violent outbursts, and no longer loving the people or things they cared about before the injury.
Some lose the ability to speak and walk. ”
Reed places his hand over his mouth. “My God.”
“It really is something to be taken seriously, Mr. Riviera.”
“Yes, of course. I understand.”
This information makes me sick to my stomach. I want to wrap Cade up in bubble wrap and place him somewhere safe. What was he doing to get beaten up? The possibility I might have had something to do with it refuses to leave my thoughts.
I’ll take care of him, no matter what he goes through. We might not be married, but I believe in ‘through sickness and health.’ We’re family.
Reed leaves the doctor to join us again.
“You heard all that?”
Darius and I both nod.
I give voice to my biggest fear. “Do you think it’s possible that Smith and the others found Cade?”
Darius shakes his head. “If they had, Cade would be dead now, not just roughed up. Don’t forget that Cade had plenty of his own issues even before the plane went down. You learned that for yourself when you found his phone.”
“Do you think that’s who did this? The same people he’d been hoping to hide out from?”
“Most likely, yeah, or else Cade has been mouthing off in a bar somewhere and someone took a disliking to him. You’ve seen how angry he’s been since we got back. I bet it would only take someone looking at him the wrong way to set him off.”
“Cade can handle himself, though,” I say.
“Maybe there was more than one of them.”
Cade’s been angry because of me, at least in part. Things have been so tense between us, and I haven’t given him any definite answers as far as what our futures hold. Seeing him like this again, however, has made up my mind.
What would I have done if he’d died? I’d have never forgiven myself for the distance I’ve put between us.
My heart would have shattered, and I’d never have been the same again.
Maybe loving Cade—allowing myself to love Cade—will be a risk, and he might well hurt me again.
But not having him in my life is unthinkable.
He’s worth the risk. Every single second of it.
Tears are streaming down my cheeks again.
Darius must hear the hitching of my breath, as he reaches out his hand, takes my fingers in his, and pulls me to his chest. He holds me tight as I cry, easing my pain, though I know this must be just as hard for him.
Cade is his brother, and Reed’s son, and they witnessed what happened to Cade back at the cabin.
They almost lost him, too. Going through it again is difficult for them.
“He’s going to be okay,” Darius reassures me.
I manage to pull myself together. I don’t want to make this about me, because it isn’t.
I go to get coffees for us all from a vending machine. They’re bad, but they’re caffeinated. I know none of us are leaving Cade’s side until he’s woken up and we know he’s going to be okay.
The night passes slowly, and painfully. We all try to doze in the chairs beside his bed, but it’s not easy.
By the time hazy morning light filters through the slats in the window blind, my eyes are sore and gritty, my back stiff from trying to sleep in an awkward position, and there’s the threat of a headache looming in my temple. All my attention is on Cade, however.
His eyes flutter open. “Laney?”
My heart leaps.
“Hey, you’re awake.” I take his hand. “Your dad and brother are here, too.”
Cade turns his head slightly, and winces. “My head hurts.”
“You have a head injury,” Reed says. “Another one.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck.” Reed’s lips thin in disapproval. “What happened, Cade?”
His gaze slips away. “Nothing. Just a run-in with some old friends.”
“Did these old friends have something to do with the money you owed?”
He lifts one shoulder. “Maybe.”
“You’re going to need to tell the cops.”
“No, I’m not doing that. If they ask, I’m just going to tell them I was jumped and I didn’t see anything.”
Reed’s nostrils flare. “These people need to be behind bars.”
“If I go after them, it’ll only cause more trouble. We’re done now. They got what they wanted, and they’ve been able to walk away feeling like big men. It’s over.”
Reed studies him for a moment. “Okay. As long as you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” Cade insists.
I hope he’s right.