Chapter 47
Chapter Forty-Seven
DUSTIN
I sit in the waiting room, hunched over with my head hanging low. My body begs for sleep. Thankfully, it’s trained to go without. But everyone has their limits, and I feel like my body is tired of me pushing mine. No one here will give me any updates since I’m not immediate family and the closest immediate family he has should be about halfway here by now. I stand up, deciding I need to stretch my legs and find myself a heavy dose of caffeine. After that long drive, I didn’t plan on being stuck sitting in a hospital for God knows how long.
I could just leave and start my trek back home, but I’m not a piece of shit. I didn’t leave Brian stranded on enemy ground, and I’m damn sure not going to do so now. While I’m still angry as hell at him for putting his hands on Echo, I want to see him get help…but from a distance. A very far away distance.
After walking around the hospital five times, familiarizing myself with every bathroom area, coffee station, exit route, and location of the cafeteria, I make my way back to the waiting area. Echo stands at the counter, looking how I left her—hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, sweatpants tucked into Ugg boots with an oversized hoodie on. I turn around to see Dax walk in the automatic door and relief washes over me, realizing he drove her here.
I meet him halfway and give him a bear hug. The events of the last ten hours have really shaken me up. “Thanks, man, for coming.”
“Of course, bro.” He asks what happened as we make our way to the seating area. I open my mouth to begin telling him, but his eyes get huge as he looks past me.
“What did you do?” Echo screams, pushing on my shoulder from behind. I turn to face her and my heart damn near cracks. The side of her face is still puffy and slightly red. What looks to be the beginnings of a black eye forming. Her arms hang at her sides with her hands fisted. “Brian was alive and well when we left him. What did you do?” she demands.
“Mrs. Williams,” the nurse hollers, breaking through the tension.
Echo stares at me momentarily before dropping her shoulders and unclenching her fists. I hope she can see in my eyes what I try to convey. Without another word, she turns her back to me and follows the nurse.
“How was the drive?” I ask, sitting down next to Dax.
“Uhm.” He rubs his hands on the tops of his thighs. “It was pretty somber. Not gonna lie. It took me back to when I drove back home with Lynsie for Lincoln’s funeral.”
Guilt and regret begin to settle in, making me wish I had just driven home and picked Echo up myself instead of putting the burden on my brother.
The automatic doors open, and my body instantly stiffens as Echo’s parents walk in. I knew this day would come, but I had hoped it’d be on my terms and not thrown at me without warning. They glance over as they walk past us. Mr. Price makes eye contact with me, holding my gaze. His eyes widen as recognition sets in, but the worry for his daughter and Brian overpowers it.
“You don’t have to stay,” I tell Dax.
“Nah, bro, I’m not leaving you to the wolves.” He bumps his shoulder into mine. “But how about we get out of here for a bit and go grab some breakfast.”
“Food sounds good.”
“Yeah, DFF, baby.” I look at him and cock a brow. “Down. For. Food.” He clarifies.
As we walk to the door, I look down the hall. Echo’s dad stands outside of the room, and I wonder how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other. Just as I go to turn away, the door opens.
“Dad.” Echo cries, throwing her arms around him.
Through the cries, I hear him say, “I’m so sorry, baby girl.”
I’d never wish the reason we’re gathered at the hospital on anyone, but I’m glad to see healing is able to come from it—in this circumstance.
MOST OF THE day has now passed and I contemplate leaving—especially since that’s the only way I’m going to convince Dax to leave. Brian’s mother arrived a little while ago, and I have yet to see Echo again since her glorious entrance.
I tell myself I’m staying because of my duty, but the truth is, I can’t leave her.
“I’m going to go find a vending machine.” I look over to see Dax asleep with his head leaning against the wall. I pass a couple different machines before I find one with peanut M&M’s. I buy two packages and make my way back to my seat. I turn the corner, almost running right into Echo.
“Hey. I’ve been looking for you,” she says, leaning back on the balls of her feet as her hand plays with the string of her hoodie. “I’m sorry.” Her hand reaches out and rests on my forearm as her gaze finally finds mine and holds it. “When you took off last night, I feared the worse.”
“You had every right to,” I confirm.
“When you called, I thought you hurt him.”
“Echo, I don’t want to stand here and play Good Samaritan. After you showed up last night, I wanted to end Brian’s life. I didn’t want him to have the opportunity to ever hurt you again.” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “But he robbed me of it.” I let out a laugh, feeling somewhat maniacal due to the lack of sleep. “I wanted to kill him, but he beat me to it.” Tears begin to spill from my eyes.
Echo grabs my hand, holding it between us as I continue.
“I just keep playing the scene over and over. I walked up to the door and banged on it. The house was brightly lit and the TV was playing loud. That’s when I looked in the window. My heart dropped, and I called nine-one-one as survival mode took over. I kicked the door in and ran to his side, checked for a pulse. It was faint. I jammed two fingers down his throat, praying his body would do its job and vomit up some of what he ingested.”
Echo throws her arms around me, holding me as I relive the horrible moment. One arm rubs my back while the other wraps around the nape of my neck.
“All I could think was I had to save him for you. I couldn’t let him die.” I whisper
“But why?” She pulls back, placing both hands on the sides of my face. Her fingers play with my unkempt beard as she searches my eyes.
“Because I couldn’t chance you having to live with that kind of burden.”
She nods in understanding, spilling fresh tears. “You did that for me?”
“Everything I do is for you.”
“YOU GET LOST, bro?” Dax asks as I take a seat.
“Yeah,” I say, tossing the extra bag of M&M’s on his lap.
“Best brother ever,” he whispers. I laugh, thinking about how he truly is the best brother ever. His lightheartedness brings a light into this world that we all so desperately need.
Echo walks over to us, standing in front of me, and Dax begins smarting off.
“I never doubted my brother,” he says matter-of-factly like I’m incapable of causing harm in his eyes.
“Not even a little bit?” She lifts her hand, holding her thumb and pointer finger close together, scrunching her face.
“Okay, maybe.” Dax shrugs.
I slap his chest and Echo laughs.
Her parents come out from down the hall and tell her she’s needed. She glances at me and then back at the hallway and I can tell she’s torn. I grab her hand and squeeze. She looks down at my hand around hers and then her eyes drift up to mine and all I want to do is get lost in them.
“Hey, it’s okay. Go.” A twinge of pain stabs my chest, realizing those are the last words I told her the last time I had seen her.
She nods, then hugs both parents, saying something to them before continuing down the hall. They make their way over to me and Dax and sit. The closeness has me feeling a bit on guard.
“Echo told us you saved Brian’s life. Thank you,” her mom says.
My erratic heart slows a bit at her words, and I turn my gaze toward them and nod in response.
“Pride is an ugly thing,” Echo’s dad says, looking my way. “And this is all my fault.” He shakes his head back and forth. “I set this all into motion so long ago with you and my daughter. I’ve caused all this brokenness.”
Thoughts consume my mind at his admission—something I never thought I’d hear. I shift in my chair, knowing this conversation needs to happen now.
“Permission to speak freely, sir,” I say. Now is the time to get it all out. None of us need to continue carrying this weight. With no objections, I continue, “Sir, to be honest, I carried a grudge, a hatred like no other for you most of my life. It molded me into a cold, calculated man, leading me to serve five tours overseas. Then I saw your daughter again and time stopped.” I rest my elbows on my thighs as I lean forward. “My anger at you subsided and was redirected toward Brian.” I nod, looking in the direction of the hall he’s down. “Poor guy didn’t even do anything to deserve it. I loathed him because I wasn’t him. I was downright jealous. But because of Echo, I made a vow to protect him because I couldn’t stand the thought of her world being shattered if something were to happen to him. It’s always been because of Echo. What I did. What I do. And what I will do. I can’t seem to stop fighting to keep her safe. Even if she’s not mine.”
“Please don’t,” Mr. Price says.
My head shoots up, making sure I heard him right. He holds my stare, and I can see a sea of regret swarming in his brown eyes and I wonder whose sea is deeper, his or mine.
“So yeah.” I look away, letting out a deep breath. “I used to blame you for wrecking my world and destroying my future. But we’re all responsible for our own actions and choices that have led us to this point. In regard to this situation”—I point down the hall—“the only thing you’re responsible for is being a controlling douche thirteen years ago. You aren’t responsible for that. Brian is.”
“He said you saved his life twice,” Mr. Price says with a sense of awe. I just nod. I’m not much of being an attention whore. Now my brother, on the other hand…
“Third time’s a charm,” Dax mutters, earning an elbow jab from me to his side.
Before I can tell him now is not the time to be joking, I look up to see Echo making her way back out. She eyes us suspiciously as we all now sit in silence.
“Everything okay?” she asks, raising a brow, looking from me to her parents, then back to me.
Her dad sighs, then says, “I think it’s going to be.” Then places a hand on my shoulder and grips it. His gaze falls to my missing hand, and I see him wince once finally taking notice of my injury. “Did you sustain that while saving Brian?”
“Yes, it was the main physical wound I suffered.”
He nods and I feel he’s able to read between the lines. The physical wounds will never overpower the emotional scars. He begins to shake his head as his chest shakes. “So much destruction. So much pain. So much division. We’ve all lost so much.” He looks around at all of us, even nodding at Dax, who has suffered immense loss. “But, son, I fear you’ve lost the most out of all of us.”
“Sir, it’s collateral damage that I would gladly endure again if it led me back to your daughter.” I glance up at Echo, who stands with tears streaming down her face. I jump up and stand right in front of her. “What’s wrong, Echo?” I begin wiping away the tears.
“It’s just Dylan. So much has happened. Y’all have lost so much time.” She shakes her head.
“Hey, hey, hey,” I say, cupping her beautiful face in my hand. She looks up at me and more than anything I want to press my lips to hers and kiss all her worries away. I know it would work. It did in the past. But I don’t. Instead, I smile as I push the loose hair back behind her ear my hand trails down her jawline, resting at her chin. I swipe my finger lightly across her bottom lip. Her breath hitches and my heart pumps faster, loving I have this effect on her. “Do you trust me?”
“More than life itself.” Her lip quivers as she reaches for me, running her hand along the side of my face. The urge to toss this woman over my shoulder and rush out of here flashes through my mind. Keeping my resolve with her is proving to be difficult. I’m just hoping I don’t have to keep it up too much longer. But I know I’d do so for the rest of my life if that’s what she needed.
“Then let me go take care of our son while you figure stuff out here.”
Slightly uncertain, she looks down. She’s been his sole provider his entire life. How hard it must be to relinquish some of that responsibility to someone else. I lift her face back to mine.
“Echo, please. I need this,” I whisper, pleading.
“He’s right.” Her dad stands, placing a hand on both of our shoulders. “Dylan needs this, too. It’s time.”
She nods and I pull her into my embrace. So many emotions and all I want to do is ease her mind—to reassure her. “I love you more than anything in the world, Echo. I know you know that.” She nods against my chest, and I rub her back and cradle her head against me as she cries. “The last thing I want to do is leave you alone to deal with all of this.” My voice shakes as tears begin to stream down my face. “But I know you and I know it’s what you need.” I pull back enough to rest my forehead against hers. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Echo’s hands move to my hips, and she lets out a heavy breath. “Thank you for loving me.”
“I’ll never stop.”