Chapter 49 Skye
SKYE
My phone sat in my hand, the screen dark after still not getting a call back from Ocean.
He never left me hanging like this, not even for a second.
I slid my purse over my shoulder, forcing myself to focus. First stop...my sister’s house. I needed to check on her. Needed to see that she was okay after everything that had gone down.
When I got there, the sound of my nephew giggling in the other room greeted me. My sister, half-awake but trying to look collected, came toward me, her face drawn but softening as she saw me.
“Hey,” she said quietly.
“Hey. You good?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
She shook her head lightly, a small, humorless laugh escaping her. “I’m managing. Kory’s been blowing up my phone, calling non-stop. I’ve been ignoring him, meeting with a divorce attorney tomorrow.”
I winced, the weight of it pressing in. “Damn, sis, I’m so sorry you’re dealing with all of this.”
She sighed, moving toward the kitchen. “I just can’t believe what he was doing. With other men. And the lies. All this time.”
My stomach twisted. I wanted to hug her, hold her, tell her it wasn’t her fault, but also, I couldn’t get Ocean off my mind. Every missed call, it all felt like a punch in the gut.
Leera turned to me, eyes heavy. “And I know we were at odds over him for so long. I shouldn’t have blamed you…or been so distant. I was just angry, scared, and hurt.”
I swallowed hard, touching her arm. “Don’t worry about that now. You need to focus on KJ and yourself. That’s all that matters.”
We lingered for a moment in silence, the soft sounds of KJ playing with his toy filling the space. Then my phone rang. I jumped and snatched it up.
“Skye,” Shade’s voice came through, urgent. “It’s Ol’ School…he’s been rushed to the hospital. He got attacked by some dogs. You need to get here.”
The world around me tilted.
My feet moved before my brain could even process, my car keys digging into my palm as I bolted for the door. “I’ll be right there,” I said.
My sister’s concerned shout followed me as I ran out to my car.
The ride to the hospital was a blur. I kept trying to call Ocean, but each time it went straight to voicemail.
I didn’t care about traffic, the honking horns, or the pedestrians staring at the crazy woman gripping the wheel too tight.
My only focus was getting to him, making sure everything was okay.
As soon as I made it to the hospital, I rushed out of the car and ran into the emergency room.
Shade appeared first, leaning against the wall, his face tense but composed.
I moved past him, heart hammering in my chest, and then I saw Ocean. My stomach dropped. His clothes were stained with blood, his usually composed posture broken, shoulders slumped like the weight of the world was on him. And then his eyes found mine, and it was like the air left the room.
“Skye…” His voice cracked, low and broken.
I was moving before I even thought about it, my arms wrapping around him, holding him as if I could keep him together. His body shook against mine, and I felt the tears start to run down my own face as he buried his face in my shoulder.
“He’s…he’s gone,” he whispered. “Ol’ School’s…dead.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. I felt my knees threaten to give out, but I held him tighter, desperate to be the anchor he needed.
“Shh…Ocean. Breathe. It’s okay. I’m here.
You’re not alone,” I whispered, rubbing his back, willing him to feel my presence, willing him to find some grounding in my arms.
His hands gripped my hair, pulling me closer, and I could feel every ounce of his pain radiating through him. “I should’ve—”
“Stop,” I said firmly, holding his face so I could see him. “None of this is your fault.”
He shook his head, tears spilling freely, hands pressing against mine as if I could stop him from falling apart. “He was like family, Skye. Like my damn father sometimes. And now…now he’s gone.”
My own throat tightened, and I wanted to break, wanted to let all the tears go, but I couldn’t. Not now. Not when he needed me.
“I know,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his temple. “I know. And it hurts. But you’re not alone. Not ever. I’m right here, Ocean. I’ve got you.”
He let out a shuddering breath, leaning completely into me, and for a moment, the hospital lights, the antiseptic smell, the beeping machines in the distance...it all faded. It was just us, and the heartbreak, and the unbearable weight of loss that neither of us could do anything about.
He let out a shaky laugh, wet and broken. “I always try to protect people. But I couldn’t protect him.”
“You did everything you could,” I whispered again.
His hands tightened around me, and I felt him start to crumble even more. “I just—”
I pulled him even closer, whispering over and over, “I’m here. I’m right here. You’re not alone. You’re not alone.”
Minutes passed like that. Just me holding him, whispering into his ear, letting him sob and shake and finally start to let go of some of the weight pressing down on him.
He was broken, battered by grief and guilt, and yet somehow still breathing.
Still here. And I clung to the fact that he was still here.