18. Caleb
Caleb
FEB. 14TH - FRIDAY
N obody knows where Lilly is. It's been hours, almost three, to be exact. I've called everyone we know, and all that did was worry them. My mother is freaking out, but there's nothing I can do for her. Just like there's nothing I can do to make my brother or husband feel better.
I always wondered why it seemed families never did much when their loved ones go missing, but here I am, living it on my couch with my phone in my hand. It's pathetic. I'm pathetic.
There's nothing I can do. Aaron's doing all he can, calling his staff and leaving voicemails to hopefully get in contact with Brett but… nothing. Everyone's busy. It's Valentine's Day. And it's past ten o'clock at night.
"Caleb..."
I sigh and bite back the tears that threaten to fall. "I know, D."
Fuck, we've gone through every emotion. I'm zoning out, running through every possibility in my head, and Dean hasn't stopped pacing and muttering under his breath for the past forty-five minutes. I've seen him continuously wipe tears away too. Aaron's angry now, shouting into his cell phone that probably needs to be charged.
"What if?—"
"NO!" Aaron shouts, making me jump and scowl at him over the back of the couch. His phone sits on the island in front of him, and he has a finger pointed at Dean angrily. "We are not playing the fucking what-if game. Do you hear me?!"
I rise from the couch and step between them. "Aaron, hey. Calm down, please. We're all just scared."
His glare turns on me, but after a moment, his stiff posture sags in defeat. "I'm sorry, Dean."
"It's alright," my brother replies softly behind me.
I want to fix this. The need to erase the pain in my family's eyes makes me feel like I'm being crushed by the weight of something that doesn't even belong to me. Taking on their suffering just so they can smile again doesn’t bother me. I have to make everything okay.
Is this how Lilly feels? This awful, guilty urge to make everything as good as it can possibly be for everyone else but myself. Is this how it is for her? Fucking hell... Lilly, you can't possibly carry this pressure anymore .
When we get her home, we're working out all of our fucking issues. No ifs, ands, or buts. My woman won't carry this soul-crushing expectation on her shoulders any longer.
"Aaron—"
Dean cuts me off with a shout that sends straight adrenaline down my spine. "I'm getting a call!"
Aaron and I practically trample each other, getting into the living room. But we're just in time for Dean to answer on speakerphone. "Hello, this is Dean."
"Am I speaking with a Mr. Dean Walker?"
"Y-yes," my twin stutters, clutching his phone like the woman on the other end of the line will hang up on him.
"I'm calling from Silver Oak Regional Hospital." My blood runs cold. "You are Mrs. Lillia Walker's emergency contact."
"My-my-She's my wife," Dean whispers brokenly. "What's going on?"
I clasp my brother's arm to keep his shaking steady. It feels like my soul shifts and writhes until it's pushing through my skin and rising above me to watch as if I'm a bystander to this nightmare.
"Your wife was brought in about forty-five minutes ago. Mr. Walker, we believe it would be best for you to come see her."
"What happened to her?" I blurt, but if the woman hears any difference in our voices, she doesn't say anything.
"I am not permitted to say. Visiting hours are over, but due to her mental health and the nature of her case, Mrs. Walker's doctor is willing to grant you an extended stay with her overnight."
"Oh my god. Oh, I—Yes. Of course. Fuck. Of course! I'll be there as fast as possible!"
The woman’s voice on the other line turns soft and less matter of fact. "Please drive safe, sir. Your wife needs you in one piece."
"Where is she?! Lilly Walker, where is?—"
Aaron's cut off when a shrill voice echoes down the white hallway. "NO! Please, call them! I need them here with me!"
Like a lightning bolt shocking me into action, I bolt toward Lilly's voice, ignoring the shouts of the night nurses. "LILLY?!"
"CALEB?!" Lilly!
Like the heavens are opening up, I see a wide-eyed woman in a lab coat peeking out of a room ahead of me. But the godlike feeling of being close to Lilly again crashes down right into the pits of fucking hell when I rush into her room.
Lilly lies in a bed, writhing and trying to kick the nurses away so she can get to me. Her arms fling out like she needs me to catch her, and I do, but not before I catalog the bruises forming on her left cheekbone and her red-rimmed eyes.
I try to be as gentle as possible, but the only way to keep her from falling to the ground after finally flinging the nurses off is to catch her face first against my chest.
Her puff of air on my throat sends chills down my spine, reminding me of all the horrible times tonight that I've worried I would never feel that again.
"C-Caleb?" she whimpers, her tears scalding my neck almost immediately.
My own tears fall. I bury my face in her hair to hide away in the warmth of my woman. " God , Lil. I'm here. I'm here now." She continues to sob into my shoulder as I try to soothe her.
Lilly's choked gasp not long later startles me, and I pull back to grip her wet cheeks in my hands. "What? What is it?"
But her gaze is trained over my shoulder, and her face fucking shatters. "I'm sorry! I-I'm SO SORRY!" she wails and collapses against me, almost throwing me off the side of her bed.
"Fuck," I grunt, and glance behind me. Aaron looks stricken while my brother sprints around the side of the bed and pins his wife between us.
"Shh, baby girl," he whispers, pain lacing his tone as he clutches onto her.
"Careful!" someone snaps.
A tap on my shoulder makes my hackles rise, but still I look behind me. "Careful," the female doctor scolds quietly. "She has bruising beneath her gown and doesn't need you aggravating them. Honestly," she huffs and crosses her arms, "you shouldn't even be in here."
"I'm her husband, Dean Walker," Dean rushes to say after lifting his weight off her dainty form. "These two are also her partners, Aaron and Caleb. Please ma'am. I was told she needed me tonight. I can assure you Lilly needs them, too."
"I'm so sorry," Lilly whimpers, shifting into my lap and curling into the fetal position.
"Lilly?" Aaron croaks, stepping closer to the bed and reaching for her. "My love?"
The doctor bends closer for a moment with a frown, then nods. "She's asleep. Let her rest; she needs it. The officers will be by at seven in the morning to discuss what happened and I'll give a full report then as long as she consents." With that, the woman leaves, not even giving us a moment to protest.
"We're staying," I say while running my hands through her tangled red hair, even though nobody is fighting to make us leave. The nurses shuffle out silently, one letting us know he'll be back in a few hours to check on us.
As much as I want to, I refrain from waking her up to ask her what happened. Instead, Dean and I help to get her comfortable by maneuvering her back onto a pillow and pulling the scratchy comforter back up.
"Rest, baby," Dean murmurs, kissing her tear-streaked temple.
"We aren't going anywhere," I add, not moving my ass from its spot on her bed.
Aaron finishes our final words of the worst night of our lives. "We love you." So true, but what he says next, I feel in my fucking soul. "And you are never leaving our sights again."