50. Chapter 50
Sebastian
To put it lightly, pulling up to Hartwood General was always an experience. At first, our trips here were terrible, thanks to Mason’s condition. I’d accepted this was where I’d need to go to see the love of my life. The paparazzi were a harder pill to swallow.
The first time they swarmed us was when I finally got to go home. I was barely keeping myself upright on my crutches, but they didn’t care. They wanted to know everything about Mason. What she was like, if she was going to live, and if this all was a clever cover-up for plastic surgery.
Honestly, every one of them should consider themselves lucky that I’d quit my job shortly after the accident. If I hadn’t been for that, I would have killed them all. I’d call it collateral damage, and my superior would’ve swept it under the rug.
Thoughts of blood and gore flooded my brain as Sophia, Cameron, and I braved the cold of December and walked directly into the writhing mass of failed journalists.
Cam pulled the muslin car seat cover over Rosie’s face, desperately trying to conceal her identity as the flashing of cameras and a cacophony of voices greeted us.
“Sebastian! How’s Mason? ”
“Is that her baby?”
“How do you feel about the allegations that Mason is doing this for publicity?”
The questions were relentless, each more absurd than the last. Didn’t these people not care that we were grieving?
That after today, Rosemary would no longer have her mother?
I stopped to turn around and tell them all I couldn’t wait until they were all rotting in hell, but Sophia put her arm on my shoulder.
“Sebby, don’t mind them,” she pleaded, “They’re not important.”
I gritted my teeth, not wanting to admit she was right. That was until another voice spoke up from the masses.
“Sebastian! How does it feel knowing you’re the reason Mason Albright might be dead? ”
My blood ran cold, and I froze. Sophia’s grip on me tightened, but that did little, considering I’d completely forgotten how to breathe. They were right. I killed Mason Albright.
Before I could even consider the appropriate way to react to such an accusation, Sophia spun on her heels and looked toward the crowd.
“Who the fuck said that?” she shouted.
My eyes widened. Until now, I’d never heard Sophia cuss. I wasn’t even entirely sure she knew how to swear until now.
Even the paparazzi fell silent, all except for one balding man near the front. He wore a smug grin as he clutched his camera.
“I did.” He stepped forward. “And I’m not backing down. If it weren’t for him, Mason wouldn’t be dead.”
Sophia turned a shade of red I’d never seen, and for a moment, I swore I was going to have to stop her from hitting him. But she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sophia said, plastering on the world’s fakest smile. “Mason is in the hospital because of a terrible, unavoidable, tragic accident…. You do know what that word means, right?”
The man opened his lips to speak, but Sophia held a finger to his lips, bending over slightly so she could be level with him.
“Shhh, no, thank you. You don’t get to talk.” She spoke down to the man like he was a toddler. “Spreading vile lies may pay your bills, but it’s not journalism, is it?”
The man’s smug expression wavered, and while it was clear Sophia wasn’t done talking to him, the cold was eating at me, and I wanted to spend as much time with Mason as possible before it was too late.
So, I hobbled away, leaving her to cut that mother fucker to size in the nicest way possible.
The warmth of the hospital did little to chase away the chill clinging to my bones. Still, I was a man on a mission. I needed to get to Mason’s room… but the closer I got to her, the louder the paparazzo’s words echoed in my mind.
I killed Mason Albright.
That truth was easy enough to ignore when it was just Lucian saying it. But now, it had gotten to the media. What none of them knew was how often I’d laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, wishing she and I could trade places.
My steps faltered as I finally reached the elevator.
I needed to go see Mason. I needed to tell her goodbye. But, right now, the idea of seeing her was almost too much to bear. Not only would it be the last time I ever laid eyes on her, but I didn’t think I’d be able to shake the looming guilt.
The walls started to close in, and my breathing shallowed as I turned around and headed in the other direction. It didn’t matter where I went just as long as it bought me more time.
It seemed like I had ventured through an entire labyrinth by the time my arms started to feel the strain of my crutches.
It was clear I wouldn’t be able to go on much longer without taking a break, so I scanned the area, looking for a bench or something I could rest my useless fucking body on, and that’s when I found something different.
Tucked away at the end of the hall was a set of wooden double doors; beside it was a placard that read chapel.
For a moment, I stood, unable to do anything more than stare at the doors.
Churches were never good places; this sentiment held doubly true for Hartwood…
but I also figured it’d be the last place anyone would look for me, and I knew Cam wouldn’t let Lucian pull the plug on Mason without me in the room.
With a deep breath, I headed toward the doors before pushing my way inside.
The chapel was dimly lit with what seemed to be a hundred candles that flickered along the walls. For a moment, I considered just how impractical that was, but I didn’t care. I just needed a place to wait out the nagging voices in the back of my head.
Long, ethereal shadows danced along the walls, making the sanctuary appear haunted. Rows of wooden pews stretched on as far as the eye could see, leading to an altar adorned with dead flowers near the front.
I hobbled up the center row, scanning the space to make sure it was empty, before collapsing on a pew near the front. My crutches clattered to the floor beside me as I hurried my face in my hands.
My body ached, but my mind was far worse than the physical pain could ever be. That’s when I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that today would be my last day on earth.
A life was a terrible thing to squander…. But I knew I’d never be able to move past this guilt.
Tears streamed down my face as I suffocated under the weight of my grief, hoping that somehow I’d die of a broken heart just so I wasn’t forced to live in a world without Mason.
The sound of soft steps drew my attention, pulling me from my self-pity. Part of me hoped it was Cameron, I’d grown to enjoy his company, but of course, I had to be wrong. When I looked back, I came face to face with a set of toxic green eyes and disgustingly yellow teeth.
Dale Cole. Dread knotted in my stomach
“Sebastian, I haven’t seen you at church in a while,” he drawled.
My jaw tensed as I breathed him in. Somehow, his presence didn’t shock me. Still, that didn’t make his company enjoyable.
“I’ve been on vacation,” I said, irritation creeping into my tone .
There was a strange snake-like quality to Dale’s expression as his all-too-smug grin widened like he was going to swallow me whole.
“Vacation, huh?” He chuckled before filling the space beside me. “Every news outlet’s been saying you crashed into a tree with Mason Albright in the car.”
I pressed my tongue against my lower lip as I nodded. “So, you’re here to tell me I killed her too.”
“Now, why would I do that?”
The smoothness of his drawl caused goosebumps to rise on the back of my neck.
“Because it’s the truth?” I challenged.
Literally everyone in the world knew that. No matter where I went, I’d never be able to get past the allegations that I killed Mason Albright. Thankfully, after her life ended, mine would soon follow . Still, I was desperate for anything to allow that to not be the case.
Not only did I want more time with Mason, but I wanted more time with Cameron as well. I was fully prepared to sell my soul to the devil if it meant I could have so much as one more year to bask in Mason’s glow.
“Truth can be a complicated thing,” Dale mused, leaning in slightly closer. “But, lying is a surefire way to eternal damnation.”
I closed my eyes as I exhaled. “Is now really the time to lecture me about lying to you?”
Surely, he had more important things to do. I wasn’t sure what exactly someone with as much free time as Dale seemed to have could do, but there had to be something.
“Son, you got it all wrong.” A velvety chuckle wove through his words. “You are not the abomination.” Dale slowly extended his arm toward the general direction of the hospital parking lot. “They are the abomination. Your brother is the abomination.”
My eyes widened in disbelief. “How is Lucian an abomination?”
A degenerate, sure. But the abomination felt a bit extreme .
“He is the one leading you down the path of destruction.” Dale’s gaze bore into mine. “If it weren’t for him , you and Mason would be married. And if she was your wife, none of this would have happened.”
No part of me wanted to listen to Dale, but I was desperate for anything that would help me not feel like this.
Plus, he did make a little sense. Cameron had admitted to me that he was trying to get time for Mason and me to be together so she’d reconsider marrying my brother.
But, if she hadn’t been secretly married this whole time, she might have accepted my proposal.
“... You really think this is all Lucian’s fault?”
Dale slowly shook his head. “I think he fell off of God’s righteous path a long time ago, and because of that, God punished him in ways unfair to you.”
I swallowed hard as I nodded. Dale was right; this was unfair to me.
Not only had I lost Mason, but I’d also lost any chance I’d ever have of being happy.
I knew it was wrong to be greedy, but for the first time, it genuinely felt like I had people who loved me, and this tragic event had changed all of them.
Dale leaned in even closer, his voice just above a whisper as he spoke. “You deserve a chance at redemption, Sebastian.”
“Redemption doesn’t exist for me. Not without her.”
Dale’s expression softened. “Have you prayed for her?”
Considering our current situation, his suggestion was down right offensive. And, if I'd been more able bodied, I would have strangled him.
“She's as good as dead. It's too late for prayer,” I snapped. "It's not like it would have worked anyway."
“I understand why you feel that way.” Dale placed a hand on my shoulder. “But, prayer can move mountains. What’s the harm in trying ?”
Religion was for dumb people, and those who believed in the power of prayer were worse than the rest. But Dale’s words had a certain way to them. Maybe it was because of my desperation, but I was willing to do anything just as long as Mason opened her eyes once more.
“What do I have to do?” I breathed, bowing my head.
“Normally, I’d make you go up to the altar… but you don’t look like you’re in any shape for that. So, fold your hands and close your eyes .
My hands trembled as I clasped them together and sealed my eyes shut.
“Now, listen and repeat after me,” Dale instructed. “Heavenly Father, I come to you bathed in desperation and sorrow.”
“Heavenly Father, I come to you bathed in desperation and sorrow.” My voice cracked as I echoed his words.
“I ask for your divine light to touch Mason, healing her from all that ails her.”
“I ask for your divine light to touch Mason, healing her from all that ails her.”
“Restore her health and strength so that she may come back to those who love her.”
I choked on a breath and cleared my throat before continuing. “Restore her health and strength so that she may come back to those who love her.”
“As I pray, I open my heart and soul to you.”
“As I pray, I open my heart and soul to you.”
“Guide me, and grant me the strength to walk your path.” Dale’s voice dripped with conviction, and I did my best to mirror his tone.
“Guide me, and grant me the strength to walk your path.”
“Help me understand your will and trust in your plan.”
A strange tingling sensation washed over me as I breathed in his words. “Help me understand your will and trust in your plan.”
“With your grace, may Mason be healed, and may I find the faith to follow you.”
“With your grace, may Mason be healed, and may I find the faith to follow you.”
Dale’s voice softened, the fire he had moments ago all but disappearing. “In your name, I pray.”
“In your name, I pray.”
“Amen.”
“ Amen .”
With that out of the way, I opened my eyes and looked around the sanctuary. The world seemed brighter and the shadows less menacing.
Dale’s gaze remained eerily calm as he patted me on the back. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I shook my head, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of verbally agreeing with him.
“Good,” Dale said before standing. “Faith can be a powerful thing, and sometimes it may be all we have left.”
I swiped a tongue across my lips, still feeling a strange sensation prickling across my skin.
“You best be gettin’ over to your lady. Do you need help up?” Dale offered.
“No, I’ve got it… But could you hand me my crutches?” I could have probably reached them if I’d tried, but I’d had my fair share of falling on my face while learning to maneuver them.
Dale bowed just long enough to grab my crutches before handing them to me. His hands grazed mine as he refused to look away from me.
“Remember what we prayed for, and that miracles happen every day.”
Slowly, I forced myself to my feet, leaving me to tower over the strange man in front of me.
“Thank you, Dale,” I muttered, trying to keep the unease out of my voice.
He stepped back, giving me space to walk away but not breaking eye contact. “And, when Mason wakes up, reconsider my offer. The Sons of Christ stand together and I believe that under your reign, we could accomplish great things.”
I nodded, hoping that would be the end of this conversation.
With a forced smile, I turned and hobbled out of the chapel.
Dale’s words rattled in my skull, bouncing around the insides and echoing in my mind.
As much as I wanted to ignore him, if this did work, and Mason really did wake up, I’d feel almost indebted to Dale and the Sons of Christ.