CHAPTER 8
OLIVIA
I fucking hate hospitals.
I hate the sterile smell, the stark walls, the beeping of machines and the fact that although it’s always sweltering hot, it’s still somehow cold.
I spent a lot of time in the hospital as a teenager. Because my parents went out one Friday night to collect their daughter from a party and never made it home. I spent three days in a coma and when I woke up, I woke to a world where my mother no longer existed. She had died on impact, and my father spent a further six weeks in a coma before he finally succumbed to his injuries.
I sat by my dad’s bed side every day for six weeks, praying to a God I no longer believed in, begging him to return my dad back to me, not to leave me alone in the world at just fifteen years of age.
He took him anyway.
And for the first time in ten years, I’m tempted to pray to Him again as I sit beside my best friend in the waiting room of the ICU while her boyfriend is wheeled out of surgery .
Reign sits curled against Savannahs chest, clutching to her mum for dear life. Amelia and Roman – Hunter’s parents – talk softly to each other in the corner, while Noah, Grayson and Killian sit in loaded silence, the three of them worried about their brother and friend.
After what feels like hours, an older man with black hair, greying around the edges, enters the waiting room dressed in dark blue scrubs and the entire family rise from their seats.
“Hunter Calloways family?” The man says, and Roman steps forward, his wife white knuckling his hand.
“Yes.”
“I’m Doctor Jackson,” he says, offering his hand to Hunters dad.
“How is he?” Roman says, shaking the doctors outstretched hand.
“He’s stable. Surgery went well, although he did have some internal bleeding and a punctured lung, but we expect him to make a full recovery.”
There’s a collective sigh of relief echoed around the room, and I look at Savannah. Silent tears stream from her eyes as she holds her daughter close, placing a kiss on her head.
“Can we see him?” Amelia asks, her own tears streaming.
The surgeon gives her a soft smile. “He’s still heavily sedated right now, but two of you are able to go back and see him.”
Roman turns to look at Savannah, his eyes softening. “Savannah, honey, you should go in with Amelia.”
“I can take you through,” Doctor Jackson says, and I reach over, taking Reign from Sav’s arms. She turns to me, her eyes full of worry and questions .
“Go. I’ve got her,” I encourage, and she gives me a small nod before following them through the sliding glass doors.
It makes sense that she’s weary leaving her daughter behind after everything they’ve just experienced. For the briefest of moments, she thought she’d lost her daughter to the monster she’s spent the last four years protecting her from. I don’t know the ins and outs of what went on in the time Ryan had the girls in the staff cabin, but it doesn’t take a genius to know it wasn’t pleasant.
I cradle my niece against my chest, wrapping my arms around her tightly as I lay my head back against the wall and close my heavy eyes.
***
I’m awoken by a gentle hand landing on my arm, and I blink against the harsh lights, my eyes landing on Grayson where he stands above me. He gives me a tight-lipped smile. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride to Hunters.”
I give him a soft nod and slowly sit up, bringing Reign with me. “How is he?” I whisper groggily.
“He’s awake. Savannah’s still in there if you want to go in.”
I nod again before looking around at the now empty waiting room. How long was I asleep for?
“Where is everyone?”
“Mom and Dad went home with Noah and Kill to get some rest. They didn’t want to wake you, so I said I’d hang back to give you a ride.”
I stand, careful not to wake Reign – not an easy feat when it’s a four-year-old child that’s almost half the size of me. “I’ll just go and see what Sav wants to do with Reign.”
Grayson steps forward, taking Reign from my arms and she stirs, a soft groan leaving her before she nestles against his chest. I turn to leave without waiting for his response, but I feel his stare burning my back the whole way through the ICU doors.
I give a gentle knock against the door of Hunter’s hospital room and wait for Savannahs quiet, “come in,” before entering.
The room is dimly lit when I enter, and it takes a moment for my eyes to land on Savannah’s form where she’s curled up next to a sleeping Hunter. Machines surround him, soft beeps filling the room. It’s daunting as hell, and I swallow thickly.
“Hey,” I whisper, closing the door behind me with a soft click.
“Hey,” she replies sleepily, climbing off the bed carefully.
“How’s he doing?” I nod towards Hunter.
“Better. The doctor just gave him some more pain relief so he’s out. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Grayson’s going to give me a ride home, so I just wanted to see if you want me to take Reign with me.”
“Amelia said you can drop her at the big house for tonight. They went back earlier to make up a room for her to stay in.”
“Okay.” I nod.
Savannahs face morphs with guilt as her gaze lands on the stitches along my forehead and I know she’s blaming herself for my being injured.
“I’m fine, Sav.”
“I know, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you all got dragged into this. I feel so fucking stupid.” She wipes a stray tear from her cheek and takes a deep breath. I step forward and pull her into my arms .
“None of this is your fault, Savannah. Do you understand me?” I say, taking her face between my hands. “You’re okay now. You both are, okay?”
She gives a teary nod, and I pull her back against me, holding her there for a moment before releasing her.
“I’ll drop Reign with Amelia and Roman, and then I’m going back to Hunter’s, if that’s okay? I don’t really feel like going home right now.”
“Of course it’s okay. Text me when you get in.”
I give her a tight-lipped smile. “I will. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I leave the room as quietly as I entered and head back towards the waiting room, offering the nurse behind the reception desk a soft smile as I pass.
I find Grayson sitting with a now awake Reign as she explains a new game on her iPad in great detail. He listens intently, his focus so entirely on the small child that he doesn’t see me return. I study him for a moment, taking in the way his shoulders are slightly more relaxed as he interacts with my niece, the lines of tension in his face less prominent.
I knew from the moment I laid eyes on him that he’d been through something. I recognised the torment in his eyes from years of carrying grief on his shoulders. Recognised it because I see it every day when I look at myself in the mirror.
In many ways Grayson and I are the same. We’ve both been through something that had the power to destroy us, the only difference is, unlike the man before me, I chose not to let my grief rule my life.
I clear my throat, causing both of their heads to snap up. “Hey sleepyhead. Are you ready to go?” I ask Reign.
Her eyes search behind me before coming back to mine. “Where’s mummy? ”
I give her a soft smile. “Mummy’s gonna stay with Hunter tonight and help him feel better, but you can come back tomorrow. How do you feel about having a sleepover with Amelia and Roman?”
Her eyes widen with excitement, the earlier worry forgotten at the mention of her new favourite people. “Yes! Melia said I could watch Encanto with her when I come to her house.”
I match her excitement with my own. “Well then, we best not keep her waiting. Let’s go, baby girl.”
I offer her my hand, and she takes it without hesitation as the three of us head towards the exit. Grayson falls into line with us on my other side and my skin prickles with familiar awareness. The man may be quiet, but his presence is loud. Heavy. And my body reacts in ways I can’t explain.
We don’t speak on the way to Grayson’s parents’ house, the only sound in the car coming from the backseat as Reign watches slime videos on YouTube.
Usually, I would try to make conversation with the oversized grump sitting next to me, mostly because I know it annoys him and because I tend to turn to humour in moments of awkwardness. But after the events of today I don’t think I’d even have the energy to talk to the chattiest of people, let alone someone who offers no more than one-word answers.
Before long, we’re pulling onto the gravel road that leads us to The Calloway Ranch. The main house comes into view, and I let out a breath of relief.
I just want out of this truck.
Grayson parks outside his parents’ house and I climb out before opening the back door and lifting Reign down from her seat. Amelia stands at the top of the porch steps holding a covered dish and wearing her usual comforting smile.
“Liv, you look exhausted, darling.” She says, stepping towards me, her smile replaced with concern.
“I’m okay. Just a little tired,” I placate, but in all honesty, I am exhausted. My body aches from head to toe. There’s a steady pounding in my head that calls for some pain relief ASAP. And my eyes are burning from the tears I’ve been holding back all day.
“Here, I made lasagne. It should still be warm so make sure to eat it soon and then get some rest. Don’t worry about little Reign here, I’ve got the movie and popcorn set up and waiting for us.”
Reign beams at that and takes off running towards the house with a squeal that earns a small laugh from us both.
“Thank you. She won’t want to leave.” I say, taking the warm dish from her hands.
Amelia laughs, looking in the direction Reign just ran off in. “It’s been a long time since there’s been children in my home, I’m probably gonna have more fun than she will.”
“She’s a fun kid.”
“I’ve noticed. Now go on and get yourself home. We’ll pick you up tomorrow at around noon before heading to the hospital.” She says, shooing me towards Graysons truck.
I climb back into the passenger seat as Grayson winds down his window for his approaching mother.
“Make sure she gets home Gray. The girl needs her rest.” Amelia informs her son as though I’m not sitting here, and something about her concern warms my insides.
After a few more words between Grayson and his mum, we say our goodbyes and head across the ranch, towards Hunter’s house .
My stomach dips as the barn comes into view, the memories of today’s events hitting me full force and causing my hands to shake.
Things could’ve ended so differently had Hunter not found Sav when he did. Who knows what Ryan had planned for her and Reign.
I should’ve gotten rid of you years ago, he’d said from behind me before smashing my head against the side of the barn and knocking me unconscious. All I remember after that is waking up on the ground with a blinding pain in my head.
The look on Hunter’s face when I stumbled around the side of the barn is one that will haunt me for a long time. A shiver runs through me as I recall the sinking feeling I felt when he told me they were both gone.
“You good?” Grayson’s voice cuts through the quiet, startling me.
“Fine.” I respond, offering nothing more before climbing out of the truck.