Chapter 55
CHAPTER 55
BETH
A n incessant beeping wakes me. My mind is so foggy. It’s not usually like that when I fall asleep. I can barely feel my fingers.
“Crazy girl.” Oliver’s voice is garbled as I slowly open my eyes and look at his handsome face. “Take it slow, okay? You have a concussion.”
The only words I really take in are slow and concussion. Everything else goes in one ear and out the other.
“Where…” I can barely push out that one word as I try to turn my head, but my neck hurts too much.
“You’re in the hospital. You’ll be here for at least a week. Your injuries were extensive.”
Wait. Why am I in the hospital?
“My…neck,” I force the words out even though it sends a sharp pain down my spine.
“Aimee, get the nurse.”
“Why should I? It’s her fault my brother is in jail right now, and hello, the accident was her fault. You heard that Martin guy. She was driving like a crazy person.”
“I swear, I will throw you out the fucking window if you don’t get off your ass and fetch the goddamn nurse.”
“Really, Oliver? You’re choosing this slut over me ?” It’s silent for a minute, but then she huffs. “Fine. I’ll get the nurse for your precious whore, but keep in mind that you’re not the one she’s fucking anymore. That would be my brother. That’s if he ever gets out of jail.”
“What?” I rasp as I open my eyes again, not fully understanding the words even as they say them. Nothing makes sense. I can’t think through the simplest of things.
“Get out or else,” Oliver warns, and I watch as Aimee turns on her heels, flips me the bird, and stomps out of the hospital room.
* * *
A hospital worker, possibly a nurse, walks in a few minutes later, but my comprehension skills are diminished. I can’t decipher what she says or asks me, but Oliver is quick to respond.
“She said her neck hurts,” he answers.
“Let’s see what the issue is.” Slipping on a pair of blue disposable gloves, she pulls on the top of the bed until it’s upright, and I hiss from the pain in my neck the whole time. She reaches around my throat and presses against the sore spot atop my spine. I cry from the pain, and she nods. “That makes sense. She has whiplash from the accident. Her neck will be sore for a few days, but it should improve with time. I would ask the doctor to give her pain medication, but after her test results came back positive, we can’t risk giving her anything. It could harm the baby.”
The room falls silent as I stare up at the ceiling, trying to calm my racing heart. I wish I knew what the nurse was saying.
“You’re pregnant? Why the hell didn’t you say anything!”
“Sir, calm down. Her comprehension could be diminished from her concussion and the whiplash. I doubt she can understand much at this point. Since your wife isn’t talking, she probably has no idea what we’re saying.”
The room is silent again. “You think she’s my wife?” Oliver chuckles.
“If she is anything else, this conversation ends, got it?”
“Crystal. She’s…my wife.” He releases a loud sigh. “How far along is she?”
“We don’t know. All we have is the blood test to go off of. Her hCG levels, the hormone we check to detect pregnancy, are still on the low end, so for all we know, she might not even be aware that she’s expecting. You’ll need to make an appointment with an OBGYN once she is discharged, but I’m sorry we can’t give her anything that will greatly help the pain. She can have some Tylenol, though.”
Reaching under my hair, I rub my neck, trying to relieve some of the pain, but it does me no good. My body is tense with agony and anxiety from not knowing what they’re saying.
* * *
I groan as I slowly open my eyes, rolling my neck to get some relief, but it’s useless.
“Hey, crazy girl.”
My eyes snap open, and I smirk when I see Oliver sitting in the chair beside my hospital bed.
“Morning, crazy man,” I tease before clearing my throat. “My neck is really killing me. They should have me on something that knocks me the hell out.”
He frowns as his eyes dart between mine. “Can you comprehend what I’m saying now?” he asks, avoiding my statement.
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I don’t know what was wrong with me. It was like I couldn’t latch onto anything you were saying. It all went in one ear and out the other without stopping at my brain for a check-in.” I rub my eyes before yawning and looking around the room. “Where’s Nigel?” I ask sleepily.
“The doctor said you could have some memory loss. What do you remember?”
Why is he asking me questions that have nothing to do with Nigel? “I remember the crash and you pulling me out of the truck, but that’s it. Why aren’t you answering the question?”
His Adam’s apple bobs nervously before he looks away from me. “Nigel was arrested shortly after your accident.”
My heart comes to a dead stop as my eyes bug out of my head. “Arrested! What the fuck happened, Ollie?”
“All I know is he punched my cousin. I was tending to you and making sure you got to the ambulance. I only know so much.”
“He hit Martin? Is Martin okay?” I press, my stomach dropping.
He nods. “Multiple times. Martin is fine. A few bruises, but he’ll survive,” Oliver starts, but gives me a skeptical look.
“What?”
“The D.A. just announced what charges Nigel is being held on. Attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and destruction of private property. Nigel could be facing life in prison if he’s found guilty, which he will be.”
My jaw slacks as shock and horror race through my veins faster than the blood pumping. I wanted a way out of this thing with Nigel, but not like this. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen.
“No! What? That can’t…he can’t…” Then, the memory hits me like a ten-ton truck from my first day at Grove Hill High.
“They’re classified as a deadly weapon. I can’t hit anyone unless it's inside the ring, even in self-defense. One punch and it’s attempted murder.”
Nigel fucking knew this would happen. Why the hell would he do this? He’s facing life because he attacked Martin…because I got into a car accident…because I was driving erratically…because I was upset about seeing Oliver and Aimee together.
This is all my fault. I’ve always known Nigel was a loose cannon, and it was as if fate intervened in some way for the events to align perfectly for this kind of catastrophe.
“No, no, no…”
“There’s more,” Oliver mutters, and I turn to gaze at him.
“What could be worse than this?” I ask, nearly shattering on the inside. I doubt he wants to see me break apart over Nigel when Oliver is the one here with me.He’s the one who saved my life.
“I didn’t say worse, but that depends on how you feel about being pregnant right now.”
My brain pauses, and my heart picks up the slack as I stare at him. I blink, and a loud gasp leaves my lips. “Pregnant? No, I can’t–”
“You are. They did a blood test when the ambulance brought you in. They don’t know how far along you are, though. Just tell me one thing. Is it mine, Martin’s, or Nigel’s?” Oliver pushes as he reaches over, taking my hand in his, trying his best to reassure me that he isn’t upset. Granted, he had at least a day to come to terms with this news.
“I…I don’t know. I mean, I got my period last week. It wasn’t how it normally is, but I just thought it was stress. I was on the pill. How the hell did this happen?” I groan as I throw my head back against the pillow, a sharp pain shooting down my back, and cover my face in shame.
“Accidental pregnancies happen,” he mutters as he stands up and moves to sit next to me in the hospital bed. “I want you to know that no matter what happens with Nigel and the baby, I’m here. I’m not going to go anywhere.”
With a small smile on my lips, I squeeze his hand. “I don’t think Aimee would appreciate that very much. I remember you guys fighting yesterday. What was that?”
His lips turn down, and his eyebrows furrow as his expression turns serious. “It was because I chose you. I’ll always choose you, crazy girl.”
My heart squeezes, and I nearly cry from the loving nature of his words, but then I hear a slow clap through the room, an echo following.
“Isn’t that just the sweetest? Who knew you were such a softie, cousin?”
My attention is ripped from Oliver, and my eyes turn to the door where a bruised Martin Gray leans against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Martin,” I sigh with relief, seeing that it’s just him.
He smirks, but based on the bruises covering his face, it must be painful. “Hey, little rabbit. How are you feeling?” He walks over and takes my free hand.
“Like I was hit by a truck and had a bucket of ice water dumped on me while in a tornado,” I joke dryly and he smirks.
“I’m so sorry.” He frowns, guilt across his face. “I hope you know that the accident was completely unintentional. I didn’t see you coming until it was too late.”
My eyes narrow. “No? Why would I think that?”
“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t because O’Reilly sure as fuck did. He seemed to think I drove you off the road on purpose.”
I can conceive of a few reasons why Nigel would think that. After all, he knows about Casey and everything she told me. If Martin knew I was the one who got Casey out of Grove Hill, I’d expect a negative reaction, but running me off the road is a little too far.
“He’s a fucking idiot to think that. He just let his emotions cloud his judgment,” Oliver growls.
Martin turns his eyes to Oliver, completely unfazed. “That’s because he doesn’t know me the way you guys do, but he can’t blame his current circumstance on me. I didn’t press charges against him.”
“If you didn’t press charges, who did?” I ask, genuinely confused, but I don’t expect Martin to give me a stern look.
“Don’t push this,” he warns.
Instantly, I sit up, pressing my hand against the sore spot on the back of my neck as I glare at him. “Push it? He’s in jail. He could be facing life in prison!”
“And if you push it, you’ll make it worse for him and yourself. My father has no idea that you mean anything to O’Reilly and I’m trying to keep it that way. Keep your fucking head down and wait for him to cool off. Then, I can work on getting him to release O’Reilly.”
Oliver huffs. “Of course, it’s your father. It has his grimy fingerprints all over it.”
“Yeah, my cousin can tell you all about how much trouble he can make for O’Reilly. This is the last time I’ll warn you. Do not intervene. I’ll handle this. Just be patient.”
“How patient am I expected to be?” I ask, irritation laced in my voice.
“A year, maybe two.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “Two years?!” I’m pregnant. I can’t just sit around waiting for Martin to make good on his promise.
“My father has a horrible temper. He holds onto grudges and likes to hit those he’s mad at where it hurts. For O’Reilly, that’s you, and most people in this town know it. Keep your fucking head down and be patient .” He turns and strolls toward the door.
I can’t do that. I can’t just sit here and do nothing while who knows what is happening to Nigel. I know he’s probably not scared or freaked out, but I will be until I know he’s okay and out of jail.
“Martin?” He turns and quirks a brow in question. “Why were you driving like that? Your car was swerving, too.”
A smirk rises across his face. “So was yours, but if you must know, I was looking for Casey. She’s been missing, and I don’t know where she is. I’m worried.” His eyes narrow pensively before he gulps down his pride. “If you happen to see her, can you tell her that I’m looking for her and that I’ll support her? She’ll know what I mean.”
Hell, I know what he means. He’s talking about her pregnancy. I feel terrible about it, but I can't help him.
We both have secrets we’re keeping from each other regarding Casey. He has no idea that I know about her pregnancy.
She was specific when she said she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going. Her safety and the safety of her unborn babies depend on my silence.
That fucking kills me. He has a right to know and I hate lying to him.
“I’ll tell her if I see her.” That part isn’t a lie. I know I won’t see her, but if I did, I doubt I could stop myself from telling Casey.
He nods and walks out the door.
I helped Casey escape Nolan’s clutches and Grove Hill with her unborn children. Martin was so distraught trying to find her that he wasn’t paying attention to how he was driving.
I wait until I can no longer hear his footsteps and throw my face into my hands, ignoring the pain in my neck. It’s nothing compared to what’s in my heart.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Oliver soothes me with his voice as he rubs my back. The tears fall.
“This is all my fault. The accident, the fight, the arrest. It’s all on me ,” I cry as I look up into his beautiful eyes, and his fingers trail along my jaw, comforting me.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because…I helped Casey get out of Grove Hill. I got her on a bus to escape Nolan Gray’s wrath. She’s pregnant, and he was trying to force her to terminate it. She needed help. Martin was looking for her, and I…” I trail off as more tears fall.
They say the single flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a tsunami halfway across the world. A single event can be the catalyst for something much worse and a lot bigger, something that looks completely unrelated. It’s called the butterfly effect. It seems fitting that I am the catalyst since Nigel calls me butterfly.
“You were upset because you saw me and Aimee together, right? That’s why you were swerving on the road,” Oliver whispers, his voice broken. “Fuck. I’m so sorry. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you. Then, you had the accident, and I saw the truck…I thought you were already dead when I saw his car and the truck nearly hanging off the bridge. I’ve never been more freaked out by mortality in my life.” His fingers on my jaw runs back into my hair, and he pulls out the cluster of silver hair hiding there, playing with it. It’s almost like it comforts him, knowing I’m really here and not dead in the blue truck.
“Ollie.” I suddenly gasp, not realizing I’d been holding my breath for his ardent summation. “It’s okay. I’m okay, and you can’t put your life on hold because of me. I’ll…adjust.” The idea of seeing him gallivanting around with Aimee makes me sick to my stomach, but I can’t have him. He deserves to be happy. Oliver isn’t mine, even though I want him to be.
So I have to let Oliver go.
I need to let him go.
“We need to stop this,” I whisper as he presses his forehead to my temple, breathing me in.
“I know, crazy girl. Trust me. I know we can’t continue like this, but I’m too involved now. I can’t just walk away without knowing you’re okay.”
My heart flutters, and I know deep down I’m not alright. I’ll cling to Oliver even though I know I shouldn’t because he understands every emotion and thought in my head.
“I don’t think I ever will be after this,” I admit as tears collect in my eyes.
The pad of his thumb runs under my eye, swatting away every tear that falls, and he commands my attention, determination in his eyes. “Then, I won’t ever walk away.”
My lip trembles as I stare up into his eyes. “You’re with me?”
“Yeah. I’m with you. Always.”