Chapter 10 Xavier #2
The sudden click registered in my mind and as I turned to the side, I could see Ryder opening the back doors, but before he could move toward Yara, I was there, opening her door easily this time.
"Yara," I whispered, pushing against the airbag that deployed right in front of her.
"Yara, baby, please. Please wake up." I could barely recognize my own voice.
I could barely recognize the broken syllables coming from me, but I hoped she could hear me.
God, I hoped she was okay. "Open your eyes, trouble. Just open your eyes, baby."
My chest felt tight, as if the organ inside wouldn't want to stay with me if she wasn't okay. And I wouldn't blame it. I didn't want it to beat if something were to happen to her.
I unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed the stray strand of hair from her face, when those bright blue eyes opened, focusing on my face. "Xavier?"
"Hey," I pushed out, feeling the tears gathering in my eyes. "Are you okay?" She looked at me and then started moving her head, looking toward Rhett.
"What happened?"
"You crashed," I answered immediately. "Are you hurt? Is there anything that hurts, Yara?"
"No," she said, straightening up. "How did we crash?
How—" Her eyes widened, her breathing quickened, and I knew immediately that the crash wasn't just an accident.
"H-He tried," she stammered. "He tried to—" She choked on her own tears, but before she could say anything, I was taking her out of the car, out of the confines of that fucking machine.
"You shouldn't move her," Ryder said. "She could've hurt her neck, or—"
"I'll take her to the hospital," I grumbled out, leading Yara away from him and toward the large stone close to the old house, letting her sit down. "Yara," I started as she sat down, crouching in front of her. "Can you tell me what happened? Do you remember what happened?"
"I don't... I don't know what happened. He lost control. He—" she stopped suddenly. "He wanted me to go with him. He wanted to leave and wanted to—" She hiccuped, fully crying now. "He wanted to... to—"
She was breaking my fucking heart. I hated this. I hated that motherfucker, but until I knew she was okay I wouldn't be able to deal with him.
"Xavier!" Ryder called out.
"What?"
"You need to get her to the hospital. " I knew where he was coming from.
I could see the ghosts from his own past in his eyes as he looked between Yara and me.
I knew what happened to him and to the one person he loved, but I couldn't stop myself from getting pissed off at the amount of people around us.
"I'll handle things here, but she needs to be checked out. She needs to lay down."
I couldn't argue with that, because I knew he had a point.
Turning back to Yara I could see a small cut above her eyebrow, but other than that and her pale skin, she seemed fine. Yet both Ryder and I knew that there could be a million other things going wrong. Things that weren't visible on the surface.
"Baby," I murmured so only she could hear me. Those eyes focused on me, still filled with fear and something else I couldn't quite put the finger on. "Can you walk?"
"I think so," she immediately said. "I think I'm okay."
She started getting up on her own, but I immediately straightened up, and before she could protest, I had her up in my arms and walked toward my car.
"I can walk," she protested, but even her protests weren't as strong as they usually were. There was no bite to her words. "You don't have to carry me."
"Let me have this," I said, tightening my hold on her. "Please."
Her eyes were on me, and as I pushed through the crowd, I could feel several other pairs of eyes on me, but I didn't want to stop for any of them. I didn't want to talk to a single person or rationalize this entire thing.
Yara's friend, Violet, was running toward us, her face a picture of terror as she saw me carrying my girl. "Help me open the door, Violet, would you?" I asked as we came closer to my car, and instead of saying anything, she simply nodded, running to the other side.
"I'm okay, V," Yara said, smiling weakly at Violet. "Just maybe banged up."
"You're okay," Violet repeated. "You're okay."
This entire fucking thing brought up memories none of us needed right now. I didn't want to remember that fucking night five years ago, and neither did Violet.
She was here. She was the one who pulled out the bodies. She was the one who had to calm down Ryder before an ambulance came. She was the one Ryder blamed for far too long for saving him and not Kylie, and she still lived with the guilt that wasn't hers to carry.
"I'm taking her to the hospital," I said as I put Yara inside the car, buckling her in. "If you'd like to meet us there."
"Y-Yeah," she stuttered. "I'll see you there."
Even though I wanted nothing and no one with us, I could see that Violet needed it.
I could understand now how Ryder felt all those years ago, or at least some part of it.
And as I went to sit inside my car, slamming the door behind me, I could see Ryder standing close to Violet, looking at her with regrets in his own eyes.