Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
MADDOX
I need to give CeCe a fucking kiss next time I see her. She was able to use the surveillance footage to not only get an image of Trent but get a bird’s eye view of his car. From there she tracked his movement through traffic cameras until they headed towards the lake. I feel on autopilot as we race to find her.
Finding a naked and barely lucid Allison stumbling on the road past the old campsite Bunkey’s coming from the old paper mill tells me all I need to know. I’m too fucking late. Heart racing, I jump out of the car and search for my girl. Evie’s fine. She has to be okay. She’s my fucking world.
Just under the streetlamp, I make out two figures wrestling on the ground. "Evie!"
Without thinking, I reach them, take his head in my hands, and snap his neck before tossing him aside clear out of reach of her.
Burn in hell motherfucker.
Hitting my knees I take her face in my trembling hands. My girl will be okay. She reaches up and gently touches my cheek, a faint smile ghosts her lips. "Hey, Big Guy, I knew you’d find me," she whispers.
"Hi, Pretty Girl." My voice doesn’t hide the raw fear I've felt since she's been missing. Evie doesn't respond. Her eyes roll back in her head. No, no, no!
"Evie! Wake up!" I gently shake her, but she doesn't stir. That's when I feel something wet and sticky touch my leg. Looking down I notice all the blood pooled around her reminding me of an angel with bloody wings. Is death here to mock me?
Death can’t have her, I refuse to give her up.
Quickly and as easily as possible, I search trying to find where she’s bleeding from. It’s hard to tell because she’s covered in so much blood. Frantically I take off my shirt and cover her side; I'm pretty sure it's a stab wound. I carefully take her chained hands and gently loop them around my neck, making sure she’s secure before pulling her close so her side rests against me. Then, with caution and focus, I go to find my brother.
"Oh, Pretty Girl. You did so damn good." I press a firm kiss on top of her head. "I’m so sorry I didn't find you sooner."
Henry takes one look at me walking up, screams for Matthews to take over the scene, and loads Allison in his SUV with us before tearing off towards the hospital.
"Keep pressure on that wound! Is she cool to the touch?" He throws me a blanket and I cover her naked body up.
"No, but she's losing blood fast." Blood is soaking through my shirt I have pressed against her side and is seeping down my stomach. Fuck, I should’ve figured out where she was sooner. I should have gone with her to get that damn cake. She should’ve never been alone.
"Allison, I need to know what her injuries are so the help she needs can be prepared," my brother says softly to the shaking woman in the backseat.
"I—"
"Allison fucking tell him!" I roar .
"He b-beat her with this long leather strap repeatedly."
"She's terrified of belts," I say softly looking at Evie.
"He punched her in the ear until she bled."
"Possible hearing damage, got it, anything else?"
A soft no sounds from behind me, and I feel relief flood every molecule of my being.
Henry clears his throat. "What about you Allison?"
“She wouldn't let him touch me.” Her voice is hoarse and faint.
I chuckle darkly. "Of course she didn't." God, I’m proud of how strong she had been, but my heart is fucking shattered as I hold her battered bloody body in my arms.
"She said to tell Lou there’s an envelope taped under the bed with everything she's going to need just in case."
Allison's faint words threaten to take me back to that dark place Evie had dragged my sorry ass out of. A world without her? Unthinkable. The sun rose to kiss her good morning, the flowers bloomed just to catch her gaze, and the stars ignited the night sky, all because she existed.
"Oh, no." I look down at Evie's beautiful face. "We're not doing that because you're going to wake that pretty ass up! We're going to have a beautiful life baby. I'm going to give you everything." I gently trace the side of her bruised face. "You're going to marry me and give me more precious babies and I'm going to spend forever loving the hell out of you. You gave me my life back, now you have to live it with me."
I’m going to give her everything—a marriage filled with endless joy, more children with her mesmerizing eyes, and a love so overwhelming that she’ll forget she was ever without it.
Needing something to tether me back from the brink I ask, "Because I need someone to call me on my shit, right Henny?"
"Damn straight," my brother says weakly. I don't have to look at his face to know he's crying. His face is probably as tear streaked as my own .
"I'm going to spend everyday basking in your warmth Evie Taylor and kill any bastard who dares to dim your light." A slender hand reaches from the back and grasps my shoulder in a reassuring squeeze.
Henry radios everything in and a few minutes later we arrive at the hospital. Letting go of her is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Parking my ass in that hard plastic chair is the next one. The last time I’ve been in a hospital was the night Livvy died. This has to be different, Evie will be okay.
Henry brought me a shirt at some point, I hardly remember putting it on. I don't know how long I sit here staring at nothing until a cry tears me from my stupor.
"WHERE IS SHE?" Lou's scream stops all movement in the ER, and once her gaze settles on me, her face twists in denial. "No!" Henry reaches for her, but she pushes him away and stomps over to me like a Valkyrie ready for battle. "Maddox Cole, tell me she’s okay!"
"Lou—" I say gravely.
"Tell me I don't have to tell those beautiful babies she's gone." Lou's face crumbles as tears streak her cheeks. Reminding me so damn much of the night her mama walked out abandoning her and Sophie.
"That's her blood ain't it? Damn—" I didn't even notice Aunt Joe show up. I pull Lou and the old crow in my arms as we cling to each other in desperation.
The sun rises and nobody says a word. Mercy and Mama stayed with the boys. Vic showed up at some point, but honestly, I can't tell you when. He's just sitting unmoving staring at the door waiting for the doctor to come out. Then Mama showed up at some point, but I don't know when time passes in a blur.
"Never got those cameras fixed did you Josephine?" Vic asks, his eyes never leaving the door. Aunt Joe doesn't respond, just hangs her head heavily in shame. Vic doesn't say another word.
Finally, the door opens, and the doctor comes out. He has a solemn look on his face as he asks for the family of Evie Taylor. We all stand.
I try to speak, but I can't get the words to come from my mouth. They sit heavily on my tongue like wet cement. Too scared, too chicken shit of what he may say.
"Give it to us straight, Doc," Vic says. "No fancy words and bullshit."
The Doctor gives a nod. "Right. Well, right now I've put her in a medically induced coma. While her condition is critical, we have managed to stabilize her."
"What’s she facing when she wakes up Doc?"
Everyone holds their breath waiting for the Doctor to answer Vic.
"She's suffered a great deal." His grim smile makes bile swim up my throat. "Bruising, scarring, multiple stab wounds to her right side, and the one to her chest just barely missed her heart, but one did go through a lung. Ms. Taylor has lost a significant amount of blood. She's going to need you all to be strong for her."
"Can we see her?" Lou's voice cracks.
"Ms. Taylor needs her rest." The doctor pushes a hand through his white hair and looks at each of us standing there. "However, if she remains stable for the next few hours I'll allow visitors."
"But—"
"Honey, she needs to rest," Mama tells Lou softly. "Evie's a fighter, she'll pull through."
Damn straight she will.
She has to.
"Evie, please wake the hell up," Lou pleads.
I stand outside Evie’s hospital room, bracing myself against the wall as I listen to Lou’s desperate pleas inside. I want to share in her pain and agony, but I’m numb, feeling detached from the reality of it all. The doctors took Evie out of the medically induced coma three days ago, but she hasn’t moved since. The doctor says her mind is still mending from the trauma, and she’ll wake when she’s ready. But with every passing hour, my hope dwindles, slipping further away like sand through my fingers.
"If you wake up, I'll tell you why I hate Henry Wilder. Scouts honor." Now that almost makes me smile. Everyone knows Lou has been head over heels for my brother since she was a kid, the only one not to get the memo is her.
Sniffling fills the room, and I know Lou is on the verge of losing it. "I can't handle the emo duo without you! Plus, you trusted me to take care of Bash and Charlie! Why on earth would you do that? They need their mama, not me. Wake up! Please wake up!"
Deciding enough is enough I stalk in to wrangle the pale blonde. Inside I find Lou curled up beside Evie, her hand wrapped tightly around Evie's reminding me so much of the little girl with a tear-stained face who showed up at our door clutching her baby sister's hand because they couldn't find their mama. I clear my throat and sad eyes find mine. "She'll wake up right, Maddy?"
I don't have the strength to give her false hope, so I just sit quietly beside Evie's bed. I don't know how much time passes with us sitting there while Lou’s soft cries fill the space. A knock pulls me from my stupor and my brother walks in. Looking from one woman to the other he gives me a grim smile.
"Come on Lou, let's get some food in you." Henry walks up and puts a gentle hand on her arm.
Lou’s smile is a hollow echo, the kind that speaks of a heart too weary to hope anymore. "She can't be another one to abandon me here." My brother falters at her sad confession. A silent exchange takes place between them, and I finally notice my brother looks at Lou the way I look at Evie. Like she's the embodiment of every desperate prayer he’s ever whispered, and the source of every torment that keeps him awake at night. I can see the want, need, desperation, and longing clear as a day on my brother’s face as he gazes down at her.
A fierce look of resolve crosses his face. "Louisiana, she will wake up! Now, are we going to sit here and cry about shit that isn't going to happen? Or are you going to get that perk ass up, get fed, and tell those boys their mama will make it? The choice is yours, Wildflower."
Lou flies out of bed ready to throttle my brother. He always has known just what she needs and how to give it to her. "Firstly, fuck you. Have you no compassion? Secondly, I will get fed and go to those boys because they need me as much as I need them." Lou pauses and takes a deep breath. "Leave that nickname on this cold tile floor, like you left everything else." Her voice echoes with heartbreak. Not giving my brother time to answer, she's out the door.
Henry swallows. "Hurting you is the last thing I ever wanted." He says it so low I almost miss it. My brother turns to me, cracks beginning to show beneath his surface, but I don't have it in me to read too much into it. Maybe that makes me a shitty brother, maybe he doesn't need me pointing out shit he isn't ready to face.
After a quick promise to call when she wakes up, Henry softly closes the door leaving me alone. There was a time in my life when I sought solitude, which seems foreign to me now. She's brought so much life back to mine that I find the silence deafening. Taking her small hand in mine, I watch her chest rise and fall as I fall into a restless sleep.
"Maddox," someone shakes me, "Come on, wake up." Startled I jump up, checking Evie over to see if she’s finally woken up. Seeing no sign of her waking, I caress her cheek.
"She's fine boy."
Vic stands there looking worse for wear but hell we all do. "The boys?" I ask.
Vic gives a tired look. "As to be expected. They keep asking for you."
In a panic, I struggle to breathe. “I-I can’t,” I stammer. “I can’t, Vic.” I feel too fragile to face them. Their entire world has been turned upside down, and I’m barely keeping it together. How can I offer them any solace when their mother is lying here, barely holding on?
"I think you need them more than you realize," Vic pats my back, "They don't need you to be strong. They just need you."
Vic looks at Evie and I can see it. He needs to be here just as much as I do. The cranky bastard loves her like she’s his own child, and I know he isn’t handling it well. I think back to Livvy and how I wished for any extra time with her. Time to hold her little hand or kiss her chubby cheeks. I take a deep breath.
"Promise me—" The look Vic gives me stops my words. He'll call if something happens. There’s no need for me to even ask. With a gentle kiss and an I love you I force myself to walk to the door. I look over my shoulder before leaving and see the old man taking a seat and grasping her hand as his whole body gently shakes.
"Well, baby girl, seems trouble came and found you." His voice cracks as I gently close the door.
It doesn’t take long before I pull up into her driveway, sitting there, wracked with guilt. I’ve let her down—completely. I failed to protect her. She was scared, and I brushed it off, convinced it was nothing. I should never have taken her word for it. She should never have gone back to the café alone. I should’ve been more vigilant, and more insistent. This is all my fault.
The sound of my name yanks me from my spiraling thoughts. Little Charlie stands on the porch, his tiny frame shaking with sobs. The boy who fiercely defends his mother and barely acknowledges anyone else now reaches out to me with a desperate plea. Without a second thought, I rush out of the car and pull him into my arms, cradling his small, trembling body against me.
"My Mama!" he cries in hysterics.
"I know Charlie, I know," I tell him, squeezing him tighter as tears stream down my own face. I feel another body wrap around my leg, and I realize how wrong I had been. I need this, need them.
"She'll wake up, won't she Maddox?" Charlie's question makes me stop short. We stand on that porch embracing until Lou clears her throat and calls us in to help make dinner. Not because we’re hungry, but because we need something to keep us busy.
"Fuck yeah, she will kiddo," Lou tells him as she washes the veggies.
"Fuck yeah, she will Charlie," Bashes pipes from his spot beside her.
Charlie's eyes never leave me waiting for my reaction. He looks at me on the brink of tears again and I clear my throat. "Your mama is the toughest person I know, a fighter through and through. Don't you think?" Charlie gives me a slight nod. "So, fuck yeah, she's going to wake up."
"Can we go see her?"
"I don't think—" Lou begins.
"SHE'S MY MAMA!" Charlie's voice trembles as his chest rises and falls with the intensity of his outburst. Lou stands frozen, wide-eyed and unsure, but I remain steady. Anger and I, we’ve danced this dance before.
Charlie’s fists clench at his sides, and I pause, setting the potatoes aside. “She is your mama,” I say gently, “but she’s been through a lot. She wouldn’t want you to see her like this right now.”
"But it's our fault," Bash whispers. How in the world can they blame themselves? Why would they?
"Boys, this is not your fault."
"But it was our birthday cake she went to get." Shit. So that's it. Do they think that a birthday cake was the reason for all of this? The fact they believe that makes me wish I could snap that bastard’s neck all over again.
“Boys, look at me,” I say, and they turn, their faces downcast with guilt. “Sometimes, evil just finds its way into the world, and we can’t always prevent it. But what happened to your mama wasn’t your fault.” I look at each of them, my voice firm but gentle. “It would break your mama’s heart to know you blame yourselves. Do you understand me?” Without waiting for a response, I envelop them in a warm, reassuring embrace.
After dinner and a quick shower, I head back to the hospital. Vic gives me a nod as he heads out the door. I take my place by her bed and trace the back of her hands like she's done mine so many times before. Her hand seems so frail next to my own.
"I went to see the boys today. Ashamed to admit I hadn't been to see them at all. I didn't feel I could, but the minute I saw them I realized how much I needed them. Damn, they’re so much like you." I swallow before continuing, "The boys blame themselves for all this. Told me it was because you had to get their birthday cake. Evie, it fucking broke my heart to know they’ve been blaming themselves these past few days." I wipe my eyes. "And I swear I've never cried so much in my fucking life."
"When Livvy died, everything went dark and numb. I wanted that darkness to swallow me whole, so I didn’t have to feel anymore. Too cowardly to end my own life so I hid from the world. Until you, you brought me back to life." A small smile tugs at my lips. "I meant every word I said the other night. Marriage, babies, all of it. I’m giving you everything."
"You going to ask or tell me?" A hoarse voice ask.
For a moment I freeze, scared to even breathe. Then slowly I force myself to look up, and when I do, I find tired eyes and a weak smile looking at me. A sob escapes me, and I carefully place a kiss on her cupid bow. "About time you fucking woke up."
Vic and the boys are the first call I make after she wakes, and they are here seven minutes later. I run a hand up and down her back as she trembles with nerves waiting for them. All three of them are dressed haphazardly and freeze in the doorway once they see her. Sure, she’s banged up pretty good and covered in bruises, but she’s still the pretty little thing she's always been .
The boys look unsure of what to do until hearing their mama softly say their names. They climb that bed with record speed, and I try to tell them to be mindful of where she’s been stabbed but Evie silences me. They fall into her arms, and they all cry. Evie’s still weak from so much blood loss, but she isn’t about to let those boys go.
"Victor," Evie calls out softly. "Get over here. I need a hug." And would you believe the old bastard tell the boys to move before wrapping her in a firm hug that he sobs through?
The last couple of weeks pass in a frenzy before Evie is ready to be discharged. Everyone has stopped by; Mercy brought of course the biggest bouquet and box of chocolates he could find with a card that read 'Even if you're a mess, I'd still let you choke me like a biscuit.' I ripped that to fucking shreds. Joe and Lou showed up shortly after the boys and busted through the door so fast I was sure the damn thing had come off its hinges. After a little bit of yelling Lou collapsed on the bed next to her and had such a tearful reunion even the nurse cried. Lou of course tried to scold her for planning and trying to leave the boys, but Evie told her she was their Godmother, simple as that. Joe apologized again and again, swearing there was a new security system if Evie ever decided to step foot back into the cafe.
A quick knock on the door lets us know the doctor is here. "Come in," Evie calls out.
Doc walks in adjusting his tie and giving her a warm smile. "Today is a big day, you get to go home!" Evie thanks him for allowing everyone to stay and see her. "Sometimes the best medicine is simply being surrounded by love."
Evie nods in agreement and begins fisting the end of her shirt. Lou and Joe brought her a fresh change of clothes and Lou helped her shower, trying to help her feel like herself. I even braided her hair. Seeing her fisting her shirt makes me uneasy. Evie is fisting it so tight I know there will be wrinkles.
"Before you go, we need to go over your discharge information here." He gives her a wary look. "I don't think I need to tell you the state you were in when you arrived do I?" Evie shakes her head no. Doc gives her a long look before proceeding. "Go home and rest. Your body is still recovering, don't lift anything. Clean and redress the stab wounds on your chest once a day for the few weeks and then come back to have the stitches removed. I'm prescribing you something for pain, take it as needed."
The doc goes over how to clean and redress her bandages and then he pulls me aside. "She's been through a lot. Be sure to take very delicate care of her. Her mind is fragile right now."
After he leaves, I walk in giving what I hope is my best smile. "Let's go home Pretty Girl."