Chapter 56
56
Kellen
London
We wait for news. I see Evie come back with Jonno looking like she’s been crying. Jude follows her in, hugging and holding her. He looks distraught and comes over to me, pulling me in for a bro hug.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner,” he tells me, his whole body sagging with guilt. “She was always a bit gaga over you. I just assumed it was the fact there was a long-held friendship thing. But after France, she went a bit over the top. When Evie outed her, she was fuming. Never missed a chance to stick the boot in. Jackson’s found fake accounts where she was feeding Lauren information. She even befriended Grace and Becky. Anyone who had access to you, or hated Evie, they were her targets.”
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head, looking as guilty as hell. “She built the narrative about the twins, got Bettina involved. She was desperate. Her plans came unstuck big time in Scotland, and she knew it. This was one last throw of the dice.
“And Rowena, damn. She played your mother like a fiddle. The fact that she was happy to go along with it, though, says a lot about how she feels about Evie.”
I can tell Jude is trying to hang on to his composure. So many mistakes by us all have led us here. So fucking unnecessary.
I nod at him. “I know my mother is deluded at times. She’s never been able to control me, and I don’t know why she insists on trying. She was the same with my dad. I think she thinks I don’t love her, but I do. Not sure I like her very much at the moment, though. We definitely need to have a serious talk.”
Jude is hanging his head. “I should have told Jonno earlier, about Isobel. About all the information Jackson found. I thought he would know as Jackson and Jonno talk security all the time. I only mentioned it the other day, as Kitten was back in London. Jonno had picked IsobeI up on his radar again, but with Marshall and everything…” He looks directly at me. “I’m sorry, Kellen.”
I pull him in again for another hug. “Not your fault, Jude. Not anyone’s here. Solely on her and her family.” I know I’m right. No one here would ever want anyone hurt to that degree. Even Isobel—she needs help, not hate.
Hours pass. People have been in and out, a rota of sorts, with Tarron and I never moving. We send Evie home for a few hours, but she’s back again and comes over and takes my hand as the door opens and our sons walk in. I make a strangled noise and James rushes over, followed by Bucky. They both grab hold of me and do not let go. My heart swells, and I feel like I might keel over.
“He’ll be fine, Dad. Papa’s made of stern stuff.” James smiles at me as he pulls back and goes to hug his mother. Bucky keeps hold of me as James comforts his mum. He’s touching her hair and then his hand goes to her stomach. She looks into his eyes as he gifts her with the smile that makes him look so much like her.
I hear Tarron draw in a breath as he stares at them both, wiping at his eyes. The old man is getting sentimental.
Bucky gets into a hug fest with Jude and Jonno, and by the end we’re all laughing.
“Grandpa Tarron,” James exclaims, grinning as he pulls Himself into a bear hug. Tarron is being squeezed within an inch of his life, and when Bucky joins in, the old man is nearly blue with lack of oxygen.
Looking around this room, it hits me hard—if there were no Greystones here, it would be only Tarron and I. But the room is full. In this crisis I’ve found myself in, I can’t believe how many people are here. This bare, bland room, with fake wooden seats and plastic fake plants is the epitome of my past life. Cold, harsh, no depth or warmth. Function but no life. And then there are the people who change it. All the Greystones, Tarron, my bandmates. Evie. I realise and feel the warmth of their love. Never did I imagine that I would feel this magnitude of energy swirling around me. I feel alive, my chest feels full, my heart bursting as their love envelops me, buoys me. These people who love Xander. People who love me—us. A total and true family.
When the doctor comes in to speak to us all, an unearthly quiet descends on the room. She tells us the surgery went well, but the internal bleeding created multiple additional issues. They’ve decided to keep him heavily sedated, he’ll not come around yet, we’ll have to wait.
I ask about any damage to his arms or shoulders. Playing his guitar, sculpting, are an integral part of who he is. It is the essence of him. If this could potentially be affected, I need to know. I need to be prepared to help him process and deal with that devastation. They tell me it’s too early to say, but there should be no issues, just rehabilitation. We all take a sigh of relief, the entire room seeming to exhale at once.
That tension broken, we all start crying, hugging and kissing each other in comfort. And even though he’s not really conscious, nobody leaves, the entire family deciding to hang around longer to ensure we see him before we go.
The doctors allow us to see him in twos. Tarron goes in with James first. They seem to be in there an age, finally coming out with their arms around each other. I’m not sure who is supporting whom. But James pulls Tarron in for a kiss and I see Tarron’s swollen eyes. He takes a moment, closing and opening them, and I distinguish a look of calmness, a sense of ease under all the upset.
When I go in with Evie, I hear her try to stifle a cry. He’s hooked up to so much machinery, and looks pale under his tan. We go to either side of his bed. I stand and stare at him, never have I seen him so motionless. He hardly sleeps, so it’s truly rare to see him like this.
She’s stroking his hair, his face, tracing her fingers along his brow. Telling him she’ll be here for him, she’ll bring the twins. Telling him they miss him, they’ll look for him in the morning. Tears roll silently down my cheeks as she talks of the family life we nearly threw away. And for what? My fear? My ego? Nothing of any consequence. Not compared to that.
Evie leans forwards and kisses his lips, telling him she’ll come tomorrow, then stands and looks over at me. I lean forwards and kiss his cheek. “Come back to us, Xander. Get some rest now and I’ll be here tomorrow.” I stand straight and run my hands through my hair.
She comes round to my side of the bed and threads her small hands into my larger ones. “Let’s go home, Kellen. We can come again first thing. It’s not many hours away now.” I look down at her, strength and love pouring from her, her face fixed with a steely determination.
I smile to myself. It won’t be lack of love or effort that stops Xander from coming back to us. She’ll will him back to full fitness, and he better get ready for it.