Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jaxon
Lily was finally resting peacefully, curled into my side, with gentle, steady snores.
Unlike the hours I spent watching her brow crease with worry while listening as her breathing shifted between silent and uneven.
It was obvious her dreams were really nightmares, haunting her memories, and tightening their grip on her mind, all the while unbeknownst to her that she was safe and no longer in danger.
Finding Lily three days ago, unresponsive in the shower amidst a blazing inferno surrounding the house, was hands-down the most terrifying moment of my life.
Witnessing the life nearly drained from her body was heart-stopping.
I thought the worst. That I was going to lose her, but forever this time.
So for her to have woken up from this nightmare after so much fear and uncertainty had crept in, the feeling in my chest now was indescribable.
Since waking up with my hands bandaged, I’d had a lot of time to think.
I remembered I had started to feel off in the ambulance, but I dismissed it as the adrenaline wearing off.
I was so hyper-focused on Lily that I never suspected anything nefarious was going on.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital alone, disoriented, and in some sterile isolation room with a list of questions a mile long.
It wasn’t until later that I learned from Doctor Holt that Lily had come into contact with a poison that absorbed through her skin from something she touched, and disrupted the signals in her nervous system.
The response a person would have after contact aligned with how I found her in the shower and explained how it transferred to me from skin-to-skin contact.
Luckily, I wasn’t exposed for as long and responded well to the antidote.
My body bounced back relatively quickly, all things considered.
I was also lucky that the cuts on my hands from the broken glass when I climbed through the window were mostly superficial lacerations and didn’t damage any nerves or tendons.
Unfortunately for Lily, her body had taken a much harder hit.
The doctor warned me her recovery wouldn’t be immediate and that there might be some lingering side effects regarding her mobility that would likely require physical therapy to help her regain her full strength.
While I hated hearing that for her, I was thankful to learn she hadn’t suffered any brain damage.
With time and rest, she would make a full recovery, and I’d be by her side for every step of it.
The doctor also mentioned that he’d checked with Lily’s work and confirmed that no other cases had been reported, and Boden was working around the clock to get the answers I couldn’t.
Once I was out of isolation, my dad took me in a wheelchair to Arizona’s bedside, where Jameson was barely holding it together.
Her exposure was minimal, the same as mine, but given that she was barely out of the first trimester, the doctors were taking extra precautions with her and the baby.
We were all on edge and sharing the same worries.
But after witnessing Lily’s reaction to learning I had also been hospitalized, I chose to hold off on telling her that her best friend was just down the hallway in another room a little while longer.
Even though everything with the baby was looking good, Arizona was placed on early medical leave from work and would be closely monitored for the remainder of her pregnancy.
Considering everything that had happened, we were all incredibly fortunate; it could have been so much worse.
It just goes to show you, the only thing promised in life was the here and now.
The very present moment. We all had choices in life.
We could either waste the precious little time we’re given fighting and/or worrying about things beyond our control, or we could ignore the noise and focus on what truly mattered most in life: our loved ones and being present.
“Hope I’m not intruding,” Boden spoke in a hushed voice, stepping further into the room. “How’s Lily doing?”
“She woke up a few hours ago, and man, I’ve never been so thankful to hear her voice and look into her eyes. I—” I choked up and swallowed roughly.
“That’s great news. Sounds like she’s making progress. What a relief!” he exhaled, sitting down in the chair where I’d spent so many hours camped out before.
“Do you have any updates?” I asked.
“I do. I’m happy to report an arrest has been made.”
“For real?” My whole body tingled with shock.
“Yes.”
“Tell me, who the fuck did this and why?”
“It was a man who, based on a search of his home and electronics, had never actually crossed paths with Lily in person until recently. His infatuation with her, though, began several years ago. Are you familiar with the website OpenVeil?”
My jaw clenched as a heavy silence hung between us.
“I gather by the look you’re giving me that you’re aware of why I’m asking?”
“Yes,” I gritted through my teeth.
“Remember, I’m on both of your sides here. I’m just laying out the facts for you to follow along.” Boden looked to where Lily was sleeping peacefully against the side of my chest.
Her breath was warm through the thin hospital gown I was wearing.
“I reached out to the police jurisdiction outside of Toronto that had originally handled Lily’s case against her ex-boyfriend to formally request access to the case materials, including the original hard drives that were collected.
But since the evidence couldn’t legally leave the country, I flew up there to examine the hard drives in person with their digital forensics team.
Cameron tagged along with me for backup and, after analyzing all the metadata we recovered, he used his unique skill set to uncover hidden communications indicating that Lily’s ex had impersonated her in conversations with several male subscribers.
From there, we took that information and ran searches on all the men, but there was one particular name that stood out based solely on his address. ”
I had a bad feeling I knew where this was going.
“Let me guess. Somewhere in Vegas?”
“Bingo. It was a case of right time, right place, but in Lily’s situation, it was clearly the opposite.
Video surveillance placed him at the club that night, and, based on that footage, there was no reason to suspect he was aware of her presence until the moment he laid eyes on her.
The guy was visibly shocked. It was then that Lily had her panic attack.
Maybe she had a sixth sense. I’m not sure, but he didn’t get within twenty feet of her.
From there, we tracked him following us back to the hotel and subsequently Sutton River. ”
“Jesus, fuck. This all sounds straight out of a movie.”
“Agreed.”
“So, you’re saying this guy attempted to kill her by poisoning her and setting the lake house on fire, all because of conversations he had through the app, thinking it was her?”
“Yes. As far as he was concerned, they were in a relationship, and she ghosted him.”
“What! How? She literally had no idea she was being filmed.”
“I’m aware, but he felt it was all part of her shy-girl act. The allure of pretending you weren’t being watched but then baiting him in conversations, telling him you knew he was watching. It’s a thing, apparently,” he said, half-shrugging.
I grimaced in disgust.
“I know, man, I know. If he couldn’t have her, neither could you. He wanted revenge.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“No arguments here. He confessed pretty quickly, hoping for leniency, but it’s going to be a long time before he’s ever a free man again.
The case is now in the hands of the Feds since he’s facing federal charges based on the evidence Vegas police discovered in his home and what we found here at your place. ”
“Which was what, exactly?”
“As you know, a stone facade can help slow the spread of an external fire, and because Jameson and his crew arrived on scene just as the roof partially collapsed, that meant I was able to gather evidence from the main level afterward.”
“While I appreciate the backstory, please get to the point quicker.”
“There was a business card in the laundry room trash that tested positive for the poison that landed both of you and Arizona in here.”
“Ari’s here too?” Lily suddenly jerked her body away from beside me, clutching her chest in panic.
“Lily, I—I’m so sorry,” Boden stuttered.
I shot him a death glare, but the reality was this conversation was never going to be easy, regardless of how I sliced it.
“Yes, Arizona was also admitted. Her case was milder than mine because she had gloves on when she examined you, but due to—”
“The baby!” She finished my sentence with a fresh wave of tears cresting and running down her pale cheeks. “Is the baby okay?”
“Yes, little baby Fisher’s heartbeat is good and strong, and everything appears to be on track for where she’s at week-wise.”
“I need to see her.”
Before I could react, Lily tried to sit up on her own, and fuck, watching her arms barely have the strength to push herself up and her legs trembling beneath the blanket like a baby giraffe learning how to walk for the first time was an absolute punch to the gut.
“Hey, hey, hey, easy, slow down.” I tried to calm her.
It was a message to both of us, really, since I needed the reminder to lock my emotions down tight and not let her see how shaken I truly felt on the inside.
“No, Jaxon, I need to see Ari.” I hated hearing the distress in her voice, but I also understood the desperation to lay her eyes on her friend.
“I know. What I’m trying to say is, slow down for just a second. Boden is going to go get us a wheelchair, and I promise, we will take you to see her.”
“On it,” Boden called out over the sound of his chair scraping against the floor tiles.
“I’m sorry, I just—” The defeat in her tone was palpable.
“It’s all good. I felt the same way when I woke up.
Everyone, the doctors, nurses, even my parents, they all kept telling me you were resting and were going to be okay.
But I had to see it for myself. Nothing short of seeing you with my own eyes was ever going to calm me down. So trust me, I get it.”
“All righty, your Uber driver extraordinaire has arrived.” Boden appeared at the foot of the bed with a grin before his eyes squinted like he’d been blinded. “Ah, hell no, Fisher, I didn’t sign up to see your hairy ass today.”
“Shit,” I groaned and reached back for the ties to tie up my gown. “I had to undo it while lying down; it was too restrictive and my ass isn’t hairy you jerk.”
“Okay, sure, but that still doesn’t explain why you’re naked under the gown.”
“Everything I had on went into a bag to stop any further contamination.”
“How many nurses have you flashed?”
“None, just my parents.”
“Oh, snap.” His deep, hearty laughter filled the room. “Seriously, that’s some funny shit.”
“Glad I can provide the entertainment. Now, if you wouldn’t mind.” I waved my hand, gesturing for him to bring the chair closer to Lily while I climbed off the bed.
“Jaxon.” My name crossed her lips with alarm.
“Whoa.” Boden grabbed me by the upper arm to help steady my balance. “Easy there, brother.”
“Just getting my sea legs back is all.”
“Change of plans, you sit first and hold Lily on your lap?”
“Nah, I’m good. I promise.”
My body ached a little, but I had no intention of letting it show. The faster I worked through the discomfort deep in my muscles and pushed forward, the sooner I could help Lily with her rehabilitation, which we were warned could take another month or two before she could go home.
I pushed the wheelchair down the hallway, taking slow, measured steps, while Boden had my six. The guy was loyal to a fault, and while I disliked accepting help, I knew there was no judgment.
We were family.
“This is as far as I go,” Boden said as we approached Arizona’s room.
“You’re not coming in?” I asked.
“I dropped off food for them on my way in. The four of you need this time alone.”
“Thank you for everything.” I didn’t have to say anything else; he knew from my expression how grateful I was for everything he’d done.
“Always.” He nodded before lowering to his haunches in front of Lily. “Lakelyn sends her love, and if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’re family.”
“Thank you.” Lily’s voice was quiet with emotion.
Boden hugged her before holding the door open to Arizona’s room.
The moment we crossed the threshold, Jameson climbed off the bed and lifted Lily out of the wheelchair, placing her carefully beside Arizona. Both of them were immediately in tears, locked in an embrace.
Jameson and I exchanged a look, one that mirrored the other. Our hearts were in our throats as the gravity of what might have been was still all too fresh.
But one thing was clear: the bonds we shared in this room could never be replaced.
They were timeless.
They were bonds that took root when we were kids. Young and innocent, unaware of the challenges ahead. Unaware of the pain and loss we would share, as if it belonged to each of us.
It scarred our hearts and tested our resolve, but it was also during our hardest times that those bonds became the lifeline we needed most, helping us put one foot in front of the other and fight for the life we had now.
Filled with love and each other.