Chapter 2
DANIELA
I’m about to pour a second cup of coffee when I grab my phone to return Raven’s calls.
Hmm. She left voicemails just a few minutes ago.
I listen to the first one.
“Daniela, it’s Raven. Please call right away.”
Okay…
The next one.
“It’s me again, Dani. Hawk’s not answering his phone. Are you two okay? Please call. It’s urgent.”
Urgent?
I gulp.
Urgent?
I quickly return the call.
And get sent straight to voicemail.
“This is Raven. I’m busy at the moment. Please leave a message. If you’re calling about the Raven’s Wings Foundation, please contact my assistant…”
I stop listening until I hear the beep.
“Raven, it’s me. I’m fine. Hawk is fine. I promise you. I’ll be home soon.”
She sounded really upset. I guess I can’t blame her. I told her and Vinnie that I would probably be spending the night here at Hawk’s, but of course she’s concerned. Who wouldn’t be, given my background? She doesn’t even know the whole story.
If she did, she’d never let me out of her sight again.
I set down my phone.
Hawk enters the kitchen, his face rigid and much paler than usual.
I raise my eyebrows. “Hawk? Is everything okay?”
He draws in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I need to take you home. And then I need to get to the hospital.”
“Hospital?” I grab his hands. “What is it? Your dad?”
He shakes his head, clearing his throat. “My brother.”
“Falcon?”
“Eagle. He…”
“What?” I wrap my arms around his waist.
“He was the one who kept trying to call me last night.” He rubs at his forehead. “Even came here. And I…”
“Oh my God. I have several phone calls from Raven. Voicemails that say I need to call her back. That it’s urgent. I just thought she was worried about me, even though I told her that—”
He places two fingers over my lips. “This isn’t your fault, Daniela. This is all on me.”
“What’s all on you? I don’t understand.”
He gulps, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Eagle. He OD’d last night. He’s in the hospital, and I’ve got to get there right away.”
I widen my eyes. “Oh my God… I should’ve answered Raven’s calls.”
“No. Like I said, this isn’t on you.”
“But—”
“No.” He breaks away from me. “My brother needed me last night, and I wasn’t here. I was too busy…”
He doesn’t need to finish the sentence.
He was too busy with me. Making love to me. Being with me.
I cast my gaze to the floor. “I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t on you,” he says once more.
I swallow, look back up at him. “You don’t need to bother taking me home. I’ll go with you. To the hospital.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t ask you to do that. Not after everything. Not after—”
This time I stop him with fingers to his lips. “Stop. Stop it right now. I want to be at your side. I’ll get dressed quickly. We need to get to the hospital.”
He nods, finally acquiescing. “If you don’t mind.”
“Why on earth would I mind?” I run my hand up and down his arm. “I care about you. This concerns you, so I want to be there for you. And for your brother. And for Raven.”
He simply nods once more.
Then he takes my hand and leads me back to the bedroom, where he gets dressed quietly.
I go to the bathroom, brush out my hair, and put it up in a high ponytail so it will be out of the way. I wash my face quickly and then return to the bedroom where Hawk is dressed.
He takes my hand, leads me out, and we get into his car.
We don’t talk much on the way to the hospital. I just keep my hand in his, hoping that I’m giving him some comfort.
I don’t know what else I can do or say.
Already I see the weight of this on his shoulders. He’s going to blame himself for what’s happened, and I don’t know what I can do to stop that.
I keep my phone on my lap, hoping for it to ring. With news from anyone. Raven or Vinnie.
What about Belinda?
I hope they left her at home. I know how much she hates hospitals.
We pull up, and Hawk leaves the car with the valet parking attendant. Still not speaking, he grabs my hand, and we walk inside.
I wait for him to speak to the volunteer on duty.
When he doesn’t, I clear my throat. “We’re looking for Eagle Bellamy,” I say. “We’re immediate family. Where can we find him please?”
The volunteer taps on her computer. “Goodness. He’s in the ICU. Fifth floor.”
Hawk squeezes my hand. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” I pull on his arm. “Let’s go see your brother.”
Silently we walk toward the elevators, and I press the up button. When the elevator dings and the doors open, I’m ecstatic that it’s empty. Hawk and I walk inside, and I press the button for the fifth floor.
When the doors open, we walk out, and in the waiting room, Vinnie and Raven, Falcon and Savannah, Robin, and Star are all waiting.
Robin rises and walks toward us, embracing Hawk. “Thank God,” she says.
Hawk finally speaks. “How is he?”
“We don’t know anything yet,” she says. “Except that…”
“Except what?” Hawk demands.
Her face twists. “The doctor says that, at this point, he has a fifty-fifty chance.”
My heart drops.
So does Hawk’s. I can almost see it drop from his chest cavity to his stomach. He shakes his head slowly.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to Robin.
“They’re doing everything they can,” Robin says. “Mom is beside herself, of course. We haven’t told Dad yet.”
“I’ll tell him,” Hawk says.
“We’ll all tell him,” Robin says. “But not yet. Mom doesn’t want him worrying. He needs his strength for his own healing.”
Hawk simply nods.
“Can we see him?” I ask.
“They’re only letting two people in at once. Mom has been with him most of the time, but she’s out here because she wanted to give Falcon and Savannah some time with him. But maybe you two can go in before Mom goes back.”
Hawk looks at Star. “Mom? Okay if we go see him?”
Star doesn’t look at her son. She simply nods while still staring at her clasped hands in her lap.
Hawk takes my hand and heads to the desk. “I’m Hawk Bellamy. Eagle Bellamy’s brother. We’d like to see him, please.”
“He’s nonresponsive,” the attendant says.
“Doesn’t matter,” Hawk says, his jaw rigid. “He’s my little brother. I want to see him.”
“I’ll ring for a nurse.” Then she looks at me. “And you are?”
“She’s with me,” Hawk says before I have a chance to answer.
The attendant simply nods and makes the call.
A moment later a nurse in scrubs comes through the double doors and meets us at the attendance desk. “You’re Mr. Bellamy’s brother?”
“Yes, and this is my companion, Daniela Agudelo.” His voice is artificially steady. “We’d like to see my brother please.”
“You are certainly allowed to see him. But I have to warn you he’s unconscious. And—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Hawk interrupts. “I need to see my brother.”
She nods with a sympathetic smile. “Come with me, please.”
Hawk and I walk behind the double doors and follow the nurse to a private room in the ICU.
Oh God…
Eagle is hooked up to every machine imaginable.
There’s a breathing tube rammed down his throat, an IV drip in his wrist, a pulse oximeter on his finger, a heart monitor and automated blood pressure cuff around his wrist, plus a bunch of other wires I can’t identify.
His complexion is unnaturally pale, his usually vibrant eyes closed.
Hawk stops in his tracks, staring at his brother. I can’t imagine what he must be feeling seeing his brother in this fragile state.
The heart monitor beeps.
Beeps.
Beeps.
It’s a cruel reminder of Eagle’s current reality.
At least it isn’t silent.
Hawk tightens his grip on my hand.
A chair sits next to Eagle’s bed. Hawk heads straight for it. I follow, squeezing his hand in silent support.
“Hey, buddy…” Hawk’s voice is hoarse, barely above a whisper. He reaches out and lays a hand on Eagle’s lifeless one.
My heart cracks.
Hawk is so tall, so strong. And here he is, brought to his knees by the sight of his little brother in such precarious condition.
I don’t know what to say, what to do.
So I simply stand by Hawk’s side.
I hope my presence is comfort to him. But inside I know it isn’t.
Eagle’s chest raises and falls in a steady rhythm. The monotonous beep of the heart monitor is the only sound that breaks the oppressive silence in the room.
Hawk pushes back the unruly curls from Eagle’s forehead.
“Come on, E,” Hawk whispers, his voice choked with emotion. “You’ve got to come back. You can’t leave us like this.” He swallows hard, shaking his head.
This is breaking Hawk. I feel it.
And I hate it.
I kneel next to Hawk and take his other hand. His gaze remains glued to his brother.
I can only imagine the turmoil he’s going through. I squeeze his hand a little tighter, wanting to ground him, to reassure him that he’s not alone in this.
“The doctors say you’ve got a fifty-fifty chance, Eagle. That means you’ve got to fight. Do you hear me?” Hawk’s voice cracks, and he quickly clears his throat. “We’re all here. Your family. We’re not going anywhere.”
He’s silent a moment, his eyes squeezed shut. Until—
“Eagle, listen to me,” Hawk says, opening his eyes. “The family needs you. Mom needs you. I need you.” His voice breaks on the last words, and he takes a deep, shuddering breath.
Then he looks at me. The raw pain in his eyes is almost too much to bear.
I choke back a sob.
Hawk needs my strength now.
I can’t become a blubbering mess.
I rise and rest a hand on Hawk’s shoulder. He flinches at my touch but doesn’t push me away.
“Hawk,” I whisper, “You’re not alone. We’re all here for Eagle. For you.”
He simply shakes his head. “This is on me. All on me.”
“It’s not,” I say gently.
He turns on me then, his blue eyes full of anger, rage. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Why don’t you just get the hell out of here? I need to be with my brother.”
I blink at his sudden outburst.
He can’t mean that.
Can he?
I’m hurt. Confused. I open my mouth to respond—how, I don’t know—but before I can, he turns away from me with a cold, distant look.
I stand rooted to the spot, my mind reeling. I want to reach out, to comfort him, but the hostility in his gaze stops me. He’s built a wall, and I’m on the outside, looking in.
So I do the only thing I can.
I step back, away from Hawk and his pain. I can’t help if he won’t let me.
“Okay,” I manage to say, my voice barely audible, even to me.
I turn, fighting back the hot torrent of tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I force them back, though, swallowing hard.
This isn’t about me.
I leave the room and close the door behind me with a soft click.
I return to the waiting area.
Star is crying now, holding onto Falcon for dear life.
I walk toward Raven and Vinnie. “Where’s Belinda?” I ask.
“She’s home,” Vinnie says. “Natalie is there.”
I nod and plunk down next to Vinnie. “Good. She hates hospitals.”
“I know,” he says. “Is Hawk okay?”
I’m not sure how to answer that.
So I don’t.