Chapter 14
“Isabel, it’s bad,” Liam says on the other end of the phone. In the background, I hear Noah screaming-raw, animal-and the distant wail of sirens cutting through the air. “You need to get her and come here now.”
My heart stops. Then it drops straight into my stomach.
I hang up and run downstairs, my legs barely keeping up with me. Loretta is in the kitchen, hands wrapped tightly around a mug that’s long gone cold.
“Loretta…” My voice cracks immediately. “I don’t know how to do this part.”
She looks up at me, and something in my face must give it away, because her expression changes before I even speak again.
“Isabel,” she says quietly, standing up. “What happened?”
Tears spill over before I can stop them. “We need to get Olivia,” I whisper. “Something’s wrong. Really wrong.”
Her hand flies to her mouth, eyes filling instantly. She nods once-sharp, instinctual-already bracing herself.
“Okay,” she says, steadier than I feel. “Okay. We’ll do it together.”
I nod, wiping my cheeks, knowing that once we walk into that room, nothing will ever be the same.
“They found him. He wrecked his car. Liam said we need to go to the scene now, but the scream I heard from Noah -” my voice cracks.
Her face goes white as a ghost.
Loretta grabs my hand tightly, her grip grounding me.
“Then we go,” she says firmly, her voice shaking just enough to let me know she’s scared too.
“Lo… what if-what if he’s…?” I can’t even finish the sentence.
She shakes her head quickly, her eyes locking with mine. “We don’t think like that, Isabel. Right now, we just get there.”
I run back upstairs and walk into her room.
“Okay, Liv. I know that you could stay in bed today, but I was wrong. You got to get dressed and we gotta go”.
Just then she looks at me and just knows.
She jumps out of bed, gets dressed and we rush to the car, every step feeling heavier than the last. My chest is tight, my stomach is twisting, and every siren we pass makes it feel like the world is collapsing around me.
The drive is a blur. Rain slicked streets, flashing lights, and the sound of my own ragged breathing.
And in the back of my mind, I hear Noah’s scream again, raw and full of panic, replaying over and over.
My throat tightens. This is no longer a situation I can control, no longer a story I can step back from.
I need to be there, and I need to do it now.
“Mom, what is going on?” Olivia asks, concerned.
“There was an accident, that’s all we know at this point,” she says, trying to keep the information as vague as possible so we don’t scare her.
“Who?” Olivia asks.
We’re both silent and look at each other.
“Who the fuck is it?” She shouts.
“It’s him, Livy.” I whisper.
“He better be fucking alive” tears streaming down her face, as she grips my hand tighter.
We reach the road and it’s a maze of flashing lights, blocked off by emergency vehicles. Loretta skids to a stop, and Olivia and I practically fling ourselves out of the car, sprinting toward the chaos.
I round the last corner and my stomach drops. The truck is mangled, split in half, its front crushed against a tree. My knees buckle and I collapse to the ground, a scream ripping from my chest that I can’t control.
Olivia arrives a second later, her face pale as she takes in the wreck.
“No…” she whispers, her voice breaking, and she stumbles forward.
I feel her arms wrap around me as she collapses against me, shaking uncontrollably.
Liam is suddenly at my side, catching me before I hit the dirt entirely.
He holds me tightly, but even his presence can’t stop the flood of sobs as Olivia cries into my shoulder.
The night air is cold, the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles reflecting off the twisted metal, and all I can feel is the raw, suffocating weight of fear and grief pressing down on us.
“Where is he?” looking for Brad or Noah.
“They left with him right before you got here. Your dad rode in the ambulance, and Noah is with your mom and brother on their way. Your mom already called Brad’s family and they’re all going to meet at the hospital” he says in the calmest voice I’ve ever heard.
“Take me, now” Olivia demands.
“Okay,” Oliver says, looking worried at me.
We all get into Oliver’s car. I sit in the back with Liam and Olivia is in the front with Oliver while Loretta follows in her car.
The ride to the hospital is eerily silent. We get to the Emergency Department and find Noah and Sydney. Olivia freezes for a moment, her hands gripping my shoulders as if trying to anchor herself. “Bad how? Tell me exactly what happened!”
Noah’s face is drained of color, his eyes wide and unblinking. He swallows hard, the words stuck somewhere between fear and guilt. “Bad,” he says again, quieter this time, almost breaking, “I… I don’t think he’s going to be okay.”
The words hit like a punch to the chest. Olivia’s knees buckle, and I immediately catch her before she falls, our sobs mingling as the sirens wail louder in the distance. Everything feels suspended… time, breath, hope, while the twisted metal of the truck reflects the chaos of our hearts.
Just then, Brad’s parents, Charlotte and Tony, run through the doors. They ran to the receptionist and explained that they were his parents, but since he’s legally an adult they don’t let him back. “I will have a nurse come talk to you as soon as we have any information,” the receptionist adds.
“What the hell happened?” Tony asked, looking directly at Olivia.
She goes pale. “We broke up last night… he just left. We got into this huge fight because he decided to tell me he’s going to some tech school instead of State with me.
I was furious-he accepted the scholarship months ago and never said a word.
We both lost our temper, and he ended things and left,” she says, tears streaming down her face.
“I found out at three a.m., and when I got to Olivia’s at nine, Noah told me you’d called, worried. I immediately called Liam and Oliver and-”
“So he could’ve been out there for six hours? Just hurt, and nobody knew?” Charlotte’s voice cracks, her anger and fear mixing.
“I know,” I whisper, my own chest tightening. I step away from Liam for a moment and take her hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m so sorry, Charlotte. I was out of town and didn’t know-nobody did until you called. But it’s nobody’s fault. It was an accident.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and I can feel her trembling. Liam’s hand brushes mine as if for support, but all I can do is focus on keeping her anchored in the chaos.
“I know, honey” she starts while squeezing my hand “I’m not mad at any of you, Brad loves all of you. I’m just so scared”.
Charlotte’s hand trembles in mine as she takes a shaky breath, trying to steady herself. Olivia’s face is pale, her lips quivering as she stares at the wall, unable to look away. The sirens, the flashing lights, the smell of burnt rubber-it all haunts us like a nightmare that won't end.
I can feel Olivia’s panic radiating, and instinctively I pull her close. “Liv, it’s going to be okay,” I murmur, though my own voice is shaky. “We’re here. He’s going to be okay.”
Liam stands a few feet away, jaw tight, eyes darting between us. Noah is frozen near the wall as if it will keep the world from falling apart. Every second stretches painfully long.
Charlotte finally forces herself to look at me. “I just… I can’t believe he was out there alone - hurt - and we didn’t even know.” Her voice breaks, and I hold her tighter.
“I know,” I whisper again. “I know it feels impossible right now. But he’s alive. He made it. That’s what matters.”
Olivia sobs into my shoulder, and I feel her shaking. I stroke her hair gently, whispering every reassurance I can think of, even as my own stomach twists in fear. The chaos of the scene feels endless, but in this small pocket holding these two, keeping them anchored I find a moment of purpose.
Just then a nurse walks out, “The family of Bradley Joseph?” she shouts.
We all stand up.
“Yes?” Tony answers while looking at all of us.
“Let’s go talk somewhere in private,” she says, leading us to a room full of doctors.
My heart sinks, and I grab Liam and Olivia’s hand, as everyone else follows behind. We all sit at this large table eagerly awaiting the news of Brad.
“Alright, my name is Dr. Allen Katz. I’m the emergency department physician taking care of Bradley,” he begins. “When he arrived at the ED, he was unconscious and had sustained several serious injuries.”
My heart sinks. This can’t be how it ends.
“He has sustained a traumatic brain injury, a lacerated spleen, and multiple facial lacerations,” he explains evenly.
“We are admitting him and monitoring closely, as surgical intervention, including a possible splenectomy, may be required. At this time, he remains unconscious, so the full extent of the brain injury cannot be determined until he regains consciousness.”
He pauses before continuing.
“The next twenty-four hours will be critical. He has been admitted to the ICU for ongoing evaluation and management. Due to ICU protocol, visitation is limited to immediate family only, with a maximum of two visitors at a time during designated visiting hours.”
Charlotte’s composure finally breaks, tears slipping silently down her face. “I need to see him,” she says, her voice barely holding together.
“I understand,” the doctor replies gently. “As soon as he’s transferred upstairs, the ICU physician will come speak with you and let you know when you’re able to see him. For now, I’m going to need everyone to wait in the family waiting area.”
She nods, wiping at her cheeks.
“Thank you,” I murmur as I stand. The room feels too small, the air too heavy. I need to get out. I’ve known Brad my whole life… I can’t see him like this. Not yet.
I’m the first to leave the room. Liam, Sydney and Oliver follow close behind. Olivia will be fine, Loretta is there along with Brad’s family, and Noah. She isn’t alone even when everything seems so broken.