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Aubrey - Present Day
Ipush through the doors of Elson General, my heart hammering in my chest. I didn’t even grab my bag, just my phone and car keys before racing here the second I hung up on Liv.
Her words echo in my head, making my breath catch every time they replay.
Trent’s had an accident at work.
I reach the reception desk, bouncing on my toes, my fingers drumming anxiously against the counter while the woman behind it keeps typing, not even glancing up to look at me.
“Excuse me,” I say, my voice shaking despite my attempt to sound calm.
She finally looks up, her face blank and bored. “Can I help you?”
“Yes—Trent Gibson. He was brought in not long ago. Can you tell me where he is?”
“Are you family?”
“Well… no, but—”
“Then I can’t give you any information. Only family members are allowed access to patient details.”
My chest tightens. “Please, you don’t understand. I need to know if he’s okay.”
“Ma’am,” she says flatly, already glancing back at her computer, “I can’t help you.”
“Strawberry?”
The childhood nickname my brothers created—back when Aubrey was too hard for them to pronounce—snaps my head toward the voice.
Then I see Kade.
Relief slams into me, fear right on its heels. Tears blur my vision as I rush to him and throw myself into his arms.
“Oh, Kade,” I breathe, gripping his shirt like it’s the only thing keeping me upright. “Is he okay? Liv called me—she said he’d had an accident. Please tell me he’s okay.”
Kade wraps his arms tightly around me, his jaw tense as he exhales slowly against my hair.
“He’s awake,” he says finally, his voice low and careful, “and talking. He’s broken his right leg pretty badly and they are wanting to take him in for surgery at some point today.”
“Fucking hell.” The words tumble out on a shaky breath as the tears I’ve been holding back finally break free, hot and silent down my cheeks. My chest tightens, ribs cinching around my heart like a vice. I swipe at my face, but it’s useless.
“Can I see him?” My voice cracks.
“Yeah, come on.” Kade pulls back just enough to look at me, his expression softening. “Me and Brandon have been in there. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see a different face for a change.”
I swipe quickly at my cheeks, nodding even though my hands are trembling. “Okay. Take me to him.”
Kade drapes an arm over my shoulders, guiding me down the corridor, and I try to steady my breathing. But every step closer to Trent’s room makes it worse—the fear, the worry. My heart hammering harder with every step as my stomach twists into knots.
When we finally stop outside a closed door, Kade glances down at me. “He’s in a lot of pain, don’t be surprised if he isn’t his usual self, okay?”
I nod, swallowing hard, but my pulse only quickens. This will be the first time I’ve seen Trent in weeks. I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid him, especially after the way things ended between us. And now that I’ve been on a few dates with Justin, it’s even messier.
Kade pushes the door open, and I force myself to follow him inside.
The antiseptic smell hits me first, followed by the soft beep of a monitor.
Trent is lying in the bed, propped up slightly against a wedge of pillows, his hair a mess with construction grime and his skin pale against the stark white sheets.
His usual easy grin is gone, replaced by a grimace as he shifts slightly on the bed.
I look at his leg, propped up on a stack of pillows, encased in a stiff splint wrapped with layers of bandage to keep it stable and protected. And even though I can see the pain written all over his face, I can’t help but exhale the breath I’d been holding on the drive over here.
I ran through every worst-case scenario, terrified of what I’d find the moment I walked in. And now, seeing him like this, I’m struck by a sharp, unexpected relief. It could have been so much worse. Somehow, despite everything, he’s still here. Still him.
That thought almost fools me into believing he’s mine. But I push it away before it can settle. He’s not mine. He never was—no matter how much I wanted him to be.
Needing to focus on something else, I glance around the room and find Brandon sitting in the corner of the room. His eyes lift the moment we walk in—he doesn’t say anything, just gives a slight nod in mine and Kade’s direction.
I offer a small smile back before turning my attention back to Trent, whose gaze is locked on me.
His brows lift slightly, surprise flashing in his eyes before he quickly schools his expression. “Didn’t expect to see you here, Bree.” His voice is quieter than usual, rougher, but his familiar nickname for me still makes my chest tighten.
I force a small, polite smile, keeping my arms crossed so he won’t see my hands shaking. “Liv called. I… I wanted to see how you were.”
“As you can see,” he says, voice dripping with sarcasm, “I’m in tip-top condition right here.”
The thing is, I’ve been in love with him for longer than I can count. I know every expression, every look, every little tell. And right now, Trent is doing his best to hide the worry I can see so clearly etched across his face.
“Has the doctor been by?” I ask, fighting to keep my voice even.
“Only to say they’ll take me down for surgery sometime today,” Trent answers, his voice unsteady.
I move toward the bed on instinct, taking his hand and running my thumb gently across it, desperate to soothe him. He holds on tight, gripping me like I’m the only thing keeping him steady, and the pressure of his fingers says more than words ever could.
I give his hand a gentle squeeze, coaxing his attention.
“Hey, everything’s going to be okay,” I whisper. Finally, he lifts his eyes to mine those deep piercing blue eyes—and for a moment my heart simply stops. “We’re right here. We’re not going anywhere.”
For a heartbeat, silence stretches between us, charged and fragile. I feel the sudden, reckless urge to lean forward and press my lips to his. It’s his eyes—they pull me in, stripping my thoughts bare, the way they always have. One look from Trent could hold me captive.
As if he can hear the thoughts screaming in my head, his gaze flickers down to my mouth before lifting back to mine.
My breath catches as a desperate need for distance overcomes me.
I slip my hand from his, though the ghost of his skin lingers stubbornly against mine and take a step backwards just as Kade steps up beside me.
“Strawbs is right, man,” Kade says with quiet conviction.
Trent’s eyes flick between us, hesitation shadowing them, before he gives a small nod. “Yeah, I know. Thanks.”
It’s already dark by the time they come to take Trent down for surgery. I watch as the nurse unlocks the brakes on his bed, the wheels clicking softly as they start to push him out of the room. Even after everything, the sight of him disappearing down that hallway twists something deep in my chest.
Kade and Brandon hover behind me, both of them worn down in different ways. Earlier, when everything was a blur of doctors and questions and fear, I’d stepped out to call Trent’s mom. She’s out of town, hours away, and hearing her voice crack when I told her what happened nearly broke me.
But someone had to make that call, and there was no way I was putting it on Kade. He was already on edge after watching the scaffolding come down with Trent on it—shaken in a way I’d never seen—so the last thing he needed was the weight of telling her, too.
The room settles into a heavy quiet, and for a moment, the three of us just stand there, sinking into the exhaustion of the day—until Brandon finally exhales and breaks it.
“I’m gonna head out,” Brandon says, stretching his arms above his head with a tired groan. “Lucy’s been with Avery all day.”
“Yeah, me too,” Kade adds, rubbing the back of his neck. A flicker of guilt crosses his face. “I haven’t spoken to Liv all day—she’s probably worried.”
He looks over at me. “What about you, Strawb? You heading out with us?”
“Yeah, but you guys go ahead,” I say, offering a small smile. “I just need to use the restroom first, then I’ll head out. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
They nod in unison, and one by one, they step in to give me a quick hug before slipping quietly out of the room.
I’m left standing in the silence, the door clicking shut behind them. The stillness wraps around me, and for a moment, I just stand there—letting the wave of emotions I’ve been holding back finally start to roll in.
I never imagined a life where being around Trent would be painful—and yet here I am, still fighting to keep my head above water when it comes to my feelings for him.
Before today, I wanted nothing to do with him.
I couldn’t even stand the thought of us being in the same room.
But the moment I walked through those doors and saw him lying in that hospital bed, all the anger I’d been clinging to just... vanished.
What’s worse is the battle I’m having with my own conscience. I saw the fear in Trent’s eyes before they took him down to surgery, and the thought of him being wheeled back in here—groggy, disoriented, alone—makes my chest ache in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
Before I even realize what I’m doing, I move back toward the chair I’d been sitting in earlier and settle into it for the evening.
The decision feels quiet, instinctive. And once I’m seated, I pull out my phone and send a quick text to his mom—just to let her know he won’t be waking up alone.
It’s the least I can give her. The least I can give him.
Because no matter what’s happened between us, the man I love—the man who shattered my heart— deserves to wake up with someone by his side.