Chapter 15
Fifteen
Mia tightened her arms around him. He resisted for a moment before he drew her closer. It was a hug meant to heal and comfort.
“I don’t believe that,” she whispered against his neck. “You were a child. You weren’t responsible.”
“I tried to be a good son.”
She leaned back to see his face. “Tell me.”
“When I was a kid, I was really close to my dad. I thought we were happy. After he died, my mom seemed to lose all desire to do anything. My dad had told me that if anything ever happened to him, I needed to take care of her. I tried. I really tried. But nothing I did was ever good enough.”
“Oh, Jackson. That wasn’t your responsibility.”
“Maybe not. But I promised my dad.”
“What happened?” She brushed her cool hand across his face.
“When I was eleven, she remarried.”
“Dylan’s dad.”
“Dylan’s dad,” he agreed. “He was like my dad too. He and I were so close. Looking back, I think Mom was jealous of our relationship. Dylan was born when I was thirteen. It was love at first sight. He was perfect. To make it even better, my stepfather adopted me, so I was really his. For six months, life was great. Then he died in a car accident.”
“I’m so sorry, Jackson.”
“My mom…I tried to take care of her, of Dylan. But she’d had enough.
She dropped both of us with my stepfather’s dad so she could ‘find herself,’ then she left.
We didn’t hear anything for six months. Then she showed up one day.
She didn’t want to talk with me or Dylan.
She just handed my grandfather papers giving up her parental rights.
I chased her down the driveway and asked her why.
She said because I’d failed to make her happy. ”
“That woman didn’t deserve you.”
The fierce words shocked a laugh out of him. “Maybe not. But children tend to take parents at their word.”
He rested his head against her hair, breathing in her scent. Mia’s scent had always meant something special. It was more than a teenage boy’s excitement. She smelled like home and belonging. Two things he longed for.
He tightened his grip for a moment, then reluctantly let go and stepped away from her.
“Thanks, I needed that.” He brought his hand up to brush a loose lock of dark hair back but stopped himself.
A flicker of something—disappointment?—crossed her face, then was gone. He must have imagined it.
“If I could go back, I’d change how I reacted and the words I said.”
She reached up and placed a finger on his lips, silencing his words. “Hush. Now that you’ve shared what happened, both with your mom and my dad, I understand. Honestly, both of them were horrible. And we were so young.”
“I should have told you—”
“I was so angry and hurt, I might not have listened.”
He rubbed his hands over his face. “After I talked with my grandfather, I realized I wanted the baby too. It was part of you. For a brief moment, I thought we’d make a family.”
She backed up a few inches and looked into his face. “I’ve forgiven you. Now I think it’s time you forgive yourself.”
He gave her a tight grin. “I’ll try. You might have to remind me though.”
“I can do that.” She cleared her throat. “I appreciate you coming with me. It helped. I think we should go. I need to drop my stuff off at my house, and then I’ll go to the hospital.”
“I’ll come with you.” He decided in the moment. “I wanted to tell you something anyway.”
To his surprise, she didn’t argue. They returned to his truck.
“What did you call to tell me? I was so caught up in my own problems, I never thought to ask why you were calling.”
“That’s okay.” He shot her a look. “We were on a call this morning. Reggie’s mom was shot—”
“Elaine!” She bolted upright in her seat, then grunted when her seatbelt locked in place. She took a moment to rebuckle, then shifted so she was half facing him. “What happened? Was it a robbery?”
“Unfortunately, the police don’t think so.” He waited at the stop sign for the car ahead of him to move. When he realized it was a teenager texting, he put his truck in Park and left it running.
He got out and walked over to the car. When he knocked on the car window, the kid startled, then paled.
Jackson was still wearing his uniform.
The boy rolled his window down. “Yes, sir?”
“I see that you’re texting while driving.”
“I’m stopped.” Sweat beaded his forehead.
“You’re at a stop sign. Which means that you should be stopped for a few seconds. Put down the phone and pay attention.”
“You going to give me a ticket?”
“I’m not a cop. I’m a paramedic who has pulled three dead teenagers and a critically injured pregnant woman from crashes in the past six months because someone was texting while they were driving.”
A semi rumbled through the stop sign running perpendicular, blaring its horn.
“That’s what you might have run into if you had started driving without your full attention. He’s been patiently waiting his turn and got tired of waiting. What if you’d decided to go at the same time?”
The teen dropped his phone into the backpack resting on the passenger seat.
“Good choice,” Jackson said, nodding. “If you get another text, you can pull over or wait until you get somewhere. No text or social media post is worth dying for or becoming a murderer.”
He used the word deliberately.
The boy mouthed the word back. “Yes, sir.”
Jackson returned to the truck and climbed inside.
“What was that?”
“I was putting some fear into a kid texting and driving.”
Mia smiled at him. “You might have saved his life or someone else’s. He needed to know there are consequences to his decisions.”
“It can be a painful discovery.” He thought of what he’d learned this very day.
“So, tell me about Elaine.”
“Right. I think she’ll be fine. But the thing is, I think they found drugs in Reggie’s room. The same ones that killed that girl earlier this week.”
“My student, Crystal.”
He’d forgotten she knew her. “Yes, Crystal. I hate to think it, but I believe Reggie was dealing.”
She sucked in a breath next to him. “How awful. Did Dylan know, do you think?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. I’m beginning to think the Reeses haven’t kept as close an eye on my brother as I thought.”
“I hate that.” She brushed her hair back.
He itched to touch the strands, remembering how soft they’d felt.
“Why are you off work? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you were able to be with me this morning, but I know you were supposed to work until at least three or four.”
Jackson started driving toward the hospital.
“I normally do. I went to see my chief when I got back. He understood that with everything that had happened, I was a little off my game today. I plan, after we go to the hospital, to keep searching for the boys. I have a feeling some of the cops are looking for drug dealers and not seeing them as possible victims. Which I understand, but my gut tells me Dylan is not involved. You might think I’m turning a blind eye to the facts because he’s my brother. ”
“I don’t.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You mean that?”
“I do. Jackson, remember, I’ve had him in my class for two years now. Dylan has always been a bit on the shy side. I can’t imagine him going that far out of his comfort zone.”
“That’s what I thought too.” Some of his tension bled away. She agreed. At least he had one person who knew Dylan on his side.
Renegade Mercy General Hospital loomed before them.
Jackson put on his turn signal and waited for the oncoming traffic to clear before he turned into the visitor parking lot.
Beside him, Mia had her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
He reached over and set a hand on top of hers. She jumped slightly, then relaxed.
“It’s okay, Mia. We’ll go in and find out why she wanted to see you, then we’ll leave.”
“I have a feeling it’s something big.”
He couldn’t deny that it might be. Or it might be nothing. Whatever it was, he would be there and support her, the way she’d shown up to help him search for Dylan.
After they cleared security, they walked to the front desk, and Mia smiled at the woman working there. Jackson kept hold of her hand. He was proud of her. She looked calm, but judging by the way she clung to him, her nerves were still eating her up inside.
“Hi. I’m Maria Turner. Andrea Parker asked to see me.”
“Oh, yes! I expected you earlier,” the receptionist responded.
The receptionist gave them Andrea’s room number without further commentary, and they silently made their way to her room.
Mia knocked on the door, and a very young, feminine voice beckoned them to enter.
They walked in, and Jackson got his first glance of Andrea Parker fully conscious. He felt like a fist had been slammed into his gut. She looked even more like Mia than he’d first thought. It was like high school all over again. They had the same pointed chin and the same widow’s peak.
“You came,” she breathed.
Mia’s face was so pale, he half feared she’d pass out. But he should have known better. Mia straightened her shoulders and looked Andrea full in the face. “I heard you wanted to see me. I’ve also been informed you tried to call me. I apologize. Your number came up as spam.”
Andrea grimaced. It was the same expression he’d seen on Mia’s face a hundred times. “I never thought of that. I was so desperate to meet you, it never occurred to me that you didn’t know about me.”
“Know about you? I don’t understand.”
For some reason, Andrea’s face grew very sad. “I see that. Now. I guess I should have expected it.”
“Please. Will you explain?” Mia left his side and swiftly moved to the chair beside the young woman’s bed. “Obviously we look alike. I’m assuming we’re related?”
Andrea nodded. “You’re my older sister. Or I should say my half sister.”
Mia looked stunned. “Are you saying my mom cheated on Blaine—I mean, my father?”
“He isn’t your father. My dad, Tim Parker, is your real father. You have a half brother too. Sawyer. He’s a couple of years younger than I am.”
Jackson barely stopped his jaw from dropping. He hadn’t expected that.
Mia shook her head. “I don’t…”