Chapter 41
XL
DAISY
Daisy blinked, her eyes struggling to adjust to the morning sunlight filtering into the room. Then it hit her: the sterile smell of antiseptic, the unfamiliar sound of beeping machines and muffled voices.
She swallowed, her mouth dry and head pounding.
“Logan,” she managed to whisper.
Nothing.
“Logan,” she repeated.
“I’m here,” he finally said, his hands lacing with hers.
She blinked again. Her eyes burned as she forced them open to see him sitting on her bed. She was in a hospital gown, and unlike her, he was dressed in one of his infamous shirts and a leather jacket.
“What’s…what’s going on?”
“Shhh, I don’t have long.”
“What are you talking about?”
His grip on her hand tightened. “Listen to me. I need you to listen to me.” He paused, his gaze dropping to their hands. “Whatever happens, look for me. I’ll find a way to be there. I promise.”
“What are you talking about?” she said again, panic rising in her throat.
He ignored her, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing them softly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, over and over. “Miss Daisy, I’m so sorry.”
“She’s flatlining,” an unfamiliar woman's voice cut in.
Daisy’s vision flickered, the world around her spinning. She could still feel the warmth of Logan’s hand in hers, the soft press of his lips against her fingers, but it was all fading, slipping through her grasp.
“Logan!” she screamed, but no words came. The machines surrounding her bed began to beep faster, more insistent, until it was the only sound she could hear.
“No...No, please,” she whispered, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “Logan! Logan, wait!”
She tried to reach for him, to anchor her grip in the warmth of his skin, but there was nothing. Logan was gone.
“Daisy, stay with us,” the unfamiliar voice came again. “Pulse returning.”
A hand gripped hers, pulling her back into the present, but it wasn’t Logan's. It was cold and sterile; it had to be a nurse.
“Let’s keep pushing, she hasn’t stabilised yet,” another voice added. “Give me another round of epi. Two minutes until the next shock.”
She attempted to move, but a sudden wave of warmth surged through her, tingling in her veins before she was plunged back into a cave of oppressive darkness.
A soft cough caught her attention, and the sound of someone speaking in hushed tones woke her. She was still in hospital, and when she turned her head, a young nurse with plaited blonde hair was checking her vitals.
“You're awake at last,” the nurse said gently, offering her a small smile. “How are you feeling?”
Daisy opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. She cleared her throat and tried again. “What happened?” she stammered. “How did I get here?”
The nurse hesitated, her fingers fiddling with the edge of a clipboard.
“You were in an accident,” she replied, “A car accident. You’re lucky to be alive.
We nearly lost you a few times. But if this is anything to go by,” she added, pointing to the charts.
“Looks like despite having a broken arm and a few bruises, you’re going to be okay. ”
Daisy nodded slowly, trying to absorb the information. “The other person…who was with me. Logan, where is he?”
She watched the nurse’s face tighten, and a long silence followed. “Logan…is he okay?" she pressed, her voice growing more urgent.
The nurse’s gaze dropped to the floor for a moment, then back to Daisy. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “Logan didn’t make it.”
Didn’t make it? Daisy’s mind repeated the phrase, slow to grasp its meaning. When it finally sank in, a wave of panic surged through her, tightening her chest and stealing her breath away.
“What do you mean?” she whispered. “No…No, he can’t be. He was right here—”
“I'm so sorry,” the nurse repeated.
“No,” she whispered again, more to herself than the nurse. “You don’t get it; he was right here.”
She tried to pull herself up when a doctor entered the room.
He quietly pulled the nurse into the corridor and reappeared a moment later alone.
She searched for his lanyard before her eyes drifted back to his face, there was something about him, something strangely familiar she couldn’t quite piece together or put into words.
“Daisy,” he said, crossing the room. “It’s been a while.” He moved to her right side of the bed and took a seat. “You might not remember me,” he continued, “but I remember you.”
She blinked hard, and it slowly came flooding back. The night at the bar when Logan had introduced her to his friends, the night he’d held her in the bathroom, he was there.
“It’s Tad,” he said, almost as if he’d read her thoughts. “Logan’s—” He paused, staring at her, and it wasn’t until she caught his gaze that she realised his eyes were filled with tears.
“He’s gone, isn’t he?” she whispered.
It took him a long while to respond and when he did, all he could do was nod, unable to look at her any longer.
“No. He…” Her words cut off and she closed her eyes for a moment, hoping when she reopened them she’d be back in her hotel room. But when she blinked them open again, she was still there, and Tad had buried his hands into his face, rocking his body back and forth in silent devastation.
“Tad,” she continued. He glanced across at her, his eyes red and jaw tight. She brought a hand to her face, sliding it across her mouth as she took a deep breath. “Can…can I see him?”
Daisy wasn’t sure why she asked. Maybe it was to make it feel real. Maybe it was to convince herself it wasn't an elaborate plot to ensure she moved on. But Tad agreed, and when he put her into a wheelchair and began wheeling her down to the morgue, reality started to sink in.
In her lifetime, Daisy had only seen her mother at rest, and it looked as if she’d simply fallen into a deep sleep. Logan was much the same.
Tad insisted they keep his body covered from the neck up to hide the horrific extent of his injuries, but miraculously, his face had remained as perfect as it’d always been.
“It was fast,” Tad said quietly. “He didn’t suffer.
She dipped her chin, unsure of how to answer such a statement. Then she reached out to touch him, slow and cautious, as though afraid to disturb him. Her fingers traced the sharp line of his jaw, then slid gently back to his lips, cool and still beneath her touch.
Time slowed, and for a while, there was nothing but the quiet mulling of the refrigeration and her own shallow breaths.
Her thumb ran along the line of his mouth again, and for a moment, she let herself believe he might wake up, that maybe this really was just another dream, and she’d wake up back in a bed with him beside her.
But he didn’t move.
And finally, Daisy let herself cry.