Page 18 of Until Waverly

“Everyone has been busy. You were pregnant. The shop has been one of the hottest places for people to go to for repairs. I’ve been working. Not like I’d be some sappy SOB looking for sympathy because some girl ghosted me.” Except she wasn’t just some girl. She was Waverly. The love of my life. My everything. We might only be twenty, but we accepted what we wanted.

Or at least I did.

“I swear you’re becoming more and more like your brothers.” Ireland mashed the accelerator as we sped down the freeway toward the hospital. “I wish I had more information for you about what’s going on. All I know is that the man lost his wife in an accident yesterday on I-24, near Antioch.”

I’d heard a little bit about the crash and had seen some pictures. It was a miracle anyone survived. According to the report I read in passing, the crash was due to a wrong way DUI driver. Driver died on scene, and the victim was taken to a local hospital.

“She was pregnant.” The words tumbled out of my mouth. “That’s fucked up.”

“Yeah, I said the same,” my sister replied. “I can’t imagine what the husband is going through or what made him so desperate that they locked down the Labor and Delivery wing of the hospital.”

“Did the woman make it?”

Ireland’s lip trembled. “From what we were told when the call came in, no. She passed away on the table while they were rescuing the baby.”

A lump of sadness formed in my throat. “So, she lived long enough to give her child life.”

Moms sacrificed everything twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. I didn’t get sappy about most things but this. I understood the pain of losing a parent, even if the baby hadn’t realized what was going on. Now, they probably wouldn’t have either parent in their life. “This is fucked up.”

“You can say that again.” Ireland changed lanes and took the second exit for the hospital. “Waverly has been in lockdown since seven last night.”

“You should have led with that!” I glanced at my phone. She’d been held hostage for almost twenty hours. “Fuck!” I ran my fingers through my hair, gripping the short ends in frustration. “Fuck!”

As much as I wanted to throw up the peace sign and walk away, deep down I knew I couldn’t. Waverly meant everything to me. Already, my mind was spinning. I wished someone would have called last night. I wished I’d been able to talk to her sooner. I wished I understood, before now why she walked away. All the should-haves or could-haves came rushing back to the forefront of my mind, and I worried if the last time I saw her would be the image stuck in her mind forever, should anything go wrong in the hospital. That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“You have to stay calm,” my sister said, putting her hand in mine. “Don’t torture yourself with scenarios you can’t control. All you’ll do is hurt yourself more.”

Hurt myself more? I gave a derisive snort, shaking my head as I stared out the windshield. “I don’t care what happens after this. Waverly’s safety is what matters. Nothing else.”

“I agree.”

We drove toward the parking lot of the hospital. Police were everywhere. Their flashing blue and red lights coupled with emergency crews and the bright spotlights of news reporters churned my stomach. Seeing the yellow caution tape made the situation real. Witnessing the amount of firepower on the ground, waiting for some sign, left me speechless and numb.

As we rolled up to the police line, I caught a few familiar faces in the crowd, Cobi being one. Jax the other and Nico, which surprised me. Ireland rolled down her window, hitching her thumb at me as she spoke to the office on duty. “This is Jackson Banks. The Redman family is waiting for him.”

The officer nodded, lifting the tape so that Ireland could drive in. Still, for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why it was imperative I was there. Sure, we were all connected by Ireland’s marriage, but this seemed… I didn’t want to say I was dense by any means, but maybe I was. Because for the life of me, I couldn’t comprehend the rush of needing to be here besides moral support.

“Everyone is over there,” Ireland said when she found a spot to park. “Hunter and Landon are on the way. Macey is with her parents already.”

“This isn’t real,” I muttered. “I feel like I’m in a dream where I should be prepared for something monumental, but my brain can’t process what’s happening around me. Why am I with you, Ireland?”

“I wish I could tell you. Come on.”

I needed this roller coaster of a day to slow down and let me off. If I didn’t find a way off, I had a feeling I was going to be sick.

Once Ireland closed her door, we hurried to where everyone was standing, held back by caution tape, secured by police officers. The amount of people wasn’t as big in that area, unlike the front of the hospital where the majority of people gathered. The closer we got to the smaller group, the heavier my legs became. Each step was like trying to walk through wet concrete firming by the second. Deep down, I didn’t want to be over there. I needed to run home and hide. Situations like these never turned out well. The last time my family gathered in a somber occasion, it was to tell us siblings our parents were dead.

“Jackson,” Mack Sr. called out, waving his hand. “Over here.”

I peered at my sister, who lifted her chin and threw back her shoulders like she owned the place even as her chin wobbled, and a single tear escaped the corner of her eye. I wished I was as strong as her.

“I don’t know if I can do this again.” The words tumbled past my lips as my vision blurred. I didn’t understand the visceral reaction I’d had, but I felt like I was having a panic attack.

Ireland wrapped her arm around me. “Good thing you’re not alone then. We’re here for you. I promise once Waverly is free we’ll figure out why she ran away. You can lean on us, Jackson. We’ll always be here for you.”

Something told me over the course of the next few hours, my sister’s words would be put to the test. “Thanks, Ire. I know you will.”

Chapter6

---