Page 75 of My Life with the Walter Boys
Chapter 13
It took Cole half an hour of coaxing before he convinced me to leave Will’s. On the ride back to the ranch, I asked how Nathan was doing.
“He’s okay,” Cole said, taking his eyes off the road to glance at me. “He was asking for you.”
I didn’t respond to that. I felt guilty that I hadn’t been there for Nathan.
“I can take you to see him tomorrow if you want.”
“Sure,” I said curtly, and after that, Cole got the message that I didn’t want to talk. I was still furious with him, but I didn’t have the energy to fight anymore. When the truck was finally parked in the Walters’ driveway, I opened the door and shot out.
“Wait, Jackie!” Cole called, but I was already rushing to my room.
Part of me wanted to go to Alex and Nathan’s room. Over the past month, the half-messy, half-clean space was where I spent most of my time. It had become a type of retreat, a place where I felt comfortable, and the posters on the walls were as familiar as the mural in my own room. But Alex would be there. Not only that, but he was probably still mad at me, and all I wanted was to be alone.
For the most part, the Walters let me be. Everyone except Katherine came home from the hospital at lunchtime, yet the house remained calm. Still reeling from the shock of Nathan’s accident, none of the kids were their usual rambunctious selves. At one point in the afternoon Parker knocked on my door looking for Jack and Jordan, but even she wasn’t in the mood to give me one of her signature sneers.
I didn’t go down to the kitchen for lunch or dinner, but at seven someone knocked on my door. Alex nudged it open with his shoulder. He was carrying a tray with a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.
“You hungry?” he asked, gesturing down at the food.
Even though I was surprised to see him, I barely moved from my spot on the bed. The day’s events had left me mentally drained, and all I could manage was a shrug. My stomach felt empty, but not because I needed food.
“Well, can I come in?”
“I suppose.”
Alex crossed the room carefully so he wouldn’t spill the soup, and after setting it down on my desk, he stood at the side of my bed with his hands shoved into his pockets. His mouth opened as if he was going to say something but closed again as he changed his mind. I knew he was looking for the right way to start a conversation, but I wasn’t going to help him. I remained silent, watching him patiently.
At last he said, “Jackie, I’m super sorry.” Alex looked just as worn out as I felt. All the usual color was drained from his face, and for some reason that made me believe him. I wasn’t any less stunned, though.
“Two apologies in one day?” I asked, also referring to Cole. “Who’s the miracle worker around here?” The sarcasm came out accidentally, but it was warranted. Both boys were being bipolar, like Jekyll and Hyde. Yesterday they hated me, and now they wanted my forgiveness.
Alex’s shoulders went stiff. “Nathan,” he answered.
“Really? Do tell.” I had a hard time believing that, considering he’d just had a seizure.
“When he realized you weren’t at the hospital, he got angry. He asked to speak with Cole and me alone, and then he yelled at us,” Alex said. “Like, really loudly. I swear, one of the nurses nearly had a panic attack when she heard him shouting.”
It was hard to picture Nathan in a hospital bed with an IV in his arm while he reprimanded his older brothers, but the thought made my lips curl in satisfaction. “And what did Nathan say?”
By now, Alex’s face was a deep red. “That I was a complete idiot if I actually thought you were trying to hurt me,” he mumbled.
“Pretty accurate for someone with a head injury,” I said. At that point, I was past being polite. The fact that Alex had so willingly believed Cole’s performance upset me all over again. Did he really think I was that cruel?
“I’m sorry.” He hung his head. “I know it’s not a good excuse, but I wasreallyupset that you didn’t come to the party, and on top of that, I was drinking. Then all of a sudden you showed up with him, and I just couldn’t think straight.”
“You know the only thing on my mind when Cole dragged me into that party?” The truth was flying off my lips before I even thought about what I was telling him.
“No,” Alex said tentatively. “What?”
“What is Alex going to think?”
“Are you trying to make me feel worse?”
“No,” I said, softening the tone of my voice. “I just want you to know that I was.”
“Was what?”
