Page 75 of Every Sunset
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she looked up very briefly to Logan, then away again just as fast. Pain and guilt filled her exhausted face and I knew that was in part my idiot brother’s fault.
“How do you feel? Should I get a nurse for you?” She asked, changing the subject as her attention returned to me.
“I’m good. I have everything I need right here,” I told her as I looked from Anna, up to Max, and then over to my brother – even if I was pissed with him. “Max? You okay?” I asked.
Yeah,” Max nodded. “I’m glad you didn’t die,” he added with just the hint of a smile on his face. “Mom dying was enough for one day.”
“What?” I snapped as I looked from Max to Logan. He’d told me Anna was fine.
“We don’t need to talk about that. It’s all over now and I’m still here,” Anna said, trying to avoid the topic all together.
“Max?” I looked to him with question and he glanced nervously from Logan to me and back.
“That guy…Callum…he w-was drowning my mom. Logan and I…we didn’t even know what was going on. By the time we did and Logan ripped him off of mom, and I got to her, she wasn’t breathing,” Max sniffled and I turned to see tears running down his face.
“That’s enough now, honey. You don’t need to keep reliving this. You saved me and Callum is dead. Madd’s awake. It’s all overnow. We’ll be okay,” Anna told him as she reached back and grabbed his hand, holding it against her shoulder.
“Fuck,” I gasped as I turned a glare on my brother. “Why the fuck isn’t she in a hospital bed attached to monitors?” I demanded.
“Don’t be crazy. I’m alright, Madd.” Anna hurried to tell me.
“The doctor checked her over. He cleared her to go home. She had some cuts and bruises and her oxygen was a little low, but he said she’d be fine as long as she got some rest, right mom?” Max explained.
“Right,” Anna nodded, but I didn’t like the way she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes when she did so. Was she lying? Had she actually been cleared?
“Why the fuck weren’t you with Anna and Max?” I accused Logan angrily. If he’d been with Anna when the doctor saw her, as he should have been, then he’d know what she really needed right then.
“I was with you!” Logan cried.
“You shouldn’t have been. Anna and Max needed you!” My outburst caused more coughing, and the coughing was agony all through my torso, where I’d obviously been operated on.
“Madd, please just calm down. Logan needed to be with you, and Max and I were fine. Everything’s all right now. Just lay back and rest, please!” Anna begged as Logan rushed to hand me some water. I took a few sips and things settled down some. Exhausted, I laid back and tried to take some deep breaths. Whatever drugs I was on were strong and I was having to fight to remain conscious.
“Anna?” I turned my head and found her sat beside the bed, her eyes glassy with tears.
“Just rest now, okay? You’re body needs time and sleep to recover. Max and I are good, and Logan will be too, now that you’re awake. Just close your eyes and sleep,” Anna told me. I wanted to argue. I needed to stay awake long enough to make sure she and Max were really alright. I wanted to tell her she had to go home and get some real rest herself. I wanted to look to Logan and make him promise me that he would take care of our family, but it was a losing battle as my eyes became heavy. I used the last of my consciousness to turn to Logan. I tried to speak but the words didn’t come, so all I could do was hope that he saw enough in my eyes to see sense and remember what Anna truly meant to him.
ANNA
I just sat for a while, watching Maddox as he settled back into sleep. His face relaxed and all of the worry that had been there before left him.
“He’ll be alright, Logan,” I said when I glanced up and saw Logan watching his brother with the same devastation that had been on his face before Madd woke up. He looked so lost and I wished there was something I could do to make it better for him.
“He better be,” Logan returned and when he looked to me, there was nothing but blankness in his face. All of the love that he had looked at me with before, was gone, as was his light and his strength. He just looked cold, and it make me feel ill to have him look at me that way.
“Come on, mom,” Max intervened before I fell apart all over again. “Maddox will sleep for a few hours now. Let’s get out of here so you can rest for a while then we can come back later,” he suggested. I took a deep breath and blinked the tears from my eyes. My heart was shattered on the inside, but I couldn’t affordto let it break me on the outside. My son still needed me, and maybe Madd would too, but losing Logan was killing me.
“Is that okay?” I asked shakily as I looked to Logan again. “If we c-cone back, I mean? Is it okay if I visit him?”
“Anna, you don’t have to be like that,” Logan sighed deeply.
“I’m not being like anything. I just…I didn’t want to upset you anymore. I’m sorry if…”
“That’s enough, mom,” Max cut in abruptly. “You have nothing to apologize for, so don’t. Maddox wants you here. That’s all of the permission you need to come back. Let’s go.”
I wanted Logan to argue. I wanted him to tell me that we would sort this all out when things calmed down and that we’d be alright. I wanted him to tell us not to leave without him. I just wanted some signal from him that we’d get over this, but he wouldn’t even look at me again.
Max just growled angrily, then he helped me up from the chair and led me from the room. I’d like to say that I held it together well, but I didn’t. I crumbled. I was exhausted, in pain, terrified for Madd, and traumatized from Logan’s treatment. I felt like my life had fallen down around me, and Max was the only thing holding me up – both figuratively and literally in those moments.
