Page 127 of 2204 Hunter Lane
There were a few others, sitting down reading newspapers and magazines, unaware that my boyfriend, Dex’s son, was in surgery to drain fluid from his brain.
He was unconscious, being operated on.
He was alone.
He was alone when he crashed. Scared. Vulnerable.
Alone.
I couldn’t fight the tears as I made my way to Dex, planting myself onto the cushioned seat next to him.
We sat in silence. What could I have said? Was there any hope in making this situation better? Was there even a solution?Stop it, Marley. Stop it. You’re making this worse. He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s getting the help he needs. Stop running inside your head. Just breathe.
“I told him to do it.” Dex stirred, uttering under his breath. “I told Hunter to go to the store. He’s on that operating table right now cause of me.”
“Dex –”
“Don’t, Marley. I have failed that boy one too many times, and I just did it again.”
“You didn’t fail him. This wasn’t your fault.”
“Leslie, my wife. She got into an accident, too. Couldn’t save her. Couldn’t save my damn self. And Hunter,” he shook his head, releasing a slated breath, “Hunter fuckin’ died and I had none of it. And now he could be dead, for all I know the boy could be fuckin’ dead –”
I acted on instinct and wrapped my arms around Dex’s shoulders, pulling his large frame against mine as he choked on tears. It squeezed more out of me, seeing him grieve the loss of his wife, accepting the tragedy of what had happened and what could happen to Hunter…No! NO! He’s in good hands. He’s alive. He’s freaking alive.
A swarm of bodies entered through Gate Three of the ICU as Payton, Betty, Uncle Glen, Cramer, Josh and Winter barged in, making a B-line towards us.
Payton knocked twice on the front desk, practically yelling out, “Hunter Lane. What’s the news on Hunter Lane?”
Winter and Cramer pulled me into a hug as Josh, Hunter’s best friend stood back with puffy eyes.
“I saw on the news, babe.” Winter rubbed dried mascara fibers off my cheeks. “Do we have any information?”
“The nurse said brain swelling and multiple bone fractures.”
Josh cursed and threw his hands into the air. “That fuckin’ guy! What was he, drunk? Was he drunk again?”
I was on my feet in seconds, yanking his disturbed presence into reality. “His truck slipped on ice.”
“You mean to tell me Hunter’s monster truck soared through the fuckin’ wind cause of some black ice? Nah. I don’t believe it for a damn second.”
“Josh,” Winter placed a gentle hand over his shoulder. “We have to put our trust in the doctors. We don’t have any control in this situation.”
“He’s my best friend.” Josh stuttered.
“He’s my boyfriend.” I contested, pulling back my quivering lip.
“He’s my fuckin’ son.” Dex’s voice sounded behind me, tainted with agony.
Payton’s blonde hair bobbed against her neck as she stomped towards our circle with broken eyes. “Ourfuckin’ son.”
Her words drained the life out of me, begging me to lay my head against her shoulder and sway into her maternal arms. I hadn’t had this unity in so long. In fact, I never had it.
Since the day I was born, my parents never made me feel appreciated. I wasn’t a human, I never was. A display, some spitting image of Harlow Matthews that she kept around until I was a bag of sticks to be tossed away.
These people,mypeople, they were a bundle of love. Warmth. Warmth that resurfaced into my life the second Hunter Lane walked in.
I refused to let him walk out. There was no chance in hell I was leaving him. None of us were.
