Page 50 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
I suck in a breath, knowing the hard part is coming. Violet's going to ask the questions I don't want to answer. "She's sleeping right now."
"Can you wake her, please? She must want to talk to me?" V's words wobble with emotion.
"She—" I cough. "We have to let her rest, kiddo. I'm sorry. She needs to heal."
"Heal?" she murmurs, then seems to shove her feelings aside. "Well, we're leaving. Derrick got hold of Felix. Can you have her call me when she wakes up?"
I look around, hoping like hell I can hand the phone to somebody else, but nobody's here.What do I tell Violet?
"You’re keeping something from me!" she snaps, sounding scared.
I rub a hand down my face and reply, "I don't know what to say, V. Fuck, I'm sorry. I'm doing a horrible job with this. It's just—it's been a really long night, and Blue can't use her voice very much for a few days."
"Why?" she demands, not skipping a beat even as I hear her rushing around.
"Because she has a lot of bruising on her neck, Violet."There.I fucking said it. She will know what I'm not saying.
Nothing in the entire world could prepare anyone for a conversation like this. Am I supposed to respect Blue's privacy and allow her to tell Violet what happened or is that selfish? That's like apologizing and asking what they need me to do to make it better. Does leaving it to Blue give her more trauma and more shit to deal with? Should I tell Violet myself to make things easier for Blue?
Fucking Felix said he was going to do this.
"Can..." Violet whispers, trailing off. "Can she t-text me then? We'll be there in like three hours."
I sigh, hearing Jim's voice in my head telling us that she's missing four fingernails. "I'm not sure..."
"Why the hell not?!" Back to screaming again. Except this time it's less frantic and more terrified.
The stars shine above me, reminding me that there's still light in the darkness. This one awful moment in time is just that—a moment. Obviously there will be a whole string of them for a while after this chat, but there willstillbe brightness. There fucking has to be.
I swallow all my hesitancy and tell Blue's kid that she lost four fucking fingernails, so it might hurt for her to type. Jim said she'll need to keep bandages on those fingers to allow the skin to harden beneath.
Violet's silent for a long time. So long that I'm not surprised Derrick takes over the phone call.
"Rome, Violet needs a minute," Derrick rumbles down the line, sounding distracted.
Me too."Of course." It's understandable, and she didn't just get the info dump we did a bit ago. Maybe it's best she learns this shit in small amounts.
"We will be there soon. Tell the doc we're coming and not taking no for an answer. Jim Morell has a lot to make up for, so hewilllet us in."
I chuckle. Derrick's right about Jim. I'm glad his ire is aimed somewhere else for now because the four of us men have a lot of making up to do of our own too. "Have I ever told you how much I love you, Derrick?"
"Every time we talk, kid. Be safe. Update one of us if anything changes."
"I will." I'm nodding along with him while staring at the pavement. The crash is coming for me, too. I'm losing momentum.
"And Roman," Derrick says softly. Far gentler than he ever is with us guys after hearing about what we did to Blue. "Close your eyes for a bit. Take a breath. Blue's going to need you again very soon."
I nod; he doesn't see it though. But I do say thank you, because I really fucking needed the permission to give in to the heaviness seeping into my mind and body.
I'll take a breath, and when I wake, I'll breathe for Blue.
Thirty-Six
JARED
There are many things in life that just fuckinghurt. Some more than others. Like seeing Blue's lifeless body in the mud with my friend shielding her with his larger frame.
Another would be listening to Blue try to talk, but she can't and definitely shouldn't. It's going to be up to us to keep her from using her voice. She needs to heal, and we'll do anything to get her better again.
