Page 92 of Everything Has Changed
“Ophelia,” I choke on a sob. “She’s in the hospital. I need—I need to get to her.”
“I got you, baby.” Logan gathers me in his arms, and I break. Sobbing into his chest and begging whoever will listen to keep my grandmother safe. I beg them not to take her like they took my parents.
Logan pulls back slowly after a moment, wiping the tears from under my eyes. “Let’s go home.”
32
Logan
“How many times do I have to tell you I’m fine, sweetheart?”
“At least a few more,” Gwen mutters in response.
Ophelia sighs from the recliner in her living room while Gwen flits around making sure she has something to drink. A snack. The remote. Her phone. Everything she could possibly need within reach so she doesn’t have to get up unless absolutely necessary.
We made it to the hospital this morning in record time. For once, the highway gods were on our side, and we didn’t pass a single cop car that would usually lay in wait on the side of the road. Gwen stared at her phone, squeezing it in her grip as if it would fly away, the whole time. Every once in a while, I reached over to remind her I was here, and she would shoot me a sad smile. Our eyes caught a couple of times, and memories of our shared night flashed before us. That brought the sadness in her smile to a smirk. Until we blinked and were reminded of why we were rushing down the highway.
By the time we finally got there, she had been given the okay to be discharged in a few hours. I stayed by Gwen’s side, prepared to catch her if she fell either physically or mentally. She told me I didn’t need to stick around many times, and every time I told her no. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from this woman and the people shecares about most in the world. I knew the helpless feeling that was coursing through her right now. I wouldn’t let her handle it alone.
Not that she was alone. Piper was there, waiting with open arms when we got to the hospital. Gwen rushed to her, sobs wracking her body when they collided. After they calmed down a bit, Jackson came out and directed us to the room Ophelia was occupying. I waited outside the door, allowing them all the needed privacy, until a few moments later Gwen stuck her arm out, her hand reaching out for me.
I didn’t hesitate to grab it and follow her in. And I continued to hold her hand every chance I had between then and now.
“Hey,” Jackson calls to me from the front door. Nodding his head, he motions for me to follow him out to the front porch.
With one last look, I find Gwen tucking a blanket around Ophelia, who is staring at her granddaughter with sadness etched on her face.
I found Jackson leaning against the railing, his position allowing him the perfect view to still see them inside. I matched his stance beside him, making sure I could see if Gwen needed anything.
“You and my little sister, huh?”
I wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but I guess I should have guessed this was coming. There was no denying it when we had been attached at the hip all day.
“Yes, me and yoursister.”
I know he’s trying to pull a scare tactic. While I appreciate his protectiveness over Gwen, I want him to know it’s not needed.
He grunts in response, both of us still looking in through the window. My heart aches when I see Ophelia reach out and stop Gwen from fluffing her blanket, again.
“How long have you known?”
I don’t know if Gwen realized it just yet, but her brother clearly knew more than he was letting on today.
“I’ve suspected something was going on for a couple of months. She hasn’t been herself lately. But I didn’t realize the extent until this morning.”
I scratch at the scruff along my chin. “A brain tumor. That’s…” I struggle with the proper word, so I just let my sentence trail off.
Jackson understands as he nods his head, his arms crossing over his chest as he angles toward me.
“Are you serious about her?”
I don’t need to ask for clarification regarding who he is talking about. Matching his stance, I say matter-of-factly, “Yes”. I’m not going to go into detail with him, not until I have a chance to dig into the feelings I have for Gwen. Not until I can talk about it with her. He must see it written all over my face after a moment of scrutiny, because he just nods again, furrowing his brow in contemplation.
“You know I’ll murder you if you do anything to hurt her, right? I don’t give two shits if you’re the future mayor of this town or not. When it comes to her and her happiness, nothing will stop me, you understand?”
“One hundred percent. If I ever hurt her, which I won’t, I’ll let you.”
“Good,” he turns back to the window. “She’s going to need someone to help her through this. I suspect she’s going to want that person to be you.” His head tilts toward the window, and I follow his line of sight.
