Chapter Twenty-Four

Now…

They were all back here again.

The sight of everyone she loved and their worry-filled expressions when she opened her eyes made Whitney wish she could go back to sleep. She owed all of them an explanation and an apology, but her mind was foggy, and her head ached.

“Hi…” It was Jess who spoke. Her concern was mixed with the sound of guilt, and that made Whitney feel so much worse. Her friend had nothing to feel badly about.

She was the one at fault. The only one. The distance between them lately had been Whitney’s doing. She’d pushed them all away and had neglected her friendships.

“Hi, Jess…” Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. The notes of fear and uncertainty were ringing loud. She looked around the room, her gaze settling on Trent.

His expression was so pained, so hurt, she could barely breathe as their eyes met and locked. He was pale, and the dark circles under his eyes said he hadn’t gotten any sleep. He looked even more devastated now than he had when she’d ended things a week ago.

Because now he understood.

Understood that she was sick, what her condition meant, and knew that there was nothing either of them could do about it.

He stood and touched Jess on the shoulder as he looked at Sarah and Lia. “Hey…um…could we get a minute?”

“Of course,” Jess said, gathering her sweater and purse from the chair. “We won’t be far,” she said, kissing Whitney’s cheek. Sarah approached and gave her a gentle hug.

Gentle. As though she might break.

Lia squeezed her hand. “You’ll be back to the office in no time, so just chill,” her friend said, and the fact that the other woman knew her so well caused another lump to form in the back of her throat.

Wes and Mitch sent her sympathetic, supportive looks as they ushered their partners out of the hospital room.

They all knew. Tears welled in her eyes. Why not cry? They all knew how weak she was now anyway. No more pretending.

When the door closed behind her friends, she stared at it, terrified to look at Trent. His sadness was breaking her the most.

He cleared his throat and shoved his hands deep into his pockets as he moved closer to the bed. “You broke an ankle and an arm in the fall, lots of bruising, and you have a concussion,” he said.

She couldn’t feel her injuries. A small silver lining. “I guess I was lucky.” She couldn’t remember anything after her vision had blurred at the top of the stairs and the dizzy spell had taken complete hold.

The stairs! She’d been on her way to get the baby. Her gut twisted. Thank God it had happened before she’d reached the baby’s room. What if she’d been holding Henry when it had happened? More tears burned her eyes at the thought that she could have hurt the beautiful child. Not to mention the fact that she’d probably ruined Marissa’s birthday party. So much for getting off to a good start as Auntie Whitney.

“I was listed as next of kin,” Trent said.

“Yeah, right. Um, I guess I’ll have to change that right away.” Unfortunately, it meant that the doctors would have filled him in on everything. By now, she knew Mitch had also told her friends about her secret illness. She wasn’t upset. They all needed to know. They all should have known a long time ago. Keeping it to herself had been wrong.

“It’s fine,” he said, but despite his presence in the room, she already felt him pulling back. The thick tension in the air around them was suffocating. She’d ended things. They were no longer together. He didn’t need to be there, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to be, because what was the point? They were no longer planning a future together, which was harder to fully accept than anything she was going to be facing now.

Who would be there for her now?

She swallowed the lump in her throat and straightened her spine against the too-soft bed. She’d get through this on her own. Her inherent stubborn streak was the only thing she could rely on in that moment to prevent her from crumbling, so she clung to it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Trent asked quietly.

“Because there was nothing you could do. Why didn’t you tell me you had a son?”

The words hit their mark, and his expression changed to one of conflicted remorse.

“I only just found out. But you’ve known about this illness for…how long, Whitney?” The deep hurt in his voice made tears gather in her eyes. He sat in the chair next to the bed and lowered his head in his hands. His shoulders shook, and she looked away toward the window. Watching him break down was too much. Her already shattered heart couldn’t take it.

“I’d like to be alone,” she said, forcing as much strength into her voice as she could muster. It wasn’t much, but obviously it was enough as he stood up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

Instead of leaving, he came closer, looking unsure, hesitant, uncomfortable…

So different than the man who’d claimed to love her, who swore he’d always be there for her, who’d told her there was nothing they couldn’t overcome together.

He must have realized now that he’d been wrong.

“Whit…I…I want to be strong about this. I want to be here. There’s so much going on right now. Both our lives are so damn complicated.”

She heard the uncertainty in his voice. He knew the truth now. He knew she was broken, that she couldn’t give him what he wanted most. A family. But she knew the truth now, too—that he already had one. He truly didn’t need her anymore.

“It’s okay, Trent.” Forcing her voice steady, she summoned every last inch of the strong person she once was. “You can go.” No matter how much she longed to beg him to stay, she wouldn’t. “And please don’t come back.”

He hesitated but slowly nodded as he turned and left the hospital room.