I stare at my phone, willing it to do something.
Willing it to play “Happy,” by Pharrell Williams, which Lexi had programmed into my phone as her ringtone. I thought it was ridiculous, yet loved it all the same.
Anything other than this silence, which I hate, yet I don’t expect anything different, because Lexi told Gray and me, through Brian, with some very harsh words that we were to leave her alone unless we worked out our shit.
Needless to say, that hasn’t happened, although I’m wondering why because I’m so rattled by the thought of not having Lexi that I’m willing to kiss Gray’s ass in any way necessary to make things right with my girl.
When Brian came into the living room, his face a mask of thunderous rage, I actually felt like a twelve-year-old kid who got caught sneaking cigarettes in the backyard. And he laid into Gray and me with such venom that for a moment I was afraid he’d have a stroke or something. By the time he’d finished with both of us, telling us we’d both driven Lexi off from her birthday celebration, I don’t think I’d ever felt lower in my life.
Then he promptly told everyone except Georgia to leave his house, and in his exact words, “figure our shit out” or be prepared to lead a life without Lexi in it.
As I was getting into my car, I glanced up at the front door and saw Brian standing there with Georgia by his side. Her arm was around his waist and she was pressed against his side. Brian’s shoulders were slumped in disappointment, but Georgia said something to him—I can’t imagine what—and his head tilted down to look at her. His face was gentle and he nodded before bending to give her a kiss.
I’d like to imagine she told him everything would work out okay, and that Brian’s nod of affirmation was because he had confidence in Gray and me to figure this out.
Hope he’s fucking right.
Of course, I ignored Lexi’s request we not contact her and called her before I’d even made it out of Brian’s driveway. And of course, she didn’t answer. I left her a short voicemail just saying I was sorry, and then…well, what else could I say. I hung up feeling completely out of sorts and lost.
And now here I sit, nursing a glass of scotch as I sit on my couch in a dark living room and stare at my phone resting on my thigh. Desperately missing Lexi, and vainly hoping she’ll call.
When my phone does ring, it doesn’t permeate my fog at first that it’s not Lexi’s ringtone and I jump and grab for it. It falls off my thigh to the floor, and in my haste to lunge for it, I slosh half my scotch over my stomach and crotch.
“Fuck,” I mutter as I put the glass on the coffee table and nab my phone from the carpet. I don’t recognize the number but I answer it anyway. “Hello?”
“It’s Gray,” I hear, and my blood turns to ice at the unmistakable panic in her voice.
“What’s happened?” I ask, because I inherently know that Gray calling me with fear in her voice means something is terribly wrong with Lexi.
“She got in an accident on her way home,” she says, her voice quavering. “The police just called Dad. Apparently a drunk driver ran a red light and T-boned her.”
“Is she okay?” I ask as I fly off the couch, my voice almost paralyzed by terror.
“I don’t know,” she says, then sniffs loudly so I know she’s crying. “She’s been taken to WakeMed. I’m on my way there now. So is Dad and Georgia. Ryker’s staying home with the girls.”
“Okay,” I say as I look wildly around my dark living room, trying to collect my thoughts. “I’m on my way. I’ll see you there.”
“Okay,” she says softly and disconnects.
For just a moment, I’m at a loss as to what to do. I know logically I need to get to the hospital, but in my panic, I can’t seem to reason how to go about doing it. All I can imagine is the worst, that Lexi’s dying or dead, and I didn’t get a chance to make this better. I didn’t get a chance to let her know how I truly feel about her, not just with words, but through the actions she so desperately needed.
Finally, my common sense seems to kick in and I vault from my couch, head in to the kitchen to swipe my keys off the counter. I barrel past the laundry room and into the garage, slapping at the button on the wall to raise the rolling door. I manage to at least take a deep breath in a piss-poor attempt to try to calm my nerves, and I tell myself to get my shit together before I get into my car.
The sliding doors to the emergency room open and I immediately spot Gray standing in a corner, both arms crossed protectively over her belly. Fuck, she better not be going into labor.
She locks eyes with me as soon as I step inside and crosses over to me quickly. My heart slams inside my chest as I see how ravaged her face is with worry, and for the first time ever, I see myself in Gray and realize that I have everything in common with her.
“How is she?” I ask as she stops in front of me.
“Dad and Georgia are back there with her, but they were getting ready to take her for a CT scan of her head,” she says shakily. “The other car hit Lexi’s side and her head shattered the driver’s-side window. She’s already had some X-rays and she has a hairline fracture to her collarbone, but that’s all we know right now.”
“But she’s conscious?” I ask fearfully. “I mean…why are they doing a CT scan?”
“I think just a precaution,” she says with uncertainty, and perhaps a faint hint of optimism. “It could be awhile before we get results.”
“Can we go back there?” I ask, nodding toward a set of double doors that I assume go back to where Lexi could be.
Gray shakes her head. “They only will let two people back there right now, and it should be Dad and Georgia.”
She doesn’t say this to hurt me, as there’s no hint of animosity in her voice that I normally hear. Rather, I take it to mean that yes, her father, Brian, should be back there, and of course, Georgia came with him and is as close to a mother as Lexi has right now.
“Let’s sit down,” I suggest as I take Gray by the elbow and lead her to a pair of empty chairs against the far wall. She looks like a strong wind could blow her over, and the last thing I want is for a pregnant woman to end up on the ground.
Gray doesn’t fight me, but placidly lets me lead her to the chairs. After she’s seated, I take the one next to her and heave out a violent breath of frustration and worry. Stretching my legs out, I lean back and rest my head against the wall, closing my eyes against the harsh fluorescent lights.
What a fucking mess.
“This is all my fault,” Gray whispers, and my eyes pop back open as I turn to look at her.
She’s hunched over her in her chair, her arms again wrapped protectively around her belly. She tilts her head to look at me and her eyes are swimming with tears.
And now in this moment, I not only feel a keen solidarity with Gray, I have a stunning wave of tenderness sweep through me. Without a hint of awkwardness, I put my hand on her shoulder and squeeze. While I have to admit, I’m thinking the same damn thing, I try to dispel those thoughts she has.
“It’s absolutely not your fault,” I assure her quietly. “She’s a victim of circumstances is all.”
“She wouldn’t have been in that circumstance if I would have kept my fucking mouth shut tonight,” she says bitterly. “I had no reason to bring up that trade report other than to get my dig in at you and make you feel uncomfortable. It was stupid and petty, and if Lexi doesn’t make it, it will be completely my fault.”
She punctuates this last sentiment with a sob, and before I even can comprehend my actions, I’m sitting up and pulling her into my side. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, which are shaking with grief, and I try to reassure her. “Lexi is strong. She’s a Brannon. And I know she’d want you to be strong too, okay? So get that chin up, and how about we use this time to figure our shit out so that when we can finally go back and see her, we can give her the best birthday gift ever by showing her we can be adults.”
Gray snickers, then sobs, a tiny hiccup, and she pulls away from me. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she says with a shaky voice, “We really are a couple of jackasses, aren’t we?”
“Speak for yourself,” I say with a tentative smile.
Gray laughs and I’m glad, because that was my intention. I squeeze her shoulder again and we both lean back in our chairs again, looking straight ahead at the crowd in the emergency room.
“I was totally wrong in how I treated you,” Gray says softly. I don’t bother to look over at her, but rather wait for her to get this off her chest. “I mean…my first conversation stands; you needed to get yourself a little under control with your antics. But after that, it had totally become personal to me. And because I’m afraid if I’m not honest with you right now, karma will bite me hard on the ass and take it out on Lexi, I’m going to admit: much of that was just pure sisterly protectiveness that was coming out. I was judging you solely on your past actions and wasn’t willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
I smile at her admission, and then give her one of my own. “Well, I could have put an end to our feud a long time ago if I’d just have stopped being a prick for one moment and merely reassured you that I was gladly changing my ways to be with your sister. Somehow, my ego wouldn’t let me give that up, and I’m thinking now if I wasn’t such a world-class douche perhaps we would have come to some peaceful terms weeks ago.”
Gray is silent for a few seconds, then she asks softly, “We’re having a moment, aren’t we?”
“A profound one,” I agree.
“Are we good?” she asks, and I turn my head to find her looking at me with apology in her eyes.
“We are if you let me tell you I’m sorry, and accept I really mean it,” I tell her bluntly. “Your sister is more important to me than anything in this world, and if it’s important to her that I get along with her sister, I absolutely will go above and beyond to make that happen.”
Gray’s eyes soften and she smiles. “I’m sorry too. Let’s start over for Lexi’s sake, okay?”
“Deal,” I say, then turn my head back to stare at the crowd as I ask, “That means I’m not getting traded, right?”
“You’re totally not getting traded,” she affirms. “Besides, I’ve got a vested interest now in making sure my sister is happy, so you’re stuck with this team, unfortunately.”
Chuckling, I say dryly, “Yes…so unfortunate.”
Both of us immediately bolt upright in our chairs as the double doors open and Brian and Georgia walk through. They sweep the waiting room, and by the time they see us, Gray and I are out of our chairs, walking to them quickly.
“CT scan is clear,” Brian says with a smile as his eyes flick back and forth between us. “They’re going to keep her a day, maybe two, because she’s a little out of it from the head injury. They want to carefully observe her. It will be a little bit before an in-patient room is ready though.”
“Can we go back to see her?” I ask Brian.
“I don’t know,” he says gravely, looking hard at me and then at his daughter. “Can the two of you be trusted to go back there and see Lexi together?”
“Absolutely,” Gray answers as she nudges her shoulder against me. “We’ve made amends.”
“Permanent amends,” I clarify. “We’re good.”
Brian smiles as he puts an arm around Georgia and pulls her in close. “Then by all means, head on back and keep her company. Georgia and I are going to the cafeteria for some coffee.”
Gray and I watch Brian and Georgia head down an intersecting hallway, presumably to the cafeteria. I smile as they walk with their arms around each other’s waists, and Gray groans beside me when Georgia’s hand drops to Brian’s ass to give it a slight squeeze.
“No daughter ever wants to see that,” she mutters, then turns toward the double doors.
We make our way past a nurses’ station, and a nurse directs us to a curtained room that’s open and we can see Lexi lying in bed with her eyes closed. Even from across the room I can see a huge, purple bruise on the left side of her forehead and a section of skin sutured with black stitches. She has on a blue shoulder sling on the same side, presumable to hold her shoulder in place.
Sensing Gray’s hesitation, I again take her by the elbow and lead her toward Lexi’s bed.
When we enter the room, Gray breaks off from me and walks to one side of her bed before I walk to the other. I have no hesitation once I get there, immediately taking one of Lexi’s small hands in my own.
Her eyes flutter open and she looks at me bleary-eyed at first, but then with some recognition. “Hey,” she says slowly, and she sounds a little drugged. “I figured you’d come even though I told you not to contact me.”
“Well, you can’t say that anymore,” I tell her with a smile and a squeeze to her hand. I nod my head across the bed to Gray. “Your sister and I are best friends now.”
Lexi’s head turns slowly to the right and her eyes lock on Gray’s, which immediately fill with tears. She leans over and lays her hand across the top of Lexi’s chest. “Hey, Sis,” she says tremulously. “You scared the shit out of Roman and me.”
“Carefully orchestrated plan to get you two to see reason,” Lexi mumbles, her eyes looking heavy and fatigued. “I had to pay that drunk driver a lot of money to hit me.”
Gray lets out a hysterical bark of relieved laughter and grabs hold of Lexi’s other hand. “Well, your nefarious plan worked. We’ve talked things out and we’re good.”
“Really?” Lexi asks, and despite her being a little groggy, I can see the hope clearly reflecting in her eyes.
“Really,” I answer for both Gray and me as I bend over the bed and place a gentle kiss on the uninjured side of her head. “So hurry up and get better so we can all go out on a double date or something.”
Lexi chuckles and Gray and I share a relieved look over the bed.
“Okay,” Lexi says, her eyelids dropping. “But let me get a little sleep first. I’m afraid this birthday celebration has me worn out.”
I start to panic as her face goes lax as she falls asleep, but a nurse fortuitously walks in.
“Shouldn’t we be keeping her awake or something?” I ask her as she goes to check the IV bag at the end of Lexi’s bed over on Gray’s side.
The nurse smiles at me briefly. “She’s fine. She’s just sleepy from the pain medication the doctor ordered. Her CT scan was clear. We should be able to transfer her to a room within about an hour if you want to go get something to eat. She’ll be sleeping, I’m sure.”
“I’m not leaving,” I tell the nurse firmly, letting go of Lexi’s hand so I can reach behind me to pull a chair up to the side of her bed.
“Me neither,” Gray says just as adamantly, also doing the same.
The nurse shrugs her shoulders and walks out, leaving us to watch over our girl.