Chapter 30

“How could she be so reckless, so damn stupid?” Jackson asked, kicking it down and breaking the speed limit as they hauled ass to the hospital.

“I sure didn’t help,” Tanya admitted. “I wasn’t exactly the voice of reason, either. I saw you two, same as Sabrina, and assumed the worst.”

“Well, thanks,” he said, with a bite of anger. Jackson shifted gears and they shot around another car. “For your information, I would never cheat. I thought Sabrina understood that. She knew my background, knew how hard I’ve been on my dad for being a faithless shit. I can’t believe she’d think I was capable of that! This is totally fucked up. I don’t know if I’m more hurt or pissed—not to mention I’m sweating bullets over here because she’s just been hit by a goddamned SUV!”

Tanya’s foot punched the floor and she grabbed the dashboard. “Could you slow it down a little, please?”

He eased off and shot a look her way. “I’m sorry. I’m not handling this very well.”

“You scared her.”

His eyes darted back for a second. “I scared her?”

“Yes.”

“What the hell did I do?”

Tanya sighed. “She said you were different last night after we ate—distant. You withdrew and it really worried her. She didn’t know why, and without an explanation to reassure her, she came up with all kinds of ideas on her own.”

Jackson was silent for a minute while he chewed on that. Finally he let out a bitter laugh. “It was Emma.”

“Pardon me?”

“Emma—and before you jump to another ridiculous conclusion,” he said, pointing his finger at her, “that really paints me in a shitty light, listen up. Fifteen minutes alone with Emma was all it took to scare me about my future. I realized I’m not ready to handle kids yet. I’m serious—believe me, I’m getting incredibly serious—about Sabrina, but I just don’t want to think about more than that right now. I went to talk about that with my brother when I left.”

“Are you better now?”

“No. I should have talked to Sabrina. This wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t feeling insecure about us. I didn’t realize I left her that way.”

“You pulled a Houdini.”

“I know that now.” He put on his signal and turned into the hospital ramp. “Dig Sabrina’s phone out of her purse. We’re going to have to call her family.”

It struck Jackson as he and Tanya ran inside the ER waiting room that he was spending way too much time here lately, and this was confirmed when the woman working the reception desk rolled her eyes and said, “You again?”

“No,” he said breathlessly. “My girlfriend was just brought in. She was in an accident. Sabrina Eckhart?”

“They took her up to surgery. I can’t tell you more than that.”

Tanya moaned and sagged against the desk, and Jackson put his hand under her arm. “Thank you. We’ll be over there if you hear anything.”

“Hospital policy doesn’t allow me to give that information out to anyone but immediate family.”

“I understand.”

They retreated to the far side of the waiting room, well away from all the commotion, and Jackson held his hand out for Sabrina’s phone.

Tanya settled into a chair while Jackson wandered, one hand covering his ear, the phone pressed to the other. When he turned, all she could see was Edvard Munch’s disturbing painting The Scream. That’s exactly what she felt like doing, but she was all screamed out, her throat raw on the inside. She didn’t know if she had any tears left. She was parched and unable to care enough to do anything about it. Her eyes flickered over all the people waiting, and she tried not to dwell too long on any of them. It felt wrong, and it disturbed her to witness other people’s misery.

Jackson came back, slipping the phone into his pants pocket. He dropped into the chair across the aisle from her, and Tanya heaved a sigh of relief that she wasn’t alone anymore.

“I got hold of Andy. He’s going to take it from here. Sounds like everyone will be coming.”

Tanya’s eyes bugged out. “Not Wyatt?”

Jackson paled. “Let’s hope not.”

“He’s just a little too…”

“Rambunctious?” Jackson offered helpfully.

“Better than what I was going to say.”

Jackson snorted in agreement.

They sat in silence for several minutes, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Eventually Jackson looked up. “Sabrina honestly thought I was messing around on her?”

“Well, from where we were standing it looked like you were pretty friendly with that other woman.”

“Kelli,” he reminded her. “She was showing me her sonogram. She’s expecting.”

“This is your dad’s wife?” Tanya asked, frowning.

“I know, it sounds strange, doesn’t it, but it’s the truth.” Jackson looked around. “I’m going to find a Coke machine. Can I bring you something?”

“Diet?”

“I’ll be back.”

The machines must have been close because he wasn’t gone long. He handed her a cold bottle and she uncapped the top and tipped it back, almost choking on the fizz.

He dropped back into his chair and took a long swig from his bottle. When he lowered it again, Tanya was watching him pensively.

Jackson’s whole body tensed. “What’s wrong? Did you hear something?”

“No. I was just thinking.”

“Well, you’re making the hair on my arms stand straight up. What is it?”

“Don’t hurt her,” Tanya said softly. “Sabrina, I mean.”

He snorted ruefully. “It’s a little late for that.”

Jackson dropped forward, his elbows on his knees, and cradled his head in his hand. That’s how Hal and Kelli found him when they came through the automatic doors.

One arm around his bride, Hal went to his despondent son and sank onto the chair beside him. He reached out, a tentative hand hovering over his back. “Jackson?”

Jackson turned and gave him a feeble smile, but it was enough of an acknowledgement, and Hal sighed and gave his son’s shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Kelli sat beside her husband, her face clearly echoing her distress at the awkwardness between the men.

Jackson took a deep breath and peeked out from behind his hand.

“Sabrina’s in surgery,” he said finally. “We don’t know any more than that.”

“Then she’s in good hands,” Kelli said, her eyes filled with kindness. She turned to Tanya. “How are you holding up? Okay?”

“I’m still numb, but at least I don’t feel like screaming nonstop anymore, so I guess that’s an improvement.”

Jackson nodded, agreeing with her. Then he kicked back, loose and exhausted, in his chair. His Coke bottle hung limp by the neck from his fingers and he let his head drop back. His eyes rolled toward the ceiling. “I wonder what’s going on up there.”

Tanya shuddered. “I’m trying not to.”

The automatic doors slid open and she shot to her feet as Sabrina’s parents came rushing in, followed by Andy and Toni. They spotted Tanya immediately and made their way over.

Jackson rose, and rather than take Mrs. Eckhart’s hands reaching out to him he pulled her close for a comforting hug instead.

“Oh, Jackson,” she cried. “How did this happen?”

“Just a stupid, pointless accident,” he said helplessly.

“Where is she now? How is she?”

“Sabrina’s in surgery,” Jackson told them. “But we don’t know anything more than that. I was hoping you could find out something.”

“Audrey,” Sabrina’s father said to his wife, “why don’t you wait here? We’ll find out and be right back.”

Mrs. Eckhart agreed and sat with Tanya, grasping her hand. Mr. Eckhart and Andy walked over to the desk.

Though he was desperate for news and sick with worry, Jackson performed introductions between the two families while they waited. It was several difficult minutes before Sabrina’s father and brother returned.

Andy gave an unhappy shrug. “It’s still too early to say.”

Aaron and Leah blew in next, followed closely by Sam and Candace. To Jackson’s surprise, Rob and their mother joined them a few minutes later.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I called your mom,” Hal said in answer to Jackson’s startled exclamation.

“And I called Rob,” Kelli admitted.

“Thank you,” Jackson said softly and rose to meet them. He brought them back and introduced them to Sabrina’s family also.

Helen and Hal greeted each other cordially, and Jackson looked at his brother in surprise. Rob shrugged back. It would seem their parents could put their rift behind them for the sake of their sons. They made small talk and Helen even exchanged a few friendly words with Kelli. Clearly, with the marriage over decades ago, unofficially anyway, the hostility had finally burned itself out.

Andy sat forward, his restless leg bouncing on the ball of his foot. “So how did this happen, anyway?” Aaron looked at Jackson gravely.

Jackson shared a look with Tanya. “Mind if I take this?”

“Please do.” She waved him on.

Jackson’s eyes traveled slowly over all their faces, not lingering too long on anyone.

“Sabrina thought she caught me with another woman at the Vandyke Mall. I was on my way to Currito’s for a quick dinner and ran into Kelli, but since they’ve never met, Sabrina didn’t know it was innocent. All she knew was that I was supposed to be working late, not out with a strange woman. Seeing us upset her so much she ran right into the path of a truck.”

He shook his head and unscrewed his bottle, upending it for a hard, painful swallow of warm Coke. Recapping it, he glanced at Rob, and they shared a look of mutual understanding.

“She never even saw the truck,” Tanya whispered. “I think she was crying too hard to notice anything.”

Hearing that, Jackson felt his insides twist.

His mom gave his knee a supportive squeeze. “Everything will turn out fine.”

They all looked up when a woman in scrubs approached the group. “Mr. Eckhart?”

Sabrina’s father rose anxiously. “Yes?”

“I was sent to speak to you about your daughter. Would you…?”

“No. Please. Tell me here. We’re all family.”

She looked at the many worried faces and nodded. “Both the tibia and fibula of the left leg were broken, and there’s some muscle damage to the knee.”

She paused at Mrs. Eckhart’s gasp but pressed on. “We believe she fractured her right wrist trying to control her fall. The good news is she didn’t sustain any spinal or internal injuries, though we’ll be monitoring her concussion. She’s lucky her wrist and leg seem to have taken the brunt of the damage. She’ll be admitted following surgery, so if you could get us started on the paperwork, that would help.”

“Will she need physical therapy?” asked Aaron.

“Yes.”

Walt’s face paled. “Did you say she’s still in surgery?”

“Yes. Once she’s moved to post-op, the orthopedic surgeon will want to talk to you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back.”

Audrey moved to her husband’s side for comfort. “Let me help you.”

They walked off to deal with the paperwork together, leaving the rest staring at each other, not exactly sure how they were supposed to feel.

Jackson shot to his feet and began to pace between the two rows of chairs. He whirled without warning, a note of desperation in his voice as he said, “I have to ask a favor. I need a few minutes alone with Sabrina before the rest of you come in. Please, it’s important.”

“Let him,” Tanya said quietly.

Clearly the Eckhart brothers weren’t pleased with the request, but their wives looked at them and started to nod, and Sabrina’s brothers agreed.

Andy sighed. “Okay, Jackson. Work your magic.”

“I’ll do my best.”