Reed repeated his words again, and Mike’s chest suddenly began to shake, sobbing yet not fully giving in to the emotions, holding his head high, gripping Reed’s shirt tight. The two men locked eyes in a standoff until Mike began to crumble, falling forward. Reed wrapped him in his arms, and Mike shattered, letting go of every ounce of strength he held inside.
“I’m sorry,” I heard him cry into Reed’s shoulder, and at that point there wasn’t a dry eye in the place, not even those of complete strangers.
Each one of us was being tested, trying our strength, and feeding on our fears.
We all gathered close, lining the waiting area. Everyone was here. And we waited, the sounds of sniffling, prayers repeated over and over.
The silence was defeating.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mike
Maddison:Going out for a ride with the girls. Miss me while I’m gone and know that I’ll be missing you too. Love you!
I think I had read Maddison’s last message to me at least fifty times. My fingers hovered over her name, tears dripping onto my hands that held my phone like a lifeline.
I didn’t know why I did it, but I sat there and just started sending message after message of all the things I’d say to her if she was here right now standing before me.
Mike: I love you, and I always miss you even when you’re only two feet away. Not only are you my best friend, but you are the woman who holds my heart in her hands. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you. You are my world. I need you. You can’t leave me. I won’t make it without you, Mad. You are my world.
Please don’t leave me.
I keep having this vision of you in a white dress, your arm linked with your dad’s as he walks you down a path of white rose pedals directly toward me. I want that. I want that so bad. Please, pretty girl, come back to me.
“She wants that too, ya know.” I looked up and found Raven standing before me. In her hands was Maddison’s purple phone. “They gave it to me to hold when I got here.”
I nodded, still staring at the phone.
“Family of Grace Jackson.” We all stood, and the doctor’s eyes widened. “You are all her family?”
“We are,” Reed assured him as he reached out and linked his fingers with Aunt Kori’s.
The doctor nodded before looking at the iPad he held in his hands. “Grace suffered a wrist fracture of her right wrist. In most situation, we see either ulna or radius fractures, but in Grace’s case, she has broken both. There is also a tear to the tendons that attach her thumb, as well as a large open wound to the back of her left shoulder. We can repair all with surgery.”
Everyone nodded and talked amongst themselves until the doctor started to speak once again.
“During the fall, Grace did hit her head, which left a cut that required stitches. She is very sore, but we’ve given her some pains meds that should start to relax her.”
“Can we see her?”
The doctor scanned over the large group of people, and his eyes widened.
“Not all of us. Just her parents, us,” Kori said hopefully, and the doctor nodded as he began to lead them away.
“And what about Maddison?” I stepped forward when the doctor turned back around to face me.
“Maddison?” The fact that he said her name like he didn’t know her pissed me off. But then I realized he probably didn’t know. There were so many doctors, and each had different patients. I knew this.
“Douglas, Maddison Douglas. She came in at the same time as Grace Jackson.”
He offered a nod. “I will look into Mrs. Douglas’s case and have someone come out and update you on her condition.” With that, he motioned for Reed and Kori to follow him, and the three disappeared behind the big swinging doors.
I wandered down the hall. I needed some distance. I didn’t go so far that I couldn’t hear if Maddison’s name was announced but far enough that I was out of the view of others.
There were so many times while I was deployed that I’d gotten that empty sadness in me that nothing could fill. Like I’d been gutted, nothing more than a hollow shell. Then it was caused by being homesick; now it was because my heart had been torn from my chest. Or so it felt.
“You doing okay?” I closed my eyes and let my head hang forward when I heard Raven’s soft whisper. “I don’t mean to crowd. I just know that if Maddison knew how upset you were, she would want someone to check on you.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted without looking at her. I wasn’t trying to be an ass. I just didn’t want to talk. I wanted Maddison.
“I know you’re not, but I understand.” It grew silent, and I wasn’t sure if she was still there. Then she spoke again. “I’m sorry for making things so weird before.”
“You didn’t make things weird. We did that fine on our own.” I looked out the window in front of me. “But if we’re apologizing here, it’s me that should be telling you I’m sorry. I should have been honest from the beginning.”
“You were in love with Maddison—”
“Am,” I corrected.
“I was about to say, ‘and you always will be,’ but you didn’t let me finish.” Finally, looking back at her, I saw her grinning. “I saw it. I think everyone did. You two belong together.”
Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath.
“She’s gonna make it through this, and she’s gonna be giving us all shit for
