The next few minutes passed by in a blur as he jumped out of his car toward the crash. He pushed past bystanders and was finally stopped by an officer when he tried to get close enough to the car to see if it was hers.
“My... She’s my—” He tried to speak but his chest was full of white-hot pain. “I think this is my—” His head throbbed, their conversation this morning replaying over and over again in his mind.
I want to cook for you tonight... Just wanted to stop in and see you before I got started with my day.
That’s what he’d said to her this morning. She’d looked so beautiful sitting behind her desk. He’d told her to come to his house and she’d agreed, just like India had agreed to go for a ride with him that night.
“Sir, we need you to get back in your car and move along,” the officer yelled.
Now it hurt to breathe. The sound of the police sirens echoed so loud his ears began to clog. “No, you don’t understand,” he said, each word laced with the sting of guilt circling back to him once again. “I think this is...my...my girlfriend. This is her car.” It was Desta’s car. He knew it without having to get closer, and he sank to the ground with the weight of guilt and grief.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“HEY, MAN! WHERE’VE you been?” Maurice turned at the sound of Major’s voice as he was walking toward the elevators on the first floor of the hospital.
“I had a few things to take care of.” He didn’t want to talk to Major right now. He only wanted to see Desta.
“It’s been three hours since you called to tell me about the accident. I expected to find you here pacing or yelling at the staff when I got here.” By the sound of his voice, Major was irritated about that.
Maurice was doing a good job of pissing people off today. He took a deep breath and released it. “I came here straight from the scene, but they wouldn’t let me see her.” He’d been tempted to run through the doors separating him from where she was, damn the consequences. But at the last minute he’d thought better of that idea. “She was being evaluated, so I knew that would take a while. I figured if you and Nina came, at least she’d have a friendly face if I wasn’t here.” Because he might also be the last person she wanted to see right now.
“A friendly face? Not the face of the man she’s in love with?” His twin sounded agitated, but before Maurice could reply, Major continued. “Mom, Dad and Riley are up there in the waiting room now. They’ve called her mother and grandmother, and Dad sent the jet to pick them up. So, you’re welcome for having us take care of your girlfriend.”
Desta was his girlfriend. He’d told the police that at the scene of the accident.
A muscle twitched in Major’s jaw, and Maurice knew he was angry. He had that same telltale sign when he was upset. His twin was probably thinking Maurice had screwed up again today. Not long after they’d found the idiots trying to blackmail him, he’d caused Desta to be in an accident and then left her at the hospital alone. He could definitely see how that would piss off Major and probably the rest of his family. Being the Gold family screwup wasn’t fun.
“I called every thirty minutes for a report,” he told Major. “I knew she wasn’t awake yet. Or is she? What happened?” Fresh fear coursed through him.
“Why the hell wouldn’t you just stay here with her, Moe? Is this about India? Are you still guilt-tripping over that at a time like this?” Major shook his head with exasperation. “You’re acting like such a jerk about everything lately. I don’t even know what’s going on with you.”
His brother’s nickname for him, coupled with those harsh but true words almost sent him reeling. But he knew now was not the time to fall apart. Major was right: he’d been messing things up lately, and he didn’t fully understand why. All he knew now was that making sure Des was all right was his first priority.
“I know what you’re thinking and where you probably thought I was.” He locked gazes with his brother. “I did go back to the house, to my room.” Where he’d locked himself for days after India’s accident. “But I know what happened to India wasn’t my fault. I know, Major. So, I left there and went straight to Desta’s place. I had to show the landlord a billion forms of ID, then prove that she worked at our company, convince him that she was in an accident, and then, finally, I thought to call Nessa who had a key to her place so I didn’t need to deal with the landlord anymore. I wanted to make sure she had things she was familiar with when she woke up.”
Major looked down at the duffel bag and the pillow he had stuffed under his arm as if just seeing those things for the first time. “You went to her house to get her things?”
“Yeah. Because India and the guilt from my past aside, I still hate that Desta was in an accident on her way to see me.” She was hurt and while there was nothing he could do about that physically, he would do whatever possible to make sure she had everything she needed and was comfortable. “So I’m gonna go up and see her now. Is that all right with you?”
Major gave him a half smile before shaking his head.
“What’s so funny?”
“You, man. You’re funny.” Major continued to stare at him.
“That’s a wonderful thing
