“H-he told Dad to kill Violet. Violet saw him kill someone. He thought I knew,” she whispered. I didn’t really understand what she was saying, but the machines she was hooked up to started beeping as her heart raced.
I hated myself at that moment. I hated how I had pushed her away, how I let my own guilt get between us. Breeze was taken because of my brother. I couldn’t even stand to be in my own skin, let alone stare at the evidence of her pain. This was my fault. I wasn’t there for her when I needed to be. How could I ever redeem myself after this?
“Shh,” I breathed before stroking her hair. I was a fucking bastard, didn’t deserve the right to touch her like this. Didn’t deserve the right to be here with Chase and Mrs. Shirley. But fuck if I didn’t care. I loved Breeze. I loved her so much, and the idea that she was almost killed was too much.
“You’re here?” Breeze asked me, her eyes filled with confusion and wonder. Of course I was fucking here. The doubt in her eyes made me want to punch something.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised, this time meaning it. I was done pushing her away.
She winced, as if in pain, and Mrs. Shirley let out a sigh. “I’m going to give you some medicine. You need more rest.”
“No,” Breeze whispered, but her voice was faint. Within seconds another nurse was waltzing in and administering morphine into Breeze’s IV. It didn’t take long until she was asleep. Mrs. Shirley stared at her daughter for a moment with tears in her eyes. You could practically feel the concern and worry rolling off of her. I felt so badly for her. Her family had suffered so much. With Brian in prison and her daughter in the hospital, I wasn’t sure how much more the poor woman could take.
“Watch her for me?” she asked Chase—I wanted her to ask that of me. The consequences of my distance these last few weeks were tearing me apart. “I’m going to go check on my other patients.”
“Always,” Chase promised. Of course Chase would always watch her. I never imagined the bastard would be the hero of this story, considering just a couple months ago he was a selfish, entitled, destructive drunk. The only reason he wasn’t still on my shit list was because he’d changed for Breeze. I guess she brought out the best in people.
Mrs. Shirley left the room, giving me an opportunity to thank Chase. I might be a jealous fucker, but that didn’t mean I was oblivious to the role he played. Chase saved her. Without him, Breeze could be… “Hey, man, thanks for finding me earlier. When Lex took Breeze.”
“You were our best chance at finding her. I wasn’t going to let whatever is going on with you two get her killed,” Chase said, shrugging his shoulders. Guilt crashed through me like a wrecking ball. In many ways, my involvement was the reason she was here right now. It’s why I tried giving us space before it got to this point. I knew I was bad news. I knew my brother would ruin every good thing in my life, and I wanted to spare Breeze from all the pain. I was pushing her away in some misguided attempt at saving her. Now I wished I hadn’t. “What is going on with you two?” Chase then asked. The nosy motherfucker.
I sighed. I really didn’t want to get into it with Chase, especially not before I could talk about it with Breeze. But I felt like I owed him; he saved her life today. I didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t come to get me when Breeze was taken. I didn’t know what to make of my new acceptance of Chase. Breeze loved him like a brother, but my only experience with family landed us in a hospital room with the love of my life knocked out. I knew that I needed to open up to him. If I wanted to be in Breeze’s life, he was a part of that.
“When Breeze’s dad was arrested, everything really hit me. How completely fucked up the whole situation is. My dead girlfriend was cheating on me with my current girlfriend’s dad who impregnated and then murdered her. On top of that, my brother took a special interest in Breeze,