Page 12 of Forged Forever

Nodding, he takes a deep breath. “I’m not sure what to do here.”

“Darling,” Zander says, drawing my attention. “While I appreciate your wanting to be involved, perhaps let Ray and me talk through this? You’ve handled so much already. We can do this part.”

Looking between the two of them, I nod. “I’ll be in with Jake.” This feels strange, walking away instead of being in the middle of the issue, but kind of nice too. Having people to take care of the mess, and knowing they'll solve the issue, is great.

Jake is on a video call with Cameron, but he motions me in. I lie with him as they speak, then we go back to sports on television. Cameron helps him process his disappointment and anger. I hate to see him struggling with so many revelations. From experience, it’s its own form of torture.

Some time later, Zander tells me it’s time to go. I kiss Jake on the cheek and follow him out. “I really appreciate your coming right over today, Dad.”

“No thanks needed, darling. It was horrible, from what Ray told me. She won't be allowed to return. Let’s go home.”

“You don’t need to go back to Finn? You’ve missed so much time since you met me.” It’s something I often think about, worrying about his stress levels and the business. It seems we’ve been nonstop since he first visited me in Virginia last spring. Some amazing and horrible things have happened, and he was with me through it all.

“Understand this, Summer,” Zander says, stopping by my car and turning me to face him. “You are the most important person in the world to me. Every moment with you is worthwhile. Finn is a job. You are my daughter. It is my pleasure to be in your life.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tightly. “I think you are my gift for all I’ve been through.” I’m so appreciative of him, and he'll never understand how much.

Zander hugs me back just as tight, his cologne now a familiar scent of home. We split up into our vehicles and drive home.

The next few weeks are quiet. Jake's still struggling, but he talks to Cameron daily. He said having me to vent to has also helped, someone who has been through much of what he’s experiencing. Jake and Ray seem better since Erin’s visit. At least that horrible day brought them closer. Track training has started at school, but we have a while before the first meet. I’m running the same races as last year.

Ray didn’t meet up with Erin again. She came back to the apartment the next day, but Ray wouldn’t let her up. They texted, and she flew back to New York without seeing Jake.

Chapter 7

Now that Jake seems to have processed Ray’s story, I get to tell him my story from the accident. I arrive just after school on Friday. There’s no basketball tonight, so I wanted to get it over with. Seb is staying with me at the house since Zander is away in Savannah and will return Saturday evening.

Letting myself in, I wave to everyone. Jake's in the lift chair in the living room today. Will is sitting on the couch beside him, and Ray's in the kitchen. After Ray gives Jake his daily smoothie, he and Will excuse themselves.

I kiss Jake’s cheek and then take Will’s seat. “Ready for this, handsome?”

“I’m so excited, can’t you tell?” That dry sarcasm always makes me smile, considering I never thought I’d hear it again.

Chuckling, I shake my head at him. “How’s the new smoothie?”

He takes a sip through the straw. “Tasty, better than the last one.”

I found a few new plants to add recently, but they altered the flavor profile too much. With E’s help, we found a better mixture to mask the taste. Seems like it worked. Teamwork for the win.

“Okay, let’s get on with it.” Taking a deep breath, I prepare to once again relive the worst weeks of my life. “I don’t remember much from the first bit after the accident. I was told about Mom and Lily bee and I remember you were in a coma. I don’t remember Belinda being in the hospital at all, but I do remember coming in and out of consciousness and CPS telling me I was going into foster care.”

“What injuries did you have, Sum?” Jake catalogs my body as he asks, looking for evidence of the crash.

“A broken leg, bruises and cuts, a concussion, brain swelling, and internal bleeding. My heart stopped twice. Now, I have three scars: one on my thigh where they repaired my leg, one on my stomach from the surgery, and one on my chin.”

Jake stops sipping his smoothie, his mouth falling open as his body stills.

“So anyway, I know Ray handled a lot. I knew about the funeral and the lawsuit. The weeks leading up to my being able to move around are like snapshots in time. Just glimpses of moments here and there. Whether it was the painkillers or my mind protecting me, it wasn’t cohesive. When I started physiotherapy, your dad wheeled my bed into your room. Erin freaked out when she saw me, and there was yelling and blame. Security asked Ray to take me back to my room.”

“Sum, I’m…” Jake starts, but I hold my hand up to silence him. I need to get through this quickly.

“Ray sneaked me in to see you when she wasn’t there. After I was finally released, they put me in foster care. The first couple were nice enough, but I had a lot of anger and nightmares. I skipped school all the time and was with you or at the gravesite, so they returned me.

“The next couple had lots of kids and only cared about the paycheck. The dad was a creep, and something happened one afternoon.” This memory still gives me chills. I try to focus my thoughts to get through it quicker, rubbing my hands nervously on my jeans. “I woke up to the dad naked, leaning over me, trying to pull my pants and underwear down, so I ran to the police. They placed me in a halfway house that night, and the couple quickly lost their fostering license. Several girls experienced sexual abuse. Before you ask,” I say, holding up my hand again, “I wasn't raped, but it was too close.

“That’s when I met Sue.” A small smile at the memory of meeting her graces my face. “She asked to foster me on the condition that I go to therapy. Life became bearable. I visited you twice a week and had therapy at least two times a week. I still struggled, but I improved. The nightmares became less frequent, but I had absolutely no interest in anything. Not running, plants, tv, nothing. I was in survival mode. I almost failed 11th grade, and the bullying was horrendous.”

“Who bullied you?” Jake tilts his head to the side, confused about who could’ve hurt me. He was popular and friends with practically everyone at school.