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I stepped forward, anger swirling through my veins at an unstoppable speed. “Yeah,” I gritted out. “But you already knew about that, huh?”
Jan’s stare swung to me, but it was Sal who said, “What the hell you talkin’ about, Cade?”
My lips quirked at the corner, but it wasn’t in happiness. I took another step forward, now only a couple of feet away from them. “Jan knows what I’m talking about.” I paused to wait and see what she said, but her wide eyes were the only indication she’d heard me. These weren’t my secrets to tell, but my anger was fueling me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. “Did you know she never stopped?” I asked her, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. “She kept on cutting herself.” I shook my head, able to see the images of her scarred body so clearly in my head. “She’s covered in scars.”
“No.” Jan shook her head and stumbled back. “No, she’s not.”
“Yeah, she is.” I banged my fist on my chest. “I’ve fuckin’ seen them. I’ve seen every single mark marring her body. I’ve sat with her while she’s been in an indescribable amount of pain. I’ve helped her. Me.” I banged my fist on my chest a second time. “It was me who was there, and you just fuckin’ ignored it!”
“Watch your fuckin’ tone, Cade,” Sal warned, but the woman I loved was in this building, and I still had no idea if she was even breathing.
“No,” I ground out. “I won’t fuckin’ watch it. I won’t keep quiet any longer.” I pointed at Jan, knowing I was on the verge of completely losing my shit. “You should have known. You should have been able to see the pain she was in. How could you think she’d be okay after everything she witnessed with her dad?”
“I…” Jan moved her hand to the base of her neck, glancing around at us all. “I thought she was okay. I was okay, I was—”
“She was a child!” I shouted, so loud I hurt my own ears. “She was a goddamn child who watched her dad kill himself, and you thought she would be okay?”
“I—”
The door creaking open cut her off, and I swung my head to face it. A breath whooshed out of me at the sight of Dr. Bay.
“Cade?” she asked, stepping inside the room and shutting the door behind her.
My breaths started to come faster as she ambled closer, her heels clicking on the floor. “How is she?”
Doctor Bay glanced around the room, her gaze landing on Jan last and then back on me. “Maybe we should talk in private.”
“No,” Jan ground out, and I looked over at her. Gone was the vulnerable woman I’d seen seconds ago, and in her place was the Jan we all knew. The Jan who liked to pretend everything was okay. “I’m Aria’s mother, so we can talk in private.”
Dr. Bay’s throat bobbed. “I’m afraid I can’t talk to you. Aria has Cade Easton as her emergency contact so—”
“What?” Jan sneered, turning her face to look at me. “Why does she have you as her contact?”
I opened my mouth to tell her why, but Dr. Bay cut me off, “I think this should be talked about another time.” She had a point, but there was no way I’d allow Jan to call any of the shots. She’d had her chance to look after Aria, to make sure she was safe, even from herself, and she’d failed.
I shook my head and turned my attention back to Dr. Bay. “You can tell us all here. We’re her family.” I pulled in a breath. “How is she?”
“She lost a lot of blood.” Dr. Bay took a breath. “She’s currently resting after a transfusion, but I still need to asses her when she wakes up. Do you know if she’s been taking her medication, Cade?”
“I—”
“Medication?” Jan asked. “Why would she be taking medication?”
“I don’t know,” I told Dr. Bay. “I’ve been away for the last three days and came back to…” My breath caught in my throat as I remembered the way she’d been lying on my bed, blood flowing out of her.
“Okay.” Dr. Bay nodded. “I’ll wait f
or her to wake up and ask her. Once I’ve assessed her, we’ll go from there, but I’ll probably admit her into an inpatient facility for at least a week to stabilize her.” She placed her hand on my arm. “She’ll be okay. She’s in the right place to get the treatment she needs, and she’ll come out on the other side.”
I nodded, hoping she was right. “When can we see her?”
Dr. Bay looked out of the windows behind us. The sun had long since risen, and we were verging on lunchtime now. “Once I’ve assessed her. I’m hopeful she’ll wake in the next couple of hours.”
“Okay,” I whispered, afraid to talk too loud. She was alive. She was breathing. She was still here.
Dr. Bay left the room, the door clicking shut behind her, and as soon as it rang out, Jan darted toward me. “Why the hell is Aria on medication? And why are you her emergency contact?” Her hands gripped my arms, and I yanked them away from her.
“She’s bipolar,” I blurted out. “She needs the medication to stabilize her moods. She’s been on it for a month or so now.”
