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Chapter Twenty
Andrea
Andrea had gottenout of the bed she had remained in for days the moment Declan explained what had happened and half an hour later, thanks to a quick call to Charlie, she had chartered a plane to Australia. She hadn’t intended on going, but Charlie has asked her to come to make sure the Sullivans were looked after. What she hadn’t been expecting was for Declan to be in Manchester for the flight as well.
She had tried to hold her nerve, to drag herself from this melancholy that had seemed to settle in her bones. Declan had frowned when his eyes had landed on her and he knew she looked a state but in the grand scheme of things, her broken heart was of little consequence.
Andrea had expected to put back up her walls where Declan was concerned but then he had to show her why she had fallen in love with him all those years ago he just had to show her why she had fallen in love with him all those years ago.
Luke and Luna’s parents had sat quietly at the back of the plane, not saying a word as Declan made sure Luna, who looked absolutely devastated, her eyes red and puffy, was okay. She curled up on the plush chairs on the plane, her head resting on Declan’s thigh as he stroked her hair, tears in her eyes. Declan sang at a low murmur, the words barely audible but it make the hair on her arms stand up. Declan kept on singing long after Luna had cried herself to sleep.
Andrea kept to herself in her seat across the way, trying to ignore the way Declan kept lifting his gaze and trying to catch her eye. After an hour of fooling herself that she could get any work done, Andrea closed her laptop and rubbed her eyes. Declan yawned and craned his neck but didn’t make a move in case he woke Luna.
Getting to her feet, she went and poured him a cup of coffee, added two sugars, and brought it over to him. The smile he gave her made her stomach flutter and her heart beat, their fingers grazing as he took it from her.
“Cheers.” He said, taking a sip before he continued. “I was gasping and too afraid to move in case I disturbed her. She hasn’t slept since the crash. Just keeps ringing Luke’s phone to hear his voice on the mailbox.”
Declan stroked down her hair, smiled, and then lifted those steely blue eyes to her once again.
“I always wanted a little sister.” Andrea heard the smile in his tone, in his eyes and she wondered if he ever spoke of her with such warmth in his tone when she wasn’t around. “From the moment she walked into our audition, with her fuck you attitude and my balls are bigger than yours swagger, I knew she was special. I would give anything to take her pain away right now and carry it for her.”
Andrea, despite everything, reached over and took his hand in hers. “She is asleep now because she knows you are protecting her. She knows you want to keep her safe.”
“Jesus, Andi...if Luke’s not...if he...”
“Stop.” Andrea chided him, wishing that there was not this chasm of distance between them. “Luke will pull through. He has to. We have to have faith that Luke is as much of a fighter as his twin. Until then, we’ve got her.”
Declan studied her for a couple of heartbeats so intently that she pulled her hand from his and then didn’t know what to do. Declan shifted slightly, careful not to jostle Luna as he assessed her.
“I don’t know how to bring up the fact that you look as tired as Luna without you closing down on me. I know that I did this to you. I hate that no matter what I say, no matter what I try to make amends for, I keep screwing up and I’m pushing you further and further away.”
“Dec-” Andrea began before Declan cut across her.
“No...Let me get this off my chest and then it’s all out in the open. What I said to Rhys, I said as a stupid, idiotic boy who was trying to cover up the fact he was insanely in love with his best friend’s sister who, to be fair, was far too good for him. Still is.”
Andrea tried to look away, to shield herself from the emotions in his eyes and the tears from slipping from hers.
“I was shitting myself that I hadn’t read the signs. That you didn’t feel the same and me bearing my heart would just fracture the friendship we had. But I was planning on telling you that night. I swear on my father’s soul, I was.”
Andrea was already emotionally strung out and her head was pounding. She knew that Declan was waiting for her to respond, to offer him some sort of absolution but the hostess came and advised them they would land soon and Andrea returned to her seat, feeling Declan’s eyes on her as he roused Luna so she could sit upright for the landing.
She had to be there now for the family so Andrea pushed all thoughts of Declan from her mind as the family looked at her with expectant eyes as they disembarked the plane and headed for the blacked-out privacy windowed SUV because there was a rush of media waiting.
Declan shielded Luna from the cameras until they were inside the SUV and driving to the hospital, pulling up to a back entrance where Noah and Charlie waited for them. Just like Declan, Noah took Luna in his arms the moment she got out of the car and Charlie went to the twin’s parents.
They all moved through the hospital with an anticipation that felt suffocating, Charlie bringing them to a fancy private family room where a doctor was waiting and he rose, offering a sombre greeting.
Andrea made to step outside, not wanting to intrude on a family moment when she heard Charlie say. “I’d like it if Andi could stay if that’s okay Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan. If she doesn’t mind, I’d like for her to handle any requests from the media while you guys are here.”
The Sullivans nodded grimly as the doctor began to explain the extent of Luke’s injuries and that he was at present in an induced coma to try and give his body time to recover. Andrea listened as the doctor explained that Luke surviving the initial forty-eight hours proved how tough he was and that for now, he just needed to rest his body until he was ready.
“When will my son wake up? When will I see his beautiful smile?”
The doctor took hold of Mr’s Sullivan’s hands and offered her a smile. “My team and I are doing all that we can to make that happen as soon as Luke is ready. You have my word that we are doing everything we possibly can.”
“Can we see him? He’s my twin and I.... I...” Luna burst into tears and that set her mother off and even Andrea had a massive lump in her throat as Noah and Declan helped Luna to her feet and took her from the room, no doubt taking her to see her brother, her parents, and the doctor following after them.
The door closed behind them and that left her alone with Charlie, who looked like she’d running on empty for days and she probably had.
“Well, girlfriend, you look like shit.” Andrea teased trying to ease some of the tension when it worked and Charlie barked out a laugh.
“Right back at ya, bitch.” Charlie said as she embraced Andrea. “Thank you for coming. I know you are dealing with some stuff right now but god, I needed you.”
They separated, and Andrea hugged herself as they walked out and down the nearly empty corridor. Any doctors or nurses they passed inclined their heads, but it looked like Luke was staying in a quieter part of the hospital.
She and Charlie discussed making a statement to the press, once they had gotten clearance from the family, Charlie knowing that all the Luke Sullivan fans would want to know how their fave driver was doing.
They reached the hospital room and although Andrea knew it was bad, she had to turn away at the sight of the battered and bruised young man in the bed, the sound of his sister’s sobs too much for her to bear witness to. She thought of the happy smiling man who made her feel so welcome and she felt her eyes water.
Andrea wondered how she had let herself wallow over the events of the past few weeks and chastised herself, knowing that life was tragically short and sometimes brutal, as she looked at the boy in the bed and the grief-stricken family, did the insignificant matter of her foolish heart matter at all?
