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They knew.
Fuck.
His eyes quickly moved to Heather, the swift movement causing pain to shoot through his head. “Heather,” he said lowly.
Her eyes only moved from where their daughter had exited to glance at him before she said, “I have to get your doctor.” Then she left the room.
Jesus.
They knew.
The aches Gage’s body felt were suddenly replaced with a whole different kind of pain. Jesus, if his family knew. What about Tilly’s? Gage raised a hand and placed his face in it, closing his eyes. What in the fuck did they do?
_______________
It was the pounding in her head that woke Tilly. She tried to move, and a pain shot through her body. Recollection was slow to return, but when it did she jerked up, despite the pain. “Gage,” she called out, her eyes struggling to focus.
“He’s okay.”
She turned her head, causing another searing pain, to see Luke standing at her bedside. It was only then she felt her hand being held and slowly turned her head to see Ashley and Justin. Their eyes puffy, tears streaking down their cheeks. Ashley’s hold on her hand tightened. “You’re okay, Mom.”
The pain started to make itself known. The last thing she remembered was Gage telling her he loved her. The memory was slow to return, but then she recalled the blinding lights, the ear bleeding noise, the body rattling jarring from the collision. It was only then that it dawned.
They knew.
She looked into her daughter’s eyes, her son’s, before she turned to Luke. She could have handled anger, disgust, even rage, but it was the silent disappointment that nearly broke her, and far more effectively than the crash.
Tears filled her eyes, her words clogging in her throat, so many things she wanted to say, but couldn’t. It wasn’t how it was supposed to go, but even saying that. How was it supposed to go? How did you ease your loved ones into the news she and Gage had to share...that for months they had been sneaking around, creating another life together? She had always known what they were doing was wrong, on some level, but seeing the look on their faces, knowing it was masking the pain they felt, a pain that rivaled what she was feeling and not just physically, but deep down emotionally, there weren’t words. Sorry wasn’t even close to being enough.
Her tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked into her pillow. She closed her eyes because she couldn’t bear to see what she was doing to them. Her thoughts drifted to Gage, to his version of this hell, and her tears fell harder.
What the hell did they do?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A man in a whitelab coat walked into the room, a tablet in his one hand, a finger of the other gliding across the screen. “Well, good evening, Mr. Sutherland,” the doctor said when he lifted his eyes, looking at Gage.
Gage nodded and moved his eyes to the door when he heard it open. Heather. The stoic look on her face, the firm posture, neither had Gage ever seen on Heather.
“I’m telling you, the way they make vehicles nowadays is a lifesaver. Between your seatbelt and airbags, you only sustained a few bumps and bruises. How are you feeling?”
Gage rubbed his hands down his face, his biceps screaming in pain when he did. “Achy and groggy.”
“The aches are from the obvious. The grogginess is the remnants of the sedative we gave you.”
“Sedative?” Gage questioned and reached for the cup of water. The coolness coating his scratchy throat.
“Yes.” The doctor looked back down at the tablet in his hand. “You were a little,” the doctor paused, bringing his eyes to Gage, and told him, “out of control when they brought you in.”
Gage shook his head. “I don’t remember.”
“No, it’s no surprise that you don’t. Most that have been in a car accident block out what happens after the first strike, it’s our brains way of protecting ourselves from the lingering thoughts of the tragedy.” The doctor looked back down and told him, “I’d like to keep you overnight, simply for observation.”
Gage nodded and asked, even knowing it would hurt Heather, “Tillian Forester, is she okay?” He wanted to see her. See for himself that she was as okay as he was. But asking about her he knew was doing enough damage to the sudden devastation at hand.
The doctor looked to his wife before returning to Gage. “I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose that information to you, Mr. Sutherland.”
“Jesus, she was the woman in the truck with me,” Gage spat out, not even thinking about his wife in the room.
