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The doctor lowered his head, but it was Heather who spoke, her words tight, “I told you, she’s fine.”
The doctor took a visible breath. “In most cases, yes, I would be able to relay minimal information on the parties that were with you, but her family has asked that I not share that with you.”
Gage’s head fell back against the flat pillow. He let out a breath and closed his eyes. Fuck, they all knew. Was she okay? Was she alone? God, he needed to know to ease his mind.
“I’ll leave you to get some rest and see you bright and early in the morning,” the doctor said softly and left the room.
The silence in the air was heavy, deafening and louder than the screeching of Tilly’s scream right before everything went black. Gage shifted in bed, a groan from the pain escaping his throat. “Heather, I—”
“No,” she said softly from her spot. She stood looking out the small window of the hospital room, watching the world outside covered with a pristine white. Never taking her eyes from it, she spoke to him, herself, or to the room, just needing to hear the words out loud. “I should have known. My God,” she huffed, a self-deprecating chuckle. “All the signs were there. You being there to you never home, and even when you were, you really weren’t.” She turned, putting her sad blue eyes to Gage. “I asked you. I asked you if you needed to tell me anything, Gage, gave you a chance. Why, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I,” Gage shifted in bed, moving to sit on the edge. Every muscle pulsating in pain, but it was nothing near the torment he was causing his wife. “I was going to tel—”
“When!” Heather’s voice rose, anger coating every word she spoke. “When, Gage, when?”
“When Scarlett left for her—”
Heather bit out, “Oh, I see, when you saw fit. How long, Gage?” Heather started to pace the room. “How long?”
Gage hung his head and whispered, “Since September.”
Heather halted her steps, her body visibly jerked back like he punched her. “Four months? You’ve been having an affair for four months?” Her voice coated with disbelief.
“Yeah,” Gage said softly. “I didn’t—”
Heather spoke over him as realization took hold. “God, it really was there, all of it. Working late, meetings that you never had before, taking off at the drop of a hat. Dom returning the work trailer.” She shook her head, insight slamming into her, her body swaying, words hard and painful as she kept on, “Your face always in your phone or to your ear.” Heather sunk to the seat behind her. Her elbows going to her knees, hands covering her face. “God, the pain, it’s so...” She paused.
Gage stood, his legs unsteady, body screaming, throbbing as he moved to his wife. He got to his knees. “Heather, please, I’m sorry.”
She removed her hands and the anger was no longer there, but pain and sadness sat heavy in her eyes. “You, Gage. Of all people, you. I never would have expected this from you.” The tears started rolling down her cheeks. “You loved me, loved me like I’ve never been loved before, how could you do this to me?”
Gage put his hands on her knees. “I never meant to hurt you, you’ve gotta believe me, Heather. We were growing apart, wanting different things and—”
“So, you go looking elsewhere?” Her words snappy.
“No.” Gage shook his head. “No, I never intended for this to happen.”
“I,” Heather faltered, a sob breaking her voice. “I… God, it hurts. It hurts so bad.” She told her husband as she looked him in the eyes and pleaded brokenly, “Make it stop.”
Gage knew he couldn’t, but he moved to wrap his arms around her. Heather pushed him away, standing abruptly, causing him to fall back. She moved to the window, gripping the windowsill, and sobbed. The wracking in her body causing her to crumble to the floor. Gage sat across the room on the floor watching his wife fold inside herself as she cried from the despair he’d caused her. A pain he told her he would protect her from. That he’d never hurt her. But here he was causing her to sob to the point that her legs gave out.
He failed.
He failed in everything he stood tall for.
Failed his family.
The woman he loved.
He failed himself.
What kind of man was he?
He began to breathe deeply through his nose, but he knew that wasn’t going to help as his own tears began to stream down his face. He wanted to hold her, take the pain away. Watching her fall apart was the hardest thing he ever did in his life. If you drove a knife through his heart, the pain would be less than he was feeling now. The protective instinct kicked in. He wanted to make it better. Make her feel better. Pick her up and put the pieces together. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to push that feeling down far enough to move forward.
_______________
Tilly looked outside and watched the snow. A fresh wave of white to coat everything, like a new beginning, a wiping of the board to start over. On her way back from the CT scan, she’d seen Heather. Heather hadn’t seen her, too lost in her pain, and it was pain that carved her features. She recognized it because it was the same look on her husband’s face. They knew there would be consequences. They knew to see if the grass really was greener, there would be collateral damage, a ripple effect, a destructive wave that would roll over everything and everyone they loved. They knew it going in, and still they risked it.
