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Still, I’m not listening to him and don’t care about anything except Margot. Especially because the doors finally open and out walks Tyler, with a nurse at his side.
“Jake,” he says, “I need to talk to you for a minute.”
I put my hands on my knees and try to get up, but I don’t have the strength to move. Brian and Logan are there, helping me when I’d fall on my ass otherwise. They stay by my side, offering me the support I need as Tyler goes on.
“As you know, most of Margot’s injuries occurred when she was struck with a burning beam while she was protecting a child. The beam hit her across her back and her head, resulting in a severe cranial injury, and she has a compound fracture in the radius and ulna of her left arm. We were able to operate on her lower arm to repair the breaks. Unfortunately, she was unconscious when she arrived, so we’re waiting on the results from her latest scans to see the full extent of her head injury.”
He keeps going on, but there’s no chance in hell I’m gonna be able to focus on what he’s saying.
She’s alive.
For now, that has to be enough.
When Tyler’s gone, hopefully back to save Margot’s life, I force myself to breathe deeply.
She’s not going to die. She can’t. Not when I just got her back. Now, when we have our entire future ahead of us, I refuse to let her go.
“Brian. I need a favor.” I tear my eyes away from the wall to find myself looking at the man who is so much more than just a friend.
“Anything.” He stands up from where he’s sitting with his arm around Maya.
“I need you to go to my house. In the top drawer of the dresser in my bedroom at the very back is a small black box with a necklace in it. I need you to get it for me, please. I don’t want to leave in case there’s an update.”
I swallow down the bile hanging in the back of my throat.
“Yeah. Of course. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He kisses Maya and then leaves.
I know it’s stupid, just a trinket… but I need to give it to her.
“You know, she always knew you kept it,” Maya says. “Just couldn’t figure out why.”
“Huh?” I look at her with raised eyebrows.
“The necklace… She found it the first time you were together. Margot asked me why you would keep it when you pushed her away right after that night. The necklace was a part of your past that she thought you didn’t want to share with her. But she didn’t want you to feel like you had to give it back to her so she never asked for it.” She pats my arm like I’m a child who needs soothing. “You need to know that. She always knew you kept it. She knew you pushed her away, and she still came back to give you a second chance. I may not have known her the way you did when she was growing up, but I love her too.” While her voice wavers, there’s nothing about what Maya’s saying that I can deny or walk away from.
“She has to be okay. That’s all there is to it.” I get distracted by the sound of the doors opening, and my heart skips a beat when I see Tyler walking back through the door with a somber look on his face.
It’s only been a few minutes. He couldn’t possibly have an update unless—
“Margot’s in recovery. That’s the good news. She’s still unconscious, but that’s to be expected. We’ve still got a few hours before we expect her to wake up. If you all…” He trails off as his eyes catch on his brother, the one still refusing to acknowledge his existence. Clearing his throat, he goes on like he didn’t just stumble over his tongue. “If you want to go home, I can update you as soon as anything happens.”
Tyler’s staring at me, expecting a response, but I can’t. I can’t open my mouth for fear of the screams I’m barely holding on to coming out. I can’t utter any words, let alone think about them.
“No.” Angela is right there, grabbing my hand with my parents on my other side, offering me the support I wasn’t even aware I needed right now.
It’s enough to break me, and I didn’t think there was anything that could do that.
Nothing except Margot, I guess.
“Margot needs him,” Angela says. “The bond they share is stronger than medicine. Take him to her, and don’t give me a single word about how it’s not allowed, because I know every single member of the board of this hospital and I will make a phone call that will devastate you.” In all my years of knowing her, I’ve never heard Angela speak like that to anyone, especially if there wasn’t a reason for it.
I’m just taking a step forward when the sliding glass doors to the waiting room interrupt the silence and Brian practically falls through them.
“Got it.” He gasps like he ran the entire way, which would be impossible since it’s only been a handful of minutes that he’s been gone.
When I take the slim box from his hand, my fingers are trembling. The damn necklace has been in my dresser since she gave it back to me all those years ago.
I haven’t even gotten a chance to tell her I love her.
