AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good.” Rett pats him on the head, the same way I’ve seen Avery do with both of them. “You’re gonna be a good cousin.”
And just like that, an entire room full of adults are left in a fuckin’ heap of emotions. Laid to waste by two kids who haven’t even hit puberty yet.
When I finally look away from my boy, it is to see my mom holding Avery’s mom in her arms. Both our fathers stand side by side, standing guard over them, and the brothers are all-in on an intense conversation with Avery’s sisters, Bailey and Callie, standing between them.
“Did you get her?”
Cam looks up from their conversation to nod shortly, sending a short glance to Lucas, who is also staring at him.
“You shot her, didn’t you?” Lucas’ voice carries.
When Cam nods once, Lucas doesn’t even blink.
“Okay.” He turns to Rett and pats the seat next to him. “The doctor said it’s going to be awhile. Sit with me. We’ll send the suckers for pizza.”
With Rett by his side, I leave Lucas just for a second, to talk to our families.
Bailey gets right in my face. “What in the actual hell happened?”
Before I can answer her, the sliding doors open again. Bria, Lucas’ social worker, walks into the room and makes a beeline for the boys, only hesitating to make sure that I see her.
“Karen Zucker happened. She walked right into the school with a fucking weapon, and she shot my daughter,” Avery’s mom snaps irately. “You.” She points at me. “You better do whatever the fuck you have to do to keep this from happening again.” Then she turns on her husband. “You. Give the school whatever they need to keep those kids safe.” Her breath hitches. “What if it had been one of the kids? Alex, I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her.”
“Veronica,” Mom says softly, squeezing her tightly once more. “She’s alive. She’s alive. Remember that. And I’ll help you. We’ll make sure there are better safety measures in place.”
Four hours later, Rett and Lucas are asleep on the floor with a sleeping bag and pillows, pizza boxes sitting next to them. The rest of us are still milling about, hoping for updates.
I don’t even know how I missed another person standing in the waiting room, but a soft cough has all of us turning around. A short woman with piles of red curls wound in a bun on top of her head stands there, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else.
“Family of Avery James?”
I look at her parents, who just shoo me forward.
“Yeah,” my voice breaks. “She’s my—”
“She’s his fiancée,” Alex speaks up from behind me. “What’s happening?”
“I’m Dr. Lawrence,” the woman says quietly, her fingers laced together in front of her waist. “Avery lost a lot of blood, but we managed to stop it before she bled out. Luckily, the bullet went straight through and missed all of her vital organs. She’s alive, but she’s got a long recovery ahead of her. I can take you to see her now, but she’ll still be sedated for a few more hours.”
I am not an idiot. I follow right behind her without offering the chance to see Avery to anyone else. As far as I’m concerned, everyone else can wait.
“You need to be prepared,” she warns me right before we go inside.
“Fuck.” The doctor hadn’t been kidding.
Avery looks terrible. Her arms, neck, and head are the only things I can see since everything else has been covered by one of those thin hospital sheets. But she still has blood in her hair, and her complexion has absolutely no color.
“Oh, Ms. James.” My voice breaks, and I take Avery’s hand in mine. “What the fuck did she do to you?”
24
AVERY
“Carter Matthews, I swear to every god in the sky that if you don’t get out of my ass, I’m going to lose my shit.”
If he wants to act like a fucking child, I will treat him like one. Especially since I haven’t even gotten to get out of the hospital bed in a day. Theyfinallytook the catheter out so I can go pee on my own, and what does he do? He purposefully inserts himself right up my ass and won’t let me even try to get out of bed without help.
“Avery.” The nurse looks at me with a knowing smile on her face. “He’s trying to help you.”
