Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(70)
Grabbing a few pieces of bacon, I stuffed them into my mouth, narrowing my gaze at Carter and hoping to get an idea of what was going on. “What’s going on? What did Garrett want?” I asked as soon as he hung up.
Carter furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, trepidation written all over his face. “When was the last time you talked to Shelby?” he inquired curiously.
Immediately, I knew something was wrong by the tension in his tone. “Yesterday, right after lunch, why?”
Closing his eyes, Carter sighed and hung his head. “Oh, son, I don’t know how to tell you this,” he started, “but Garrett found Shelby unconscious in your driveway last night, bleeding from the head. She’s in the hospital and she’s not waking up.”
I charged toward him, wide-eyed and frantic. “What happened?” I shouted desperately.
“Well, Garrett said he was stopping by to show you something he knew you’d want to see, and when he pulled up he saw Shelby in the driveway. He called an ambulance and rode with her to the hospital. After they examined her and the bruises on her body, they decided it looks like she blacked out and fell over, hitting her head when she went down. Garrett said he tried calling you, but apparently, you have your phone off.”
“Goddammit,” I roared, taking off for the front door, “which hospital?”
“She was at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, but they’re transferring her to UC Davis Medical Center. She’s on her way there now.” Her mother worked at UC Davis, so it was probably her that had Shelby transferred so she could care for her.
I could barely think for the pounding in my ears and my racing heart. If anything were to happen to her I’d never forgive myself for leaving. I knew I should’ve stayed. My gut instinct told me I should’ve stayed, but I was too pissed to listen.
If I thought what Shelby told me yesterday was the worst thing I would ever hear, I was mistaken. The knowledge of losing a child I didn’t know existed cut deep into my soul, but knowing that I could lose Shelby forever was the worst fear imaginable. Slamming on my helmet, I quickly strapped it on and hopped on my bike. It was over an hour and a half ride from where I was at, but I planned on making it in an hour.
I just prayed I didn’t run into any cops.
SHELBY HAD ONLY ARRIVED ABOUT thirty minutes before I did, but I wasn’t the only one waiting on her. Lexi and Hayley were sitting in the waiting room with their eyes downcast when I walked in the room. Hayley kept her gaze down, but Lexi looked up and immediately burst out crying.
“This is all my fault,” she wailed. “None of this would’ve happened if I’d keep my mouth shut.”
“If anything, it’s your sister’s fault,” I grumbled. “Apparently, she’s the one who should’ve kept her f*cking mouth shut.” Hayley winced, but I didn’t give a damn. Shelby had her chance with Hayley and now it was my turn. “Let me guess, Hayley, so you were the one who told Kyle about mine and Shelby’s baby? Do you even know the whole story? I sure hope not, because if you did that would probably make you the most cold-hearted, inconsiderate bitch I know. ”
Hayley nodded. “I deserve that,” she whispered. “I didn’t know the whole story until yesterday, but I knew enough that I told Kyle so he could exploit it. You have no idea how sorry I am.”
“That’s enough,” Lexi commanded, glaring at me. “We need to focus on Shelby right now. What I want to know is why she was in your driveway and close to being dead by the time Garrett found her? Has she not suffered enough? You weren’t there with her after everything happened … Jace and I were.”
“Lexi,” Hayley murmured, shaking her head, “calm down.”
“No,” she backfired, turning her glare to her sister. “He needs to know everything, from the beginning.” Now it was my turn to hang my head in shame.
She was right, I wasn’t there, and now I was going to pay the consequences. Shelby wouldn’t have been in the hospital if I was there to catch her when she fell. Getting up from her seat, Lexi marched over to me. “Obviously, Shelby didn’t get her point across because you still left. Well, let’s see if I can enlighten you a bit. Shelby’s my best friend and I’m not going to see her suffer anymore. It’s been too long.”
She pulled up a chair and sat in it right in front of me so I’d have no choice but to look at her. Her gaze was fierce, and the fire in her eyes reminded me so much of Shelby, who tended to bring that out in the people she was around. It was one of the things I loved about her because she brought out the same passion in me.
“The whole time Shelby was pregnant she was so happy, full of life, you know? There wasn’t a day that went by when she didn’t talk about you to that baby. She would tell her how she hoped that she’d get your green eyes and your smile. Every single night I’d listen to Shelby read Madelyn stories and sing her songs; I even sang to her as well. That little girl was a fighter, and even when the odds were against her she held on until her mother got to hold her. I had never seen Shelby so heartbroken in my life.”
Lexi’s chin trembled and I could tell she was on the edge of breaking down—hell, I was trying my best to keep it together—but she continued, “I don’t know how much Shelby got to tell you before you freaked out on her and left, but we had a service for Madelyn and had her buried. Shelby spent a lot of time out there at the beginning, but it got to be too much for her. She blacked out just like this time, but thankfully, Jace was with her when it happened. Her mother made him put Valium’s in her smoothies just so she wouldn’t have panic attacks.”