Catching Summer (Second Chances, #6)(49)

“I’m not. I’ll always be by your side.” It wasn’t long before he drifted off to sleep, but I lay there too terrified to close my eyes. I could only imagine the horrible things I would see if I did.





Chapter 23


Summer


After a few hours of sleep, I slipped out of the hospital bed and grabbed a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. I hate coffee, but I needed the caffeine. Kate and Cooper were sitting at a table, eating breakfast, looking glum. I was thankful Kate had pulled some strings so I could stay the night with Evan. Usually it wasn’t allowed, but Evan had been adamant that I stay.

“Anything new?” I asked, taking a seat.

Kate rubbed her tired eyes. “The police are going to talk to Evan sometime this morning. Other than that, I guess everything’s under investigation.”

“What about arrangements for Brianna’s funeral?”

“Her family’s taking care of that. Joel is meeting with the team today and asking for donations to help out. They’re kind of waiting on Derek to wake up before they set a date.”

A lone tear fell down my cheek. “I see.”

“What about on your end? Did you talk to Mason?”

I took a sip of my coffee and almost gagged. “I did. He’s going to get Luke’s friend Jason to help out. He’s supposed to call me today.”

She sighed. “That’s good. I know Jason very well.”

Picking up my coffee, I stood up and pushed in my chair. “What about the game tonight? Will there still be one?”

Cooper cleared his throat. “Joel said the team’s fired up and ready to go. They want to do it for Derek, Evan, and Brianna.”

“Are you going to play?” I asked him.

He started to say no, but Kate put a hand over his mouth. “Yes, he’s going to. I guess he feels he needs to babysit me.”

Cooper chuckled. “Somebody has to.”

“All right, you two, I’m going to check on Evan and then head to his house to get him some fresh clothes.”

“I can do that if you want. That way you can stay with him,” Kate offered.

“No, it’s okay. I think I need the fresh air. Hospitals bring back way too many memories for me.”

She smiled sadly. “I understand. Cooper and I are going to the stadium to talk to the team, but we’ll be back up here later.”

I nodded. “I’ll see you guys then.”

Before leaving the cafeteria, I guzzled down the rest of my coffee and threw the cup away. I could already feel the effects of the caffeine swirling through my body. I needed that jolt. Once I made it back to Evan’s floor, I walked by the waiting room, only to be tackled by Lara as she threw her arms around me.

“It’s about damn time I get to see you. I was here a while ago, but when I looked in on you and Evan, you were on the bed with him. I didn’t want to bother you.” She let me go and her eyes watered.

“He’s okay, thank God. But I’m assuming you heard about Brianna and Derek?”

“I did. I can’t believe this shit is happening. It’s already all over the news.”

“What are they saying?” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Nothing much just yet—only that it’s under investigation and they’re considering foul play. It’s too soon, I guess.”

“Where’s Grayson? Is he handling the restaurant?”

She nodded. “He said he’ll do whatever it takes. We both know you want to be with Evan.”

Holding on to her arm, I pulled her with me to Evan’s room. “At least until he’s out of here. Do you want to come with me to fetch him some clean clothes?”

“Sure. I’ll do whatever you want.”

Evan was already awake, flipping through TV stations that were all covering the accident. “I wonder how long it’s going to take for the media to come here. We need to make sure Derek doesn’t see this shit before I get a chance to tell him.”

“Last I heard, he hasn’t awoken yet, but we’ll make sure he can’t turn on the TV,” I told him.

He shut the television off and slammed the remote on the table. “I’m ready to get the f*ck out of here. Do you know when they’re letting me out?” He tried to run his hands through his hair, but winced when he touched the bandage. I walked over to him and grabbed his hands.

“I don’t know, but it’ll be soon. I’m going to run by the house and pick up some clean clothes for you. Is there anything else you need?”

Sighing, he pulled me closer and kissed me. “Only you. Just hurry back.”

“I won’t be gone long. Besides, I think the police are coming to talk to you. You’ll be busy with that for a while. Then tonight we can watch the game together.”

“The team’s still playing tonight?”

I nodded. “They wanted to do it for you, Derek, and Bri.” I kissed him again. “I’ll be back soon. Try to get some rest so you can go home.”

“I’m trying, sunshine.”

Lara and I stepped out and started down the hall toward the elevator. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked.

The elevator doors closed and carried us down. I was okay for the moment, but I could feel my resistance wearing thin. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m just ready for this all to be over.”