Echo(41)

“Yes, see?” I showed her his contact. “Matt. I’m going to call him, okay?”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees, looking very much like a small, fragile child. And I hated myself for not seeing it before. For not seeing how vulnerable she really was. I’d completely underestimated what she was capable of dealing with.

“It’s going to be okay,” I said again, edging towards her slowly as I dialed Matt’s number. “It’s all going to be okay.”



***



Matt’s pounding on the door sent Nicole into another bout of hysteria, and I cringed as I ran to open it.

“Where is she?” he asked, his eyes wild as he looked around the room.

“She’s in the bedroom.”

He tried to bolt to her, but I grabbed him by the arm.

“Matt, she’s… she’s seriously traumatized. I think she’s having some kind of breakdown, but she won’t go to the hospital.”

His shoulders fell, and he nodded as though he understood.

“It’s okay,” he explained. “I’ve seen her like this before. I know how to help her.”

“You do?” I felt like the world’s shittiest friend. How come he had all the answers, and I didn’t.

He strode to the room without answering and cradled Nicole against his chest. He rocked her in his arms, whispering soothing things into her ear while he rubbed her back.

The tension dissipated from her body, and suddenly I understood. It wasn’t about having the right answers. It was about being the right person. Nicole needed Matt because she loved him whether she wanted to admit it or not.

There was a hollow pain in my own chest at the sudden epiphany. Ryland needed comfort too whether he wanted to admit or not. His pain was four-fold what Nicole was going through, but he’d never let on to it. He’d never allowed himself to be vulnerable in front of me. He took his pain and twisted it into anger, and it was the only thing holding him together.

Would he ever accept my help, even if I were to offer it?

Matt understood my unspoken question as he looked into my eyes with a solemn expression.

“It isn’t your fault,” he said. “You can only help those who want to be helped, Brighton.”

A solitary tear slid down my cheek as I jerked my chin in agreement.

“You’ll take care of her?” I croaked.

“Always,” he replied.



***



The sound of Ryland’s angry voice carried down the hallway, and I ran towards his door with what little energy I had left.

Three nurses and a doctor surrounded his bed, threatening him with a needle as he tried to claw the blankets off.

“Ryland?”

My voice made him pause, and his face filled with relief as he sank back against the pillow.

“Brighton.”

He breathed my name as if it were the only thing in the world that mattered to him.

I drew towards him slowly and clasped his face in my hands, trying to smooth away the worry in his eyes.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

The doctor huffed and gave the nurses a curt nod as they backed away from him.

“He said he was coming to find you,” the doctor replied.

Ryland’s helpless expression dissipated as I stroked his hair and gave him a weak smile.

“I didn’t know where you were.” He tried to justify.

“He says he wants to be discharged,” the doctor spoke again. “Although I would highly recommend against it.”

“Ryland, you can’t.”

This had to be difficult for him, being out of control. I could see the same fear in his eyes he had whenever I was late or he thought something had happened to me. What most people would say was completely irrational seemed like the most rational thing in the world to him. He’d lost everyone he’d ever loved.

“I’m not staying here,” he growled. “I fucking hate hospitals. And I can recover at home just as well.”

“They won’t let you go,” I argued. “You can’t just walk out of here.”

“Actually, he can.” The doctor sighed. “If he signs a waiver, unfortunately, there’s nothing else we can do to keep him.”

The doctor looked to me as though I had some sort of power to sway his decision. He obviously didn’t know Ryland Bennett.

“Stay a couple more days,” I pleaded. “I’m not going to leave your side, I promise.”

“No, Brighton. You weren’t here this morning.”

I ignored the harshness of his tone as I desperately sought a way to fix this.

“I’ll leave if you discharge yourself,” I threatened.

“No, you won’t.” He called my bluff.

The doctor looked at us like we were both crazy before shaking his head.

“What if he hired a nurse?” I asked.

“He really should be here, Miss. Valentine, it’s the best place for him.”

“I’m not staying,” Ryland grated.

The doctor sighed and gestured to one of the nurses as he walked out of the room. “Very well, Mr. Bennett. I’ll prepare to have you discharged from our care.”



***



“Where are you going?” I asked the nurse as she moved towards the front door.

“He told me I’m no longer needed.” She crossed her arms indignantly. “I don’t know why you even bothered wasting my time.”

I noticed the fat stack of cash in her hand and thought it couldn’t have inconvenienced her too much.

“Look, you can’t leave,” I begged.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but he’s the patient, and he’s refusing my care. There’s nothing more I can do.”

I nearly toppled over from exhaustion as I stared at the list of everything I still had to do. Ryland needed groceries, and I still had to clean the kitchen since I hadn’t had the foresight to organize someone else.

The nurse clearly saw my frustration and took pity on me.

“I’ll tell you what you need to do,” she gentled her tone. “If that will help.”

“Please,” I encouraged, collapsing onto the barstool.

“You’ll need to change the bandages daily,” she explained, pulling supplies from her bag and setting them on the counter.

She demonstrated how to do it in slow and simple steps and explained what I needed to look out for as far as signs of infection went.

I felt better with the information, but my chest still tightened as she walked towards the door.

“Thank you,” I blurted.

She gave me a gentle smile and shook her head. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, Miss Valentine.”





Chapter Twenty-Nine

I walked into Ryland’s bedroom to find him tapping away at his phone as if he hadn’t just been stabbed two days before. What little display of vulnerability I’d seen in the hospital was no longer there as he conducted business as usual.

The only way I could even tell he wasn’t himself was by the few pieces of hair sticking every which way on his head. That and the fact he had his shirt on inside out. He didn’t even seem to notice, which was very unlike him.

When he heard my sigh, he looked up at me, his features softening a fraction before they hardened again. He was still pissed at me for not being at the hospital this morning, and I hadn’t even had the energy to explain why yet. I did call and check in with Matt, though, who reported that Nicole was safe and sound at his apartment. He said she would stay there until all of this blew over. It was the only good news I’d heard all day.

“You don’t have to stay.” Ryland kept his eyes glued to his screen. “If you have better things to do.”

I wanted to take his phone and throw it at the wall.

“Don’t,” I snapped, my voice wavering already.

He blinked up at me in confusion. “Brighton…”

“No.” The damn burst, and I didn’t even care. “Don’t you Brighton me. You didn’t even think to ask why I was late this morning. And I didn’t want to upset you, it’s the only reason I didn’t tell you before.”

“Tell me what?” his voice gentled as he patted the bed beside him. “Come here.”

I remained where I was, blinking away the tears. God, I was sick of crying.

 “Nicole was having a mental breakdown last night, and I didn’t know how to handle it,” I said. “I found her this morning in her room with a bottle of whiskey and a bunch of pills. She freaked out when I tried to call an ambulance.”

Ryland tore his gaze from mine and took a shaky breath. “Is she okay?”

“She’s with Matt,” I replied. “He says she’s doing okay. But Ryland… she’s not going to get better. Not until this…”

“Stop,” he croaked. “Brighton, please come here. I need you right now.”

It was the most honest thing he’d ever said. And so I went.

He pulled me against his side, and we both ignored the elephant in the room for a while longer. I would ask him what he planned to do to Brayden, but not tonight. My psyche couldn’t handle it, and I didn’t think his could either.

“I almost lost you,” I cried.

“You didn’t,” he whispered. “I’m still here.”

It was true, and yet, I couldn’t relax. Because even though he was still there, I didn’t know for how much longer that would be.