ALL FOUR sets of eyes swung in the direction of the raspy voice.
“Rae!” Claire Ann and Kylie shrieked at once.
Everyone sprung into action. Kylie poured water from a blue pitcher into a Styrofoam cup as Trace and Claire Ann leapt toward Rae’s bed and woke their mother.
Trace held the hand of Rae’s without the IV needle. “Jesus Christ, Rae. You scared me to fucking death.” He lowered his head onto the side of her hospital bed.
“Sorry, potty mouth.” She squeezed his hand the best she could, which wasn’t very hard. “What happened?”
“You were in an accident, sweetheart,” his mom broke in.
Trace did his best not to give her a dirty look. Just because he no longer had anything to do with her didn’t mean she wasn’t still Rae’s mom. He knew that. He just wished it weren’t true. Kylie touched his shoulder gently as she handed Rae her cup of water.
“We can talk about that later,” Claire Ann interrupted. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m going to grab a nurse and let them know she’s awake,” Kylie said quietly as she edged out of the room.
Trace knew this was probably an awkward thing for her to be a part of, and his family dynamic was a pretty unusual one.
“Thanks, baby.” He nodded at her as Pauly stepped out behind her.
“Baby? So Trylie is back together?” Rae’s eyes were a few shades lighter and her normally tan skin was slightly yellow under the fluorescents, but she was still gleaming. Still his Rae.
“Never call us that again.”
“At least not to their faces,” Claire Ann added with a grin.
“Rae, how much do you remember about the accident?” His mom put a hand up before anyone could cut her off again. “I don’t want to upset you, but the police have been waiting for you to wake up so that they could get your statement.”
Rae looked like a small child in that bed looking up into their faces. Trace hated that his mom wouldn’t drop it, but he had a feeling she was right about the police.
“I went dancing. With my friend Jo. We were…” Rae’s eyes lost focus for a moment. “Downtown. We went to that new place, that new bar on the strip. And then we got some food.”
Dread weighed heavily on Trace as she spoke. She’d been drinking and driving. And he couldn’t say much to her about it. He and his friends had done that and worse at her age.
Kylie and his sisters painted him as some big protector and savior, but once again, he was plagued by the knowledge that this was his fault. At least in a way it was.
“The last thing I remember is wandering around downtown looking for my car. We couldn’t remember where we’d parked.”
“Okay, that’s good for now,” Claire Ann said. “And when you talk to the police, no matter what they say, only tell them what you can remember. Don’t let them put words in your mouth.”
“I talked to Clancy Ludlow,” Pauly said as he came back into the room. “He’s Trace’s lawyer and a damn good one. He’ll represent Rae if any criminal charges are pressed.”
Trace nodded his appreciation to his manager. He still hadn’t quite wrapped his head around the idea of the man dating his sister, but there was no denying that he trusted him.
“Criminal charges?” Rae squeaked out. “What’s he talking about? Oh my god. Is Jo okay?”
Claire Ann took a deep breath and maintained a mask of calm on her face. “She’s got some pretty serious injuries, Rae. Some head injuries and swelling around her spine. She’s got a rough road ahead, and her family knows you’re Trace Corbin’s sister, so they’ve already got a lawyer and they aren’t exactly talking to us.”
Tears gathered in Rae’s eyes and Trace wiped them as they leaked onto her face. “We’ll take care of it, baby girl. It will all be okay.”
She sniffled loudly. “I never got to tell y’all I finally picked a major. Want to hear something ironic?” She nodded to her casted leg but didn’t wait for anyone to respond before continuing. “It’s physical therapy.”
More tears fell from her eyes. “Can I see Jo? I just want to tell her that I’m sorry. We should’ve taken a cab. I’m so sorry.” Rae broke down into loud sobs that reverberated in Trace’s chest as he held her to him.
“She’ll be all right, Rae. I’ll pay for her medical care and anything else. It will all be handled. Don’t you worry.”
“Your brother shouldn’t make promises he can’t keep.” His mother ignored his enraged glare. “Even if the family doesn’t press charges, the state still can. And since your blood alcohol level was over the legal limit for someone under the age of twenty-one, the cops are going to ask you what you had to drink. So be honest with them the best you can.”