Thankfully it’s not long before Bram comes out, striding toward us in a hurry. He is nearly the spitting image of Linden, except slightly taller and leaner, with striking eyes that are grey instead of dark blue. He’s got thick dark hair like Linden too, but the last time I saw him it was full of wax and product. Right now it looks a bit crazed, like he’s been pulling on it. He’s worried. This worries me.
“Hi,” Bram says, his accent somehow stronger than his brother’s. There is an awkward moment where it looks like he’s unsure whether to shake our hands or not. He ends up pulling me into a hug. “Thank you for coming, Stephanie.” Then he nods at James. “Thanks for bringing her.”
“No problem,” James says quickly. “How is he?”
Bram sighs and begins walking toward the front doors. We follow him. “He’s better. His concussion is wearing off but he’s still out of it. He’s high as a motherfucking kite. On a lot of morphine for the pain.”
“Jesus,” I swear, my fingers digging into my chest.
“Yeah,” he says. “He doesn’t look very pretty. Which is a nice change for once.” It’s an obvious joke but there is no humor in it. I don’t know Bram well at all and what I do know I don’t really like, but this is affecting him more than I thought it would. In some ways it’s good – it means Linden has more love and support from him than he may have thought.
“And your parents, are they here?” I ask as we get in an elevator with a nurse.
He nods. “Aye. They’ve been here. My mum is at home now, er, resting, but dad is down the street. I’m not sure if he’s having a meeting with someone or getting some food other than the bloody disgusting food they have here,” he eyes the nurse, “no offense, sweetheart.” He looks back and me and gives me a light smile. “But he is here.”
We get off on a floor of the hospital that somehow smells cleaner and looks fresher than the others and Bram leads us down the hall. Being the looky loo that I am, I can’t help but peer into every open door. These are private rooms that must cost a fortune but at least the McGregors’s money is being put to good use.
Finally, we stop in front of one closed door and Bram takes in a deep breath before he opens it.
I immediately want to cry.
Linden is barely recognizable. It’s not that he looks terribly mangled, but he has a bandage around his head, his face is bruised and scratched, and his left leg and left arm are in casts. He looks so small in the bed that I have a hard time believing it’s him.
But it is. His eyes are closed and he looks like he’s sleeping. I’m wondering if we should just come back later when he’s awake.
James has his hand at my elbow and is slowly leading me forward. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to walk.
“Linden,” Bram says as he goes over to the side of the bed, peering down at him. “You have guests, brother.”
Linden’s head is slumped to the side, his eyes are flickering while his breathing is heavy.
“Oh yeah?” Linden mumbles back. He still doesn’t raise his head or open his eyes.
Bram eyes me expectantly.
I clear my throat and step closer. I put my hand on top of Linden’s while I think of what to say. But it turns out I don’t need to say anything. He slowly, gingerly, moves his head and opens his eyes to look at me. His beautiful eyes create a whirlwind in my heart.
“Steph?” he whispers, frowning in hazy confusion. “Are you real?”
I smile. It might be the saddest smile I’ve ever worn. “Yes. I came as soon as I heard. We both did.” I move slightly so he can see James standing beside me.
“Hey man,” James says softly.
Linden’s brow furrows even more. Clearly we both were the last people he expected to see. “Hey.”
“All right, I’ll leave you guys be,” Bram says, heading for the door.
But then James is going after him. “I’ll come too. Come back later. Give these two some privacy.”
Well that certainly makes things a little more awkward. I watch at they leave the door open a bit and disappear down the hall.
I swallow and look back at Linden, at the glazed look in his eyes, my hand still on his. He wraps his fingers around mine, wincing slightly, and squeezes. It feels like home.
“I still think I might be dreaming.”
“No,” I say softly. “You’re not. James told me what happened, so we came on the red-eye. You look…what happened?”
He’s still staring at me and underneath the drugs, the lazy slant to his eyes, I can see him fighting inside to remember. “There was a malfunction, I think they said it was an electrical short but I don’t know.” He licks his lips, breathing slow. “Luckily there was no one else on board. I was supposed to take out passengers for a tour. I work for a tour company now and it was a new chopper. So I took it up just to see how it handles. I remember the lights coming on, then going off, not far from where the airport is. I had to take it down. I remember….almost being on the ground. Maybe thirty feet. Then it pitched. I knew I was going down but…I don’t actually remember the crash. I woke up here. I saw the news footage. It looked like a flaming wreckage. I really don’t know how I got out of it, even like this. I’m lucky.”