Page 17 of Claiming Becca

She shrugs. “It was one of my therapist’s suggestions, the long lists of things. You know, to create endorphins, serotonin, and all that. The whole endorphins make you happy, and happy people don’t kill their husbands,” she jokes.

“But you weren’t married,” I say, confused.

“It did help me not want to kill anyone, though.” She sighs, glancing away quickly.

I cock my head. “Who—”

“I’m going to check to see if my sister is awake. I can’t sit here anymore,” says Caroline Everyone stands in agreement, and we all go to her room. The tears have finally dried up, at least for now.

Liv helped get my mind off everything happening for a little while. Caroline enters Bailey’s room first. We visit her as often as we can. She’s in a different part of the ICU than Connor. We can only see Connor twice daily and only one person at a time.

“Oh my god! You’re awake!” Caroline cries out. I walk in quickly so I can see with my own eyes.

“Speaking of,” the nurse says. “Be careful with her,” she warns. “Her head is still tender.” Caroline walks over to Bailey, hugs her, and begins to cry. Bass stands behind her.

Glancing around, I realize how exhausted we all look. Seeing Julian, he looks relieved but exhausted, like the rest of us. I don’t think he’s slept in the past two days. When you have two people you love dearly in the ICU, it’s hard to sleep. I know. I hug Bailey after everyone else does, wanting to hold her tight, but I control myself and step back. Bailey looks around at each of us.

“Where’s Connor?” she asks. The lump that had temporarily left my throat returns. She doesn’t know. Liv steps up next to me and wraps her arms around me. Lincoln slaps Julian on the back, and I swallow.

“Julian? What happened?” she asks him, looking at him with pleading eyes. Julian runs his hands through his hair. Bailey motions for him to come to her. He walks over and sits on the bed, picking up and holding her hand. Tears gather in my eyes again and begin to fall.

“I don’t know how much you remember. You called me. I was at school. So, I called the police, then called Connor and told him to get Bass and Lincoln. I wasn’t sure if I’d get there first or need help. I did get there first. I was at the back of the house. Josh had you and Tabitha tied to kitchen chairs. Tabitha came too, and he was going to shoot her.”

He takes a deep breath, and I try to shut out the visual this brings. It’s like living it all over again. The tears begin to fall faster.

“I couldn’t let him do that. So, I stepped into the kitchen and was going to shoot him. He saw me and was moving to shoot you. He wanted to punish me. Connor came in the side door. He thought Josh was about to shoot me, so he was going to tackle him. Instead, Josh shot him.”

I wipe frantically at the tears. When will this nightmare end?

“Oh, my god,” Bailey says. She looks over at me. “Is he?” She looks back to Julian. I lean into Liv, and her grip tightens on me.

“He’s alive, but he’s not doing good. He was shot in the stomach. He had a lot of internal bleeding. He’s had two surgeries. He might have to have another surgery. He’s on the other side of the ICU and being monitored closely.”

Bailey’s eyes land on me again, and the look on her face makes me close my eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Julian,” she whispers.

The nurse comes in and claps her hands. “Alright, everyone visiting hours are over. I know I won’t be able to get rid of the boyfriend, but everyone else has to go.”

I don’t want to leave. I want to sit with Bailey and laugh. Over the past several months, she and I have become as close as sisters. Other than Connor and Bass, she is my closest friend and becoming family like they are. And I am just now beginning to realize my family is expanding to include Liv, Caroline, and Ansley. Everyone hugs Bailey and begins filing out. Walking over to Bailey, I hug her again, and she holds me longer than the first time. When I go to leave, she grabs my hand, looks at the nurse, and then at Julian.

“Can we get a minute?” she pleads.

The nurse sighs but nods and walks out. Julian leans over and kisses her on the forehead before walking out. When we’re alone, she pulls me to sit beside her and holds onto my hand. Overall, Bailey doesn’t look bad. Her injury is on the back of her head. She still looks pale, though. I’m not sure how much blood she lost.

“I’m so sorry, Bec. How are you doing?” she asks. My heart feels like it will burst out of my chest with how much it hurts. Bailey begins to cry, and I can’t stop the tears either. I wipe frantically at my cheeks.

“I can’t stop crying. I try, but then I’ll think, what if I never hear one of his stupid dad jokes again, and I’ll start all over again,” I confess.

She opens her arms and motions for me. I lay my head on her chest, and she wraps her arms around me and strokes my hair. I’m so thankful for her friendship. She has no idea how much it means to me to be accepted for who I am. She doesn’t judge me or make fun of me. I showed up to her classroom at her college in a penis costume, and she found it hilarious. Julian, not so much, but he’s used to me by now.

“He’s strong, Bec. He’s going to make it through this,” she encourages me, and I nod. I have to believe it; the alternative is unthinkable.

“I know,” I mumble. “I’m so scared. I lost my grandpa. I can’t lose him too.”

She kisses the top of my head and strokes my hair again. “You won’t. If you need to cry, you can cry with me. Okay?” she murmurs.

I sit up and wipe my cheeks again. “Okay. I hate crying. But I haven’t been able to stop,” I admit.

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