Page 4 of Unbroken

“She was freaking hilarious the other day, gossiping about her nurses and her new friends,” I laughed.

Devon and his sister, Sydney, had gone down to Houston to settle his mom into her new, one-bedroom apartment in the city and get her set up at MD Anderson where she would receive treatment for her cancer through a trial program. She’d be spending most of her time at the hospital, but Devon wanted her to have a space to herself as well. We didn’t think it was likely she’d use the apartment much, but it was important to him.

I’d met up with them the day before to help with whatever I could.

“She loves you,” he said, and then quickly added, “She might love you more than she loves me.”

“That’s not true,” I argued. I knew he didn’t believe she actually loved me more, Devon and Sydney were her entire world, but the sentiment was sweet.

“You doing okay, though?” he asked somewhat hesitantly, and I sighed.

“What? Do I really look that bad? Because you’re the second person in so many minutes to ask me that.”

“You don’t look bad,” he clarified, laying a large hand on my thigh and squeezing once. “You could never look bad, B. But you do look a little rundown.”

I pursed my lips and sipped my drink. It warmed my insides, but nerves were clawing their way back with each second that passed. My eyes darted to the front door as Luke stepped out.

“Where’s he going?” I asked Josh, who closed the door behind his brother.

“To get his girlfriend.”

Fear made my muscles go rigid, and Devon felt my thigh tense under his palm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, but I was already standing before he finished his question.

“Bathroom. I’ll be right back,” I said quickly. With all the grace of a newborn giraffe, I stumbled into the guest bathroom and locked the door behind me.

I wouldn’t put it past my nosy friends to come after me.

I took a deep breath through my nose and blew out my mouth. I did that a couple times, trying to stave off the panic that I knew would overwhelm me quicker than I could realize it was happening.

But instead of the deep breaths working some kind of magic, I was suddenly hyperventilating. My lungs were burning, and the room felt like it had twisted sideways.

My back hit the wall, and I slid down until my head couldfall between my knees. I wrapped my arms around my legs and hugged them to my chest.

I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to ruin the good thing Luke and Hazel had. But I also couldn’tnotdo it. The repercussions if I didn’t, or if I failed, were too severe.

Fuck. I wanted to scream and yell and fight. I wanted a way out.

I rocked back and forth on the tile floor unable to form a cohesive thought that wasn’t manic screaming. I don’t know how long I was in that position, but when there was a knock on the door and I jumped, my arms and legs ached with the movement.

“B?” came from the other side, and I could cry at hearing Devon’s voice.

I cleared my throat and squeezed my eyes shut. “Be out in a minute.” My voice only wavered a little, and I didn’t move until I heard his steps recede.

Somehow, I stood up and looked in the mirror. In my panicked state, I hadn’t managed to shed a single tear. I was beyond crying. I’d already cried so much my body was rejecting the possibility of ever doing it again.

My cheeks were flushed, but my thicker makeup hid most of the blotchiness.

Voices carried through the door, one of which I didn’t recognize. My heart was hammering as I listened the best I could. She sounded sweet, and her laughter trickled in behind Luke’s deep chuckle.

And that sound snapped me into motion. As did the idea that if I didn’t do something, I’d never hear those sounds again.

Like I was on autopilot, I stepped out of the bathroom and approached the couple. Hazel looked exactly as I expected her to. She was several inches shorter than me, with long brown hair and a heart-shaped face. Her hazel eyes were wide with surprise. She looked like she was plucked straight from a Disney princess movie.

“I was wondering where you were,” Luke said. “Hazel, this is Blakely.”

“Hi,” she said, offering me her hand which I shook quickly. Her smile was bright yet nervous, and I did everything I could to muster my own, but it was useless.

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