Page 15 of The Long Game

She starts asking Luca about information for Lexi’s chart. All the usual stuff; name, date of birth. Everything I know, too, but I’m not technically family.

They start asking questions about what happened. Luca refers to me for questioning. I give them the full play by play, or at least how I remember it. I try hard to keep my emotions in check and not seem like a lovesick puppy, who just watched his whole heart drop into the lake, unconscious.

The doctor finishes his assessment and turns to us.

"I don’t think we’re looking at a concussion. Just a bad hit to the head. She will need stitches — quite a few of them. She was lucky you were close by when she fell. This could have ended differently." He looks at me and then Luca. "We’re going to take her back for a CT scan, just to be sure before we release her. It might be a bit. Why don’t you boys go down to the cafeteria…call your parents. Let them know what’s going on." He puts a hand on Luca’s shoulder. "We’ll have someone come find you there once we’ve run our tests."

"Like fucking hell we’re going to leave her alone after what just happened," I protest and gesture to Lexi. My adrenaline is still pumping through my body, and I could punch him in the face for even suggesting we leave.

Lexi stares at me in confusion after my outburst but she’s still a little out of it. I’m not sure how much she’s processing.

Luca grabs my arm, yanking me back.

"Thanks, Doc. We’ll wait in the cafeteria." He looks over at Lexi. "We’ll just be downstairs, Lex, if you need us. I’m going to call mom."

Luca puts his hand on my chest and pushes me backwards out of the exam room.

Lexi and I lock eyes on one another as Lucas pushes me out of the door.

Leaving her doesn’t feel right. I want to be with her. But I’ve been overruled.

Luca has two inches of height on me, but size-wise, he wouldn’t be able to move me unless I agreed to move. I don’t fight him. I’m also not ready to turn my back on her. Not until I have to. They start helping her into the wheelchair as we exit the room, and Luca reaches down to grab the towel that used to be wrapped around Lexi and I when we first entered the hospital.

God how I wish she were still wrapped around me so I could hear her breathing — feel her heart beating against mine. She was safe in my arms; she was warm in my arms. This hospital is too fucking cold. I clench my fists.

Weeks after the accident on the dock, nightmares about Lexi started entering my subconscious.

Every time it’s the same dream. I don’t get to Lexi fast enough. She inhales too much water. I pull her onto the dock and lay her flat on her back while I attempt CPR and compressions, but CPR fails. In my dream, Luca isn’t there to help me — no one is.

After I finally give up lifesaving attempts, it’s just her lifeless body and me, silent on the dock.

It ends the same way each time; I can’t change the outcome. God knows I’ve tried like hell to change the ending. I pull her back into my arms, holding her tight against my chest as I kiss her head where it connected with the staircase.

I pull us back to the edge of the dock while she’s cradled protectively in my arms. Even though in my dream she’s already dead, she whispers something to me. I nod and say something back, but in the dream I never hear what we say to each other.

After our words are exchanged, I sink back into the lake with her in my arms, and neither of us surface again.

The scar along her hairline and my nightmares are the only thing left of that horrifying day.

I’ve never told Luca or Lexi about the nightmares. I’ve never told anyone about them.

Chapter Five

Present day

Tucker

I insisted on dropping Lexi off at the airport this morning after our night together in her LA suite.

One, because I need every last moment with her; and two, because I keep thinking I’ll talk her into something more concrete. So far though, she’s not budging.

"When can I see you next?" I ask.

"I’ll be leaving as soon as I touch down and get my stuff packed for the Grand Cayman’s. I have no idea how long this project is going to take. It’s a really large resort with more amenities than we’ve ever taken on before."

"Can I come out and see you?"

"Tuck, I don’t want to make this harder on both of us. It’s impossible for us not to jump into bed whenever we’re together. We’ll end up in a relationship by default."

---