Page 123 of Wreckage

I nodded, my eyes burning with tears. "I will."

Then, I was wheeled away.

And just like that?—

I was gone.

Amy,my nurse, was gentle and soft-spoken, helping me get settled in the back bedroom of the RV.

Ryan and Jake, the two drivers, were friendly but professional. They kept their voices low, were respectful, and gave me space.

The second I was alone, the tears came.

I curled up on the bed, my arms wrapping around myself, the pain in my chest so much worse than the physical aches in my body.

I thought of Troy’s eyes, fierce and protective.

I thought of Adrian’s voice, soft and coaxing.

I thought of the way they had held me in the dark, whispered promises and apologies into my skin, fought for me, lived for me, and loved me.

And I wept.

Because I missed them.

Because I loved them.

Because I was too broken to face them.

Because I didn’t know if I ever would be ready.

I let my tears soak into the pillow, my body shaking, my heart splintering.

Then, finally, I squeezed my eyes shut and whispered a single prayer into the dark.

“Please, let tomorrow be better.”

Chapter 44

Troy

Ileft my room and pushed open Adrian’s door, stepping inside without a word. Night had fallen. He was lying on his side, facing the wall, his hands tucked beneath his pillow, his covers halfway on his body.

I didn’t say anything. I just crossed the room and lay on the bed next to him like I’d done every night since we arrived.

After a moment, he turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling, green eyes dull and empty.

We had separate rooms. We always did growing up and would bitch at each other if we went into one another’s room.

Now? We welcomed the company. Since we’d come home, we still slept in the same bed every night, our bodies facing one another, the blank space between us that Elena should have filled.

Dad never said anything about it. Maybe he understood. Perhaps he didn’t know how to bring it up. Maybe he just knew we needed each other. To an outsider who didn’t know our trauma, we probably looked like we had a lot of issues. We did, but they were our issues, and we dealt with them in the best way we could by being together.

Dad’s fiancée, Lydia, was nice. She lived here, but she never said anything about our sleeping situation, either—not that I thought shewould. She was quiet and sweet and reminded me of Elena in that respect.

I liked Lydia. She had two grown kids we hadn’t met yet—a son and a daughter—but that didn’t matter. We’d agreed to meet them at a different time when life wasn’t such dog shit.

Lydia made Dad happy, and that was enough for me. He was smiling again. Laughing. His eyes lit up whenever she came into a room, and it made me smile.

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