Page 44 of Bound by Wreckage
My heart cramps and twists, threatening to spill blood.
My sister, Austyn, reaches over again and grabs my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze as I sit with my headin my hands, elbows on my knees. She’s my twin, and we’ve always had a special bond. It’s as if she can feel my pain inside of her as well as I can for her.
The doors to the back of the ER fly open and a man with a white coat, different from the ones before, and stethoscope around his neck comes out wiping his hands with a paper towel.
“Family of Cameron and Mearna Wagner.”
Tanner and Rhys hop up with Rylynn on their heels. We all follow, creating a large half-moon around the doc, who takes us in warily as we look to him for hope. Hope that this is going to end well. That Dagger and Mearna will be coming home with us.
The doctor’s face is blank and the air around him is solemn, not giving me good vibes at all.
“I’m going to need you to come back fora bit to discuss some things.”
Tanner starts sobbing knowing it’s bad news as she, Rhys, and Rylynn follow the doctor behind the door. No way the doctor would have glowing reports for them and not give them to the entire crowd. Makes it all the worst.
“Dammit,” my father growls, and I have the same sentiment. Being out of the loop is not a strong suit for us Cruzs. We are more actionmen, not sitting around and waiting men. Sitting back down, no one takes their eyes off the door and we wait.
**
“They’ve been in there for like forty-five minutes. What’s taking so long?” I overhear my sister asking her man, Ryker, my future brother-in-law, who’s holding her tightly.
“Don’t have a clue,” he responds, kissing the top of her head and rubbing his hands up anddown her arms.
Reaching up, I stretch my arm muscles hearing them crack and pop, reminding me of the sounds heard earlier.
Tanner and Rhys come through the door, and we all make our way to them forming a very large half circle. Tanner’s eyes are puffy and bloodshot with tear marks covering her cheeks. She’s shaking and clinging on to Rhys like she’s going to fall over at any moment.Rhys has his arm around her stomach to prevent that.
Tanner can’t speak because she shakes her head holding a tissue to her nose.
Rhys takes a deep breath showing us how much he’s rattled, because he doesn’t pause—ever. Hesitation is not in his vocabulary. He’s raw power which means whatever comes out of his mouth is going to be bad. Really bad and as I look around the circle, theguys hold their women just a bit tighter and Emery and Bristyl look as though they’re holding their breath.
“Dagger is brain dead.”
Everything stops.
This isn’t real.
You can feel the air being sucked out of the room as a dark cloud comes in to storm over all of us. The rage of the lightning hits all of us giving such a sucker punch that every single man around me holdson for dear life.
My heart feels crushing, twisting, and splitting down the middle. The pain, hurt, and devastation swirls around making the darkness thicker so we’re unable to see.
Fuck. We were just out for a ride. Something we do all the damn time. This shit wasn’t supposed to happen. Dagger was never supposed to go… not like that and especially with his woman on the back of hisbike. This is so fucked up.
“He’s on a ventilator, but it’s doing all the work for him. His body is hurt, but still functioning through the machines. There’s nothing the doctors can do.” He takes a deep breath. “Mearna has several broken bones, but those will heal. Her liver, however, was punctured badly. She’s still unconscious, but her brain activity shows that she’s still with us.” Rhyspulls Tanner closer to him and kisses her on top of the head while she weeps. Losing one parent let alone two on the same day is devastating. “Doctors believe she has a fighting chance, but she needs a liver transplant.”
Fuck, even I know someone can’t live without a liver. Kidneys yes. Liver—fuck no.
Tanner hiccups, and her voice comes out cracked. “We’re trying to see if Dad isa match for Mom. We won’t know anything until they run the tests. They put a huge rush on the results because if he is a match, they need to do the transplant right away. If he’s not a match, the doctors don’t have another liver right now to give her. She can’t function without it, so if Dad’s not a match…” She hiccups, the emotions becoming too much.
Tears stream down her cheeks as sheputs her face in Rhys’ chest. He wraps his arms around her and holds on tight as her body shakes uncontrollably, his face a stony mask.
My brother, Cooper, has his eyes closed and his chin resting on his woman, Bristyl’s head. Tug has Blaze wrapped in his arms. Everyone is comforting each other and trying to make sense of everything that’s happened in the course of a few hours. Those hoursfeel like days, months, years. It’s a knife twisting inside your heart and shredding it to pieces.
The room is electric with grief and pain trickling out of each one of us. My mother even bats away a few tears. Emery’s on Jack’s arm. Deke with Riley. Coop with Bristyl. Austyn with Ryker. Tug and Blaze. Everyone is here, and there’s nothing we can do to fix this.
He’s gone.
Gone in a way that he’ll never be found. I hope to Christ that he’s a match for Mearna because he wouldn’t have it any other way. Him saving her… that’s what he’d wish for. If he can save her, he’ll rest in peace.
It’s amazing how when you lose someone, they don’t feel it. Their souls are not in pain. It’s the grief that we leave the ones behind who have to deal with it. Who have to tryto figure out a way to cope.
My cell rings and I grab it quickly to turn it off, but see Gunny’s name on the display. Fuck. I haven’t heard from him in a while. I’ve been wrapped up in digging and trying to work that I haven’t kept in touch with him. There for a while I called and checked up on Carsyn a lot, and he said she was adjusting. Fuck, what if she’s not anymore?
I hold upmy phone and get chin lifts from several brothers. I’m not sure I can take much more bad news at the moment. Here’s to hoping this is good.
Because right now, all we have left is hope and heartbreak.
