Page 107 of That First Night
The tears don’t stop running as the memories continue to flood me. I don’t know how long I sit in this position, but in my dizzy haze of grief I feel strong arms lift me off the chair, and wrap me in a tight embrace.
“Shhh, baby,” he whispers. “I’m here.”
My head is pounding and it’s not from the whiskey I had the night before, or the fact that it’s six in the morning. Last night when I got back to the penthouse, I learned from Jim that Peyton had gone to the hospital because her grandmother had taken a turn for the worse. She wasn’t answering her phone which was justifiable as I am sure she was a mess. Marc wasn’t answering his phone all night and eventually it was shut off. Fucker probably forgot to charge it.
I spent an hour pacing my living room trying to figure out what the fuck I should be doing. Do I find out what hospital and show up? Do I give her some space and wait for her to call me? Those questions circled my brain on repeat. Until I finally made the decision to find her.
At first, it was me calling a few hospitals around the area. But because I wasn’t family they couldn’t give me information over the phone. I finally said fuck it, got in my car and started going hospital to hospital until I found her.
There aren’t many hospitals in the area, but it still took me all night. I exhausted all the hospitals in the city before I started hitting the ones in North Jersey where Gigi actually lived. For whatever fucking reason, traffic was a mess everywhere, even in the middle of the night. My GPS was on a mission to sabotage me left and right.
It wasn’t until around five in the morning when I finally walked into a small private hospital in New Jersey where I saw Marc sitting in the waiting room.
“Thomas.” He stands from his chair and quickly walks to where I stand in the waiting room. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get in touch with you,” he says quickly as if he can read my thoughts. “All of our phones died. Avery ran home to grab clothes and stuff for Peyton, but she wasn’t even thinking straight to grab phone chargers. Both girls fell asleep in the waiting room because only one person was allowed in the room overnight. I don’t have your number memorized. I’m so fucking sor—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off from rambling. I know he’s beating himself up right now. “Where… is she,” I say with a hoarse whisper, nerves replacing the adrenaline of rushing around the city trying to find her. Tears prickle in the back of my eyes, and I attempt to blink them away.
Before he can answer me, Avery and Kali come around the corner.
“Thomas,” Kali breathes out. Almost like she was holding the breath and waiting for me. Was Peyton waiting for me too?Fuck.
“How is she?” I ask.
I watch as Kali shakes her head. A tear escapes her eye, and she quickly wipes it away. “Gigi passed.”
I don’t say anything. My feet want to run, but my immediate reaction has my feet cemented to where I stand like a concrete wall as I let the news soak in. My first thought is that I fucking hate myself for not finding her quicker and being there for her. I should have been there. I should have been holding her hand and given her a shoulder to cry on.
Gigi was an angel on earth. I may have only known her a short time, but she impacted my life in so many ways. I saw the way she cared for Peyton and the way she loved her. The laughs we shared at the beach house are some of the best memories I am sure I will cherish for a long time. The thoughts of her with James are enough to send the tears spilling out of my eyes. She loved that little boy, and he loved her. He loved his visits they took to see her and never stopped talking about her famous spaghetti that she served while coloring pictures with her.
Marc pulls me out of my thoughts of Gigi. “I’m so sorry, bro,” he says as he holds me tight. It’s as if he knows I am about to fall apart any second.
My gaze drifts to Avery who gives me a soft smile and greets me with the same warm embrace that Marc did. “She’s in room 309,” Avery says with a tip of her head.
“How is she?” I hesitantly ask despite knowing the answer already.
“She’s not good,” Avery says, shaking her head. “She’s numb. She refused to leave her side and she’s been curled up in a ball in the chair next to her.”
“Thank you for staying here with her,” I tell Avery and turn my gaze to Marc. “You too. Thank you for taking care of the girls.”
“Always.” He nods.
I don’t say anything else as I move to Gigi’s hospital room. My knuckles tap lightly three times on the door. But I don’t hear a sound coming from the other side. Slowly I push the door open, and I see Peyton curled in a ball with her knees to her chest on the chair closest to the hospital bed. She’s sound asleep so she doesn’t notice me entering the room.
I don’t waste another minute before my arms wrap around her body as I pick her up and place her on my lap. I slowly brush the strand of hair out of her face as I take in her pale features and swollen eyes. My movements cause her to stir.
“Baby,” I whisper. Her eyes snap open as if she’s shocked to see me. A sob erupts from her as she moves to cover her face with her hands. “Shh, baby. I’m here,” I say as I lean in to brush more hair from her face and press a kiss to her forehead. “I’m here.”
“Thomas,” she shudders. I plant a kiss in the hollow of her neck as I hold her close to me.
After a few moments, she lets out the tears she needs to cry. My heart continues to break as I hear gut wrenching sobs coming from her. I want to take away her pain. I want to make this better for her. But I know nothing will.
When the tears slow down, she wiggles free of my hold to turn her body to face mine while not leaving my lap.
I stare up at her and delicately run my hand down the side of her face as tears fill my eyes for the first time since being here. Looking at Peyton in this state just shatters me right down to my core. My thumb swipes a tear that escapes from her eye.
“Baby.”
“You’re here,” she says. Her voice sounds so small and broken.
