Page 48 of Five Goodbyes

“Let’s get Hunter back on his bed, and scoot it closer to Jasmine,” Amy says. Even in my weakened state, I can see and hear the strength in this woman. No wonder Jasmine’s who she is. With parents as strong as hers, she’s always been meant to be who she’s become.

“How many made it off the boat?” I ask as the nurses help me to my feet. I’m frustrated I can’t stand on my own. I’m looking down as we move to my bed. I climb inside it, knowing I’ll soon be near Jasmine.

“What boat, Hunter?” Amy asks as she moves up next to me.

“Our yacht,” I tell her, confused.

She’s looking at me as if she has no idea what happened. I’m so damn confused. She looks good, but maybe she has a head injury.

“Hunter, what’s the last thing you remember?” Amy calmly asks.

“Please, I need to be next to Jasmine,” I say.

“Okay,” she tells me as she nods at her husband, then the nurses. They move my bed, and though Jasmine doesn’t respond, someone holds out her arm, and I breathe my first deep breath as her hand lands in mine. It gives me the strength to endure anything else that comes my way.

“Hunter, what’s the last thing you remember?” Joseph asks as he moves up next to Amy.

“I remember you jumping into the water with Katherine in your arms, then giving her CPR. I remember the Special Ops team diving in. Then Jasmine and I got separated, and she went under. I dove down after her, but she kept getting pulled further and further away. No matter how hard and how far I swam, I couldn’t get to her. Finally, I was within touching distance . . . but she wasn’t moving.”

I have to stop as I choke up. I look over at Jasmine again, assuring myself she’s okay, making sure we’re both here, that we’re both alive. I hear Joseph, Amy, and Lucas whispering. I don’t care. My entire focus is only on Jasmine.

I lay in this cold hospital bed, my gaze fixed on Jasmine’s pale face and try to put the pieces of this puzzle together. Why are the Andersons confused? Why is it only me who seems clear? Wake up, Jazzy, wake up. I need you. I don’t say the words aloud. It’s a prayer. I’ve prayed before, and I’ve been answered. It will be that way this time as well.

“Hunter, what boat are you talking about?” Amy gently asks as she pulls up a chair and sits next to me, reaching over and taking my free hand.

“The boat we had our wedding on,” I tell her. Images are blurring in my mind, almost as if they are disappearing in smoke. No! I won’t let these precious memories evaporate. They mean too much. Every moment with this woman I love is special. I can’t let any of it go.

“Was everyone on the boat?” Amy asks.

“Yes, the entire family. There was an explosion. Jasmine and I were below when a wall of fire separated us from all of you. But we made it. Everyone made it,” I say, desperation in my tone.

Amy sighs, and I feel panic clogging my throat. I shake my head as she opens her mouth. I don’t want to hear what she has to say. I don’t want to know. I have no idea why I don’t want to know, but I just know that whatever she’s about to tell me will rip my world apart. I’ve lost too much already. I can’t lose anything more.

“Hunter, you and Jasmine were in an accident,” Amy softly says. “You were in a car accident in Miami. You plunged off the side of the bridge when you were chasing a criminal.”

I nod at her.“Yes!” I confirm. ”Yes, we crashed from that bridge. But we both got out.”

“What happened when you got out?” Amy asks. There seems to be true empathy in her voice that I don’t understand.

“Why does that accident matter?” I practically shout.

“Please humor me, Hunter. Tell me what happened,” Amy says, her tone still soothing, making me want to tell her everything. Amy shifts closer, her voice tinged with concern. My heart pounds in my chest, the weight of the unknown pressing upon me.

“Okay, we were chasing a perp, then got hit and sent off the bridge. I got us out of the car and swam to the edge of the river. It’s all hazy now because it was so long ago,” I tell her.

Lucas jumps in, his voice carrying a solemn tone. “Yes, the crash sent your car hurtling over a bridge railing, plunging you both into the water below. It was a horrifying ordeal, but miraculously, the car struck a steel beam, preventing it from completely sinking.”

I shake my head. “No, that’s not what happened. We did sink,” I tell him, but I’m growing more and more confused. “We were trapped in the car, but we got out.” I’m almost begging them to tell me this is true. We did get out . . . right?

Joseph nods, his expression etched with sorrow. “Yes, Hunter. You were trapped, were partially submerged, but you were rescued.”

“No, we got out. Jasmine was unconscious but I got her out.,” I say, less conviction in my voice.

“What happened once you were out?” Amy asks.

I shake my head as the room falls into a contemplative silence, each of us grappling with the magnitude of the events that have unfolded over the past month. I try to visualize the chaos, the terrifying descent into darkness, but it’s growing fuzzier in my memory.

I start slowly as I tell them what’s happened over the past month. Jasmine and I got out of the car, swam to the shore. We were then given time off, went to Africa, had a fight in the jungle with poachers. I tell them about their visit to Miami, though they surely remember it. I speak about Isaiah getting into a fight at the club and ending up in jail.

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