Page 124 of Versions Of Us

He nods. “We were able to track her phone to a truck stop about two hours from here. We’ve taken all the suspects into custody. They won’t be bothering any of you again.”

I breathe a sigh of relief as I exit the room and turn the corner. Mackenzie stands in the hospital hallway. She looks exhausted. Her eyes bear dark circles around them and her blonde, tousled waves are a mess. There’s bruising on her right arm that matches the shape of a handprint, but she’s alive. She has survived. I lunge at her, wrapping my arms around her neck as I feel her body shudder with relief beneath mine.

“Thank God,” I breathe. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” She nods. “I went for an early morning walk on the beach and then when I reached the esplanade, Ethan and two of his friends jumped me and threw me into their car. I heard them bragging about how they’d finally given Henley what he deserved.” Her face crumples in sadness. “Please tell me he’s going to make it.”

My face falls, my voice quivering as I explain. “We don’t know much right now. They say he may have lost too much blood. That it may have affected his brain.”

“Oh god,” she cries. “This can’t be happening.”

I clutch her to me, and she clings onto me tighter than she ever has. I hate how cruel the universe can be. The possibility that it could unite me with Mackenzie but take Henley away.

Officer Greenberg shifts in place beside us. “I’m really sorry to interrupt but I just need to ask you a couple more questions, Mackenzie.”

“Okay,’ she says as she pulls away, then to me she says, “I’ll just be a minute.”

I watch her walk down the hall and back out to the waiting room with Officer Greenberg, then I retreat back to Henley’s room. I slump down in the chair and grasp his hand again.

I definitely feel it this time, a twitching of his fingers in mine. I’m certain of it. I look up in time to see his head shift slightly in my direction. His eyelids flutter fleetingly before partially opening, revealing crystal blue irises.

My breath hitches in my throat as I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows.

“It’s you and me,” he rasps. “Forever.”

Chapter 49

HENLEY

Igrab the remote and begin flicking through the channels. There’s nothing but reruns on and I’m bored. I’ve been stuck in this bed for four days and they say I’ll be here awhile longer. It’s nicer than prison though, so I guess I can’t complain.

When I first woke up from the coma my pain was an eleven out of ten. At times it was so excruciating it made it hard to breathe. It’s become tolerable these last couple of days though. Endone helps.

And Kristen.

She’s been by my side since I arrived here, even sleeping in the chair next to my bed. But I finally convinced her to go home and take a shower and have a proper rest. She had refused to leave me alone, waiting until my dad had come to visit to make her exit.

I love her more than anything in this world.

I hate that I’ve put her through hell, and I’ll never be able to take any of it back.

My legs are restless. I know I’m not supposed to be moving around without a nurse present but I’m feeling so agitated. I’m already propped up pretty high with pillows so sitting up isn’t too much of a struggle, but when I swing my legs over the side of the bed there’s a slight tearing in my abdomen. I wince with the pain as I attempt to reach for the pair of crutches leaning on the chair across from me.

“Should you really be going walk about on your own, Mr. Independent?”

That voice is one I know well, but one I haven’t heard for a really long time.

“Katie,” I say, surprised.

“Hey little brother,” she says, her voice low. She wanders over to the chair, picks up the crutches and hands them to me. “You wanna go out to the courtyard?”

“Fuck yeah,” I say. “My entire body is going numb from being in this bed.” Probably a side effect from the Endone too, if I’m being honest.

A smile plays out on her lips, but it’s marred with sadness. “What do you need me to do?”

“Just come over here and be ready to catch me if I fall,” I say, knowing that there’s not a chance in hell her tiny frame could bear my weight.

She shakes her head and, for a second, I think she’s laughing at my lame joke. But she isn’t. She’s sobbing.

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