Holding You Close

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

KATIE

I feel like I’m moving at hyper speed as I follow the ambulance to the hospital. It took them nearly twenty minutes to find us, and I felt relief when I finally heard the sirens. Noah’s blood is on my hands and clothes, but I don’t care. The paramedics tried to calm me down, but nothing they said registered because shock took hold. I wish Noah wouldn’t have answered Brittany’s call and ignored her a*s.

Brittany.

I grip the steering wheel tight with one hand as I call Jerry with the other. When he answers, I can tell he’s smiling, but when I croak out that there’s been an accident, it quickly fades.

“Which hospital?” he asks. I hear keys jingling and know he’s already out the door.

“Mobile General Hospital,” I say.

“I’m on my way now,” he tells me. I hear Belinda in the background asking what’s wrong. “I’ll bring Owen with us too unless you want me to take him to your mother’s.”

“It’s fine. He can come. Thank you so much,” I reply, and the call ends. The next logical person to contact is Gemma, and my heart races as her phone rings. When she answers, the strength I had when I spoke with Jerry quickly vanishes. I try not to cry so my vision doesn’t blur while I’m driving, but I fail. I talk a million miles per hour as I explain exactly what happened.

“Oh my God!” she shrieks.

“I thought he was dead,” I whisper. “I can’t lose him, Gemma. Not now. Not when we’ve decided to finally be together.”

My emotions bubble to the surface, and my words come out in sobs.

“He’s strong, Katie. My brother’s a fighter. If anyone can survive an accident like that, it’ll be Noah. Tyler and I are on our way now. I’ll let Everleigh know too. I know you’re upset,” she says. “Please be careful.”

“I will, I promise. We’re in town now and should be at the hospital in five minutes,” I tell her.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

When I pull into the parking lot, the ambulance goes to the emergency room entrance. I park in the visitor’s area, then run inside and explain the situation to the woman at the front desk. Since he’s just arrived, she hasn’t received any patient information yet and asks me to sit in the waiting area.

The hospital has a certain smell to it, and it brings me back to the night of Gabe’s accident. While I’ve been here a few times over the years, those memories never go away. I find myself staring at the wall, drowning out the surrounding chatter and the TV in the corner. Nothing else matters besides Noah right now.

The doctor finally comes out. He explains what’s going on, then asks me questions about Noah’s health history, mostly things I don’t know.

“They just took him back for a CT scan, and once we have the results of that, we’ll let you know. He’s banged up but remaining stable. As soon as we have more information, I’ll come find you.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Other family members are on their way now.”

He gives me a smile, then returns through the double doors.

When I sit down, I just keep thinking about the what-ifs. What if I wouldn’t have searched for him? Would he have survived? For all I know, he’d still be unconscious and bleeding in his mangled truck. There’s not much traffic on those country roads so there’s no real way to know, but not one car passed while I was there. My mind goes crazy with all the horrible scenarios, and I try to push it all away. The reality is I could’ve lost Noah tonight, and the thought makes me sick to my stomach, almost to the point of dry heaving.

I try to suck in air, but it feels like the ceiling is closing in as my mind reels. The only thing that brings me back to reality is the sound of Belinda’s soft voice. Owen rushes to me and wraps his arms around me.

“I’m fine,” I tell him, knowing he was probably worried. I never randomly leave him with anyone. In this instance, I had to follow my gut.

“How is he?” Jerry asks with concern written on his face.

“Not sure. They just brought him back there. As soon as there’s an update, they said they’d let me know.” Owen sits next to me as Belinda pulls me in for a hug. Just as she lets go of me, a frazzled Gemma and Tyler rush through the door.

As soon as she’s close, Gemma pulls me into her as close as she can. “You okay?” she asks when we break apart.

“I will be once I know he’s fine,” I admit.

“He will be,” she confidently says.

Everleigh arrives, and we sit in the waiting room, but no one really says much. Owen has his tablet and headphones, which keep him occupied. Although he’s next to me, he leans in as close as he can until we’re touching. Having him here brings me comfort. As Gemma and Everleigh ask me a myriad of questions, I lose track of time.

“So what the hell happened?” Everleigh finally asks.

I keep my voice low, trying to put all the pieces together. “Noah called and said he was gonna help Brittany because she had a flat and didn’t have a spare. She was stranded on the side of the road with Anthony and needed help.”

Everleigh gives me the side-eye. “Why didn’t she call someone else? Why him?”

“Exactly,” I mumble. “I asked, and he said he was her last resort. Anyway, we were getting pastries for our movie night, and I saw Belinda, who explained Brittany had left early. Her SUV was parked behind the deli.”

Gemma looks as confused as I feel. “I thought she had car trouble?”

“Apparently, she had a rental,” I say. “I’m not buying any of this. There’s something deeper going on, and while I hate to admit this…” I glance over at Owen, making sure his headphones are still on, and drop to a whisper. “I’m not convinced Brittany is solely responsible for this, but I think Loretta is paying her to do her bidding. Brittany’s a single mom struggling to get by. Today, Loretta conveniently withdrew twenty thousand from the bank. I don’t think any of this is coincidental.”

Gemma places her hand on her chest over her heart, and I don’t want to upset her any more than she already is because of the baby. “You think they’re conspiring against Noah together?”

I nod, unable to meet her eyes.

Everleigh clears her throat. “Looks like Imma need to stab two bitches then.”

It’s the only thing that makes me smile. Before we can continue our conversation, the doctor interrupts us. Jerry stands and greets him. We wait with bated breaths as he informs us of Noah's condition.

“He's doing fine. Noah has a concussion, some bruised ribs, and a lot of cuts and scrapes. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation. He’s been given medication for the pain, and we’re in the process of moving him to another room. I believe the nurse said he’s going to room 327, but it might take some time to get him transferred. In the meantime, do you have any questions for me?”

“No, sir, I don't think we do,” Jerry says after he looks at us, and we shake our heads.

“Not many people have walked away from such a severe accident. From what I've heard, his slow speed, along with the side airbags, helped with the impact. He's lucky to be alive.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I'm happy to hear my son will be okay. We're thankful,” Jerry says.

The doctor gives a slight head nod. “If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“We will.” Jerry lets out a long breath and sits when the doctor is out of sight. “Good. My boy’s gonna be fine.”

I relax slightly, feeling better.

“Noah being moved to a room is a good sign,” Gemma says, and Everleigh agrees.

“Yeah,” I let out. “That's positive news.”

Thirty minutes pass before we're told we can go upstairs to Noah's room. I'm nervous as we step onto the elevator because I know what he looked like when I found him. When the doors open on the third floor, my anxiety spikes, and Owen grabs my hand. He's such a good kid, very empathetic, and I couldn't be prouder to have him as my son. I'm positive he doesn't fully understand what's going on, and I make a mental note to explain the accident to him on the way home.

Jerry opens the door, and when he and Belinda enter, I can see the foot of Noah's bed. It brings back the bad memories of seeing Gabe on life support, but I keep it to myself.

“Go ahead,” I tell Gemma. “Go see him.”

She tilts her head at me. “We'll go in together,” she says. She and Everleigh wait for me to gain my composure as I try to be strong.

After a few minutes, we enter the room together. Noah’s sleeping, but his breathing is steady. His eyes are black, and there are gashes on his arms and scratches on his face. His hair is matted in places from the blood, and it hurts my heart to see him lying there so broken. Owen looks up at me, and I place my hand on his shoulder, then bend down and whisper in his ear. “He’s going to recover.”

Belinda keeps her hand tightly secured in Jerry's as he talks to Noah, letting him know we're all here and thinking about him.

“Has he been awake at all?” Gemma asks the nurse, who smiles sweetly.

“Oh, I don’t think so. He's on a lot of morphine right now too, so I don't imagine he'll be awake until morning.” She adjusts Noah's oxygen and types something into a laptop, then leaves.

The more I look at him, the more visibly upset I become. Owen stands close, but I notice he hasn't lifted his head from his iPad. I can't imagine how hard it is for him to be in here too. Everleigh is on the other side of me and wraps her arm around my waist. “It's gonna be okay,” she whispers.

“I know,” I say, hoping she's right.

Gemma moves closer to Noah and takes his hand in hers. Her voice drops to a near whisper. “You're gonna make it through this, bubba.” His hand stays limp in hers.

After an hour, Jerry and Belinda decide to go. Gemma, Tyler, and Everleigh hang around for a little longer, then say their goodbyes too. Then it’s just Noah, Owen, and me in the room. It nearly breaks me to leave him here alone, but it's a long drive home on old country roads, and it’s getting late.

I swallow hard and lean over, whispering in his ear. “I'm gonna come see you tomorrow. Please stay strong, Noah. I love you.”

I pull away as tears fall down my face, and I give him a kiss on his cheek before we leave.

“Bye, Noah,” Owen says, patting Noah on the shoulder.

Owen doesn't say much on the way home, but I explain what happened the best way I can.

“He's going to be fine, right?” Owen finally asks.

“Yep, he'll pull through. Might take a little while, though,” I tell him as I keep my eyes on the road. I'm a nervous wreck on the way home because I know how dangerous it is to drive these roads at night. There is no shoulder, and deer will often run out in front of vehicles. Though my mind is running a million miles per hour, I keep my eyes on the road and focus. When I finally turn into my driveway, I let out a relieved breath. Tomorrow when I visit Noah, I'll take Owen to my mother's. He was supposed to go to Loretta's, but no way in hell am I letting her close to my son, not until I know her involvement.

I slept like s**t and woke up exhausted. After I showered last night and calmed down a bit, I called my mom and explained what happened. She was upset but also happy that Noah will recover. After I get dressed, I cook us breakfast, then drop Owen off at my parents' house. Before I leave, Owen hugs me tight, and I make sure to tell him how much I love him. This accident has really shaken him up, but I've tried to put on a happy face even though it's hard as hell. Over scrambled eggs this morning, I made sure to keep our conversation upbeat while also answering his questions truthfully.

On the way to the hospital, I go over everything that’s happened, but none of it makes sense. Is Loretta capable of doing something so horrific and using Brittany as an accomplice? I’d like to think not, but I don't know.

I replay last night and the conversation Noah and I had. The truck that slammed into him was big, and thankfully, it missed his door and hit closer toward the front fender. I wonder if this was an accident or intentional. Too many questions run through my mind, and by the time I pull into the parking lot, I'm wound tighter than a ball of yarn.

I go straight to Noah's room and smile when I see Jerry and Gemma.

“I'm sorry, I didn't realize y'all were here,” I say.

Gemma grins. “Katie! I was just telling Dad I need to eat right now before I get hangry.”

Jerry laughs and looks at his watch. It’s barely past eleven. “She did, but I was hoping Noah would be awake,” Jerry says. “He’s been sleeping all morning.”

“Dad. Food. Now,” Gemma says, and they stand.

Jerry grins. “If he wakes up, will you let us know?”

“I sure will,” I reply with a laugh because Gemma grows more impatient with every passing second.

“Bye!” Gemma happily exclaims as she heads toward the door with Jerry behind her.

Once Noah and I are alone, I move the chair next to the bed and sit. I grab his hand and squeeze tight, then close my eyes.

“Katie?” At first, I think I’m imagining him saying my name.

When I look at Noah, his eyes are open. A smile instantly hits my lips as I lean over and hug him.

“Noah,” I croak out. “You're awake. Oh my God. I'm so happy. How do you feel?”

“Like a giant pile of shit.” He tries to reposition himself and moans with a painful expression.

Immediately, I feel bad for him, but I'm thrilled he's talking to me. “You bruised some ribs and had a concussion. The doctor said you’d be really sore for a while,” I explain.

Noah stares at me, then looks around the room with furrowed brows. “Was Brittany here?”

His question shocks me. “No. I haven't seen her. Before I showed up, Gemma and your dad were here, though. They just went to grab some lunch.”

“You're sure Brittany wasn't here?”

“I can't be positive, but I think Gemma or your dad would’ve said something if they saw her. No one has heard from her since yesterday. I'm not sure if she ever found a ride or got a tow back to town either. Enough of that, though. When you're home and feeling better, we need to discuss some things regarding her. I just don't want to talk about it right now.”

“Yeah.” He blows out. “I agree. I just...I could’ve sworn she was in my room.”

Curiosity fills me. Is it possible she stopped by before Gemma and Jerry arrived? Absolutely.

Considering he's awake and talking, the last thing I want to discuss right now is Brittany.

“I was worried about you, Noah. I thought...” My voice cracks, and I choke up. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

With a tight squeeze of my hand, he tries to reassure me. “I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

His words make me smile, but I also know we can’t control every situation. “I was scared. The blood and the way your truck looked. I just...I thought the worst.”

Sucking in a deep breath, he turns his body toward me, and I stand to help adjust his pillow.

“It happened so fast,” he says.

I can't even imagine what it was like. “They said the truck hit you off-center, and if it would've been two feet to the right, you probably wouldn't have walked away.”

He tries to suck in a deep breath but winces instead. I give him all the time he needs, and before I say another word, my phone dings. Pulling it from my purse, I unlock it and see a text from Gemma.

Gemma: Belinda just met us for lunch and said Brittany showed up for her shift today and acted like nothing happened. No comment about yesterday. Do you think she knows about Noah's accident?

Katie: If he was going to pick her up and never showed, wouldn't she question it? All of this is strange AF.

Gemma: Yeah, I agree. Belinda did mention she was driving a rental car and had her SUV towed.

I narrow my eyes and reread the message.

Katie: If you wanted your story to be believable, wouldn’t you tow it somewhere too? I’m not buying this, but I'll figure it out. Also, your brother's awake now.

Gemma: I agree. Something weird’s going on, and I'll tell Dad about Noah. Yay! Please tell him I love him and I’ll see him soon. I'm sure we'll be back after we eat. We're just down the street at a cafe grabbing a sandwich.

Noah clears his throat. “Who's that?”

I give him a smile and lock my phone. “Gemma. Just letting her know you're awake. They're eating, then they'll be back. She said she loves you.”

“Tell her I said it back, please,” he says and sucks in a ragged breath. “Were they worried?”

“Yes, we all were. You had a room full last night. Even Owen was stressed,” I say.

Sadness meets his eyes. “I'm sorry. I hate that I’ve put y’all through this.”

“You're alive, and that's all that matters. It was a wake-up call, I think. A reminder that life is short, and we don't always get second chances. Not that I ever have, but I promise I won't take a moment with you for granted, Noah. I just kept thinking...what if I lost you?”

“Might be broken and bruised, but I'm here, baby.”

I lean over and press my lips against his, and the emotion pours through me. When I move back to my chair, I meet his eyes again. The nurse enters, and she's pleasantly surprised to find Noah awake.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Reid,” she tells him. “I'm Tracy, your nurse. How's your pain level today?”

“I'm okay,” he tells her. “Could use some water.”

She nods. “I'll bring some. Anything else?”

“I don't think so, thanks.”

Tracy leaves and eventually returns with a small pitcher of water and some ice chips. “Press your call button if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” he says, and she leaves. I pour a glass of water as he tries to sit on the edge of the bed and put his feet on the floor. “I feel like I got my a*s beat.”

I hand him the cup, and he drinks it in a few gulps, so I give him more. “Last night, I just remember wanting to talk to you. You called, and I dropped my phone on the passenger side floorboard.”

Staying silent, I just listen.

“Then the crash happened, and I saw my entire life flash before me,” he says, and I can tell sitting upright is taking a lot out of him. When he drinks all the water he wants, I help him lie down.

“What else do you remember?” I study him.

“You showing up and me telling you that I loved you. Then you said it back.” His gaze pierces through me.

A smile touches my lips and grows wider. “I do love you.”

“I meant it, Katie. I love you so damn much. It was one of the last thoughts I had before everything went black.”

“You mean more to me than words can express.”

I move forward and kiss him. Emotion pours out of me in waves, and I sink toward him when his tongue swipes against mine.

“Lie down with me,” he says, holding me close. The hospital bed is small, but somehow, we manage it.

Noah chuckles. “Maybe I should get into more accidents.”

“Maybe I should kick your a*s?” I look up at him with a smirk.

“I might like that.” Noah wiggles his brows. “I’ve missed you.”

“Same,” I admit. “I'm happy you're awake.”

“There's no other person I'd rather see right now than you,” Noah says. “You're so damn beautiful, Katie.”