Page 10 of Beyond the Stix
“No cops,” I bite out, not meaning to snap at my friend. “Sorry.”
“I get it.” Danny’s grimace fades a bit. “We’ll figure something out.”
As much as I want to keep Jessup away from me, guilt slides in, since it’s my dad’s only brother—only living family. He has every right to see my father. “He came to see his brother. I have to give him that.”
Just then my phone rings. I pull the cell out of my pocket and see it’s my mother. I debate if I should answer, but Danny takes the phone out of my hand and taps the green button.
“Hi, Mrs. Wild… Yes… Connor needed some air and… Yes… We saw… Okay… Security is handling it… Yes. Then give him a few minutes and we’ll be back inside… Alright.” With that, Danny hangs up.
“What did she say?” I ask, as panic simmers in the pit of my stomach.
“She wanted to know where you’d gone to, and said she found your uncle in your father’s room, but he left a few minutes ago. Connor, she’s also worried about the people collecting outside of the hospital. She doesn’t want them coming up.”Danny hands me back my cell. “I assured her it’s being handled. But what do you want to do? Stay or leave?”
I’m too numb to think straight, and all I want to do is run. But there’s no way I can leave now—not with my mother sitting alone and facing the reality of my father’s fast deteriorating health.
I glance at all the faces around me. “It’s okay if you guys want to leave, but I need to stay with my mother,” I admit, my eyes landing on John, who gives me a nod.
“What’s your decision? I need to tell Tobias,” Dom says before retrieving his phone.
Danny ignores Dom, but whispers to me, his hand firmly gripping my forearm. “Are you okay?”
I glance at my best friend, and a weary grin slides across his face. I know he’s trying to help soothe me—and it does, somewhat. “I’ll be better once I’m upstairs.”
He nods in understanding, but he doesn’t stop there. He leans in further and whispers, “You didn’t tell me everything about Jessup, did you?”
I can’t look at him, but admit with a swallow of guilt, “No, I didn’t.”
“You know we’re going to want answers.” He means him and the band.
It’s been so long and I figure it’s a moot point to talk about it. I’ll just evade, like I always do with shit I don’t want to talk about. I ruefully chuckle—seems that’s what I’ve been doing with John, too.
“I know.” And I leave it at that.
“Pen says Tobias wants us out of here.” Dom has the cell to his ear.
“You guys head out. I’ll take Connor back,” John says.
“Got it,” Dom replies, tells Pen, and then tucks the phone away.
“Let’s go in.” John’s commanding words ease something in me.
“Call if you need me.” Danny hugs me.
“I will.”
John presses a gentle hand to my back and urges me inside the building. We retrace our steps, moving toward the elevator, where I get an itchy feeling, like someone is watching. Granted, there are loads of people outside taking pictures, but this feels different.
The ride up the elevator is quiet. Without the rest of the band and the security team, I’m alone with John and uncertainties about the night we shared in the shower threaten to spill out of my mouth like vomit. But I hold the words in and walk into my father’s room.
Given Dad’s comatose state, the nursing staff lets us stay in the room. For the rest of the night, I sit by my father’s bed—alongside my mother, with John stationed at the door.
When the cardiac surgeon and the neuro specialist arrive early the next morning, they confirm that my father no longer has brain function, and the machines are what’s keeping him alive.
Once the doctors leave, my mother bursts into tears. Me? I can’t cry. I’m too fucking numb to believe that Dad’s going to die once we take him off life support.
The man I know in that bed is powerful like Superman. He wouldn’t let Mom or me down by dying. So, no. I won’t believe what the doctor said.
As I hold my mother, I glance over to the door, where I see John staring back at me. The stony expression on his face confuses me. I don’t know why, but it does.