Page 8 of Nineteen Letters

He was lucky to have someone like her working for him, and he knew it, it was the first and last time he ever spoke about her like that in front of me.

I have a good mind to ignore his call, but I know Jem wouldn’t want that. “Andrew,” I say in a clipped tone when I answer. I don’t even give him a chance to reply. “Jemma was in a car accident on the way to work. She won’t be coming in today.”

“I need her here,” he snaps. When he lets out an exasperated breath, I feel my temper rise.

“Well, it’s not possible.”

“Can I expect her on Monday?”

“No, she won’t be in on Monday either.” At this stage, I want to hang up on him, but again, I hold my temper for Jemma’s sake. “It’s serious. We’re at the hospital. I’m not sure when she’ll be back.” With that, I end the call. That’s all the explanation he needs.

As I go to place my phone back in the pocket of my suit jacket, it rings again. My thumb moves to press the decline button, thinking it’s him again, but I see Lucas’s number on the screen instead.Christ, our meeting.

“Where the hell are you?” he screeches into the phone. “I’ve been trying to call you for nearly an hour. Please don’t tell me you’re still stuck in traffic. I’ve been stalling for as long as I can. We need those plans.”

“Lucas.” I’m so glad to hear his voice, even if he’s shouting at me. I need to draw on his strength because I’m about to crumble. Pushing through the door, I step into the corridor. “I’m sorry, mate. I should’ve called … it slipped my mind.”

“Jesus, Brax.Slipped your mind?What the fuck is going on?” he grumbles down the line.

“I’m at the hospital.”

“What?” He pauses briefly before asking, “Why?”

“That accident,” I say, my voice cracking. “It was Jemma.”

“Shit!”

The line goes quiet, and the shock I felt when I first got word comes crashing back down. Saying it aloud makes it too real, and I know how badly Lucas will take the news. He not only adores Jemma, but he cares about me too.

Growing up, it was always just Jem and me, and then I went away to university, leaving her behind. It was the first time we’d ever been separated, and it was hard. We spoke every day and drove back and forth to be together each weekend, but it wasn’tthe same. I struggled without her. I was lost—and Lucas saved me. Jemma was the other half of me, but I never realised how much I needed a bro, a best mate, until I found him.

“What hospital are you at? I’m coming to you now.”

A small smile tugs at my lips. In the eight years we’ve been friends, he has never let me down. “Don’t. Finish the meeting, it’s important. There’s nothing you can do here. We’re still waiting for news from the doctor.”

“I can be there for you. I know what she means to you. She’s your life.”

“She is,” I whisper, as tears sting my eyes, but I flat out refuse to cry. I need to stay strong for her. “Lucas, I don’t think I can survive without her.”

“Hang in there, buddy. Jem’s a fighter. She’ll pull through this.”

He has no idea how much I needed to hear those words.

“God, I hope so.”

Chapter 4

Braxton

I’m gripped with fear as I follow the nurse down the corridor towards the intensive-care unit. Jemma’s parents are close behind. We’re finally able to see her, but only one person at a time. I’m thankful they didn’t protest when I said I wanted to be the first.

I’m trying to prepare myself for the worst. I’m not sure what I’m going to find when I walk into that room, but I know it won’t be pretty. My beautiful wife who left me this morning with a smile and a kiss won’t be the same person I’m about to see.

When the doctor finally came back to update us on her condition, we learned that due to the swelling on her brain; she has been placed in an induced coma. I asked the doctor a million questions, but there wasn’t much he could say, except that the next few days will be a waiting game, and Jemma will be closely monitored in the ICU.

Her injuries are vast, and hearing them made me feel sick to the stomach. The surgeon stitched her open wounds, but they won’t be able to operate until the swelling subsides. She’s going to need pins in her right arm and leg, as well as a hip replacement, because the bones are shattered. As much as I hate that my girl is so broken and battered, we can deal with that.She’s alive, and bones heal. Our primary concern is getting her through the next few days. As the doctor said, she’s healthy and strong. I know she’ll fight this.

She has to.