From The Wreckage - Complete (45 page)

“Sweetie, you
do
know you’ve actually been here for a week, right?”

“A week?”

“Yes, they kept you in a type of medically-induced coma for the first three days just to ensure you would be in less pain, plus they did your surgery.”

“Don’t remind me,” she complains; the thought of screws and pins holding her together freaks her out. “I still want to see West. Can I call him? Is he here?”

Glancing at her dad, Jules notes the shadow fall over her mom’s face like she’s hiding something. Jules has always been able to tell when she’s trying to keep a secret.

Her dad nods. “I’ll make a call.”

The next morning, Jules is combing her hands through her hair when there’s a knock at the door. Her heart races and she tugs the sleeves of her long tee shirt down to cover the bandages wrapping her arms. Her left forearm had been sliced open by glass and her right one was the benefactor of some pretty gnarly road rash where she was thrown across the street. The heat she remembers from that night never made sense in her mind because it was a cold night. But that heat was actually the feeling of her burning skin as it skidded across the asphalt. 

Excitement overwhelms her as she calls out a quick ‘Come in’. She is expecting West, so she smiles when the door pushes open. For a moment she’s confused when she sees short, dark hair that doesn’t look anything like West’s devil-may-care waves and spikes. Then her face falls as she realizes it’s Austin poking his head in, not West.

She tries in vain to push herself up straighter as he closes the door behind him. “Where is he?”

Austin’s face says it all. Jules grabs the hospital phone by her bed and dials West’s number as she asks again, “Where
is
he, Austin?”

The line rings straight to voicemail and when she hangs up, she looks at Austin. Glares is more like it. She waits for him to speak as his hand covers hers.

“He’s not coming,” he admits; his face so much like West’s it hurts her to look at him.

“Not coming?” she stammers; a pain stabbing at her heart. “Why? What’s going on? No one will tell me anything. My dad said he’d make a call and then told me to be ready this morning. I assumed he meant West was coming.” The frantic words tumble from her lips and her hands begin to shake. “
Say
something! All I need to know is that he’s okay…he’s all right, isn’t he?”

He pulls a chair closer to her bed and sits. He scans her face and grimaces as he takes in the bruises and cuts. She knows she looks scary and tries to ease the concern written on his handsome face.

“I’m okay. They’ve been giving me the good stuff, you know. I haven’t had to feel a thing, so honestly, I look worse than I feel.”

His broad shoulders curl under as he leans forward and removes an envelope from his back pocket. “He gave me a note to give you.”

“Okay.” 

Taking the white envelope, she stares at the writing. Each word is printed in the bold script Jules is used to seeing West write in. It has an interesting appeal to it; his penmanship neat, but messy.

Jules, 

I’m so tired. I’ve been up for days trying to think of what to say to you. If this is crazy and disjointed then I am sorry. You know I’m not always the best at this. 

When my mom died I blamed God. Did I tell you that already? I don’t think so. I was angry with him, so I gave up everything out of spite. You knew her once - you saw how vibrant she was. She was the life of the party, and then one day she went to the doctor and was told she was dying. Just like that.

I was so angry with everyone and everything and I turned my back. 

I’ve regretted that decision so much, because now I know what I missed out on.

I missed out on years with the friends I’ve known all my life. I missed out on football, which is something I love and can’t ever get back.

And I missed out on you. 

When I saw you that night at the Shack, something in me just had to speak. It was like I was compelled by a greater force, by God even - whom I’d pretty much given up on. Ironic, right? 

When the storm hit and those sirens went off, I swear to you, clear as day, I heard my mother’s voice yell at me to save you. The entire time we were trapped in that house she was there with me, inside my head, telling me we were going to be all right. You asked me once how I was able to stay so calm and make jokes and passes at you. It was her. She was so funny, always telling jokes when I was scared or sad as a kid. 

She saved me that night, so that I could save you.

Jules, I can’t even begin to tell you how much the past three months have meant to me. 

But Saturday night I ruined it.

I promised I would keep you safe, and I promised her I would protect you.

I almost got you killed. 

You could have died and it was all because of me.

I can’t face you. I’m so angry at myself for what I’ve done.

My dad worked a deal to keep me out of trouble. I really don’t care what happens to me right now, but he says it will help you too, so I’ll do anything he tells me to if it means keeping you from getting in trouble.

You deserve so much more than me. You deserve that Captain America dream life you had going on before the twister ever came to Tyler. 

I’m so sorry to do this to you. I never wanted to hurt you, but I think in time you will see you’re better off. 

Please don’t be sad. I’d rather you be angry at me. Go ahead, hate me for what I’ve done to you. Blame me for Tanya, for the wreck, for being the jerk that walked away from you. I want you to hate me every step of the way through your recovery and use it to get back on your feet. Amaze those doctors with your strength. 

Then go to college in the fall, whole again. 

~ West

She flips the paper over, then checks the envelope; looking for something more.

“That’s it? What the hell is this, Austin? This sounds like a goodbye.”

“I didn’t read it.”

“You didn’t read it?” she asks incredulously and throws the note at him. “Where is he? What does he mean I ‘deserve better’? Did he seriously just dump me in a letter, after everything we’ve been through?”

“I…I don’t know, I didn’t read it,” he repeats sadly. 

“Then
read
the damn thing!” Jules shouts. “Read his damn letter and tell me what the hell is going on with him! He blames himself, Austin. He blames himself and he sounds crazy.” Anger and fear swirls through her, bubbling out like a caged lion waiting for its next meal. Grabbing the remote lying by her thigh, she throws it across the room. The back breaks off, scattering batteries and bits of broken plastic across the floor. 

“Ow!” she cries out and tries to ball herself up. Pain shoots through her body and she freezes. “Damn it.” 

Standing quickly, Austin grabs her arm. “Jules, stop. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I don’t care,” she lies; accentuating it with a punch to the bed with her free arm. “What is this
deal
your dad worked out for him?”

His face pales. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you’ll calm down. You’re going to hurt yourself more with all that thrashing around.”

“Tell me what’s going on.” 

“Promise me,” he orders; his face in hers. She nods once and he shakes his head, clearly holding her to a verbal promise.

“I promise,” she hisses through gritted teeth.

She lets some of the tension release from her muscles and relaxes back against the pillows propped up behind her head.

“There was talk of the other driver, the silver car coming from the opposite direction, suing. Not just suing us, but you and Cunningham as well.”

“What?”

“His statement was that West and Rick were playing Chicken-”

 “No! That Rick guy —
he
was the one who wouldn’t stop playing Chicken. We tried to get away from him.”

“That’s what West said, but with no witnesses and the fact that you’d all been drinking…” He shakes his head. “West went postal at it all and told dad to fix it…to use his ‘celebrity’ status to keep you from getting blamed.”

Jules thinks about the words in his letter and nods for Austin to go on.

“They made a deal to keep you from going to court, Jules. It’s pretty hush-hush, and I’m pretty sure my dad had to pay someone something, but in the end no charges were filed against either of you. I guess Aubrey was actually on the phone with nine-one-one when the accident happened, so Rick admitted to being the guilty party.”

“That’s it? Just a little money? Well that’s good. I mean, your dad should talk with my parents. He shouldn’t have to pay anything at all, but certainly not everything.”

“That’s not all.” His serious face worries Jules and she brings her fist to her mouth to keep from shouting at him. “West had to agree to get counseling.” 

She closes her eyes, knowing how hard it must have been for him to agree to go. He hates talking with people about his feelings, and she knows that any counseling he gets will certainly end up centering on his mom’s death. 

“Out of state counseling…for six months, in-patient,” Austin finishes.

“In-patient?”

“Why the hell didn’t he tell you this in his letter?” Austin fumes; frustration on his face. Jules knows he’s just as upset by everything as she is. West is his little brother after all, and they’re very close. “He’s already gone. They sent him to an in-patient rehab facility for six months.”

She’s sure if she had the time she would cry or scream or throw another remote, but instead she leans over just enough to throw up all over the floor. Thankfully she turns to the side opposite of where Austin is standing, but it doesn’t lessen the humiliation of it all.

“Jules? Jesus, let me get a nurse.”

He rushes out of the room and she sits there, replaying what he told her.

Six months, out of state, rehab.

The words in West’s letter make sense now. He’s breaking up with her because he thinks she’ll be better off because he’ll be gone anyway. A nurse rushes into the room followed by her mom, who’d gone to get coffee so she and Austin could talk. Austin stands back at the door as they check her over.

“Sometimes all the medication will do that to you, sweetie,” the nurse on duty coos. “Let’s change your shirt and clean you up.”

“I’m sorry Jules,” Austin calls from the door as he turns to leave. There is nothing she can say as she stares mutely at his back. She turns her head to the letter West wrote. Austin dropped it when he stood to help her and it fluttered down to the floor, hiding half under the chair. She’ll get Katie to pick it up for her when she arrives later. She allows her mom and the nurse to help her get comfortable again. The movement is painful, and the nurse reminds her she can self-administer her pain killers from the IV with just a press of the button. 

The magic button is clutched in her hand an hour later when another knock sounds at the door and Katie sticks her head in.

“Hey!”

Jules’ mom motions for her to enter as Jules stares blankly at the wall in front of her. When the nurse left earlier, she told her to try and rest. But rest eludes her as her mind spins with West’s words.

I’m so sorry to do this to you. I never wanted to hurt you, but I think in time you will see you’re better off.
 

“What’s up, sourpuss?” Katie teases. Jules knows Katie well enough to know when she’s at a loss for what to do. Awkward situations call for awkward humor. 

Finally focusing on her mother, she asks, “Mom, can you leave us alone for a while?” It’s the first time she’s spoken since Austin left. 

“Of course. Since those pain killers are going to knock you out anyway, I’ll run home and get Jason some dinner. Daddy should be here in an hour, and then Jase and I will be back a little after that, all right?” 

“Perfectly fine,” she mutters. Each word comes out monotone, dead to her ears. 

“I’ll hang out for a while too,” Katie chimes in as Jules’ mom presses a swift kiss to her head and waves goodbye.

Once the door closes behind her, Katie whirls around and drops her bag in the chair by the door.

“Rough day?”

“Why didn’t you warn me?” 

“Sorry?”

Jules doesn’t sit up — she can’t — but she looks at Katie dead-on and puts all the anger she feels into her glare, hoping her best friend can see it. “Why didn’t you warn me about West?”

“Um, are those meds going to your head, Jules? Because I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She crosses her arms and stands stiffly at the foot of the hospital bed.

“Jeff doesn’t know? West didn’t tell him?”

“Plain English, please, crazy girl. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“But…” Jules throws her hands over her face and bursts out crying. “He’s gone and he didn’t even tell me! He broke up with me.”

Katie’s gasp fills the room “What?” She rushes over and hugs Jules’ head to her chest. “What happened?”

Jules points to the floor and manages to get out the words ‘letter, on floor’ between sobs. Understanding dawns and Katie sits down, plucks the letter from the floor and reads it. Jules watches the shock on her friend’s face, confirming she knew nothing about what was going on.