All is Lost (All Series, Book 2) (33 page)

“
I guess I need to explain where
I've been to Mom.” Turning to Marcus, I add, “I'll join you in a
few minutes.”

“
Although, it would probably be
best for everyone here if you waited, I doubt she will let you get
away with that for another minute.” Marcus replies, strolling away
from me he joins our family in Tristan's room.

I walk over and take the empty chair next to
my mother and drop my arm across her shoulder. Watching me since
the moment we exited the elevator her glare softens slightly at
this gesture.

“
I've been worried sick Morgan,”
sighing, she whispers sadly. Leaning into my shoulder, she lifts a
trembling hand to my forehead pushing away the long strands from my
eyes. “Disappointed does not even cover how your father feels about
your unscheduled trip out of town.”

Oppressed by a sudden heaviness in the air, I
push down my desire to tell her exactly what I think about his
feelings and offer a half-ass smile instead. She sits quietly for a
moment staring off into the distance toward Tristan's hospital
room. Noticing the foreboding etched across her beautiful face, I
wonder if she's imagining me lying there and feeling somewhat
regretful for what she's implied about shucking my
responsibilities.

“
Forgive me Mother,” I offer
truthfully.

“
I will, but I need you to promise
me that it won't happen again.” Turning back to me, she stares deep
into my eyes and I see the dark clouds begin to lighten. “Of
course, you will need to speak with Elise first.”

There are no words for what I feel at this
very moment. She takes my devotion and rips it to shreds with just
the mention of that name. I should have expected it. Damn, I'm
surprised she didn't mention Elise before she mentioned my father.
Unable to speak, I nod and avert my eyes back to Tristan's room. My
mother begins speaking again only this time all I can think about
is what this moment would be like if it were me on the other side
of that glass wall lying in the hospital bed. No, I'm not ready to
die, but does she care enough about me to feel something other than
joyful for making me feel guilty?

Knowing that she and my father plan on using
me to strengthen the family corporation irks the shit out of me.
Sitting quietly, I endure her going on about everything that I
missed while away. Clearly she doesn't require my input because she
hasn't stopped talking for the past thirty minutes. I can honestly
say at this precise moment I prefer Marcus' company over my own
mother’s. Noticing the door to Tristan's room open, relief flushes
through me as I see Sam approaching with an “I'll rescue you” look
on her face. Never before, have I needed to get away from my mother
more than this very second, but Sam shoots that idea to hell after
taking a seat next to me.

“
Marcus wants to be alone with him
for a little while.” She smiles apologetically. I nod somberly and
notice that my mother never stopped talking, even after Sam sat
down.

***

Marcus

The room falls silent after everyone leaves me
to have a moment alone with Tristan. Drinking in my surroundings I
didn't realize how solemn this room was before. Standing next to
what I consider my best friend, I am overwhelmed with emotions and
need to talk to him.

“
Hey Bubba, you look good man,” I
state with a trembling voice.
Great, I just said the same old
lame ass comment everyone says to someone in a hospital
bed
.

Finding my resolve I say, “So, I was
wondering, when exactly are you going to crawl your ass out of this
bed? Football season starts soon and I need you to go with me to
watch Bama beat the Cajun out of LSU? Roll Tide.”

Met with an eerie silence, I stare at all the
machines hooked up to him and wince at the bandage covering his
head and most of his face. The only thing I can see in the dark
room is the one bruised and swollen eye partially covered with all
those damn bandages.

“
I need you to wake up
Tristan.”

Nothing

“
Can you hear me Bubba?”

Nothing

“
Mother fucker!”

Taking a deep breath, I slide down into the
empty chair positioned at the head of his bed. Instantly, the
memory of Breesan being in the hospital after her Ryske drug
overdose jars my mind. I thought I was going to lose her before she
was even mine. Watching Tristan breathing with a machine’s
assistance, I have that same doomed feeling all over
again.

“
Fine, you sit there and I will
share.” I remember similar words that he used on me once and add,
“And afterward we'll go get our
hair did
.” I smile. “Since
every time I come to see you someone is always in here, I haven't
had the chance to catch you up on what has been going on. First,
Morgan left. Actually, he left before the shit hit the fan at the
party. He missed all the action and I can say that I'm actually
kind of glad. I know we have our problems, but there's no telling
what could have happened to him if he would have
stayed.”

Swallowing down the rising emotions, I clear
my throat and take Tristan's hand in mine careful not to disturb
the wires. Slightly unnerved by seeing the tether that is keeping
him alive attached to his hand and his mouth, I avert my eyes to
the window fixating on the hanging hibiscus plant. The lump in my
throat rises with the sudden accelerated beeping sound coming from
the heart monitor. Moving quickly to my feet I draw my face
extremely close to his.

I whisper, “Bubba, can you hear
me?”

Nothing

Unaware that I had drawn his hand up with me
when I rose, I unwind my fingers from his, but before I break our
connection I feel a slight flicker. Forcing myself to become
exceptionally calm I stare intently at the strong grasp I have on
him and pray that the movement I noticed is the blessing we all
have been wholeheartedly praying for. I wait disheveled by the
thought of it being a phantom movement. The moment subsides and as
if I were standing in a room full of monks who have taken a vow of
silence the quietness becomes deafening.

Wiping away the sweat that formed on my
forehead, I reach behind me and draw the chair closer beside him,
sitting again.

“
I need you to wake up. I don't
want to lose you,” I whisper, staring at the floor. “I can't lose
you. No one in this world gets me or accepts me the way you do.
That is until Breesan.” I lift my eyes and look at Tristan. “You
knew, didn't you? You warned me to stay away from her. Only it
wasn't for her sake, it was for mine. That's why you and Anna were
pushing for her to be with Morgan instead of me because you knew
what being with Breesan would do to me. After the misery my life
turned into because of what happened with him and Elise, you didn't
want me to fall for her.” I sigh. “But I did Bubba. I'm boundlessly
in love with her. I have never loved one person more than I do that
beautiful, bright woman who honestly doesn't know what it feels
like to be loved. But I'm going to erase that pain completely from
her heart.” I smile sadly, wishing he would respond. “I admit that
I'm completely scared to death. I want her in a way that I didn't
know was possible. I want her, like you want Anna, Tristan. I
didn't think that would ever happen for me.” I laugh softly,
knowing that it was like magic the very moment that Breesan touched
me the night we met, and my life has been like sweet, delicious
madness ever since.

Thoroughly exposing my raw thoughts and
inspirations, I am barely aware of the trace word floating in the
silence. Clinging to Tristan's hand, my spirit stirs as I hear the
soft tenor reiterate a childhood nickname I had long forgotten.
Before I could respond the door opens and Morgan walks around the
other side of Tristan's bed. Scooping up his free hand Morgan
squeezes it and stares at our cousin. Emotions I never witnessed
from him before, arrest my own when Morgan’s voice breaks as he
speaks openly to him in front of me.

“
Trist, forgive me for not being
here with you after the accident. I'll make it up to you if you'll
just please wake up.”

An indefinable state of mind for his empathy
genuinely knocks the breath out of me. Choking back tears that burn
harshly against my now closed eyelids I stand and move to the
window, hopefully before Morgan notices my complete
unraveling.

“
Bones?” It was soft and garbled
around the tube going down his throat, but when I glance at Morgan,
who jerks his head up looking at me I know he heard it
too.

“
Yes Tristan,” Morgan replies.
“Thank God. Marcus, he's going to be okay.”

“
Mac?” Another raspy whisper,
luckily we understand that he is calling me now. I move quickly to
the door and yell for the nurse before returning to Tristan’s
side.

The room becomes mass capacity within seconds
as almost our entire family descends upon the three of us followed
by the nurse who takes her damn time joining us. Watching the nurse
routinely check his pulse and lift the one exposed eyelid, flicking
a disbelieving glance our way, like we made the shit up.

“
Do you need to get the doctor in
here?” I spit out my anxiety about her casualness. “He spoke to me
and Morgan.”

Feeling every eye in the room fall on me, my
blood begins to boil at her incompetency and lackadaisical
attitude.

Witnessing my stress rising, Granddad clasps a
large hand on my shoulder and asks, “Son, what did he say?” His
words instantly calm the raging beast inside me along with his
authoritative, yet compassionate tone.

Before I can respond Morgan chimes in, “He
said Bones and Mac to us.”

Glancing over toward Tristan, I see joyful
tears streaming down Aunt Gretchen's face. Believing what we said
to be true it's Gran who intervenes.

“
Young lady, you need to go get his
doctor now,” she snaps definitively.

The room erupts into chaos when she smartly
obeys Gran's command. Scurrying out of the room the nurse promptly
returns dragging the bewildered doctor behind her. He does a quick
check over his vitals then turns addressing the room.

“
Who heard him speak?”

“
He spoke to the boys.” Aunt
Gretchen gestures to me and Morgan.

“
Are you certain that he spoke?”
Smirking arrogantly between us he says, “Sometimes what we hope for
so desperately, actually turns out to be our imaginations playing
tricks.

Exchanging a look with Morgan that literally
screams “oh hell no”, we jointly bark out, “He spoke to
us!”

Through the eerie silence a soft groan comes
from the center of the chaos, quelling all doubt about Tristan
speaking. Finally believing our story and acting accordingly, the
doctor and nurse deliberate with each other and agree that Tristan
is awakening from the coma. They begin working on extracting the
tube from his mouth quickly.

Opening his eyes slowly, Tristan scans the
worried faces landing on Granddad before speaking. “Where...” His
voice is sluggish and scratchy. He gently clears his throat and
stutters through his question. “Where is my...”

Every soul in the small room freezes. No one
wants to answer the question we all know is coming. How can we tell
him that Anna is gone? This is so not the time to explain that the
love of his life has been abducted while he was in a coma. Every
eye in the room zero's in on him as he chokes several times. The
nurse fetches a cup of water and instructs him to drink slowly.
Letting out a unified breath the whole room anticipates this not
going to end well.

“
Granddad,” He groans after
quenching his throat. “Where is my dad?”

My suspicions instantly flare to extreme.
This is seriously some fucked up shit.
Why in the hell did
he ask for his dad before asking about Anna?

Chapter
Twenty-three

Breesan

Late in the afternoon the boys and Sam return
to Rhys’ after visiting Tristan and I instantly get the feeling
from Marcus that something horrible must have happened.

“
Are you alright?” I ask nervously,
chewing on the inside of my cheek. Reaching for his hand, I grip
tightly and draw him close.

“
Tristan woke up and he spoke to me
and Morgan,” he says apprehensively. His brows scrunch together and
the green in his eyes turn dark as he slowly scans over my entire
face. Narrowing my eyes, I search his worried expression, which
does not match the joyful news. I need to understand why this
upsets him. It is supposed to be good news that Tristan woke from a
coma after getting shot in the head.

“
What?” I whisper, afraid to hear
the reason behind his vexing.

“
I'm sorry.” Titling his head away
from me, he draws in a slow breath before answering, “It's good
news. It is, but...” He trails off, directing his gaze toward
Morgan and Sam walking through the door. Twisting back around to
face me, Marcus drops his chin on my forehead and draws me tight
against his chest.

“
It is good news, baby. For now,
let's just be happy that he is awake.” Nodding my head against his
chest, I feel the tears welling up and press my face harder into
his warm body. Everything has been so bad lately and this news has
been exactly what I've been waiting for to turn things around. It
just doesn't feel like it is better.