“What more could you possibly tell me?” Derek grumbled. “My heart’s already ripped the fuck out.”
I could see in his eyes that he wanted to fight his way out of that bed, but he couldn’t; he was helpless. I feared that once all was said and done, he would have a hard road ahead of him. Dr. Scott stepped outside, but I could see her lingering by the door. Summer had tears streaming down her cheeks and nodded for me to continue. If I knew there was a way not to tell him about the baby, I would’ve kept it a secret for the rest of my life and carried the burden. I would do anything to save him from the pain of what I was about to tell him.
His tormented green gaze never swayed from mine as I sat there trying to find the words. The sedative was working fast and I could see him slowly slipping away into oblivion. “What are you not telling me?” he warned.
Taking a deep breath, I kept my eyes on his. “Brianna was pregnant.” The whole room fell into a hushed silence.
Derek froze, but then his eyes shut. For the longest time, we thought he’d passed out, but that wasn’t the case. When his eyes opened back up, the life that usually sparked inside them wasn’t there. In a low, dangerous voice he said, “I want you all to leave, now. Get the fuck out.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going to let you shut us out, D. You need your friends and family right now.”
Derek grabbed my hand and squeezed as hard as he could. I knew he was hurting, and I was willing to take that pain. “What I need just died along with my child. Get. The. Fuck. Out.”
With a glum expression, Dr. Scott nodded toward the door. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to go. I’m sure you understand.”
Summer put her hand on my shoulder and I reluctantly backed away from Derek. I didn’t want to leave him alone, because I knew how volatile he could be. When he woke up from the haze, destruction was going to follow him. I just needed to make sure I was there to help, whether he wanted it or not.
“We’re going,” Summer whispered to the doctor, pulling me behind her. Dr. Scott followed us outside while the nurse in the pink scrubs stayed inside and took Derek’s vitals. Once the door shut, he was cut off from me.
“I know this isn’t what you want, but we all deal with grief in our own ways. I know you can relate to that,” Dr. Scott said to Summer.
Summer nodded. “It just feels different when you watch someone else go through it.”
“That it does, but there’s nothing you can do to help him,” the doctor said. “He’ll deal with it all when he’s ready. For now, I’ll take good care of him.”
“Thanks, Angel. I’m glad you’re the one looking out for him.”
Dr. Scott shook my hand and then hugged her. “It’s my pleasure. It’s good to see you again.”
She went back into Derek’s room as Summer and I started down the hall. “I take it you know Dr. Scott?”
Summer wiped her eyes and pressed the button for the elevator. “I do. She was one of the doctors I worked with when I was in nursing school.”
We got into the elevator and rode it down to the hospital lobby. “What if Derek doesn’t come around? What if he shuts us out and hits rock bottom?”
Summer stood in front of me, her gaze sad. “I know he’s going to hit rock bottom. I’ve been there, Evan. All you can do is give him the space he needs to cope, but also be there in the process. It took me two years after Austin died.”
“I just don’t want him to go through it all alone.”
She put her arms around my waist and I held her tight, breathing in her sweet scent. “He won’t be alone. He has the team…and you. We’ll get him back.”
Chapter 26
Summer
The next day, Evan received so many phone calls he eventually had to turn his phone off. Apparently, Derek still didn’t want to see anyone—not even his own parents, who had flown all the way from Florida to see him. Evan spent most of the day on his back porch, looking out into the distance. He refused to take his pain meds, even though he’d spent most of the night in agony. I was tempted to slip one of the pills into his drink but decided against it.
Opening the back door, I carried the tray with our tea and sandwiches over to the patio table. “I hope you’re hungry,” I said cheerfully.
Evan grimaced in pain as he sat up. “Thanks, sunshine.”
I sat down and handed him his glass of tea. “You’re welcome. I’m sure the team doesn’t want you withering away while you’re on leave.”
“I’m not going to be out for long. Next week I’ll be back in the game.”
Choking on my tea, I set it down. “You can’t be serious. Next week? Don’t you think that’s a little too soon?”
“I don’t care. I need to do something besides sit here, festering. I have this anger inside me that I can’t quell. If I don’t get it out, I feel like I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”