“The doctors were able to patch the part of his lung that was failing, but it’s only a temporary fix. He’ll need a lung transplant or he won’t live a full life.”
“Oh, no,” Willow whispered with a sheen of tears in her own eyes.
“Oh God. He’s—” She brought her knees to her chest and began rocking back and forth. We were oblivious to the fact we were in the parking lot of the school. Most of the other students were inside, but there were a few who watched us while talking behind their hands.
“He what?” I urged.
“He’s awake,” she forced out through trembling lips.
“Well, that’s good news… isn’t it?” Willow asked
“Yes but—” She shook her head furiously. “Dash said he’s barely able to talk, but he did ask for one thing.”
“What did he ask for?” I asked while fighting back my own tears. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and complete desolation as she looked at me.
“Me.”
*
“How was your first day back at school?” Aunt Carissa asked as soon as I was through the door after school.
“Uneventful.”
If you don’t count Sheldon’s emotional breakdown in the school parking lot. I attempted to make a clean getaway to my room, but my aunt’s next words stopped me in my tracks.
“A Detective Daniels came by here today.”
A lie immediately spilled from my lips. “Oh, really? I wonder what he could have—”
“So help me, if you are seriously thinking to lie to me…” she growled and stood up from her seat on the couch, planting her fists on her hips.
“No more than you lied to me, you mean?” I swallowed down the sting of bitterness
“Lake…”
“No, Aunt Carissa. I can’t hear this right now.”
“You have to hear it sometime,” she argued.
“I know, just… not right now.” She nodded her understanding, but instantly, anger reappeared in her eyes, and I knew our fight was only just beginning.
“Why is a detective coming by here for you?”
Good question since he would know I had school. But I knew what game he was playing. I turned Keiran in, and they made an arrest, but they didn’t have a case against him unless I testified. After the shock of turning Keiran in, and Keenan’s condition wore off, I began to have second thoughts. I even tried once to go back and retract my statement to which they didn’t react kindly.
Keiran was denied bail given his record and his history with Trevor Reynolds, one of the two victims who were burned alive. The other being Anya Risdell, Keiran’s ex… something.
After I sat down to think on the possibility of Keiran’s innocence, I realized my reluctance to go through with it was more because I didn’t want him to be guilty. Keiran was the last person to see Anya and Trevor alive. After the fair, Trevor attempted to kidnap and hand deliver me to Mitch, Keiran’s father, who wanted to use me as a pawn to kill his own son for money.
The things that can occur on Monday nights…
“Lake?” my aunt prompted with a raised brow after I took too long to respond.
Shit, shit, double shit. “I, uh… forgot to tell you… the house was broken into a month ago. I’m so sorry, Aunt Carissa,” I rushed out at the perturbed look on her face.
“What? Were you hurt?” She rushed to me and immediately began checking me over.
“No, I was able to lock myself inside my room until the cops came.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” she screeched. I wasn’t prepared for her strong reaction, and I realized it was the calm before the storm.
“I didn’t want you to worry. I thought you were on your book tour,” I quipped.
“Lake, you have to know I had the best intentions. I didn’t want to get your hopes up in case I came back empty handed.”
“It’s too late. My hopes died a long time ago.”
“Oh, honey, don’t say that. Your hopes aren’t dead. You just need to find them again.”