ALL THE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND

Chapter 47

How? When? Where? Why? All were questions, Lexi had a very simple- yet nonsensical- answer to:
He couldn't stay away.

I didn't push the explanation, because frankly I didn't care. He was here, and that was all that mattered.

She said he'd landed, and that's when he'd texted. He was on the way over here, and that's why Lexi wanted me to doll up. Her plan was to leave for the party, and meet and call him there to surprise me. That way we both got our way, but she ended up staying in with me, after I begged her to. I did freshen up though, after I found out, obviously, but as the minutes turned into hours, I began to wonder if this was all one big joke.

"Lex." I grumbled, as I sat in jeans and a fitted shirt that I borrowed from Lexi. In excitement, I had straightened my hair, put on a base of makeup, and even worn these adorable hoops.

"His phone's off. Maybe it died, or he stopped at a hotel to freshen up." Her head was in her phone, as I looked at her in doubt.

"He's been freshening up for The past 3 hours?" I stared at her, as she defended him.

"Florida traffic?" She innocently hid, as I told her to drop the act.

"Is this a joke?"

"No." She instantly denied, as she seemed worried- but concealed it well.

"He was supposed to be here over an hour ago. I honestly don't know what happened."

"Maybe he just decided to spend his night elsewhere." I joked, but found no comfort in that.

It made no sense that he wasn't here, and the longer it took, the more my mind began to conjure up things that were a lot worse than him simply being in someone else's bed. What if he got robbed? Mugged? Or the car broke down and he was alone? This was a foreign city to him so he wouldn't exactly know his way around, and no offense to the city people, but we weren't as nice as Britisher's- nope. Not even close.

"Lexi I'm worried."

"Turn on the news. Maybe we'll know if something is going on." She suggested, but I dismissed her idea.

"He isn't a criminal that's going to be broadcasted."

"No." She ignored my irrational comment. "But he is traveling through the highway, so if there is traffic or God forbid something bad happening- then we'll find out."

I hated that she made sense, but I had no choice but to comply, as I switched the live television on the laptop, and grumbling sat, while they monotonously announced a depressing change in whether- from hot to hotter- welcome to Florida everyone.

"What did they just say?" I asked as the story on the news changed, making me shoot my head up, unsure if what I had heard was correct or it was my mind just playing tricks on me.

"Lexi."I repeated her name, but she seemed to be as startled as I was by the news reporter saying Dylan Ryder's name like he was the result of some casualty.

"Shut up." Lexi's voice rose, but I couldn't get mad at her. My eyes had already frozen like ice in the tundra, as my body followed suit. The only thing working was my mind, as it tried to understand what the hell this bitch of a woman on tv was talking about?

'A tragic crash, with one reported dead, while the other is seen to be paralysed from the neck down. Both the 20 year old male, Dylan Ryder, and 56 year old man, Anthony Wills- have been rushed to the Winter Haven Hospital- a medics team is yet to give their statement on the critical condition of the survivor, but nothing has been heard about the accident on State Highway since then. We send our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased, and pray for the sharp recovery of the patient....'

I couldn't listen to more, or maybe I just didn't want to. Either way, my hands began to wrestle as they shook Lexi with force, while my knees trembled as if someone had snatched away gravity from under my feet. The temperature on my forehead rose to an immeasurable degree, the blood in my veins began to pop like never before and the pesticides of darkness started to chip away the bits of my brain as it descended to madness.

I didn't know what was worse: having the love of your life die? Or seeing his life be stripped away from him as he awoke to find his body cut off from his mind? The logical answer to this was obviously having him still be alive, but in what state? This was going to kill him. It was going to end him. It was bound to make him lose his mind. But wasn't having even a fraction of him better than losing him forever? The selfish answer would be yes. And that's exactly the answer I had.

"Blair, we have to go to him. Now." Lexi's voice drummed in my ear, as I shook my head and stayed glued to the screen.

"I have to know if he's alive." I screamed at the top of my lungs, not realizing how loud my shriek was.

"Blair. They're not going to tell us." She tried to reason with me, but I was like a cat stuck on that fucking string that they were tossing around. Just drop the string. Drop the name. Tell us which one died. My head screamed, as a tear rolled down my eyes- actually it wasn't a tear. It was a river, as they changed the story to something less trivial.

'In other news, Sports Betting Market Size is said to Grow by USD 106.25 Billion...'

"Bastards. No one cares about the fucking market!" I probably looked and sounded like a mad dog that needed an immediate leash, but I didn't care.

What kind of sick and twisted news channel covers a death report and then moves on to a subject like economics? What kind of medics team leaves the sight without giving proper intel? What kind of ambulance arrives late enough to have one victim meet his sudden demise?

I swallowed everything, as I grabbed the keys and rushed towards the car downstairs. It wasn't easy even getting from my room to the vehicle- there was the gruesome feeling of seeing his blood in a hospital bed, the gnawing pain of not knowing if he was even alive, and the worst of all, a throbbing bang in my chest beating the words, You never said it back.