𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 || baxter radic

27.

I glance down at my shirt, I'm covered in blood. His blood coats my skin. I hold my hands out before me. They're shaking in fear. I feel like I can't breathe.

"Belle snap out of it!" Summer rips me down to the ground, my knees scuffing against the pavement...and his blood.

"Maybelle." Bax speaks softly, reaching out for my hand.

Summer forces our hands together. Her hands clasping over ours almost as if she's the glue that will hold us together.

"I'm right here Bax." My lip quivers as I stare at the person I'm falling for lay in a pool of his own blood.

"I know." He smiles faintly at me as sirens sound.

I flash back to the night of the accident. The same sound filling my ears for what felt like hours. But when my body is ripped from Bax's I'm teleported back to the present. "You can't take him!" I scream.

"She's family, can she come? Please." Bax begs, his eyes glued to me.

Summer pushes on my back, shoving me toward the ambulance. "We will meet you there. You'll be okay." I'm tired of people telling me I'll be okay. I want to be okay now. I want everything to be okay now. I don't want my boyfriend hurt, bleeding. I want everything to be okay now.

The ambulance ride is far from what I expect. I thought there would be a panic, a sense of urgency. A loud beeping that transported me back to the sound of Max's in the hospital. But there is none of that. It is calm, Bax focused only on me.

"Babe," his voice is soft, "it's not as bad as it looks."

"You called me family." I change topic, I don't want to talk about the horror surrounding me. Horror had been my life for too long. I wanted to focus on the important.

"We're all each other have." Bax squeezes my hand. In a way, it felt like the truth. Summer would pick Ari. My parents well, that one I don't even need to go over. Bax's parents felt like a figment of our imagination, his sister's had jumped ship. It was really safe to say, we were all each other had. In a short time, we had become family.

"She did this to you didn't she?" I take a deep breath in, ready to talk about what happened. But before he can answer, were being pulled from the ambulance and taken inside.

I'm rushed into the waiting room while Bax gets whisked away. I pace back and forth, staring at his blood coating my skin. If anyone were to pay any attention I would look like a murder. If I were any of these people, I would be fearing for my life. But I guess you don't notice what is around when you're stuck suffering yourself.

It feels like hours pass, but it's only minutes. My friends pool into the waiting room, Summer sweeping me up in her arms. "Tell me what happened."

Summer takes a deep breath. "I walked out of my room just as Bax was leaving yours. He seemed upset so I tried to stop him. I figured you'd gotten in a fight so I was going to try and mend the situation before you both did something dumb. But he didn't stop. His head was stuck on a track and nothing could stop him. I don't even think you could."

Summer moves us to an isolated section of chairs before she continues on. "He stormed around looking for your mom. I didn't know it at the time, but I do now. She was out on the front porch, mumbling about god knows what. Probably talking to her inner demons."

I nod my head, because that's more than likely the truth. "Bax confronted her. Begged her to let you stay. He didn't yell. He didn't speak ill willed to her. He just begged for the person he... lo—cared for to stay." I feel my heart jump at her almost slip up, because I too had caught myself slipping sometimes. Catching myself just before the word actually slipped from my mouth.

"Then she swung. I tried to pull him away. Tried to step in to stop it all but, my mother grabbed me before I could. I ran to you, and the rest you know. I don't know where the blood came from. I just knew that he needed you." She sighs.

"Where did your mom go? My mom?" I look at her but she just shrugs.

"I should call Wren." I run my bloody hands through my hair. "Bax said she should be in town for the event this weekend. She should be here." I reached for a phone, I just don't have.

"I'll call her." Ari stands, walking off with his phone held to his ear.

"How is this my life?" I groan, studying his blood on my hands again.

A few hours pass before a doctor steps out to speak to us. "Sorry that took so long. We had an emergency. Baxter is actually just waiting on paper work and then he can be released. I can take you back to see him. Only one person is allowed though."

I look over at Wren. "Wren, you can go." Her eyes jump to me, but she shakes her head at my offer.

"He wouldn't want me. You go." She motions toward the doctor. I don't fight her and I follow him back. I'm ready to get the rest of the story, but I think a kiss might be the first course of action.

"Baxxy." I smile at him as I enter the room. He gives me one back as I walk over and plant a kiss to his lips.

"I told you it was all okay." He pulls me onto the bed with him, nudging my head onto his chest with his hand.

"What happened?" I whisper, like maybe if I whisper all of this will be a little less real. If it's not spoken aloud maybe it will all disappear. But that didn't happen in our universe.

"Your mom has a mean right hook." He chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. "Apparently hot boys with pink hair aren't her forte."

"All of this from a punch?" I question.

"Heads bleed a lot. It's why I told you not to worry. I knew that I would be okay." He kisses the top of my head. "Just a few stitches. I definitely shouldn't surf this weekend now. But you know me." He pokes my side.

I squirm like I always do. "You'll be in the water every day."

"I have to win the board I definitely made for my girl." He pulls me tightly into him. "Even though she'll never ride it."

"Watching is just so much more enjoyable. Cute boys acting all bad ass."

"Boys huh?" He raises his brow at me. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Only boys that look like you." We are interrupted by a nurse entering the room, followed by Summer's mom.

The nurse goes over the paperwork that needs to be signed and leaves shortly after.

"There is a lot that needs to be discussed. I sent the other's home. If you want to stay here May, I think it's best Baxter goes down to the police station and reports what happened to him. The only way to help you both is getting your mom sent away. Your dad will be the only parent of sound mind to make decisions on you and your life. It's the only option to get what you truly deserve, which is to finally be happy." I look up at Bax, waiting for him to agree. And with one simple nod, he does.