Still the One (Book 2 in the Four of Us Trilogy)

13 | Trapped

When you're gone

The pieces of my heart are missin' you

-Avril Lavigne, "When You're Gone"

Miles

I parked Rachel's Camaro and ran inside, following her directions to come through the Emergency Room into the ICU, room 10.

When I rounded the corner by room 10, I felt my heart leap into my throat. I didn't know what to expect, and I knew if Brooke was in bad shape, Rachel would be hysterical. I stopped, took a deep breath, and opened the curtain.

I swallowed when I saw Brooke lying there, Rachel standing at the end of the bed and Luke sitting next to her holding her hand. Her face was bruised and cut, her arm was in a sling, and she was intubated.

Rachel immediately stepped to me, burying her face in my chest as I wrapped my arms around her. "Shhh," I cooed as she wept onto my baseball jersey.

Luke looked over at me, and his eyes were dull and lifeless. "She's in a coma, Miles."

I closed my eyes, feeling Rachel's body tense as her sobs intensified.

"What happened?" I asked.

"She was driving high... she was about to cross the bridge from Panama City proper to the beach, and she lost control...flew off the embankment, almost went into the bay," he said, his voice sounding numb.

"Jesus Christ," I breathed. "How did they know she was high if she's in a coma?"

"They did a blood test at the scene because it was suspicious. She definitely had heroin in her system. She'll likely get a DUI."

"Shit," I said. I didn't know what else to say.

"Shit is right," Rachel mumbled. "Her life is fucked."

"Wait, though," I said, a thought coming to me. "Yeah, a DUI will screw you up for a while, but you know what else?"

"What?" Rachel and Luke asked together.

"Maybe as part of her sentence, they'll send her to court-ordered rehab," I pointed out.

Rachel looked up at me, her grey eyes showing some semblance of hope. "You're right," she said. "That's a silver lining, right?"

I nodded, and we both looked at Luke, whose eyes never left Brooke's face

"That's if she wakes up at all," he whispered.

"Don't say that, Lucas," Rachel chastised. "She can hear you."

He scoffed. "Bullshit."

"Luke!" I said sharply.

He glared at me and shoved past me, flinging the curtain open and disappearing into the hallway.

Rachel turned into me again, fresh sobs leaving her throat.

I backed up until my knees were against the loveseat behind us. We sat down, and I pulled Rachel as close to me as possible, letting her cry until she fell asleep.

Brooke

I'm trapped.

I can't move.

What's happening to me?

I hear voices, but I don't know who they belong to...

Wait. Is that...