Not Alone Any More {Chase Elliott || Sequel to Only the Lonely} ✔️

i.

"are you ready?" ryan nudged him as the music started. "here she comes."

chase nodded slowly, lifting his eyes to watch as she floated down the aisle, escorted by his dad, like a dream. his dream.

tears welled in his eyes. they had gone through so much and somehow they had made it through. she had always been his rock and now, she was going to be his wife.

they stopped in front of the alter, chase extending his hand out to her. she smiled as she slipped her hand into his.

"family and friends, welcome. today, we are here to bear witness the union of william clyde elliott and kathryn claire trice." the minister started.

chase tuned him out, only focused on the beauty that was before him.

slow beeps pulled chase out of his dream. his eyes fluttered open, the world coming back into focus. he felt like he was floating, the room spinning slowly.

"hey there, buddy." his dad's voice centered him again. "you were in a really bad accident."

chase nodded slowly, the crash flashing in his mind. he glanced around the room, his heart sinking when he realized kathryn claire was gone.

"where is kathryn claire?" chase asked. "can i have some water?" he followed up, his mouth dry.

his dad rose from his seat, grabbing the pitcher of water that sat on a tray near his bed. he poured a glass, handing it to chase.

chase nodded in thanks, tipping the cool water down his throat, letting the cold soothe it. 

"i sent them back to your motorhome to sleep. the doctors weren't sure when you'd wake up." his dad explained. "how are you feeling?"

chase paused, he wasn't sure. he didn't feel any pain, instead, he felt fuzzy -- probably pain medication. "i feel like i've been pumped full of pain meds." he laughed dryly. "why was i unconscious?" he searched his dad's face for an answer.

"how much do you remember after the wreck?" his dad asked, his brow furrowed.

chase closed his eyes for a moment, the crash flashing through his mind and then black, nothing. "nothing." he answered.

his dad nodded slowly, "according to the medical staff, you were combative so they sedated you to prevent further injury and for everybody's safety."

"injury?" chase repeated, his heart pounding.

his dad reached over, squeezing his hand, "they initially thought you might have had a spinal cord injury but other than smoke inhalation and a minor concussion, you made it out unscathed." his dad paused. "i'm going to tell the nurses you're awake and call your mom." he patted chase's hand before standing up and walking towards the door.

chase leaned back, closing his eyes.

"william elliott?" a voice asked a moment later.

"call me chase." he grumbled as he opened his eyes. a woman in a lab coat stood in the doorway.

"chase," she repeated, "right. i should've known that." she chuckled to herself as she stepped closer to his bedside. "what level is your pain at?"

chase shrugged, "i feel numb so a 0?" he offered.

she nodded, typing on a tablet. "so the pain medication is working."

"yep." chase popped his p.

"alright. well, i'm going to order repeat tests just to make sure everything still looks good but as long as they come back clear, you'll be out of here by dinner time. any questions?"

chase shook his head, not answering.

"alright then. you're really lucky, chase. i saw footage of your wreck and it's a miracle that your injuries were so minor. thank god for all the safety technology." the doctor turned to walk away.

"wait." chase stopped her. "can you show me the footage?"

she nodded slowly, typing into her tablet before handing it to him. "hit play when you're ready."

chase stared at the screen for a moment before pressing play. he watched his car snake through the turns, going side by side with ryan. his stomach tightened as he watched his car take the wide turn.

he felt every impact his car made, wincing as his car flipped onto the roof. his eyes widened as flames shot out of the car. watching the accident felt surreal, like it wasn't him in the car, like he hadn't pleaded for help over the radio because he thought he was going to die. panic set in as he remembered the smoke suffocating him, the flames nearing him.

tears stung the corner of his eyes as he watched the safety crews flipping the car, somehow pulling him out even though the car hadn't been extinguished. they had saved him.

he handed back the tablet, laying back on the bed.

"is everything okay?" she asked, concern etched in her face.

he nodded, unsure of how to put his feelings into words. hell, he didn't even know how he was feeling besides the surreality of watching the wreck, reliving the panic even though he knew he was okay. "just feels really surreal that i survived that."