Until Lexi

19

JAKE

Hospital beds aren’t comfortable, especially with two people sharing one.

Riley and I refused to leave last night, even after visiting hours were over.

The hospital staff must have felt sorry for the girls, because they didn’t protest.

I wanted Lexi to rest, but she insisted she wouldn’t get any sleep unless I stayed in bed with her. After everything she suffered, I couldn’t bring myself to deny her. Riley slept in a chair beside Penny and Mercy’s bed. Everyone’s sleep was restless, and I think we’re all a little sore this morning.

Thankfully, the doctor—who apologized again for her insensitivity yesterday—found no reason to keep them here longer, so all three are being released shortly. Emotions are running high. They’re happy to be able to go home, but not without their sister. They’re all feeling her loss, deeply.

In a hushed conversation upon waking, Lexi asked me if I would move into the house to help them while they figure out a new normal. I’d never tell her no. If she needs me with her right now, that’s where I’m going to be.

Hope may have been troubled, but she was their family. No matter what struggles they had with her lately, they still have love for her, and their pain is very much real.

We’re all ready to get the hell out of here. Anticipating everyone’s needs, Riley borrowed my car first thing this morning to drive home and get clean clothes for all of them, as well as Mercy’s spare booster seat. She offered to swing by my rental, but I declined. I’ll worry about myself later.

Dressed and ready to go, we’re waiting eagerly for the nurse to bring their discharge papers when we hear a knock on the door. Our heads all turn as it opens slowly, but the man who steps in with a badge clipped to his belt definitely isn’t a nurse.

“Morning. I’m Detective Mayson,” he says, coming further into the room. “I was hoping to get your statement about the accident before you leave… if you’re feeling up to it?”

Riley makes quick introductions for everyone before she, Lexi, and Penny all eye each other, having some sort of silent conversation. Riley nods, and without a word, she stands, quietly leading Mercy past the detective and out of the room.

Penny seems to second-guess the decision and hesitantly asks, “You didn’t need to talk to her, right?”

“Not at all,” he says. “I think that little girl has been through enough.”

“Thank you,” she tells him, moving to sit on the bed next to Lexi.

“You don’t have to do this now,” I tell them gently, knowing they’re both still reeling from everything they’ve been through in the last twenty-four hours.

Lexi starts to shake her head, but Detective Mayson backs me up. “He’s right. If you’re not up for it right now, we can schedule a time for you to come down to the station, or I can—”

“No,” Lexi interrupts. “I’d rather do it now and get it over with.”

“May I sit?” he asks, gesturing to a chair. When no one protests, he lowers himself into the chair.

Lexi’s tight grip on my hand tells me she doesn’t want me to leave, so I don’t offer. I’ll sit here silently while the detective gets what he needs from them, but I’m not going anywhere.

Pulling out a small recording device, Detective Mayson lets them know he’s going to record their statements. He listens attentively as Lexi recounts the story she told us last night, including the more vivid details. He jots down some things in a small notebook as she talks, and asks a few questions when he needs clarification.

Lexi doesn’t know what happened after she hit her head and blacked out, so Penny fills in the missing pieces.

“Neither of them were moving. I didn’t know if…” She pauses, taking a shaky breath. “I worried they were both dead. I didn’t know what to do. Mercy seemed okay, so I got her out of the car. I wanted to go back to try to help Lexi and Hope, but some people had stopped to help. They told me not to move them, to wait for the paramedics.”

Lexi watches Penny with watery eyes, and it’s clear she hasn’t heard the details from Penny’s perspective.

“I sat on the ground several feet away with Mercy tucked on my lap. Emergency services showed up, and everything was mostly a blur.” Her eyes lose focus, as she relives the whole scene in her head. “They checked on Lexi first. After a few minutes, they pulled her out of the car and put her on a stretcher. But Hope… I saw one of the firemen shake his head at another and I knew…”

She chokes on a heart-wrenching sob, and Lexi releases my hand to wrap her arms around her sister. I watch helplessly as they lose themselves to their grief. Detective Mayson doesn’t push them, he waits patiently, giving them all the time they need.

When their tears slow, I pass them a box of tissues from the bedside tray. Penny wipes her face and apologizes unnecessarily to the detective. He waves it off politely, letting her know he understands. I’m sure it’s not the first time he’s had to deal with emotional women, or grieving family, in his line of work.

“I don’t understand,” Penny says, hiccupping between breaths as she swipes at her tears. “How are we all fine, but Hope…?” She trails off, shaking her head, but we all know what she’s asking.

Of course, the detective has an answer.

He turns off the recorder, stashing it and the small notebook in his back pocket.

“She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, Penny. Between the force of the impact and the airbag…” He pauses, and I can tell he’s reluctant to give the girls the details. He proves me right when he asks, “Are you sure you want to know?”

Lexi shakes her head. “No, but we need to.”

He sighs, scrubbing his hand over the stubble on his jaw. Then, he gives them the harsh truth. “Without the protection of a seatbelt, the force of the impact caused her body to jerk violently, and force of the airbag from the opposite direction… it was enough to break her neck. She died instantly.”

Both women shudder, and I don’t know if they’re truly better off knowing what happened to Hope, but Detective Mayson isn’t finished. He clears his throat, shifting in his seat as he looks at Lexi.

“You said something seemed off with Hope…”

Lexi nods, leaning forward slightly. “She was twitchy… like she couldn’t sit still. Her hands were trembling, and there was something wild in her eyes. Almost like she was…” Lexi’s eyes widen, like she’s come to some sort of realization. She gasps, shaking her head as she covers her mouth with her hand. “No.”

Penny looks back and forth between her sister and the detective, eyebrows furrowed. “What am I missing?”

Detective Mayson nods his head solemnly to Lexi before answering Penny’s question. “The toxicology report came back first thing this morning…” He hesitates for a second, before dropping the bomb. “Hope had opioids and stimulants in her system at the time of the accident.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Penny fumes.

Penny isn’t the only one pissed off at his revelation.

What the fuck was Hope thinking? It’s clear neither Lexi, nor Penny knew she was on drugs, and I hardly believe they’d let her behind the wheel of a vehicle if they did. Especially not with Mercy in the car. I know she had issues and was struggling with everything going on, but fuck! How could she put her entire family in danger like that?

“I’m sorry, ladies. Breaking news like this is never pleasant, and unfortunately Hope’s not here to explain her side of things.”

Neither of them responds to him, both lost in their own thoughts.

Detective Mayson watches them for a second, gaze full of sympathy and understanding. Then, he turns to me, speaking quietly. “I’m gonna go… give them some time to process.” I nod as he passes me a card. “If they need anything…”

“Thank you,” I tell him, tucking the card into my pocket.

He stands, shaking my hand before turning back to the girls.

“I am truly sorry for your loss, ladies. Please offer my condolences to the rest of your family.”

Seconds after he disappears through the door, the nurse taps on it.

“Found these two wandering the hallway,” she says, Riley and Mercy following her back into the room. “What do you say we get y’all out of here?”

She won’t get any objections from us.

The nurse quickly goes over their discharge instructions, making sure we understand what we need to monitor with Lexi. She disappears out the door for a second, returning with a wheelchair. Tipping her head toward the hall, she tells me, “Brought one more if you wanna grab it. Figured the little one would want to ride on someone’s lap, and before y’all argue about wanting to walk outta here…” she says, pinning Penny and Lexi with a look, “it’s hospital policy.”

Neither woman puts up a fight.

I don’t think they have the mental energy to argue right now, even if they wanted to. Penny gets comfortable in one wheelchair, Mercy clinging to her like an octopus, and Lexi gets seated in the other. While Riley takes my keys to bring the car around, the nurse and I navigate the girls through the long halls of the hospital.