She and Nick had been best friends for years. Lindsey was used to relying on him, to turning to him when she was in a really bad place. Sure, she’d called me when Grant’s mother went to her apartment, but that was primarily because she wanted to know if Charlie should know about it. In her moment of fear as a mother whose son was in the hospital, her best friend was the first one to come to mind.
I couldn’t really blame her for that, but it still hurt. I got to the hospital and asked at the reception desk where I would find pediatric patients. In the elevator, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I checked the screen and saw a text from Lindsey.
I’m so sorry. I’m at the hospital with Remy. There was an accident.
It was good to hear from her, but the cynical part of me said Nick must have let her know I was upset she didn’t call. Forcing those thoughts away, I responded, telling her I was there. An instant later, the doors to the elevator opened. I stepped out and started toward the nurses’ station. Before I got there, I heard Lindsey calling my name and looked up to see her coming down the hall toward me.
I was glad at the comfort and relief on her face when she caught sight of me. The instant our eyes met, Lindsey rushed forward and threw herself into my arms. I gathered her up close and held her until her body relaxed like the initial need was out of her system. Stepping back carefully, I looked her over to make sure she was okay.
Lindsey looked pale and exhausted, but for the most part was alright. The hurt and anger still simmered deep in my belly when I looked at her. It wasn’t just about her not calling me that day. I understood. Really, I did. As much as I would have wanted to be the first person to come to her mind when going through something like that, it made sense that she thought of Nick. He knew about her past.
And that was what was really bothering me.
If I was being completely honest with myself and acknowledging the feeling building up inside me, I had to admit I was envious of the connection my brother had to Lindsey. He knew her in a way I didn’t. In a way she had never shared with me. Even as close as we were getting and as much time as we spent together, she never opened up to me in the way she did to him.
It had never been more blatant than it was right then as we stood in the hospital. When Nick first said Lindsey was in the hospital, I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It terrified me, and my mind immediately filled with all the different horrible things that might have happened to her. It instantly explained why she wasn’t at her apartment to meet me and why she hadn’t answered my phone calls.
I didn’t know what to think as she took my hand and guided me into a room. A small boy lay in the bed fast asleep, and a man stood beside him, stroking his hair. My muscles tensed when I saw him. It had to be Grant. I should have realized he was going to be there. The only way Lindsey would have known her son was in the hospital was if Grant called her and told her.
“Vince, this is Grant, Remy’s father. Grant, this is Vince,” she said.
That was it. No further explanation or elaboration. Just my name. I told myself I was being ridiculous. This wasn’t the moment to start being defensive and expect the attention to be on me. But it stood out to me. Just another prod in the back of my mind. Everything in me wanted to lash out at Grant, but I held it in. A nod was all the greeting I could manage, but that seemed like enough for this situation.
“How is he?” I asked, looking at Remy.
“His leg is broken, and his arm is sprained. They set the bones and have the arm stabilized. He’s on a lot of meds right now to keep him comfortable, and the doctor should be in any minute to tell us how to take care of him when he’s back home,” Lindsey said.
“Are they discharging him soon?” I asked.
Grant nodded. “They said he should be able to go home tonight.”
My hand tightened around Lindsey’s. I didn’t want him talking to me. I didn’t even like that he was in the same room. Not after everything he put Lindsey through and as much as I had seen her suffer the last few weeks.
A moment later, the door opened, and a doctor walked in followed by two older people with sour eyes and features like Grant. I could only assume they were his parents. The way the woman shot daggers at Lindsey with her eyes, it only seemed logical that was Beatrice.