Just an Illusion - EP Read online

  Carefully making my way into the bedroom, I see her right away. The dresser is lying across her lower legs and her head is bleeding, but she’s awake. Before I can lean down and check her out, Darren’s wails echo though the night. I heard that cry when my mom found out what had happened inside J’s house that day. It’s the sound of unnatural loss. The animalistic cry you hear when someone has been left behind in the worst imaginable way.

  My heart can’t take much more of this. We have to get them out of here before there’s any more loss.

  “Princess, please talk to me,” I plead as I bend down.

  Tears are streaming down her cheeks, but she looks at me stoically. “Sawyer, I’m in labor.” Her words are calm—too calm. She’s in shock.

  Mac looks to me and down at the dresser. With a nod, I help him move it off of her.

  What we find under the dresser is terrifying. Her pajama pants are soaked in blood. I’ve got no clue if she’s injured somewhere or if it’s from the baby. If they lose this baby it will kill them. It will kill us all.

  “Oh God! Sawyer, it hurts!” she cries out.

  I don’t know what to do. She can’t have this baby here. This is too much. Belle is gone. Noah and Mel … Harold. How do we tell their families? How do we come back from this?

  “Sawyer, I know it’s a lot, man, but you’ve got to focus,” Mac says firmly.

  “Okay, Princess, tell me what hurts.”

  She hisses and blows through her mouth. “My back, my stomach, my wrist, my head, and my legs. Where is Noah?”

  “Noah is in the front of the bus. He’s hurt, but I think he’s going to be okay.”

  “Belle … She’s gone, isn’t she, Sawyer?” Tears continue to stream down her cheeks, but she’s trying so hard to be brave.

  “I’m not sure, but I think so.”

  “She was screaming. It was the worst sound I’ve ever heard. God, Sawyer, she must have been so scared and in so much pain.” Her breathing becomes rapid as she continues, “What am I going to do without her? And Cadence …” Mel’s bravado fails as she begins to wail. “Oh God, what is going to happen to Cadence if she doesn’t have her mom?”

  “Shh, Princess, we don’t know anything for sure. Right now you need to focus on you. We need to get you to the hospital and check on Nate. Cadence will have all of us, and we’ll keep Belle alive the best we can. I need you to take a steady breath.”

  She blows breaths in and out and groans when the pain gets bad. “Sawyer, where is Noah? Why can’t I hear him?”

  “Wyatt, how’s it going in there?” I call out so Mel can hear his reply.

  “It’s okay. His breathing sounds like shit but he’s still talking to me. He wants to know how Mel is!”

  Unsure of what to say, I look to Mac for help, but he only shrugs.

  “Tell Noah he’s going to be a dad tonight. Mel’s in labor.”

  A few minutes later, Wyatt enters the room. “Noah wants to talk to you, Sawyer. It’s okay, I’ll stay with Mel.”

  “Sawyer, tell him I love him and I need him with me for this.”

  “Will do.”

  As I make my way back to Noah, I can hear his breathing getting worse. Thank fucking God I hear the choppers in the sky. Being out in the middle of nowhere really sucks sometimes.

  “Mel says she loves you and needs you with her tonight. Are you ready to be a dad?”

  Noah looks up at me with sad eyes. “I’m so fucking ready, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to miss it. Tell her I love her, and I’m sorry for everything.” His voice is raspy, his breathing shallow. “I need you to promise me something, Sawyer.”

  “Anything you want, Noah, you know that.” I squeeze his hand and choke down my tears. I know he’s going to be okay, but he looks so fucking frail right now.

  “When they get here, you need to go with Mel. She needs someone to hold her hand through this. I watched her with Belle and she was terrified. Don’t let her do this alone. Make them bring me to her as soon as they can. I don’t want to miss this for the world.” He gasps loudly and releases a painful hiss.

  “What else hurts, Noah?”

  “My head, my ribs … I think they’re cracked. That’s it. If I could breathe better and stand up without feeling like I’m going to tear a lung, I’d be with her now. Promise me, Sawyer.”

  “I don’t want to leave you, Noah.” It’s pointless trying to hold back my tears.

  “I love you, Sawyer, and I know you love me. I need you to do this. Take care of my wife and my son until I can. I need my little brother’s help. Please don’t let me down. Wyatt will stay with me.”

  Mel’s groans carry from the other room as the bus is flooded with light. The emergency crews’ voices are getting louder as they come closer. I’m so fucking relieved they’re here.

  “I promise, Noah. You won’t miss anything. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “Is this the first victim?” one of the flight medics asks.

  “Yes, this is my brother Noah Weston. His lungs are bad. His wife is pregnant and in the back of the bus. She’s in labor.”

  “Show us where she is,” the other medic says as the first one attends to Noah. Two more medics climb on the bus behind him as I stand to lead him to Mel.

  Once we get in the room, I fill them in. “She was pinned under that dresser over there. I don’t know if the blood is from an injury or the baby.”

  “Ma’am, when is your baby due?” he asks Mel.

  Mel’s only reply is a groan.

  “She’s due today.” I bend down so she can squeeze my hand.

  Wyatt goes back to Noah as another medic comes in and reaches for her free hand. Mel screams when he lifts her wrist.

  “She’s got a dislocated wrist. This is going to hurt, but I’m going to pop it back into place and splint it. You’ll feel better once it’s splinted.”

  “Shouldn’t a doctor do that?” I ask, hoping they can wait.

  “My name is Dr. Michaels. I’m a trauma physician at Harborside where we’re transporting your brother and his wife. We’ve got the best medical team and equipment in the state. Trust me, this has to be done.” He turns to the other medic. “Cut off her pants and assess her injuries.”

  Taking Mel’s hand from mine, he quickly runs an I.V. and gives her hand back to me when he finishes. Within seconds, he pops her wrist back into place and Mel screams in pain.

  Wyatt rushes into the room. “Noah wants to know why she’s screaming.”

  “Dislocated wrist. How’s he doing?” I hate not being able to be in two places at once. Even if he hadn’t asked me, though, I’d never leave Princess alone.

  “They’re getting ready to put tubes in his chest. He’s got a collapsed lung. The doctor said it couldn’t wait.”

  Dr. Michaels looks at the other paramedic and tilts his head toward the front of the bus. “I need to get back to him. She goes first, get her on the board. She’s dilated to eight centimeters and we need to know if we’re dealing with any pelvic fractures. If she can hold out, no meds. The rapid scan is waiting and the second chopper is en route.”

  The paramedic agrees to the plan and the doctor heads back to Noah.

  “She’s got quite a few deep cuts on her legs, probably from the dresser,” the medic tells us as another medic joins him to get Mel on the board. “It doesn’t look like any blood is from the baby. How the hell is she so beat up but her abdomen untouched?”

  “The bar, the soundproofing, and Winnie the Pooh,” Mel replies through a groan. They pause to see if she continues, needing as much history as possible. “I held on to the metal bar by the bed when we were hit. That’s how my wrist got fucked up. When I flew up, I slammed against the wall and my head hit the bar, but my belly was cushioned by all the soundproofing. Then, when the bus flipped on its side, my wrist snapped and I lost my grip and I fell. So did Pooh. My belly landed sideways on him.”

  Turning to the medics, I fill them
in. “My brother had a bar attached to the wall at the head of the bed so she could get out of bed easily while pregnant. The walls in here are covered in soundproofing, and Pooh is a three-by-five-foot stuffed animal I bought for the baby. Mel slept with him to take pressure off her lower back.”

  Suddenly, the sound of a heartbeat echoes through the room. “Baby sounds good on the monitor. Heartbeat is a little fast, but I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. Call in and make sure OB is on standby in the trauma center,” the first medic says to the second before they carry her out of the room on the board.

  “Noah!” Mel calls out when she sees him on the floor. “I love you, Noah. Please fight, baby.” She’s crying, and after seeing the tube hanging out one side of his chest, so am I.

  “I’m good, baby. You take care of Nate and I’ll be there soon. I love you so much. Be strong, Amelia, you’ve got this.”

  “Noah—”

  “You promised me, Sawyer. Take care of them. Please.”

  “You got it, but only until you get there. Has anyone called my parents?” I ask.

  Mac speaks up for the first time in a while, “Warren did, they’re on their way with everyone. They’ll arrive in a couple of hours.” I’ve never heard Mac sound so solemn before.

  When we exit the bus, I spot Darren about fifteen yards away. He’s on the ground crying and rocking with Belle’s limp body clutched in his arms. Ryan is trying to talk to him, as are the first responders, but he’s ignoring them.

  I turn away quickly and throw up in the roadway. My psyche can’t handle this shit. My best friend is in agony and I can’t do anything to help him right now. Mac’s arm is on my shoulder and he turns me to face him.

  “Go with Mel. Darren is in shock. We’ll get him to the hospital, too. Just give him time to hold her one last time. It’s the only goodbye he’s going to get.”

  “Cadence …”

  “She’s with Warren and she’s fine. We got this, but Mel needs you and they’re about to take off. Go, Sawyer, now.” His firm tone brings me back to the here and now. Breaking into a run, I hop into the chopper just in time for takeoff. I’m able to stay with Mel while the medic keeps watch over her.

  The trip to the hospital is the longest twenty minutes of my life. As soon as they unload Mel it’s absolute chaos. I try to follow the conversation, but the only thing I know for sure is they are scanning her in some sixty second body scanner to make sure she can deliver.

  Once she’s out, I’m by her side and we’re rushed into a huge trauma room which is already set up with what they need for the baby.

  “Get her out of these clothes and wipe her down as much as possible,” a doctor barks as he looks at his iPad.

  “Multiple lacerations on her legs need debridement and sutures, her wrist needs to be cast, there’s a five centimeter laceration on the back of her head, three centimeter laceration to her forehead, and multiple contusions.” One of the many people is calling out all this information as the doctor keeps his eyes on the iPad.

  What the fuck is he doing?

  When he begins to speak, I understand. “She’s got three non-displaced fractures in her lumbar spine L2-L4. They’re going to make delivering this baby quite painful. No hip or pelvic fractures. All other scans are clear aside from the wrist.”

  Once Mel’s clothes come off, someone immediately sticks an ultrasound onto her belly while a new doctor positions herself between Mel’s legs. The nurses manage to wipe her down fast and get a gown on her. I can’t imagine what Mel must be thinking right now because I’m dizzy with all of this and trying to remember every detail so I can fill Noah in.

  “Baby looks good from what I can see on the scan and ultrasound. We’ll have to do a full check upon delivery,” the doctor says as she preps Mel for delivery.

  “Sawyer, I’m scared.” Mel’s fragile voice reaches my ears and I’m about to lose my shit. My entire world is in this room and on that bus. Fuck, I need Noah and so does she.

  “I know, Princess, but I’m right here. I won’t go anywhere until Noah gets here. I promise.” I pull her hand to my lips and kiss her softly, hoping I’m giving her as much support as I’m taking from her.

  “Amelia, I’m sorry for what you’re going through right now. I know you’re in pain, but I need you coherent. After you deliver, I will give you medication. My name is Doctor Giles and I’m about to deliver your baby. Do you know what you’re having?”

  Dr. Giles is trying to be optimistic but I can tell she’s worried.

  “A boy … Nathaniel. It means gift of God,” she whimpers as tears stream down her cheeks.

  “Okay then … Nathaniel is ready to meet his mom. You’re crowning. I’m so sorry because this is going to hurt like hell. On the next contraction, I need you to push, Amelia.”

  “Noah’s not here, I can’t do this without him,” she wails.

  My heart breaks for both of them. She’s such a mess I can’t even video this for her because I’m sure, other than Nate, she’s going to want to erase this night from her memory completely.

  “You can do this, Princess. I told Noah I’d get you through it. Do it for him and do it for Nate. And for fuck’s sake, do it for yourself so you can get some pain relief. I got you, Princess, you just have to push.”

  On the tail end of my words, she has her next contraction and releases a painful scream. The staff in the room exchange sad looks and I know this is far from normal.

  “Good job, Amelia. His head is out,” Dr. Giles says.

  I look down so I can describe this moment for Noah and I’m in absolute awe as the doctor suctions his mouth.

  “Mel, he’s got so much hair.” When I meet her eyes, sadness is all I see. “I’m going to tell Noah every fucking detail, Princess. I promise.”

  Another contraction begins and the doctor tells her to push again. A few more pushes and a few more gut-wrenching screams and Nate’s finally out and screaming himself.

  “He’s crying, Sawyer. Oh God, he’s crying. Is that good or bad? I don’t even know.” Mel’s working herself into a frenzy. They rush the baby to the side of the room and start checking him out.

  “Amelia, I’m going to give you something to help you relax as well as some pain medicine. Not enough to knock you out because I still need you with me for a bit, but it’s enough to knock the edge off.”

  “What about Nate?” she asks frantically as the nurse puts the meds in her I.V.

  “Doctor, one minute Apgar is seven,” the nurse calls out as Mel’s eyes roll back a bit. At least she’s getting some relief and the medicine is starting to work.

  “Doctor, five minute is a ten, respirations and oxygen are both normal. Eight pounds and ten ounces, twenty-one and a half inches long. Can Mom have a peek before sending him for his scans?”

  Dr. Giles smiles and nods emphatically while she tends to Mel. “Yes, bring the baby to Mom.”

  Noah is yelling out in the hall. Mel seems a bit loopy but she smiles. “Sawyer, get Noah. He needs to hold Nate first. He’s waited so long for this.”

  “I want to wait with my wife! You can assess me in there.” Noah’s insistent voice carries into the room as I rush to open the sliding door. Wyatt is trying to calm him down but it’s no use. I’m sure it hurts to yell, but Noah is nothing if not determined to see his wife and child.

  “Please. His baby was just born, let him hold him for just a minute.”

  The doctors with Noah exchange concerned glances but relent. “For exactly as long as it takes for the results of your scan to load to my device and not a second longer,” one of them replies firmly.

  “I’ll wait here,” Wyatt says sadly, knowing they won’t let him in.

  Noah’s bed is rolled in next to Mel’s. He looks like hell but he’s beaming. “Is he okay?”

  “Yeah, Noah, he’s pretty perfect,” I tell him as the nurse brings Nate to meet his dad. I quickly pull out my phone so I can get a picture. The
nurse carefully places Nate in Noah’s arms. Even though it looks hella painful for him, he couldn’t be happier. Noah tries to move him but can’t, so I help him lift Nate so he can give him a kiss. With one hand balancing the baby, I use my free hand to snap a few photos of this moment.

  “Amelia, baby, I love you. Look what we made. He’s perfect, Mel, absolutely perfect.” Noah is crying and Mel is super loopy, but with every ounce of energy she has, she leans over and kisses Noah.

  “I love you, too, Noah, so much. Nate looks just like you. He’s perfect.” She places a tender kiss on top of Nate’s head as tears stream down her cheeks. In the midst of everything, their joy is palpable. I allow myself a quick minute to be happy for them. Belle must be shining down on Mel right now.

  “Amelia,” the doctor says, trying to catch her attention again, “I’m going to need you to lie back, please. We’re almost done. One more push to expel the placenta.”

  Noah’s hands begin to tremble and his eyes begin to droop. I take Nate back and kiss the top of Noah’s head. Noah’s body slumps to the side as the doctors rush back in and the room once again turns into a frenzy.

  “Noah, can you hear me?” one doctor asks. Noah mumbles, but he isn’t giving them the response they’re looking for. “Get him to the O.R. now!” the doctor calls out, and a team of people rush Noah from the room before I can even ask what is going on.

  “Where are you taking him?” Mel cries out softly. She’s completely drugged up and not coherent at all.

  “Yes, where are you taking him?” I ask.

  “Noah’s scans show he has an epidural hematoma, which is bleeding in the brain. We need to get him to the operating room to stop the bleeding.”

  What? No …

  The doctor rushes out of the room behind the team pushing Noah’s gurney. This can’t be happening … not now. I stumble backward against the wall as I cradle Nate in my arms. Noah will get through this, he has to …

  For Nate.

  For Mel.

  For me.

  “Give her the medication I ordered so she can sleep. We need to get her cleaned up, suture her wounds, and get her to the floor. Mr. Weston, please give the baby to the nurse for his tests. We’ll bring him back as soon as we’re done.”