Chapter 129
I haven’t left this hallway in two days. It’s The same white walls. The same hum of machines behind the glass. The same antiseptic stench clinging to my clothes.
I’ve counted every flicker on the heart monitor. Every rise and fall on the graph that tells me Sierra’s still here. I’ve memorized that sound, the faint steady rhythm.
Two days. She still hasn’t opened her eyes. While I’m left here with worry I don’t know how to deal, and guilt I can’t shake.
I’ve been sneaking around like a thief, just so I don’t get caught by her mother or my family. It shouldn’t be like that. I shouldn’t have to ask the doctors and nurses to keep quiet about my presence here because I’m afraid of my family finding out, yet I also can’t stay away.
I’ve asked myself countless times what I’m doing here. The real answer is too complicated for me to understand, but the simple one? The one I cling to because any other answer is out of the question. So I stick to the safer and simplier answer. I still come back every day because of guilt.
My throat burns every time I think about how I walked out that day, too angry to stay, too proud to listen. Her words had cut deep, and I let them drive me away when she needed me the most.
If I hadn’t left her. If I had stayed, she’d be okay. She’d already be back home instead of lying in the ICU unconscious. I may not be the one that drove that syringe into her but I sure gave that nurse the window she needed to go after Sierra. 2
I drag a hand over my face, trying to force the thoughts away, but they just circle back relentlessly.
That moment where they fought to bring her back keeps looping in my mind. Over and over again, like it’s a punishment.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, dragging me out of the fog. Unknown number.
I answer without thinking. “Wood p>
A voice crackles on the other end. “Mr. Wood, it’s Grant. I got the information you asked p>
I sit up straight, tension snapping through me. “Yeah p>
He clears his throat. “You were right. Brook was at the parking lot the day of the accident. We pulled traffic cam footage. She got there at 10:28 am and left around 11:17.
Why was she there for that long? Sierra was right when she said the grocery store isn’t a place you’d casually find Brook. After all, I have a house manager who takes care of such things. So what was Brook doing there? And the same place Sierra happened to be… is that really a coincidence?
My grip tightens on the phone. “Did she see Sierra p>
“She did. A witness saw them talking. Said Brook looked upset. The witness thought they were arguing, but couldn’t hear what about. A few minutes later, Sierra got into her car and left. Then Brook made a phone call before she drove off. That’s where things get strange p>
“How p>
Grant hesitates. “That section of footage from the parking lot exit is gone. Deleted from the security feed. Whoever did it knew what they were doing. It wasn’t random corruption. Someone covered her tracks p>
For a moment, I can’t even speak. My jaw locks, the muscles in my neck coiling tight. Brook. Always somehow one step ahead of consequence.
“Send me everything you have,” I say, voice low, steady.
“I already did. Check your email p>
I hang up and stare at the ICU doors. A nurse is adjusting Sierra’s IV line. Her face is peaceful, almost like she’s sleeping. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was dreaming.
I watch her while my mind wanders to Brook. She was there. She saw Sierra right before the accident. And now, two days ago, someone dressed as a nurse nearly finished the job. Coincidence? No chance in hell.
The door to the waiting area opens behind me, and quiet footsteps approach. I don’t need to look up to know it’s Gunner. He moves like a whisper. Always has, even when we were kids. I can’t recall the number of times he gave my mom a scare while she was gardening, and he appeared quietly behind or beside her.