Chapter 363
And don’t tell me it’s because she’s part of the family. I knew my brother. Unless someone was blood or meant something deeply to him, he wouldn’t have given a fuck. So why is it that the first time he reaches out to me from beyond the grave… it’s because of her? Because of a girl that has no ties to him?
I frown, frustration building because none of this makes any sense and I don’t have a single answer.
He knew exactly where she would be. How?
I let out a slow breath, the frustration bleeding into it as I realize I’m just going in circles with no direction. I hate not having answers. It bothers me so much and usually drives me to the edge of insanity.
My gaze lifts, meeting Gabe’s in the rearview mirror just as he looks up.
“You okay?” he asks, his gaze searching mine.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so… but I will be once I get some answers p>
He nods, but I can see the confusion in his eyes. He can join the club because I’m just as confused about this whole thing as he is.
Silence settles over the car. I turn my head to look out the window, though there’s really nothing to see.
My mind refuses to quiet down, no matter how hard I try. It keeps circling, trying to make sense of everything, trying to understand what the hell happened and how it even happened in the first place, because dead people don’t just reach out to the living out of the blue.
I’m grateful that Andrew reached out, but I need to understand why. The things he said… they don’t make sense.
He said he loved her. That he’s always watching over her, and then he asked me to take care of her for him. That’s not nothing.
There’s something there. There has to be a connection. Something I’m missing… And I’m going to find out what it is even if it’s the last thing I do.
“We’re here, Angel.” Gabe’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I realize we’ve arrived at the hospital.
He steps out of the car, opens Sierra’s door, and carefully lifts her from my arms into his.
Sierra snuggles into his chest, murmuring incoherently, but doesn’t open her eyes. Just sinks deeper into her sleep.
I step out, lock the car, and follow him toward the hospital entrance.
We draw a few looks, but no one says anything. No one ever does. People know better than to interfere with the Wood family.
We reach her floor and find a cluster of doctors and nurses, along with Noah, Lilly, and Ivy.
Ivy stops pacing the moment she sees us and rushes forward, tears streaming down her face as her eyes land on Sierra.
“How is she?” she asks, her voice catching.
“She’s okay, but she needs to be monitored,” I reply, swallowing hard because I know what I have to say next won’t be easy. “We found her by the cliff… s-she… she p>
“She what, Mom?” Lilly asks when I can’t finish.
“She almost jumped,” Gabe says quietly. “If your mother hadn’t pulled her back in time… she would have been gone p>
A broken sound rips out of Ivy, raw and animalistic, before she collapses to the ground, completely shattered.
“Why would she do that?” Noah asks, his voice thick with emotion.
I take a deep breath. “She thought she lost the baby… I didn’t tell her everything, just that the baby is alive p>
He nods slowly, understanding settling over his expression.
The doctors step forward and gently take her from Gabe’s hands. They wheel her into the room, and the rest follow behind. Just as Gabe is about to step inside, I reach out and pull him aside.
“I need a trusted doctor, Gabe,” I say quietly, keeping my voice low as I open my hand.
He frowns slightly, looking down at what I’m holding before lifting his gaze back to mine. “What’s that, Harper p>
I take a steady breath, my eyes lingering on the strand in my palm for a moment before meeting his.
“It’s a strand of Sierra’s hair,” I say. “I need a DNA test done p>