Arizona shakes her head. “No, really. I’m okay,” she says. “It’s a freaking sob-fest out there. I’ve already gotten most of it out. I was just so relieved to see you awake and alright. I swear, between me, Chanel, and Ilaria, I’m surprised the waiting area isn’t flooded with tears.”
My bottom lip drops, hating to hear they’re not doing so well. “They can come in here if they need somewhere to break down.”
“I’m sure they will,” she says. “We’ve been fighting over who gets to go and check on you first, and of course, I lost. So I told them I was going to pee instead and jumped the line.”
A soft laugh bubbles up my throat as I shake my head, not surprised by her tactics. “How are you really though? Have you heard anything more about Jax?”
Arizona shakes her head and the pain in her eyes nearly destroys me. “I wouldn’t know,” she says with a nasty bite in her tone. “Logan is refusing to let me see him or even tell me how he’s doing. Apparently, all I’m good for is messing him up and I don’t need to mess him up any more than I already have.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” I tell her. “Logan is just scared for his brother and you’re the perfect target for him to lash out at. Once Jax wakes up and Logan relaxes, he’ll be able to think with a clear head and then you’ll be able to see him.”
“Yeah, well …,” she says, glancing at her hands. “I don’t know if I want to see him.”
My brows furrow and I search her eyes but see nothing but the agony his rejection at the track caused, still burning so bright despite everything else that’s happened over the past six hours. “Ari …” I breathe.
“Don’t get me wrong,” she cuts in. “I’ll hang around and check in on you and Addie when she wakes up, but I can’t bring myself to face him yet. It’s too hard. I’ll just creep in the corridors, hoping I hear some kind of update.”
I take her hand and give it a tight squeeze, hating how much she’s hurting. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “He just needs some time to realize what he’s missing. I’m sure he’ll—”
Three short raps at the open door have my head craning around Arizona’s shoulder to find two policemen crowding my doorway. “Brielle, is it?” the one on the right questions as they welcome themselves into my room.
My gaze briefly flicks toward Tanner before returning to the cop. “Yes,” I say, the hesitation clear in my voice. “Can I help you?”
“You can,” he says. “However, not right at this moment. We’ll be back to take your statement in a little while. You’ve only just woken up from surgery. I’m sure the last thing you want to be doing is talking to us.”
“Okay,” I say slowly, noticing the way the other cop watches Tanner with a close eye. “Then what can I do for you?"
“Nothing,” he says, turning his sharp stare toward Tanner. “It’s what he can do for us. Are you Tanner Morgan?”
Tanner pushes off the wall, not liking the harsh bite in the cop’s tone. “Why do you need to know?”
“Come on, Tanner,” the second cop says. “Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be. It’s after five in the morning and the last thing we want to be doing is dragging you out of here in cuffs. We have multiple witnesses who claim you were involved with the assault of Colby Jacobs. We just need to have a chat. That’s all.”
Tanner glances back at me, holding my stare a moment longer before pursing his lips and letting out a deep breath. “I’ll just be out in the hallway,” he tells me. “If you need anything, just call out and I’ll come right back in.”
“I’ll be okay,” I tell him, holding his stare and sending a silent message, reminding him that he did nothing wrong. “I love you.”
“You too,” he says, giving me a tight smile before following the policemen out of the room.
The moment he disappears out the door, nerves break through the surface, and I grip onto the bed sheets, bunching them in tight fists as I turn my terrified stare to Arizona. “It’s going to be okay,” she says, reaching out and taking my hand, forcing me to release my hold on the sheets. “There were hundreds of people there. They know Colby was in the wrong. Tanner’s going to be okay, and like they said, they just want to talk. They’re probably just taking his statement and getting a clear picture of what happened.”
Knowing she’s right, I try to breathe, but it doesn’t stop the panic from overwhelming my every thought. Despite everything that’s happened over the past few months, I feel like a lost child, way in over her head, needing her mom to hold her and tell her everything will be okay.
“Do you think …” I pull myself up short as a cringe settles across my face, not sure if this is what I really want.
“What’s wrong?” Arizona asks. “What do you need?”
“I was going to ask if maybe you could ask my mom to come in, but I … I don’t know. Things are still weird between us, and she’ll probably only start ranting at me about making shitty decisions and then probably blame the whole thing on me, but …” I pause again, indecision plaguing me. “You know that feeling when you’re having a really awful time and all you need is your mom to hold you and tell you that everything is going to be alright?”
“Yeah, I know the feeling,” she tells me, her lips pressing into a hard line as her eyes flicker with a strange guilt, holding something back.
“What?” I ask. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry, Bri,” she says, gripping my hand a little tighter. “Tanner called your mom, but she never showed up.”
“She didn’t come?” I ask, disbelief hitting me like a fucking freight train. I know things are messed up right now, but surely she’d still show up for me. Surely the past eighteen years have meant more to her than this. “Are you sure?”
Arizona gives me a broken stare. “Girl, I’m sorry,” she says, pushing up from the chair and dropping her ass to the mattress. “Your mom doesn’t know how lucky she is to have you. One of these days, she’ll realize exactly what it is she’s been pushing away. Until then, you’ve got me. Now scoot your bitch-ass over so I can snuggle with you until you pass out.”
Without another second of warning, Arizona pushes in beside me, under the blankets and all. Her arm slips beneath my neck the same way Tanner’s does, and she pulls me into her, holding me close, not giving two shits about the stab wound that’s all too close to my nether regions for my liking.
Letting out a broken sigh, I cry into her shoulder, wishing desperately that things could be different.
Chapter 3
TANNER
The door of the hospital conference room closes behind me as the cop with the staring issue indicates for me to take a seat. It’s a far cry from the corridor I told Bri I’d be in, and it makes me wonder if these assholes plan on having a little more than just a friendly chat. Why else would they bring me into a private room? The cops of Bradford aren’t exactly known for being the forgiving type.