Page 93 of The Fool
Ben nods my way before marching up to the nurses’ station where he tries to bark at them. They’ve no doubt had years of experience of telling people like him to calm down and wait patiently. To me, however, this is all so painfully new and raw. My senses still can’t make sense of the smell of anti-bacterial cleaner, the bright white lights, the beeps, and alarms, as well as the tired sound of the nurse who tells Ben to sit down. He growls in protest and continues to pace up and down with aggressive stomping across the waiting area floor. As for me, I continue to sit in shock and complete numbness. I don’t even feel Bea’s mother as she takes hold of my hand and sits next to me. We’ve not even been formally introduced, and yet here we are, praying for the same outcome to this awful tragedy.
“She’ll be ok,” she whimpers, shaking my hand with hers, trying to convince us both of her words. “Bea is strong, she’s…”
Her words trail off and a strange look takes over her red and puffy face; she’s no longer sure of what Bea is, not after what she heard.
“Sheisstrong, Mrs Summers,” I tell her reassuringly. “I know what you heard but I’ve also known her for the past two years and I can tell you that she is very strong.”
“You promise?” she whimpers, looking at me with extreme fear in her eyes.
“I swear it,” I reply, squeezing her hand that little bit tighter. “She sure as hell kicked me into touch,” I tell her, looking somewhat ashamed over everything from our past, but when she smiles at me, she makes me feel a little better. “And I’m so very glad she did.”
“You look like you haven’t aged a day, Nathaniel,” she whispers. I laugh softly for I think she’s glad of a little meaningless conversation while we await news that I’m not entirely sure I want to hear.
“Thank you, but I fear the laughter lines are already beginning to settle in,” I tell her.
“Oh, you should always be thankful for those,” she says, “they show you must be happy.”
“I am with her,” I admit, only to sigh when I realize my answer could soon be something to say in the past tense. She looks the same, so we decide to stay quiet for a moment or two, to try and make some kind of peace with that thought.
Shortly after, Emma and Dean march in, both looking deathly pale, both unable to look at one another.
“Oh, hell no!” I yell as I lunge toward Dean. I grab him by the scruff of his neck and throw him against the nearest wall. “Get the fuck out of here, asshole. You don’t get to come and support Bea after everything you’ve done to her!”
“You’ve been in her life for five minutes, who the hell do you think you are?” Dean spits at me.
“Hey, asswipe,” Ben warns him, “he’s Bea’s fiancé, so he gets to decide who stays and who goes, so get gone!” His response shocks me a little, and it’s then that I realize I’ve finally gained his trust. Either that or he just hates Dean more.
“I’m not leaving until I know Bea’s ok,” he growls at me.
“Yes, you are,” Bea’s father finally speaks up from beside us. Everyone turns to face this man who looks as though he’s lost his entire life in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but he also looks as though the loss is all his fault.
“Charlie?” Dean gasps, to which Bea’s father shakes his head and sighs.
“I don’t know all of it yet, but from what I heard, you knocked up my daughter, then jumped into bed with my other daughter. It wasn’t at all what we were told, but I should have known, should have seen what was happening to my little girl. Instead, I welcomed you into the family, believing that Bea had left you broken-hearted and that you and Emma had sought comfort in one another. I thought I was being a liberal father letting you have both of my daughters because I thought you were a good guy. After all, it wasn’t your fault Bea decided to move on, and I know how much it hurt you. But to find out you were the cause of her leaving, that you pushed her to the edge with your lies, your betrayal, your selfishness? No!”
He steps back, shaking his head and clenching up his fists with white knuckle force. I can tell her father is usually a gentle giant, a man who tries to be fair and give everyone a chance. But he isn’t that guy right now; right now, he’s a father whose daughter has been hurt by the very man standing in front of him.
“Get.Out!” I growl through my teeth, saving him the pain of having to face what’s been going on under his very roof for another moment longer.
Looking like he could still become physical with me, Dean eventually turns and leaves, not even waiting for his new wife or seeking her response in any way, shape, or form. She watches him, then glances back at her parents, then back to the door, behind which, her sister is fighting for her life.
“Daddy?” she whimpers with tears spilling over her red cheeks, leaving trails of black mascara in their wake. The old man sighs, glances at his wife, then steps up to her and wraps his arms around her shoulders, into which she collapses.
“I still love you, Emma, but I need you to go too,” he says before stepping back to look at her shocked expression. I can see it’s killing him to ask this of her, but I can also understand his need to not be with her right now. She betrayed Bea too.
“You’re sending me away?” she whispers with pain in her voice, prompting her mother to begin crying again.
“I need you to, honey, just for now,” he says, sounding choked up. “What we heard, Emma, I need time to process it, but I can’t do that right now. We’ve always been there for you, Em, but now we need to be here for Bea, like we should have been before.”
“We should have been there for her, Emma,” her mother adds. “Emma, she thought she had no other option than to try and kill herself. My baby, who was so perfect, so full of life, wanted to end it all. I can’t…I mean, we can’t delve into all that, all of what happened between you, her, and Dean, not until I know she’s going to be ok.”
Emma doesn’t say anything, she can’t, she’s too full of tears. Instead, she nods her head, attempts a smile for them, then turns to walk away. You just know she’s going to break as soon as she’s out of sight, so I turn to Ben, who is also looking conflicted. I jut my chin out toward the exit where Emma has just gone through. He stares at the floor for a few long moments before sighing and pacing after her. There’s no denying how much Bea lost after everything, but I know how much it hurts to lose a sibling. Emma’s been without hers for so long, I know this is what Bea would want Ben to do.
Chapter 31
Nate
Hours seem to pass by, but no one can move much further than the coffee machine. No one dares to drink the coffee, not since another visitor tried some and immediately spat it out again. I keep staring at my phone, expecting Cam or Callie to message me, even though I’ve not actually contacted them; I can’t bring myself to say what’s happened out loud.