The Commitment (12 page)

“Is he okay?”

“Baby, I’m not sure,” she says, her eyes beginning to tear as she hits something in the hands free. “Jack has JT and Ana’s getting us on the next flight out of Corpus. Hello?”

“Sophie?” Ana says into the phone. “Did you find him?”

“Yes, we’re on the road. Did you find anything?”

“Yeah, but I don’t have my credit card and I can’t find Drake anywhere,” she says in a panic. “Jack’s looking for him now.”

“I have mine, Ana. Can you go online on your phone and I’ll give you the number?” Sophie asks, glancing over at me before reaching into her purse for her wallet.

How the fuck can everything be happening so fast and still feel like it’s in slow motion?

“Yeah, hang on,” she says.

“Everything’s okay, Baby, but you have to call Em. She’s freaking out.”

Pulling my phone out to dial my sister, I’m completely overwhelmed as she answers in a panic. I talk to her as much as I can, but she’s so upset, I can’t make out half of what she’s saying. By the time I hang up, Sophie’s no longer on the phone and we’re approaching the exit for the airport.

“Any news?” she asks and reaches over to squeeze my hand reassuringly.

“No,” I admit, my voice thick. “Emily said she thinks he had a heart attack, but she can’t get in touch with my mom and the hospital won’t tell her anything. Her cars in the shop and Brad’s on his way from Orlando to get her and take her to Tampa General now.”

“Oh my God, Chase! I’m so sorry,” she says, her soft voice cracking. “I’m getting you there as quickly as I can, Babe.”

“I know, Princess,” I say, feeling disconnected as I lift her hand to my lips weakly. “Thank you.”

“Hush. Everything’s going to be fine,” she says across the seat to me. “You and me, remember?”

“Yeah,” I manage, no longer to hold back the emotions that have been building since I saw her running in fear across the bleachers at the field. “God, when I saw you running, I thought something happened with the baby…”

“I know, Baby,” she says immediately, rubbing my neck as I lean forward in the seat, gripping my head. “I’m so sorry I scared you, I panicked.”

“I never thought of anything else, Sophie.”

“It’s okay,” she says consolingly, pulling into long-term parking and finding the first available spot. “The baby and I are fine and your Dad will be, too, Honeybee. We just have to get to him.”

“You’re right,” I tell her, sitting up to wipe my face clean and clear my throat. “He’s strong, he’s healthy. He’s gonna be okay.”

He’s got to be.

Less than two hours after Emily’s call, Sophie and I are in the air.

Sophie

Chase and I have been through a lot in the year we’ve spent together, but I’ve never been on this side of it.

Normally, when anything traumatic has happened to us, he’s been the one saving
me
. For the first time in our relationship, Chase needs me to be the strong one.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared shitless. In addition to the fact that I’m deeply concerned about what we’ll be walking into when we make it to Florida, I’m absolutely terrified of flying. None of that matters right now though.

As we prepare for takeoff, my typical fear of falling from the sky is the last thing on my mind. The only thing I’m worried about is getting the man I love to his father.

Since I’ve never witnessed him going through anything traumatic firsthand, I’m unsure what to do for him. After making sure I’m okay, my normally chatty fiancé is anything but as we make our way over the Gulf. Staring out the window, he grips my hand in his and remains silently lost in thought for the majority of the flight. Every so often, his eyes will drift to me, asking if I’m okay or gently placing his hand over my bump. Once he knows we’re both safe, though, he resumes his silence.

Once we make it to Tampa, he powers on his phone and calls his sister as I rush toward the nearest car rental spot. By the time he’s hung up, I’ve got keys in my hand and we’re on our way.

“Any news?” I ask carefully as he slips the phone into his pocket.

“They’re running tests,” he says quietly. “He’s asleep.”

“Did they say anything else? Is everything okay?”

We locate the SUV we were assigned and he helps me into the passenger seat. His silence is so unusual that by the time he makes his way to the driver’s side, I’m on the verge of tears.

“Sophie,” he manages, clearing his throat and finally glancing up towards me with tears in his eyes as his voice breaks. “Baby, he’s not waking up.”

I start to say something, what I’m not sure. As I take in Chase’s large, muscular frame as he leans against the steering wheel and begins to fall apart, I’m at a loss.

“He’s not waking up,” he sobs in a broken voice, tearing straight through to my heart.

“Chase,” I whisper, ignoring the tears rolling down my cheeks as I lean over the console and pull him to my chest. “Baby, I’m here. I’m right here.”

He grips me with gentle force, pulling me to his lap and leaning into my neck, sobbing more openly than he ever has before. His massive arms engulf me and as I squeeze him back as hard as I can, my heart shatters for him completely.

I give him the time he needs and once his crying subsides, say nothing because I know there’s nothing I can say to fix this. I gently pull away and run the pads of my thumbs across his bronzed skin. The red hue his eyes have taken on from his sorrow make his blue eyes clear even in the darkness.

“I’m sorry,” he manages.

“No,” I say immediately, shaking my head and shushing him. “None of that, okay?”

“Sophie,” he whispers, his tear rimmed eyes still shining in the night as his words break through my fear. “I’m not ready for this, Baby.”

“I know,” I tell him, resting my hand on his jaw. “But he could still be okay. Sometimes it just takes a little while to wake up after something traumatic, you know? Don’t start thinking the worst, Lovebug. You said it yourself, Pops is tough. If anyone can pull through this, it’s him.”

“Yeah,” he says, wiping his face clear of tears. “You’re right.”

“Come on,” I tell him in a soft voice as I gently run the pad of my thumb over his lips, holding his aqua orbs. “I’m driving.”

“No, you don’t have to…”

“Hush, Baby,” I tell him, pulling the handle on the driver’s side door. “I’m driving. You need to call your sister and check on Pops and your Mama. I’ll get us to the hospital.”

“Sophie…”

“You
always
take care of me, Chase,” I cut him off, holding his pained eyes.

“But you can’t…”

“Hush Baby… Look at me,” I whisper softly, the blue eyes that own me taking me captive. “We’ve been through a lot of shit since we got together and you’ve seen me through all of it. Let me take care of you for once. Please let me do this for you, Chase. I’m strong, too.”

“There’s never been a day since we met that I’d argue that, Princess,” he sighs, pressing his lips to my forehead. “You’re the strongest person I know.”

Gently, he squeezes my hips in his large hands and rests his forehead against mine, searching my eyes as he nods slowly. I cup the side of his strong, scruff covered jaw and place a soft kiss on his lips.

“Thank you, Baby,” he whispers, rubbing his palm over my belly.

“You’re welcome, my Love,” I say in a soft tone, climbing off of him and stepping out. “Come on, get in over there.”

Once we’re situated, I’m surprised to look over to see the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

“Is this what our marriage is going to be like?” he sniffs, giving me another soft smile. “You ordering me around and calling all the shots?”

“Absolutely,” I wink as I set the GPS. “You didn’t seriously think you’d be wearing the pants, did you?”

“Nah,” he chuckles weakly as he puts the phone to his ear. “They look better on you anyway, Baby.”

Chase

The last time I talked to my sister, my dad had woken up briefly, but was unable to stay awake for more than a few minutes. His vitals were a little better, but she said he looked like hell. His nurse had come in and said the doctor had found an issue during his tests, so it didn’t look like he was in the clear just yet.

I glance over at my girl staring ahead as she disconnects her call with Jack to check on JT and makes her way through late night traffic. I’m grateful for her in ways I can’t even describe. I know how hard it had to be for her to leave JT, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad she was with me. Just her presence right now is enough to keep me sane. There’s no way I’d be this calm if I’d come on my own.

“Thank you for coming with me,” I tell her, reaching over the console and resting my hand on her thigh, squeezing gently.

“Of course, Babysaurus,” she says softly, grasping my hand in hers and intertwining our fingers. “We’re almost there, okay?”

“Okay,” I say nervously with a low sigh.

The information I’ve been able to get is so minimal, I have no idea what we’re walking into. All I know for sure is I’m about to see the man I’ve spent almost thirty years idolizing in ways I’ve never seen before. The thought of that is enough to have me terrified in ways I’ve never experienced.

Hearing the shaky breath leaving my chest, Sophie squeezes my hand reassuringly as she takes the exit that will take us to my family.

“It’s going to be alright, Baby.”

We ride the rest of the way in silence and when she pulls into the parking lot, she turns to face me before rubbing her hand over my arm.

“Chase? Come on, Baby. We have to go in now, okay?”

Unable to speak, I simply nod and push my door open, taking her hand immediately as she makes her way around the front of the SUV to meet me. Emily sent us both a text with the information we’ll need to find where they’re waiting for us in his room. In just a few minutes, we’re at his door, but as I get a glimpse of his large frame looking so frail from the entry, I freeze. Sensing my hesitation, she glances back and finds my eyes.

“Baby, what are you doing?”

“Sophie…” I start, my chest starting to tighten with anxiety. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“
This
Baby,” I manage. “I can’t go in there. I can’t see him like that, Sophie. I’m freaking the hell out right now.”

“I know,” she says, resting her hand on my chest. “But you don’t have a choice.”

“Babe…”

“Chase, you don’t have a choice. I know you’re scared. I know this moment and it sucks,” she cuts me off, her gentle voice low but firm as she searches my eyes. “But no matter what happens from now on, the man on the other side of that door is your father. It doesn’t matter if you’re scared right now, you have to pull yourself together, walk through that door and be there for him. That’s all that matters right now. You need to fall apart? You fall apart with me later. I promised that I’d walk through fire for you, Chase and I meant it. You are not alone. I am here with you every step of the way, Baby, but right now? Your dad, your mom, Emily… They need you to hold your shit together. You can do this and you will because otherwise, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life and that’s not who you are.”

As her emerald eyes hold mine, I can see the traces of fear there, but more than anything, I see determination, unwavering faith and love. Somehow, as always, she knows exactly what I need in this moment and the realization of that causes a knot to catch in my throat. Wrapping her arms around me, she rests her forehead against my chest and squeezes me gently.

“I’m sorry for the tough love,” she starts, misunderstanding my silence. “I just…”

“No,” I tell her, kissing her hair and nudging her chin up to meet her eyes. “It’s exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.”

“It’s going to be okay, Baby,” she whispers, leaning up to meet my lips. “I’ve got you.”

Hearing her echo my words causes my heart to swell as I pull her into my arms, hugging her tightly before I lead us to the room that holds my fear. I’m not even all the way over the threshold before Emily is rushing towards us, directly into my arms.

“Bubba, you’re here,” she says, her voice cracking with emotion. “Thank God. Mom’s a fucking wreck and they’re not telling us anything.”

She pulls Sophie in for a quick hug before grabbing my arm and pulling us into the room. That’s when I really see him. The man who’d spent countless hours tossing football’s across the backyard, taught me how to drive, how to be honest, how to be a man.

He looks like him, but not. His large frame looks so tiny, so frail in the hospital bed as the tubes keeping him alive run everywhere.

My mother is sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his hand in hers and whispering something quietly, silent tears staining her typically smiling face. She doesn’t hear us enter the room and in my cowardice need to delay what’s coming, I take her in.

The look on her face isn’t one of someone who’s simply reaching the limits of her emotional capacity for the day. These are the eyes of the distraught, the desperate. These are the eyes of someone who is facing their deepest fear and simply isn’t prepared.

I know it because they’re the same eyes that stared back at me in my rearview mirror the night I rushed behind the ambulance, thinking I’d lost Sophie in that parking lot. The same eyes that I found staring back at me when I woke up in the hospital room all those months ago as she fell apart in the chair beside my bed.

These are the eyes of a person facing the loss of half of their soul.

“Mama,” I whisper, barely audible over the sound of the monitors surrounding my dad.

She turns to face me and I squeeze Sophie’s hand in mine before I release it and make my way to her.

“Baby Boy,” she says softly, clutching her chest and failing in her attempt to offer me a smile of encouragement.

“I’m here,” I whisper as I lean to hug her to my chest. “How is he?”

“He woke up again for a few minutes,” she says, attempting to dry her unstoppable tears. “He’s been in and out, which I think is good, but he needs his rest.”

“Yeah,” I say, simply because it’s what I can manage.

Finally mustering up enough bravery to really take in my father, I get a better look at him and my chest aches with worry. He looks so tired, like he’s aged more than a decade in the last four months. Careful not to disturb him, I lean over and tell him I love him, that I’m here and kiss him on the side of the head.

“The doctor’s due in anytime now,” my mom says, pulling a nod from me.

I feel Sophie’s eyes on me and glancing up, I see her leaned against the door frame, watching us quietly.

“Sophie,” I say in a soft voice as I reach for her. “Baby, come here.”

With some hesitation, she makes her way across the room and pulls my mom in for a hug. She says something quietly and gives her a small smile before tucking herself against my side.

“Look at you,” my mom smiles, taking in her bump with teary eyes as she places her hands gently over her stomach. “Hi there, Little Peanut. Nana and Papa can’t wait to meet you, Sugarplum,” she says in a soft voice, making Sophie and I both smile for the first time in hours. “How are you feeling? Have you eaten?”

“Yes ma’am,” Sophie says. “We ate on the plane and before we left. Have you and Em eaten?”

“We’ve been waiting for the doctor,” Emily says. “Brad went to grab us some supper about thirty minutes ago. He should be…”

“Mrs. Mitchell?” a woman’s voice I don’t recognize interrupts us, pulling our attention to the doorway. The woman entering the room is wearing scrubs and a white doctor’s coat as she flips through a chart and faces my mother.