When Stars Collide (Light in the Dark #2) (26 page)

“Thea,” I say softly. I’m at a loss for words and I don’t know what to say to make it better. I don’t think there’s anything I
can
say. 

So, instead, I hold her hand and give it a small squeeze, silently reminding her that I’m here.

We arrive at the emergency room a few minutes later, and as per usual, it’s a major clusterfuck. The place is full of people in all different states—sick, bleeding, crying. You name it, someone’s doing it. There’s even a guy peeing in one of those potted plants. 

Thea gives the woman at the front desk her name and insurance information and then is handed a stack of papers to fill out. Thea sighs heavily and we maneuver our way around, looking for a place to sit. We finally find two seats together near the back beside a woman with a crying infant. 

Thea goes to work on filling out the information but I notice a slight shake to her hand and she keeps quietly crying. After another minute of this, I take the clipboard from her and fill it out myself. I know practically everything so it’s not a big deal, but she looks up at me with these big shining eyes like I’ve just done the greatest thing ever. It’s such a simple thing, but those things mean the most to someone. 

I finish filling out the paperwork and return it to the front desk. I’m starting back to our seats when Cade, Rae, Jace, and Nova come in. I wasn’t expecting all of them, and I hope Thea won’t feel overwhelmed.

“Hey, guys,” I say. “She’s over here waiting.”

I lead them over to our chairs and sit down beside Thea. She forces a small smile for everyone. 

“Whoa, you look like a star in a horror movie,” Jace says. Nova glares at him and gives his arm a smack. “Ow, I was trying to be funny. Lighten the mood.”

Nova rolls her eyes. “You’re such a guy. Keep your mouth shut, how about that.”

Jace’s lips thin and he looks to the ceiling. Nova is the only girl I’ve ever met that can shut him up. 

Before much else can be said, they call for Thea and we follow someone down a long hall while the others stay behind. 

She gets put in a room with three cinderblock walls and one all glass with a clear view of the information desk. 

“Put on the gown and someone will be in to see you shortly.” The door closes behind us.

Thea hops onto the bed, kicking her legs back and forth. “I’m not putting that gown on,” she warns me. “I will fight someone if they try to get me to wear that.”

I pull up a chair and sit down beside her. “I don’t think they’ll care. You’re here for your nose.”

She turns to the side. “Do you still think it’s not broken?”

I stand and assess the damage again. I broke my nose once in middle school and there was an immediate bump in the bridge. Even once they set it the bump never quite went away. But Thea’s nose is still perfectly straight. “I think you’re good, but it’s still best to get it checked out.”

She nods, still swinging her legs. She shivers and rubs her hands up and down her arms. It is freezing in here, but since it’s hot as balls outside I don’t have a jacket to offer her. There is a blanket sitting on another chair and I grab it and drape it around her shoulders.

“Thanks.” She gives me a grateful smile. 

There’s a knock on the door and I turn around to see our friends.

Rae pokes her head in. “They said we could come back.” 

I nod and motion them inside.

With the four of them there’s not much room left in the small space, but I can see Thea relax, happy that they’re here. 

“So,” Jace begins, “would anyone care to tell me what the fuck is going on?”

I look at Cade and see his shoulders tense. Rae wraps her arms around him and whispers something in his ear. 

Cade takes a deep breath and the room fills with tension. “My father abused me as a child, but the abuse never really stopped. It’s continued even now. He was aiming for me today and got Thea instead.” He sweeps his fingers toward his little sister and winces. “You shouldn’t have gotten in the way, Thea.”

She raises her chin defiantly. “He shouldn’t have been hitting you in the first place.”

Cade sighs. “True, but it is what it is.”

Thea snaps. “No, no,
no
. Don’t say that. It’s not, ‘it is what it is’. Don’t excuse his actions. He doesn’t deserve that. He’s not a good dad. He’s a bad person and he should’ve never laid a hand on you.” She begins to cry anew. “It should have never been
normal
for you.”

Cade wets his lips. “How’d you know? You had to know or you wouldn’t have followed us.”

Thea swallows thickly and tells him the same thing she told me in the car about coming home early and witnessing Cade getting hit by their father. 

Everyone in the room grows solemn. Abuse is one of those things you
know
about, but don’t really think about until you’re confronted face to face with it and it’s scary to think that someone that should protect them, their
father
, hurt them both so deeply. Cade with fists, Thea with words. I can’t imagine having a child and ever hurting him or her. It seems impossible to feel so darkly toward a child. 

“I didn’t want him to hurt you
again
.” Thea’s voice cracks. “I wanted this to be the last time.”

My gaze swings to Cade, standing at the foot of the bed with his back against the wall, and I watch as he breaks down. He covers his face and a sound escapes his throat that’s half-tortured, half-relieved. Rae rubs his back as he cries, hiding his face from us. I don’t think I’ve seen Cade cry
ever
, and it’s weird to see him breaking down to this degree, but we all know he needs it so we say nothing and give him this moment.

I feel Thea’s hand on my stomach and I reach down, placing my hand on hers. She looks at me with sad but hopeful eyes.

“Fuck,” Jace says after a while and once Cade has composed himself. “I never even imagined.” He presses his lips together and then asks the question I think we’ve all been wondering. “Why didn’t you hit him back? At least, once you got older? I mean, you’re a big guy, you could’ve taken him.”

Cade looks to the ceiling and Rae squeezes his hand. He sighs heavily and says, “I’d come to expect it and feel like I deserved it, and then, in recent years, I’ve …” He paused. “Hitting him back felt like stooping to his level and I didn’t want to do that.”

Rae leans her head against his arm and whispers something. 

Cade whispers to Thea, “I can’t believe you knew. I thought I was protecting you by not saying anything. I never wanted him to go after you.”

She gives him a sad smile. “He might not have gone after me with fists but he went after me in other ways. I hope Mom will finally leave him,” she whispers the last part. “We’ve all spent too much of our lives being scared of him and he shouldn’t get to rob the rest of our years. I want to wash my hands of him and pretend he doesn’t exist.”

“Me too,” Cade echoes. “I’ll tell Mom if she needs a place to stay she can crash with us. It’s not like this one sleeps in his bed anymore.” He points at me. I laugh and lower my head to Thea’s, hiding my smile behind her hair. 

Another knock sounds on the door and it opens, revealing the doctor and a nurse. 

“Oh,” the doctor says, reeling back in shock at the amount of people. “Um …”

“We’ll be in the waiting room,” Cade says, leading Rae out. 

Jace and Nova follow, both giving Thea reassuring smiles. 

Once the door closes behind them, the doctor introduces himself and looks Thea over. Like I thought, her nose isn’t broken, but it’s going to be sore and she’s going to have one wicked bruise on her face. 

Before we leave the room, Thea heads down the hall to wash her face and I wait in the room for her. 

Today has been insane, which feels like the understatement of the century.

Between the tubing thing, my mom going ape-shit about the marriage, and then this with Thea’s dad, I’m exhausted. 

But I know the battle is only beginning. 

We’ve opened up a massive black hole where everything’s being sucked inside, and I really fucking hope we’re not next. 

I wake up the next morning with Xander’s arms wrapped around me and Prue by my legs. It might be a sweet moment if it weren’t for the throbbing of my face. I feel like shit. 

I maneuver my way out of his hold and manage to get by Prue without kicking her.

I stumble into the bathroom, the throbbing in my head making the short walk seem impossible.

I get into the bathroom and grasp the counter, holding myself steady as my head spins. It’s so bad I think I might throw up. I reach for the switch and turn the light on. I slowly lift my head and get a look at my reflection.

I squeak in fright. “Oh, my God what is that?” 

Me. It’s me. 

My hair is a mess, basically a wild and untamable beast, but my face? It looks I stuck it in a blender and tried to puree it. The skin around my nose and left cheek is a mixture of red, purple, green, and yellow, and if I stare closely enough I can see where it looks like blood vessels have popped. I look like a cartoonish monster from a kid’s book. 

I take a deep breath and turn the faucet, running warm water. I splash some on my face, wishing it would wipe away the disgusting swirl of colors there, but unfortunately, they stay.

Ugh
.

Shower. A shower is a must if I’m going to at least have my hair under control.

I turn the water on and make sure it’s steaming hot. I plan on staying in there as long as I can. 

After my shower, I wrap a towel around my body and blow-dry my hair, then slather the makeup on to hide the hideous bruise. I pad into my room and over to the closet. I grab a pair of black scallop shorts with a gray t-shirt. 

I drop my towel in the hamper and Xander gives a sleepy yawn. “Hey,” he says, his voice thick. 

“Morning.” I walk over to the bed and sit down, stretching my legs out. 

He leans over and presses a quick kiss to my lips. He smiles crookedly but quickly sobers. “How are you feeling?”

“My face feels like I took a meat mallet to it, but other than that, I’m fantastic.” I smile.

He chuckles. “You’re hysterical.”

“I try.” I laugh and he grabs my hips, pulling me closer. My laughter intensifies and I end up in his lap, straddling him. I place my hands on his firm chest, and his skin is so warm it nearly burns my palm. 

“I’m sorry you’re hurt,” he whispers, touching his fingers delicately to my tender skin. I did a good job of covering it up with foundation and concealer but some spots were impossible to hide completely.

“It’ll heal,” I whisper back, entwining my fingers behind his neck and leaning my forehead against his.

He presses his palm to my chest, right over my heart. “Will
this
heal?”

I nod. “Eventually.” I press my lips together and then admit, “I hope I never have to see him again. I know it’s wrong to say this, but I hate him. I hate him for what he did to Cade, to me, to my mom, and I hate him even more for the act he put on to everyone else like he was this great guy when it was nothing but a lie. He was a monster hiding in plain sight, and it’s scary to think about how many others are out there like that.”

Xander nods, rubbing his hands up and down my arms. “Yeah, it is scary,” he agrees. 

I have had enough serious talk so I press a kiss to his lips and slip from the bed. “I’m going to grab some coffee. You want any?” 

He shakes his head. “Not right now.”

I nod and head downstairs, fixing the coffee since no one else is up yet.

Prue comes down and gives a little whine so I put her leash on and take her down the street. On the way back, I grab the newspaper from the box and take a look at it as I walk back up the driveway. One article causes me to pause. 

Local Football Hero Victim of Years of Physical Abuse

“Oh, shit,” I whisper. Then think to myself,
how?
How does the news know about this already? Then it clicks. “Stan,” I hiss. 

Stanley Berk went to high school with Cade and then went off to college for journalism. I remember him working for the high school newspaper and he was always doing these revealing articles on his fellow classmates. The guy was a leach.