Falling Too Deep

Chapter 26

Andrea - POV:

I DID IT! I had finally figured out the right ingredients for my conditioner! Coconut, and Shea butter was the key. Once I tried it out on Aaron and there were no bad reactions I was super excited. When we dried his hair completely it was soft, silky and healthy looking...not to mention it had an amazing smell!

I was so excited to try my conditioner out on my clients and get their reviews. I was going to call Christie to invite her over but Rita called me first.

"Hello?"

"Andrea? It's Rita. There's been an incident."

I frowned and set my finished conditioner down. "What's happened?"

She sighed and it took her a while to actually say it. "The shop..."

I swallowed, this didn't sound good. "Yes? Rita what happened? Tell me."

"The shop...it burned down."

My eyes widened and I couldn't believe my ears. "You're kidding? This is a prank right?"

"I'm sorry Andrea. You should head over here though, the cops want the manager."

I didn't say goodbye. I hung up quickly and raced outside towards my car.

* * * *

When I pulled up to where my salon was located I couldn't believe my eyes. It was gone. Burnt down. My salon! My hard work washed away. The years it took me to get the shop and all the loans I had to take out, a waste!

Tears flooded my eyes and I rushed out my car up to Rita who was talking to a fireman. When she saw me she pulled me into a big hug.

"Oh Andrea I'm so sorry!"

I hugged her back and blinked away the tears. "What happened!?"

She pulled away and sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know. I showed up early for work today and the fire department was already here."

A police officer walked up to me with a notepad. "Are you the owner?"

I nodded and hugged myself. I felt cold and my arms were sprouting goosebumps. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Do you know what happened?"

I shook my head and wiped away the tears that had escaped my eyes. "No. One of my employees called me and I just arrived."

The fireman Rita was talking to walked up to us and took off his helmet. "Well the fire was definitely cause and I think this started it."

He held up a burnt cigarette lighter and I rubbed my hands over my face. I couldn't have a breakdown not in front of them. The fireman continued talking, filling us in.

"Me and my men are guessing whoever did this used gasoline and threw this lighter to set it off. If you look closely at the lighter you can see an engraving."

He handed me the lighter and I traced my finger on the mark. I couldn't make it out because it was badly burnt but I knew it was initials. I handed the officer the lighter and he looked it over before questioning me again.

"Do you have any enemies? Do you know anyone who would want to do this?"

I shook my head and wiped my tears away again. I couldn't take this. The police officer noticed I was distraught so he patted my shoulder and gave a gentle smile.

"That's all the questions I have. If we have any other leads we will be in touch with you. And as for your shop we'll call the bank and tell them your situation, so maybe you could get half your money back."

I nodded and he walked away chatting with the fireman. I instantly turned back to Rita and she pulled me into another hug. I sobbed into her shirt and she rubbed my back soothingly trying to calm me down. I wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

* * * *

Nick - POV:

I was lying in bed watching some stupid movie contemplating whether or not to call Andrea or Bradley. I really needed to apologize to both of them. Instead I got a call from Claire.

"Hello?"

"Nick it's Claire."

I sat up in bed and stretched, wondering where Maria went. I really wanted a club sandwich.

"Oh hey Claire, what's up?"

Her voice sounded weak and brittle, like she had been crying. "Nick...Bradley....he's hurt...badly."

I frowned. "What?"

"Bradley is in the hospital, he's in critical condition."

I stood up immediately and pulled on a white t-shirt. "What happened Claire!?"

She sighed. "Nick please just come down to the hospital."

"Okay. I'm on my way."

I drove so fast to the hospital I can't believe I didn't get pulled over. When I was inside I ran straight up to the information desk.

"I need Bradley Stevens room number please!"

The nurse behind the desk looked up at me and sighed. "Sir. Can you slow down and repeat the name?"

"Bradley Stevens! I need his room number."

The nurse crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at me. "Are you immediate family?"

"I'm his brother," I lied.

She went to work on her computer and wrote down a room number on a post-it note. I looked down at the number and smiled. "Thank you so much!"

I ran to the elevator and she stood up in her chair. "Sir! Wait! You have to take a seat! You can't see him now! He just got out of surgery!"

I ignored her and went inside the elevator to the floor level E. When I made it to the floor I saw Claire staring into his room window. She was crying into her hands. I quickly moved next to her and rubbed her shoulder.

"Claire what happened?"

She looked up at me, pressed her face into my chest and began to cry even harder. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to calm her down by patting her back. "Claire please tell me what happened."

She shrugged, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she did. "I don't know the whole story, but he was hit by a car and the driver drove off. It was a hit and run."

I sighed and shook my head. "Is he okay? Is he conscious?"

She shook her head. "The doctor said he's in coma. He just got out of surgery."

Once she had calmed down I finally went inside his room. He was laying in the hospital bed like a rock and it was really hard to see my best friend like this. I sat next to his bed and gently tapped his pale arm.

"Brad?"

He didn't respond and my stomach lurched. He had a tube down his throat, one up his nose and one sticking out of his arm.

"Can you hear me?"

No response.

I ran my fingers through my hair and groaned. "God Bradley why'd you have to go and get all banged up like this!"

His body laid there lifeless and vegetable-like. I swallowed the vomit that was threatening to come up and I glanced at his head. It was wrapped up tightly but you could still see the blood spots. I felt sick and I wish I could turn back time. This was all my fault, if Bradley and I didn't get in that fight he probably would've been over my house instead of getting hit by a car.

I felt tears brimming my eyes and I mentally slapped myself for being a wuss. Bradley would be fine, he would wake up from this coma and be back at my place cracking jokes in no time.

I played with the end of my shirt and looked up at his body. "Bradley you better wake up, because you're going to be okay."

"I want to say sorry...I'm sorry for being such a dick. I wish you could hear what I'm saying because I really mean it. You're my best friend, and I love you man."

I stared at him for a long time thinking about all the dumb shit I had said to him. I hated myself for it. Who would do this? Who would want to hurt him? I stayed in his room for a good thirty minutes and Claire walked in. Her eyes were glued to his body and she slowly walked over to his bed and rubbed his cold, pale arm.

"The doctor will be in in a minute to check on him."

I nodded at her and she pulled up a chair next to me as we waited for the doctor. Once he came we both stood up and gave him handshakes.

"I'm Dr. Patterson, you must be Bradley's friends."

We both nodded and he looked around the room. "Is there anyone else here who knows him? Immediate family?"

Claire sniffed and rubbed her arms. "I called his family and told them the news, they're on their way from Colorado...they should be here tomorrow morning."

Dr. Patterson nodded and I looked back at Bradley. "How badly is he hurt? Will he come out of the coma?"

The doctor shrugged. "Honestly we have no idea. Patients who fall into comas can come out of them in hours, days, weeks, or even months. And Bradley was pretty damaged, I'm glad the paramedics reached him in time. He had broken ribs, internal bleeding, two broken legs and damage to his brain. The surgery stopped the internal bleeding, and helped his ribs and legs, but what we're concerned about is his brain. We delayed the operation due to him falling into the coma, but we're going to start it back up immediately and operate on his brain."

I nodded taking in all the information he just told us. "Will he be alright then...after the surgery?"

Dr. Patterson sighed and shook his head. "I'm not sure. Each patient is different. He could wake up from the coma after his surgery or he could never wake up. But us doctors don't want that last possibility to happen."

I nodded and rubbed Claire's arm reassuringly. "Please just take care of him."

He nodded. "Of course."

I left the hospital an hour before visiting times were over, but Claire stayed. I guess she wanted to spend time with Bradley alone, but I couldn't stay there anymore and see my friend like that.

I decided to stop over Andrea's house to apologize and tell her the news. When I got there and rang the doorbell Andrea opened the door slowly and my mood instantly dropped even more. She looked like she had been crying and her cheeks were damp.

"Andrea what's wrong."

She ran her fingers through her long brown hair and sighed. "My shop burned down."

My eyes widened at her news and I pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry. What happened?"

She shrugged numbly and pulled away, leaning against the door frame. "I don't know. The fire department told me it was caused with gasoline and a lighter."

I kissed her cheek and looked into her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"Numb."

I grabbed her hands trying to soothe her and she groaned. "I can't believe this would happen to me! I mean who burns down a hair salon? Especially at midnight, when the NYPD is on every corner?"

I almost choked at what she said. "Wait...babe, what time?"

She looked at me confused. "The cops told me it happened late last night, around midnight."

Bradley was hit by the car around midnight. But, those two things aren't related in any way...are they?

Andrea pulled me out my state of thinking and wrapped her arms around my waist. "What are you doing here anyway?"

I sighed. "I came to apologize to you about how I acted a few days ago, and I came to tell you Bradley is in the hospital."

She gasped and gripped onto me tighter. "What! What happened?"

"He was hit by a car, it did some bad damage and I don't know if he's going to be okay."

Andrea put my face in her hands and I stared into her hazel eyes. "Will you be okay?"

I shrugged and kissed her. "I just want to be alone with you right now."

She nodded and pulled me inside.

* * * *