The Replacement Boyfriend

Chapter 20

Tace

"Are we going straight to the hospital?" Cassidy asked once we had crossed the 'Welcome to Springfield' sign.

"Cass, it's almost midnight," Jax pointed out, glancing at us in the review mirror. "We're not going to be able to see her."

"Did mom tell you how she is?" she prodded. "Was the surgery successful? Why isn't anyone telling me anything?"

"Because you're losing your shit, Cass," he muttered. "We know how you were with Erin."

"Just tell me, Jax!" she almost screamed and I grabbed her hand to calm her down. She had every right to be moody and confused.

"Jax," I said softly, wishing that they wouldn't fight. "Just tell her."

"She's my sister, too," Cassidy's voice crack and I pulled her close, hoping she wouldn't start crying again.

"Cass, Erin's surgery went well," Jax told her. "But she hasn't woken up yet. Th-they said-" he ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "-she might not wake up for a while."

"She's in a coma?!" Cassidy started bawling her eyes out again.

"See? This is why I didn't-" I glared at Jax in the review mirror and he trailed off. "Cass, she's going to wake up."

"You said Amelia was driving?" I asked, confused. "Is she okay?"

"Here's what my dad told me," Jax sighed and I rubbed Cassidy's back, murmuring words of comfort in her ear. "Mom and Dad were fighting, like really badly. Amelia lost it and grabbed the keys to dad's car so she could leave and Erin begged to go with her. She drove to some god forbidden lonely road and some car came out of nowhere. I think the guy was drunk and she swerved to avoid crashing into him and she drove off the road and into a tree. Erin's side got the worst of it. Amelia got a few scratches and had to get some stitches."

"Why the fuck would she drive at that time of the night!?" Cassidy demanded as if her brother had any idea as to what their sister had been thinking about that night. "What was she thinking?"

"Cassidy!" Jax almost yelled back. "It wasn't her fault! That guy was drunk! He could have killed them both!"

"She shouldn't have been out there in the first place!" Cassidy yelled back.

"Cass," I said softly. "Calm down."

"No! I won't!" she screamed at me and I flinched as if she had slapped me. Cassidy had never yelled at me before.

"Stop screaming, Cass," Jax said in a warning tone. "Tace didn't do anything."

"What the fuck was she thinking?" Cassidy asked, lowering her voice.

"She probably wasn't thinking," Jax whispered. "But Cass, she's just a kid okay? You can't go yelling at her. She's already blaming herself."

"She should be," Cassidy said and then when she realized how horrible she sounded, she looked like she wanted to take it back.

"She's locked herself in her room ever since the accident," Jax told her, his lips forming a thin line.

"We don't have locks in our rooms," Cassidy reminded him.

"I meant she's not leaving the room," he corrected himself. "She's refusing to eat and she's not sleeping. Mom's worried she might hurt herself."

Hearing him say that felt like a stab to my chest. Hurt herself? I unconsciously wrapped my arms around myself. My circumstances had been different, the thoughts that had run through my head were different but I felt as if I could relate to her. If she was planning to hurt herself, I wanted to help. I wasn't sure whether I could help, especially because I was an outsider and didn't even know the kid but I wanted to try.