To Know You

Chapter Fifty-Seven

~Chapter Fifty-Seven~

Carter's Point of View

After standing outside the hospital for fifteen minutes, a familiar car pulls up in front of me, the passenger window rolling down as the tires slow to a stop.

"Get in, man," Ben says to me with a solemn expression.

My body moves before my brain can think about it, and I inhale a breath, opening the door to his vehicle and sliding in the passenger seat.

As I buckle my seatbelt, Ben rolls my window up, watching me carefully.

"Thanks for picking me up on such short notice," I break the silence, not looking at him.

He puts the car in drive and starts making his way out of the hospital property. "No problem, I needed an excuse to stop playing 'princess dress-up' with Savannah," his tone sounds amused, but I can tell he's just trying to lighten the mood.

I exhale half a laugh, looking out my window at the palm trees outside.

There's a break in conversation, where neither of us know what to say. I know the inevitable is coming, though, and sure enough— "So, uh, what happened?" Ben asks slowly and cautiously.

My mind flashes to Casey collapsing in my arms again, and my stomach drops.

She's okay, I tell myself.

"It's complicated," my voice comes out as a gruff whisper.

We stop at a red light and he turns to face me. "Dude," he starts, giving me a pointed look, "you know everything that happened between Casey and I, so I have no right to judge."

I sigh, rubbing my tired face with my hands, then combing them through my hair. My patience is starting to dwindle, but I need to keep myself composed.

Reluctantly, I give him a quick briefing of her injuries, and saying it out loud just makes me feel worse about it.

When I finish telling him, I notice his expression is stoic. Almost as if he doesn't know what to think.

"Wow," he remarks, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "That's... I mean..." he trails off, obviously not knowing what to say.

I turn to look out the window.

The rest of the car ride is silent.

~~~

Casey's Point of View

My parents talk to each other with their backs turned to me, their tones hushed.

Reggie lays beside me on my hospital bed, his eyes trained on me.

"Does it hurt?" he asks, obviously referring to me dying.

I look at my limp legs on the bed, my heart aching in my chest.

"Yes," I say bluntly. "Then, no."

Reggies breath is ragged and I look at him. He's crying.

I turn my upper body to face him. "Hey," I say softly, "I'm okay."

He nods his head, sniffling and wiping his face. "I know, but the thought..." he trails off, not wanting to finish his sentence.

"We were worried sick on the drive over here," Sammy speaks up from her chair.

Danny nods in agreement, not saying a word.

Mom and dad finish their whispering and finally turn to face the four of us.

"Casey," mom speaks gently, "your father and I have come to an agreement."

"—You're not allowed to see Carter anymore," dad cuts in, his tone angry.

The ache in my chest intensifies, but is then replaced by a burning anger.

"Excuse me?" I ask, not believing what I'm hearing.

"You heard me," he affirms, crossing his arms over his chest.

I shake my head, glancing at my siblings for support, but they don't make a move to offer any. They can't do this.

"No."

"No?" dad repeats.

"Yeah, no."

My mom looks at me in surprise. "Casey, you will obey our decision."

I shake my head. Normally I would never do this. I've never talked back this way. This, however, is not something I'm willing to budge on.

"You seriously think that I'm going to let this happen after I legitimately took a bullet for him? Does that not prove to you how I feel about him? I'm the only reason why this happened to me and if Carter had it his way, I would never have been involved in any of it. He's an incredible guy who got dealt a bad hand, and I know you understand what that's like mom, because I know for a fact you were involved in some shady stuff as a teenager," I argue, feeling out of breath by the end of it. "I love him more than anything and if you take that away from me, I will never forgive you."

My parents look at me, not knowing what to say.

"You're really going to take away her greatest supporter right after she becomes paralyzed? That bullshit," Reggie pipes in, defending me and Carter.

He wraps his hand around mine and squeezes it gently.

"He's been there for her more than you guys have if we're being honest," Sammy says, crossing her arms to match our dad's stance.

"I don't really know the guy that well, but if he makes her happy and is removing himself from his bad past, then I don't see the problem," Danny adds.

I feel a warm sensation spread across my chest and a smile takes over my features.

My mom exhales and turns to face my dad. "I told you this would be a fight," she whispers, but we all hear.

Dad exhales as well. "This is for your own safety, Cassandra," he frowns, using my full name.

I feel tears prick my eyes. "You're not taking him away from me."

"We're done talking about this," he grumbles and then storms out of the room.

~~~

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this long awaited (admittedly short) chapter.

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See ya

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