Always Him (Always #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jasper

Sadie lay in the bed. She lay stiff. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, I wouldn't think she was alive. Black and blue, and purple covered her body in various bruises. Her head was wrapped in thick white gauze that obscured much of her face. Her eyelids were shut. A tube was attached to her nose, another inserted in her mouth. Needles were poked throughout both of her arms, which lay stiff at her sides.

The heart rate monitors next to her continued to beat steadily; I allowed myself to breathe at the sight of that. It wasn't going to leave my eye anytime soon; that was her lifeline.

Nora and Ant broke free from their shock. Each came to a side of Sadie's bed; Nora was careful not to step on me as she passed. They each took a hand, holding it as tightly as they dared, each placing a tender kiss on the top of her hand. They didn't cry out loud, although tears streamed down their cheeks.

"My baby." Nora cried. Ant said nothing, just pressed Sadie's limp hand to his cheek. He was holding her as close as he dared. "Sadie, mom, and dad are here! Jasper too!" She stroked what little bit of hair rested on her forehead. "We're all here for you, waiting for you; we love you! So so so much baby, so much."

Hearing the pain in Nora's voice was almost too much for me to bear. This was the second time she'd been through this. She shouldn't have had to go through this again. It was my fault; I had to apologize.

"It's because of me." My voice didn't sound like my own. They both turned to me, questionable looks on her face. "We got into a fight after I left; she must've driven for whatever reason; I'm the reason she was driving, why she wasn't paying attention." My stomach heaved, and I doubled over, my head touching the cold floor. "It's all my fault." I let the dam of tears flow. They rained down my face; I was helpless to stop them.

I couldn't see anything through the tears. I couldn't hear anything except my cries. Barely felt the hand that laid on my shoulder.

"Jasper, whatever happened, happened. Do not blame yourself." It was Ant. "Don't ever beat yourself up over something like this. So, you got into a fight; you didn't ask for this to happen. It would be best if you were strong for Sadie. We don't know when she'll wake up, but I can guarantee she's going to want to see you when she does wake up."

"How are you s-so calm?"

"It's called being a dad, Jasper. I've always looked out for you, and I'll continue to do so. My daughter loves you, and you love her. It'd be another story if this were done with intent, but it wasn't. Let's be there for Sadie."

The dad speech won.

With Ant's help, I rose from the floor. He put a hand on my shoulder, bringing me to the side of her bed. I reached out for her hand, nearly flinching at how lifeless it felt. I almost trembled when she didn't squeeze my hand back.

Sadie looked and felt beyond fragile. I could barely wrap my hand around hers without thinking I was going to rip it off. Her chest rose slightly.

"Come back to us," Nora whispered against her fingers on the other side of the bed. "Come back to us." Over and over, Nora whispered the same words.

Each time, I felt, I didn't know how I felt. Exhaustion from the past day finally hit me like a truck. Whatever little sleep I'd managed to get in the chair in the waiting room wasn't enough. There was a chair in the corner of this room; it looked comfier than the ones outside. Ant pushed me towards it.