Claim My Heart

Chapter 1

They say that when it rains, it pours. If that's true, then my life was smack dab in the middle of a monsoon season.

The last few days had been intense, to say the least. It felt like one long-ass episode of, let's see how we can screw with Veronica today!

I had been receiving blow after blow, but this one...this fucking hit was the hardest to endure.

In the span of a few days, I had a break-in at my house, found out that one of my close friends was going behind my back and hated my guts, I had messed up and pushed my best friends away, broken up with my boyfriend, I had almost lost everything I held close to my heart. And I had walked out of it all with a dislocated finger, torn up knuckles, and a broken heart...but alive.

I was alive and breathing, but I wasn't sure if I could do it anymore. Not if I lost Neil.

But I was fighting...fighting to stay strong, fighting for him, for me, because losing him was not an option. God couldn't be that cruel.

And now here I was, sitting in the waiting room, head in my hands as I waited for someone to tell me something - anything- about the condition of my best friend. My brother.

I was still trying to comprehend how this had happened, how Neil could have gotten into such a bad wreck that even the detectives were wary to tell me the details. He was alive, that was all I knew, and until someone came out to talk to me, I'd just have to sit here and speculate.

I thought about the last time I saw him. The fight we had had, the way he asked me not to make him choose between Sam and me, the way he walked out of the house...and I let him. I let him walk away.

I shouldn't have. I should have stopped him, made things right. If I had, then maybe he wouldn't be here right now. Everything seemed so trivial right now. Sam, Max...everything. Nothing compared to the soul-crushing grief of knowing there was a chance that one of your best friends may not live.

Please be okay, Neil. Please.

It took every ounce of determination I had, but I had somehow managed to compose myself and call Neil's parents. They were out of town on a business tour, like they usually were- most of the freaking year- and would be coming back in a day. His mom was in hysterics and it was so hard to console and reassure someone when you were this close to breaking down yourself, but I had. Well, atleast I had tried. I had spewed meaningless reassurances and words out, which meant nothing to her or me, and helped no one.

Julian walked into the waiting area with two cups of coffee in his hands and handed one to me. I had called him as soon as I had got off the phone with the detective. It was in the middle of the night and it was raining heavily, with my car totalled, I had no way of getting to the hospital. But Julian was at my doorstep in record time, no questions asked.

I couldn't bring myself to call Tyler, my finger had hovered over his number for a good five seconds, before scrolling past it and calling his brother. Avi and Ash weren't taking my calls, I would like to think that it was because they were asleep and not because they were still pissed at me.

Julian sat down beside me and we just waited in silence. Having him here made me feel better and worse at the same time. His presence comforted me but it also meant that all of this was real.

It meant that I was losing Neil.

I was losing everything.

A hollow chill seeped through my veins, and I shivered in my seat. Julian reached for my hand and squeezed it in comfort. The warmth from his hand was soothing against the numbness I felt. I was adrift. Unmoored. And I clung to his hand- the brittle thread that connected me to this world.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

I was on my feet immediately, nervously flitting towards the doctor who had just come out of a set of double doors, a grim look on his face.

"You're here for Neil Miller, correct?"

I nodded once.

"How are you related to the patient?"

"I'm his family," I answered, quickly and cleared my throat. "Uh, Veronica. . . Miller. Veronica Miller."

***

New voicemail, sent at 3 am.

Avi? It's Veronica. I...it's Neil, he has been in an accident. He's alive but it's bad. Really bad. I...I-I'm scared. So scared, Avi. Please call me back once you get this message. I've texted you and Ash with all the details. I need you both here. He needs you both here. I don't know what to do...I-I'm sorry. I just- just call me back as soon as you can, okay? Please.