“Mrs. Ryder,” he says, indicating to the seat beside him. The two sit down as dread fills my gut. Sitting her down couldn’t be good. That’s never a good sign. “As you know, Ryan suffered some major injuries. The most severe being his legs.”
“His legs?” she questions. “They were crushed under the dash.”
“That’s correct. There was some significant damage to his spinal cord and we’ve done everything in our power to mend the issues.”
“What are you saying?” I ask, feeling as though he’s trying to sugarcoat the news. I step closer to Aunt Serena and place a hand to her shoulder, giving her all the support I can possibly offer as the Doctor’s eyes swivel back to my aunt.
“I’m saying that it’s very likely that Ryan won’t be able to regain the use of his legs.” Serena gasps, cutting the doctor off. He gives her a slight moment to collect herself before continuing. “The next forty-eight hours are going to be critical. We’ll do some further testing and will be able to get a better idea of what his recovery is going to look like.”
“You mean if he’ll be able to walk?”
“Right,” the doctor confirms.
I catch the doctor’s gaze. “Is there anything else we need to know?”
“There were some other minor injuries that were dealt with during surgery. He had internal bleeding and the usual cuts and bruises that are expected from an incident such as this. They’ve all been taken care of and now all he needs is some time to recover.”
Serena nods, tears still in her eyes. “What kind of recovery time are we looking at?”
“To be very honest, it’s difficult to say. For the minor issues, give it six to eight weeks, but the spinal cord is very different and there will be some strict procedures put in place that we’ll discuss with you at a further time. But it could be months before he’s able to get up and moving.”
“That’s if he’s able to get up and moving.”
The doctor nods, giving Serena an encouraging smile. “The next few weeks are going to be incredibly tough for your son. He’s going to need ongoing care, but with the right attitude and hopefully a fighting spirit from Ryan, we’re positive that he’ll pull through.”
Serena nods again. “Can I go and sit with him?”
“Of course you can. Just speak with the nurse,” he says, indicating across the room to the nurses’ station. “They’ll show you where to go. Ryan is still being moved from surgery into his room in intensive care, so they may need a few minutes to get him set up.”
Serena thanks the doctor and I shake his hand, letting him know just how much we appreciate all he’s done for Ryan. I mean, he saved his life for fuck’s sake. This guy deserves every last thing we could possibly give him.
The doctor leaves and Serena and I don’t waste a second heading over to speak with the nurses. “Are you ready for this, Maxen?” she asks. “I’m not sure of what we’re about to see, but I know it’s not going to be pretty.”
I nod, looking up at her and knowing that now’s the time I need to be the strongest. “I’m ready.”
“Okay,” she says as the nurse steps out from behind her desk. “Then let’s do this.”
Chapter 2
Brooke
How could I have been so stupid as to fall in bed with Maxen Ryder again? It’s been months since we broke up, yet over the summer I was drunk and lonely. Fuck! I shouldn’t have done it, but damn, it was so freaking good.
Maxen has this way of knowing exactly what my body needs and that goddamn smile…shit. I fall for him every time.
Maxen and I were through nearly a year ago when he decided to climb into bed with someone else, or maybe it was up against a tree during his New Year’s Eve party. All I know is that he made a fool of me and I will never allow that to happen again.
I just wish I had the strength to keep away from him, but I’m not going to lie, the angry sex is pretty fucking good. In fact, it’s incredibly delicious and wicked in all the right ways.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I really need to stop thinking about this. It’s been weeks since that regrettable moment, yet the fucker always seems to work his way back inside my head. Besides, I’ve just started dating this guy, Lukas, and he’s kind of cool. He’s everything I like in a man which means he’s the polar opposite of Maxen.
Lukas plays college football and knows exactly what he wants in life. He’s the golden boy of BHU, with his impossibly tall and buff physique and shaggy blonde hair. Maxen on the other hand, while he’s more than tall and built, he’s also dark and mysterious. He’s my dark knight, or at least…he was.