Life was too much.
Day faded into night … into complete darkness.
*
No more games.
No more trying to save everyone.
The photo of her made Jackson’s stomach roil, guilt flared in his conscience seeing her standing there a mere skeleton—sunken eyes, bloodied flesh contrasting ghostly skin, her body shaking to the point he could almost hear her bones vibrating.
Life slowed to a crawl. Jessica’s breath caught. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her withered body faded to the ground. If that was her last breath … everyone would die.
Jackson didn’t have to think. Jude was back. Instinct took over.
The guy with the guns was disarmed, a bullet in his brain in less than five seconds. The woman Jackson knew as Meredith Baker, his piano student who should have died in Omaha, lunged for her bow and arrows scattered by his sister’s limp body.
Bang.
Blood from her head pooled around Jillian’s hand. He stepped toward Luke and Knox then stopped, lifting his foot to see what he’d stepped on. His brows drew together, eyes narrowing as the image registered.
Knox McGraw raping Jessica.
The muscle in his jaw ticked like a bomb counting down. He drew his head up. Knox’s eyes shifted from the picture to Jackson.
Bang.
Dropping the gun to the floor, he squatted down and retrieved a knife from his boot.
“Hurry,” Luke said, keeping his eyes on Jessica.
Jackson cut him free.
Luke lunged for Jessica, feeling for a pulse. “Get an ambulance, now!”
Jackson sprinted past Luke as he pinched Jessica’s nose and breathed into her mouth. He left his phone in the Escalade, which felt a million miles away because his sister. Wasn’t. Breathing.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Luke sat in the waiting room. When the nurse asked his relationship to Jillian Knight, he didn’t have an answer. The truth was, he didn’t know Jillian Knight. Only family was allowed to see her. Jackson, he was her only family.
One year.
He was less than an hour away from marrying her and in one year he went from her everything to a nobody sitting in the waiting room—alone. The urge to call someone—Lake, his parents, Gabe—was miserably tempting, but Jackson said it wasn’t safe to contact anyone.
The paramedics resuscitated her twice on the way to the hospital. Three hours in the ER and a blood transfusion later, they moved her to a room. When she woke they let Jackson in to see her.
Luke waited.
“She’s going to be okay.”
Luke stood as Jackson came through the doors. “I need to see her.”
“She’s … not ready. Sorry.”
“What do you mean she’s not ready?”
“Whatever happened down in that basement, it messed her up.”
“I’m a psychiatrist, if she needs to talk—”
Jackson rested a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not her psychiatrist. I’m not sure you ever really were.”
Luke took a step back, collapsing into the chair, resting his head in his hands.
“She was taken while on her way to AJ’s funeral. Whether you like it or not, she loved him and now she needs time to grieve. I think she’s grieving more than just him, but she won’t talk to me either right now.”
Dr. Jones understood. Luke hated it.
“For now they’re trying to bring her back from severe dehydration and starvation. They might have someone come evaluate her later.”
“For?”
Jackson curled his lips and looked at the ceiling a moment. “She doesn’t have much desire to …”
“To what?”
He met Luke’s eyes again. “Live.”
Luke couldn’t speak. He never imagined a world without Jessica, and he certainly never imagined a world with her having no desire to be in it with him.
“I don’t want to, but I have to drive back to San Francisco to deal with some stuff. The nurses know how to contact me. You can stay as long as you realize they won’t give you any information on her. Or I can take you home.”
“I’m staying.”
Jackson nodded.
*
Luke waited and watched for the changing of the guard. By eleven that night he didn’t recognize any of the nurses, which meant they wouldn’t recognize him.
He first grabbed some coffee from the cafeteria then strolled past the nurses’ station like he knew exactly where he was going, even though he didn’t know her room number.
“Excuse me, sir. Are you here to see someone?”
He smiled. “Yes. I’m here to see Jillian Knight.”
“Are you family?”
“Yes. I’m Jackson, her brother.”
The nurse typed Jillian’s name into the computer. “Okay, Mr. Knight. She’s probably sleeping, but we don’t have any visitation restriction for family so you’re more than welcome to sit with her.”
“Thanks … oh and one of the nurses from the previous shift mentioned they might move her to a different room. Did they?”
The nurse looked at the screen. “I’m not sure. It says here that she’s in room 420.”
Luke shrugged. “They must have decided to leave her then. Have a good night.”
He stood at her door for few moments to gain something resembling composure. Then he eased it open.