Garden of Sins

36. So long, Caden

Alayna

Rain pounds my head and I hear the distant voices of the onlookers and clubbers as I kneel next to you, Caden, my heart a single, shriveled mass pressing against my chest. I do not know what to think, I do not know what to feel. Everything inside me is one huge knot. My mind is confused and right now, all I can think about is that you are in pain. Nothing else matters. Again and again, I scan your face, not daring to touch you because I don’t want to hurt you even more. What happened? What the hell is happening right now?

My fingers shake as I brush the wet hair off your face. I panic when I notice that a small red spot has formed on the asphalt next to your head. Shit, did he bash your head against it? Okay, one thing I do know — you should not lose consciousness when you have a head injury.

Gently, I stroke your wet hair. “Caden?” I ask shakily and lean over you.

“It’s okay,” you say reassuringly. Your eyes are dull, scratches and abrasions cover your perfect face, and blood sticks to your nose and lips. I hate to see you like this.

“This is not okay!” I sniff, not realizing that tears have filled my eyes. It is hard to see you like this.

“Stop it,” you gasp and I make a face.

“Okay, I’ll stop, but don’t fall asleep,” I demand, hoping the ambulance Ava called arrives soon. Mason should be on his way and Carter is gone. It’s a damn good thing too because I don’t want to see him right now. How could he do that to you, his own brother? How could he be such a monster?

You raise your hand and place it against my cheek, so I focus on your face again.

“Stop it,” you whisper hoarsely and run your thumb under my eye. “I don’t deserve this.”

Again, I frown and put my hand over yours. Okay, you were once more a little strange today. You broke that guy’s hand because he came on to me — just like that, with one move. And what I heard from Melissa in the car admittedly made me angry with you and, for a moment, it made me insecure, but that doesn’t matter now, I don’t care.

“I’m not stopping now,” I insist. Whatever. With my eyes, I try to hold your gaze, trying to keep you alert so you don’t drift away. I would love to examine your head, but then you would have to move and that would hurt.

“Stop it,” you repeat and I flare my nostrils and hold your hand against my cheek.

“No!”

I squint as white-blue headlights flood us and wonder why the police haven’t arrived yet, which usually happens in such cases. It probably has something to do with your father. The bouncers at the door also leave us alone.

I blink against the light and raise my eyes as tires squeal. Mason’s car abruptly stops, the door slams, and the lights go out before I can see the real damage Carter’s fists did to your face.

With his hands clenched, Mason trudges towards us like a thundercloud. The rain pours down on him, but like all of us, he doesn’t seem to care.

He stops next to us and squats.

“I’m fine!” you assure him immediately.

Your father’s gaze is tortured as he stares at you and I gently lower your hand from my cheek but continue holding it.

Mason now looks at me. His jaw muscles are tense and he scans my face before glancing over his shoulder at his daughter and then searches the square, probably for Carter.

“He’s gone, Dad.” You’re still gasping in pain and Mason’s gaze shoots back to us.

“What happened?” he asks me as he slides a hand under your neck and gently lifts your head. You groan and press your eyes shut, which is why your dad and I both frown. There is a tugging in my chest.

Mason lifts his knee and supports your back against it before parting your hair a bit to inspect your wound. I’m not going to looking at it right now, I just can’t.

You wheeze again and I inhale sharply.

“Alayna?” your dad asks, so I shake my head a little and try to concentrate.

“There was an altercation between the two of them. Carter flipped out and left. I barely got him off Caden,” I recall hoarsely and glance down at you again, stroking the back of your hand with my thumb.

“It’s my fault, Dad, I pushed him too far,” you explain hoarsely.

Mason gently turns your head by your chin in his direction. There is a little blood on his fingers and just seeing it makes my chest hurt again.

“It doesn’t matter right now,” he says gently. “Let’s just get you taken care of.” He slides one arm under your upper back. “Okay, now try to stand up,” he commands softly.

With your teeth clenched, you nod and I let go and get up first to make room for you before I take a few steps back.

Your father clearly tenses his muscles under the black sweater before he lifts you up with a careful jerk. You cling to his sweater and suppress a sound of pain. When I see how demolished you are, everything inside me constricts again.

God, I can’t do this, Caden.

As soon as you stand, you slump against your dad and he holds you. “I have…a broken rib, my sternum is cracked, and I have a concussion, otherwise, everything else is fine,” you explain haltingly and somewhat breathlessly.

Your dad mumbles something about a wise guy and I look at you in pain because your pain is my pain.

Your eyes glide toward me and I take another step forward and look up at you once more.

“Don’t be so cute,” you gasp in agony and I smile, take your hand, and kiss it. You clench your jaw harder.

Mason glances around and calls for Ava, who is still under the canopy on the phone. As she hurries toward us, Mason indicates that she is to get in the car.

The sirens of the ambulance approach and security has driven away most of the onlookers.

I don’t know what the fuck there is to see, dammit!

“Okay, Alayna, we’re going to drop Ava at home, pick up Emilia, and then go to the hospital to see Caden,” Mason explains in his FBI voice as if it was an operation he was ru

The blue lights of the ambulance dance across the square and I nod. I will not contradict now. Whether I have to wait outside the emergency room or in Mason’s car makes no difference, I will go insane anyway.

You, Caden, can hardly stand.

“Dad, I can just ride with you,” you mumble hoarsely.

He gives you a look. “You require immediate treatment.” He points to your head and there’s a roar in my ears as the ambulance pulls up directly to Mason’s car with us in between.

I kiss your hand again. “See you soon,” I whisper and my chest constricts because I want to be with you.

“See you soon,” you answer thickly and your father takes you to the ambulance where the paramedics are waiting. You argue with them and I have to smile.

My heartbeat slowly calms down.

Now, I realize that it doesn’t matter how or what you do, as long as you stay with me and don’t feel any pain, Caden.

* * *

An hour later, I storm your hospital room, Caden. Your mom was with you for twenty minutes and I almost died out there. The doctor said you shouldn’t have too many visitors at once so you can rest, so I let her go first. She was simply too worried and upset.

Your dad’s been trying to reach Carter the entire time, but he’s not answering, naturally. I expect nothing less.