A North Carolina Autumn - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

The moment I get home from work, I get a phone call I wasn't expecting. "Hi, William. How are you?"
"Hey, Aspen. I'm alright. How are you holding up? I heard about Rylie."
You and everyone else.
"I'm okay. It's been really hard, but so many people have been willing to help."
"That's wonderful to hear. She'll pull through." He says confidently.
"I hope so."
"So, the reason I'm calling is not great news, but I thought you deserved to know. Gabe was killed yesterday."
As the words leave his mouth and travel through the phone's speaker, I'm thankful I'm no longer driving. A shock travels through my system, and I feel my legs turn to jelly. I sink onto the couch, thankful for its support.
"He's... dead?" My voice sounds small and faint.
"Yes. I'm sorry to break the news to you this way. Are you okay?" William asks.
No. I was most definitely not okay. But I suddenly had to get off the phone. "I'm fine. I'll be fine. Thankyou for telling me, William. I've got to go."
"Okay. Hey, keep me posted on Rylie."
"I will. Thanks. Bye, William."
"Goodbye."
I quickly hang up the phone, dropping it onto the couch beside me as the tears form in my eyes.
Why am I crying? This is Gabe! He beat me and raped me, I hate him!
I couldn't understand. I didn't really want to understand. But after a moment, I finally got it.
I was finally, truly free of Gabe. These tears weren't all sad, although some were. Despite my hatred for Gabe and the things he did to me, the way he broke me, he didn't deserve to die, right?
I put my head in my hands as the tears continue to fall. I didn't know what to think.
Harvey, proving once again that he was the sweetest dog, hops up onto the couch to lay beside me, resting his head on my lap. "Hey buddy." I say, a mix between a laugh and a sob following after my words. "I can't be here right now, what do you say we head over to the hospital?" Harvey cocks his head to the left and I laugh. "Okay. I'm going to call Hadley real fast, and then we'll go."
I pull up Hadley's name in my phone and click call, and she picks up on the first ring. "Aspen, hey! What's up?"
"Hey, Hadley. Are you busy?"
"Not at all. Are you okay?"
"Honestly, no. I mean to call you earlier, but things happened..." I pause and take a deep breath, wondering where to start. "Gabe is dead." I say simply.
"Oh. You found out..."
"You knew?"
"Yeah, I found out a few hours ago. I'm so sorry, Aspen. I wanted to tell you, but I needed to figure out how..."
"No, it's okay. Do... do you know what happened?"
"I do... but it's ugly." Hadley replies hesitantly.
"Tell me. Please."
"He was outside during his free time, and I guess a bunch of guys had heard what he'd done to get in there... and they jumped him. He was pretty much beaten to death."
"Oh. Wow." I couldn't find any other words.
"Are you okay? I mean, is something else going on?"
"Um..." I feel my throat tightening, and I swallow hard. "Rylie was in a surfing accident and she's in a coma and they don't know if she'll wake up." I blurt the words without taking a breath, and silence follows.
"Oh my God. Aspen, I am so sorry! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"I don't know, I thought maybe it would be less real if less people knew. And I just had no energy to say the words out loud."
"I get that but Aspen, I hate that I haven't been there for you. Has your mom been there?"
"For a lot of it, yeah. She's coming back tomorrow. And our surf camp friends have been there too, as well as Rylie's family. But I wanted you to know sooner, I promise. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."
"Don't you dare apologize, Aspen. I'm so sorry this happened. Is there anything you need? How can I help?" Hadley's voice is sincere, and I'm thankful that I called her.
"I don't know, really. I just need her to wake up."
"I know. I'll be praying for her. For you both. I can come visit in a day or two?"
"I'd like that."
"Okay. I'll see what I can do and then let you know."
"Thank you, Hadley."
"Anytime."
I hang up the phone and place my head back in my hands, feeling slightly better. Maybe having Hadley here for a bit would help. It could be a good distraction.
"Okay, buddy." Harvey's ears instantly perk up. "Let's go."
When we get to the hospital, only Spencer, Brad and Dillon are there. I can feel the tension as I join them, but it's not all bad.
"Hey, Aspen." Spencer gives me a hug before pulling up a chair for me. "How was work?"
"Uh..." I laugh lightly. "It was interesting, to say the least. My boss gave me a lighter schedule which I'm grateful for."
"That's really good, Aspen!" Spencer says with a warm smile.
"Where's Kristen?" I ask him after a moment.
"She's with the boys and Harper today. I'm glad she's spending more time with them."
"Yeah, Rylie was, too."
"Is Jay coming back with your mom tomorrow?"
"Yeah, he has another test he wants to run."
"Oh, that's good news. Maybe we can finally get some answers."
"I hope so."
Harvey sits happily on my lap and I laugh as he and Spencer have staring contest.
"How does he keep winning?" Spencer says in annoyance. I'm the human here!"
"You know, sometimes I wonder if Chester occasionally sneaks into his body just to mess with us." I joke.
"I never knew Chester but from what you and Rylie told me, I wouldn't be surprised. That sounds like something he would do." Spencer laughs.
"Oh, it is something he would do." Brad chimes in. Chester had been Brad's surf instructor several years ago, and they'd reconnected at one of our meets last year.
Pretty soon, the doctors let us into Rylie's room, and I follow between Brad and Dillon with Spencer on my side to keep Harvey more hidden. I had no clue if he'd be allowed in, but I wasn't about to ask.
The moment we enter, he is still in my arms.
He knows.
"Does he... know?" Spencer asks, echoing my thoughts.
"I think so." I walk closer to the hospital bed, keeping my eyes on Harvey as he watches Rylie's still form. Once I sit in the chair beside her bed, he hesitates only a moment before settling on my lap with his head on the bed, resting his nose right next to her unmoving hand. A small whine escapes his mouth before he gently licks her fingers.
"Oh my God," I say under my breath. My voice breaks and I try to swallow the tightness in my throat, but the tears come anyway. "I know, buddy." I whisper into his fur. "I miss her, too."
Only a few minutes pass before it happens. The constant beeping of the heart machine that I'd gotten so used to hearing suddenly changes. Instead of the slow, rhythmic beeping, it was quickening, becoming more sporadic. Brad and Spencer's heads shoot up with wide eyes, and I hurry to stand next to them, keeping Harvey tight in my arms.
A new sound begins filling the room, and I realize quickly that it's some sort of alarm. A moment later, the room is filled with activity as doctors and nurses stream in. One pushes a cart, and my eyes instantly land on the defibrillator.
It was a crash cart.
"What's happening?" Brad asks, his voice filled with fear and anxiety. "What's going on?"
"Sir, we'll let you know as soon as we find out. But please, we need you to leave." A young nurse says.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Sir, please. We're trying to save your daughter's life. Let us help her." The nurse gently pushes the four of us from the room before shutting the door, but the door is not enough to keep the sounds from reaching the hallway.
"She's flatlined. Charge to 200. Clear!"
"Nothing."
"Okay, charge again. Clear!"
"No heartbeat."
"Come on, Rylie. We've seen how strong you are." The doctor's voice is muffled on the other side of the door, but I catch every word. "Again, clear!" After the third shock, silence follows. I stare wide eyed at the door, feeling as though I'd never move again. Please.
"I've got a heartbeat."
"Okay, let's keep an eye on her, have her ready to be prepped for the OR just in case."
A doctor opens the door a moment later, instantly coming face to face with Spencer, Brad, Dillon and I as we stand just outside the door.
"Is she okay?" Dillon is the first to speak.
"We don't know. She's stable now, but we don't know why that happened. She's in good hands, though. It's going to be a long night, I'd recommend you each go get some rest."
Get rest after what just happened?
But we knew he was right. The only issue would be getting any rest with the amount of anxiety flowing through my system.