“Hang in there. It will all be okay. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
She sat down in her assigned seat and realized it was the first time she’d been on a plane since she and Jackson had met. The emotions from that day immediately flooded through her and she thought she might pass out.
She sank deeper into her seat and tried to fight off the bad feelings she couldn’t seem to shake. What if he died? She reached into her purse and gently pulled out the heart charm from Jackson, which she secretly had affixed to a long silver chain. She unclasped the necklace for the first time and fastened it securely around her neck. She felt the chill of the metal against her skin as it rested underneath her shirt.
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself and forced her eyes to close.
Chapter Fifteen
When Caroline awoke, she spent the remainder of the flight beating herself up emotionally. Life was too short and too precious to waste making decisions you didn’t really want. Of course other people’s feelings should be taken into consideration, but their wants and needs shouldn’t be more important than your own. And then she heard Bailey’s words in her head, “Sometimes other hearts have to break in order to keep yours intact.”
She nodded to herself and the truth resonated within every fiber of her being. She also recognized that it was far easier said than done, but there was no time for that. After landing, she hailed a cab for the fifteen-minute drive to the hospital.
Caroline practically sprinted into the large white building before she spotted a guy walking down the hall that instinct told her was Alex. She shouted his name and the guy stopped walking and turned around.
“Are you Alex?”
“Caroline?” Alex immediately recognized her voice.
“Yeah,” she responded, half out of breath.
He walked over to her with a smile on his face. “I can’t believe you’re here. Thanks for coming.”
“Where is he?” she asked, every drop of her strained emotions spilling out in her words. “Is he alive?”
“He’s alive.” Alex put a hand on her shoulder. “He’s over here.”
Caroline’s eyes softened. “I love him too, you know.”
“I do have to warn you, though. I, um, didn’t know you were coming. And, well…”
“What is it?” Nervous energy shot through her and stopped her legs from taking another step.
“It’s just that…Sally’s here. That’s the girl he’s been dating the last couple of months or so.”
“Oh.” Caroline brought her fingers to her mouth and started to bite nervously on her nails. “I see.” It had never even occurred to her that Jackson would have moved on so quickly.
“No. It’s not…” Alex touched her shoulder and gave a gentle nudge forward. “He doesn’t love her. But she wants him to. Anyway, she really cares about him, so it will probably rattle her a little to have you here.”
“Got it.” She exhaled and held her head up high.
“I knew you loved him back.” He gave her a one-armed hug and winked at her playfully.
Alex held the door open for Caroline and she walked through, unsure of what to expect on the other side. She gasped at the sight of Jackson’s body lying helplessly in the small hospital bed. Tubes and wires came from what seemed like every part of his exposed body. Machines beeped with a steady pace. His head was swollen to a size she couldn’t describe and his arms and legs were bandaged in various places.
Her heart seized at first, but then love rapidly soared through her every fiber. She knew in that moment that everything she had felt for him all those months ago was real. It had always been real.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Tommy jerked his head in her direction and glared with disgust.
“You must be Tommy. I’ve heard you’re not my biggest fan.” Caroline attempted to be civil.
“Well, at least you came. I guess that says something about your character.” His eyes rolled as he looked away.
“I guess I deserve that,” she said as she tried to hide the sting of his words from her expression. Caroline looked over at the petite brunette sitting in the corner. “You must be Sally?” she said kindly, and offered a soft smile.
“I’m out of here,” Tommy snorted as he stormed out of the room.
Alex shot Caroline an apologetic look. “I’ll go talk to him.”
Once the door shut, Sally stated, “And you must be the reason why he won’t love me.” She looked Caroline over from head to toe before continuing. “You know…I thought in time, he’d get over you.” She took a breath for strength. “But he never did.”
Caroline’s gaze fell to the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“You ruined him. All I wanted was for him to stop thinking about you and open his eyes to see me. ME!” Sally pounded at her chest with clenched fists. “I’ve been standing in front of him all along. I’d do anything for him. But he never cared. He never saw anyone but you. And I hate you for that.” She dropped her face into her hands and wept.
Caroline struggled to catch the breath that escaped her. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried in vain to wipe away her tears. “I don’t know what to say other than I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
“You broke his heart.” Sally rose from the padded chair and gathered her belongings, her blue jeans and pink T-shirt wrinkled from sitting in one place for too long.