Hidden lies have destroyed and robbed Holden Masters of nearly everything he cares about over the course of his life.
As buried truths come to surface, the only question that remains is whether he can finally be redeemed? The past finally catches u...
TAKING A DEEP breath, I remind myself I'm at work—that I need to keep it together. Then, I take another one and remind myself that in the absence of trauma vomiting blood could be due to any number of non-life-threatening conditions. Cammie is not Violet. She's going to be okay. She has to be.
And once I've let all that sink in, I still find myself balling my fists and clenching my jaw shut to keep from charging Oliver. What the fuck is he doing with her?
As they wheel her in, the medics stop to find out where to take her, and that's when our eyes meet. Hers widen as she glances over at Oliver.
It tells me everything I need to know. Fucking secrets.
Instead of going up to her, I stay right where I am, completely frozen.
"Holden," she whispers.
I tilt my head, still not saying anything. Words fail me. And I know she's probably scared, and this probably makes me a coward, but I just can't.
She reaches her hand out to me. "Come here, please."
Even though I'm pissed and hurt and scared, I do exactly what she asks. Nine years ago, I couldn't be with her when she got to the hospital, but here we are, and I am afraid it's going to end the same way the last trip did. With me heartbroken and alone.
"Can you stay with me?" she asks, completely ignoring Oliver.
I shake my head, glancing away. "I have a patient I have to transport back to the nursing home." Leaning in closer to her, I whisper, "What the hell is going on? What happened?" I want to kiss her so bad, but I can't.
"I threw up again this morning, and now this."
"I thought you were better."
"I haven't been feeling well, but I figured it was stress."
Stress it probably is. I don't tell her what I suspect. "I'll come back as soon as I'm off work." I look back at Oliver, whose face is unreadable. "If you want me to."
"Why wouldn't I want you to?"
One of the medics nudges me. "Hey, Masters. We gotta move her."
"What number?"
"Room seven."
I nod and squeeze her hand. "Did you call your parents?" I ask.
She shakes her head. I left a message for Wells earlier, but he hasn't called me back.
Stupid fucker.
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EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS AGO
SINCE VIOLET GOT sick, I've been going through emotions like I go through underwear. And now that Dad's gone, that's just been compounded. One day, I'm using a metal bat to smash whatever I can. After destroying Violet's car, I've decided that probably wasn't the best choice. There's this part of me that doesn't want to ever destroy a coconut, consume it in any way. I just want to hoard them, keep them all safe, and have a little happy coconut family.
