Anywhere With You (25 page)

I wake up alone and look at the clock. It’s ten. The guys have to be at the field at nine-thirty. Kick-off is at twelve-thirty.
I need to get a move on.
I faintly remember Liam kissing me goodbye, but nothing after that. I drag myself out of bed and hop in the shower. I throw on my favorite pair of rock revival jeans along with a long sleeve t-shirt underneath my MacCoy jersey. I straighten my hair and place my UNC hat on my head. The weather man says that it’s going to be in the fifties today so that should be plenty of clothing. The way that Hailey and I jump around and cheer, we keep ourselves plenty warm. I venture out to the living room and find Hailey ready to go sporting the same jersey as me.

“Hey you are you ready to head out?” she asks me.

“Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson are meeting us there, how about your parents?”

Hailey nods. “I just talked to mom and she said that they were walking out the door, so we should all get there around the same time.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to call Gran on the way and wish her a Happy New Year.” We gather our phones, keys, and pocket some money in our jeans, you can’t watch a purse when you are trying to focus on the game, we lock the door and we are good to go.

Hailey is driving so I hop into the passenger seat and pull out my phone to call Gran. “Hey, Judy,” I say to her homecare nurse. “Can I talk to Gran?” I listen while Judy tells me that Gran wasn’t feeling well this morning and is laying down for a nap. “Okay, well when she wakes up tell her that I called and I will call her after the game.” Judy agrees to relay my message and we say goodbye. Pulling into the stadium, we spot Liam and Hailey’s parents as well as Aiden’s waiting for us by the entrance. We all enter together and take our seats. Liam being the quarterback has its advantages, he has scored us the same seats all season.

The game is awesome. We are in the fourth quarter, four minutes to go and we are up two touchdowns. Hailey and I have been on our feet the entire game. I feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket, I pull it out to check it and see that it’s Grans number. It’s so loud in the stadium I will never be able to hear her and there are only a few minutes left, so I hit ignore with the intentions of calling her back as soon as the game is over. I hope to relay a win, maybe she’s watching at home as well. She and I have watched all of the away games together. Gran quickly became addicted to watching football. I smile remembering her yelling at the television one Saturday when Liam got sacked. She was so not impressed.

Not thirty seconds later I feel my pocket vibrate again, I pull out my phone and see that it’s Judy Gran’s homecare nurse. I glance at the score board and there is nineteen seconds left in the game, we have the ball and are still up by two touchdowns. I bump Hailey’s shoulder and tell her that Gran tried to call and now Judy was trying too so I am going to head out of the stands and call them back just to make sure that everything is okay. I make it out the stands to the landing by a concession stand that has already closed so there are not a lot of people around. I pull out my phone and hit redial for Judy.

“Hey Judy, it’s Allison, sorry I couldn’t take your call. It’s crazy loud in here and I couldn’t hear. What’s up?” I ask her.

“Allison,” Judy chokes and my heart drops.

“Judy. What’s wrong?” I ask fear lacing my voice.

“I’m so sorry sweetie, she was sleeping and I went to check on her and … and …” she is now sobbing and I can’t find my words to coach her to continue to just spit it the fuck out. To tell me what happened. “She … she wasn’t breathing. I tried to do CPR, but it was too late she was already gone.”

My body is taken over by wrenching sobs as pain laces through me, and the tears flow heavily down my cheeks. “No,” I sob into the phone. “Allison, I am so sorry to tell you this way, but I knew that you would want to know.” She sniffles into the phone. “Allison, the funeral home just showed up so I need to go. I will call you back as soon as this is all situated,” she tells me.

“I … I’m on my way. I will be there within the hour. I tell her as I hit end on my phone. I am crying so hard that my chest is heaving with sobs, without thinking I take off running towards the parking lot. Gran! I need to get there as fast as I can. Through my tears, my vision is blurry and I am not watching where I am going when I feel myself bump into someone. I look up and see Jason this makes me cry even harder. I do not need to deal with this asshole right now.

Jason gently grabs my arm to keep me from falling; I see that his arm is in a cast still. Serves him right. “Slow down Allison, what’s wrong?” he asks me. I’m surprised that he even asked.

Instead of answering him I back up into the wall, letting my body rest against it and let the tears flow.

“Allison, you’re scaring me. Where’s Liam do you need me to find him for you?” his voice laced with concern.

I shake my head yes, unable to speak through the tears. Jason puts his arm around me as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Okay, can you tell me his number?” I shake my head no but hold out my hand that has my cell phone in it. He takes it and starts to scroll through to find Liam’s number.

Before he even gets a chance to hit send I hear Liam’s deep voice. “What the fuck did you do to her, I’m going to fucking kill you this time!” he yells as he plows towards us. He is still in his uniform sans helmet and shoulder pads. The look on his face is pure rage, however the rage doesn’t register with me. All that I see is Liam, the man I love, and I need to be in his arms, I need him wrapped around me. I push myself off the wall, run and launch myself at him. He immediately lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck squeezing him tight. Liam is whispering in my ear, “I got you beautiful, your safe.” He kisses my neck. “What happened, baby?”

I hear Aiden. “You’re going to have more than a broken arm by the time I’m through with you!” he roars as he stalks his way towards Jason. It’s then that I realize I need to stop him. Jason was trying to help me, help me get to Liam.

“Aiden, NO!” I scream and he stops in his tracks. I release my legs from the hold they have on Liam and he gently sets me back on my feet, keeping me tucked close to his side. I’m still crying but the sobs ease just a little when I feel Liam tighten his hold on me.

“Jason … he was … he was helping me.” I start to cry harder. “He was calling Liam for me.” As proof of what I was saying he hands Liam my cell phone.

“Here man, she ran into me and she was crying so hard, she couldn’t even see where she was going. I asked her if she needed help she nodded her head. I asked her if I could call you for her but she couldn’t tell me your number she was so upset. Instead she handed me her cell phone. I was just getting ready to call you.

I nodded my head agreeing to what Jason is telling them. Liam bends his knees and uses his finger to lift my chin so that I am looking at him. “Allie, baby, what happened? Did someone hurt you?” I can see the tension in his jaw at the mere thought that someone has hurt me.

I shake my head no. Aiden rubs his hands up and down my back, while his parents stand close by, but I refuse to let go of Liam. I tighten my arms around him, took a deep breath and rasp out the words “She’s gone.”

“Who’s gone?” he asks, still keeping an eye on Jason.

All of them look really confused except for Hailey. She knew I was going out to return a call to Judy. “Oh god,” she cries.

“What? Can someone please tell me what is going on?” Liam raises his voice. I tense at the sound. “I’m sorry baby, I’m scared I don’t know what’s wrong, you’re upset and I can’t make it go away unless you tell me,” he pleads.

“Gran, she’s g … g … gone. J … Judy …” I break down in sobs. “Judy called, she was sleeping, she checked on her and she’s gone. She tried CPR but it was too late, she was already gone.” I bury my head into Liam’s chest and let the pain that is tearing through my heart unleash with my tears.

He squeezes me tight. “Oh, Allie I’m so sorry.” He embraces me in his arms. “I’m taking her home,” he says to everyone.

“No, I need to go to her. I need to go to Grans. Please.” I cry harder.

“Okay, I’ll take you there.” He looks to Aiden. “Can you get my bag from the locker room and meet us at the car? I have a change of clothes in there that I can change into when we get there.

“Sure man, go on and I’ll be right behind you,” Aiden says, already turning in the direction of the locker room.

“I’m coming with you,” Hailey says to Aiden as she follows him.

“Allison, honey,” Mrs. Emerson is rubbing my back. “We are heading home also. We’ll meet you there, okay sweetheart?”

I nod my head but it was Liam who responds. “Thank you both. Mom, Dad, I’ll call you and keep you posted.”

“Sounds good son, you just take care of our girl,” Liam’s dad tells him. Both of his parents give me a hug. I still refuse to let go of Liam.

He turns to Jason, “Thanks, man, for helping her.”

Jason nods, “I’m sorry for your loss, Allison.” Then he walks away.

Liam picks me up and carries me to his Pathfinder. He opens the passenger door to set me in the car and I panic. I keep my hold firm around his neck. “Oh Allison, baby I’m so sorry.” He says tightening his grip on me.

I hear Aiden talking and the next thing I know Liam is climbing in the back seat with me in his arms, never letting me go. He holds me close and continues to tell me how sorry he is, how much he loves me and how everything is going to be okay.

All I can think is that I’m alone, all alone. I have no family left in the world. It’s just me. I feel hollow inside. My tears continue to flow as I fall asleep in Liam’s arms.

My fucking heart is breaking. Allison refuses to let go of me, so I’m holding her in my arms while Aiden drives us to Gran’s. My beautiful girl is in so much pain and I don’t know what to do to make it better. She falls asleep almost instantly and I’m glad. She has an emotional journey ahead of her and I need a minute to get my emotions in check. I went from full on outrage, to scared shitless, to heartbroken for her. That’s a damn tornado of emotions in a span of what ten minutes. When I thought that Jason had hurt her I was going to kill him. I wouldn’t have stopped until he was dead. Then when she told me that he was helping her, fear crashed through me, who hurt her? What happened to have her this upset? When she finally told me that Gran was gone, I felt my heart breaking. Not only had I become close to Gran over the last several weeks, but I knew what this meant for Allison. The devastation of losing Gran is going to take a toll on her emotionally and I have no fucking idea how to help her.

We pull into the drive way and Allison is still asleep. I brush the hair off her cheek and whisper in her ear, “Allie, we’re here. Wake up.”

She bolts straight up in the seat, flings the door open and runs to the house. It takes my brain about ten seconds to register before I am right behind her. I catch up to her as she is going up the steps. I reach around her and open the door. Judy is sitting in the living room, curled up on the couch with a box of tissues. The chair where Gran always sits is empty. Allison starts to fall to her knees but I catch her just in time. I lower us both to the floor and cradle her in my lap while her entire body shakes with gut wrenching sobs. Her tears are falling so fast, I can’t wipe them away. I feel tightness in my chest and before I even realize it, I’m crying too. I want to take this pain from her, I want to make it better, and I can’t. I’m scared to death for her, for how this is going to affect her emotionally. God, how am I going to get her through this?

Aiden and Hailey come in carrying our bags. Aiden’s parents are right behind them. Aiden has showered and changed. “Ash,” Aiden says. “Come sit with me, let’s let Liam get showered and changed,” he speaks softly to her.

Allison shakes her head no. “Can I, can I come with you?” she asks me.

“I can wait baby, we’re good here for now.” I tell her.

“No, you need to shower and change, but I just …”

“Allison,” Mrs. Emerson addresses her. “How about you and I take a walk?”

She hesitates before looking at me with sad worried eyes. “A walk might do you some good,” I tell her.

“Will you be here when I get back?” she questions me.

I crush her tighter to my chest. “I’m not going anywhere, beautiful girl. I’ll shower and be here waiting when you get back.”

“Promise?” she whispers.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “I promise.” With that she allows Mrs. Emerson to help her up and they leave out the front door to take a walk. I pull my legs to my chest and rest my elbows on my knees with both hands covering my eyes. She was afraid that I would leave her.
Oh Allie.

I feel Aiden place his hand on my shoulder. “You alright, man?”

“No,” my voice is deep and thick with emotion. “I can’t help her. I can’t take this pain away and it’s killing me. She’s my world and I can’t protect her from this. She was afraid that I was going to leave her.” I look up and met his stare. “My beautiful girl is broken and fuck if I know how to fix her.”

“She needs you man, she was clinging to you like you were her life line. Just be there for her, hold her. She will get through this, we all will. Go take a shower, Dad is going to pick up some dinner.”