Imperfectly Bad (25 page)

Emma was still crying into his chest when Shane saw Jenny come around the corner. His breath escaped his lungs. Nudging Emma, she lifted her eyes and saw her too. They looked at her curiously, knowing that she should have been at her wedding, but it looked like she’d made her choice—and the right one at that.

Jenny stood there looking at the gang, obviously wanting to speak but unsure of exactly what to say.

“Emma?” she finally managed to choke out. The tears pooled in her eyes.

Knowing that the two of them shared a coffee bond, the guys watched as Emma went to her. “Oh, Jenny.” She wrapped her arms around Jenny like they were old friends. Which, in a way, they were.

“I was on the phone with him, I was calling to tell him…” Jenny paused just before a sob escaped her lips. “I wasn’t going to marry Bradley, Emma. In fact, I’d already broken it off. After I saw Rob this morning, I told Bradley to take a hike. I made an appointment to dye my hair back, put my nose ring back in. I was never really going to go through with it. Bradley was just a game, a way for me to hide my true feelings. I was going to come clean to Rob…” She was gasping for breath. “I didn’t get to say it. He answered and then it happened.”

Shane watched on as Emma pulled Jenny in close, hugging her because it was all she could do. There was nothing else anybody could do to help ease the pain they all felt.

“He was coming for you,” Shane said without thinking. Deep down he knew she had a right to know. No matter what happened, she needed to know that Rob hadn’t been ready to let her go.

“Shane Strout?” He turned in the direction of the voice.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Are you all here for Mr. Ziviani?” the doctor asked while flipping through a chart, presumably Rob’s.

“Yes,” Tyler added as they all walked toward the doctor.

“All right, you all can follow me.”

The voice in the back of Shane’s head was telling him that this wasn’t a good sign. If everything was fine, the doctor would have given them information in the waiting room. He couldn’t help but wonder where he was taking them. Shane felt Emma slide her hand into his and squeeze and he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

The doctor opened a door and motioned for the group to head in. Tyler cleared his throat and stopped dead in his tracks.

“I can’t go in there, Shane. I can’t. I know why they bring people to these rooms!”

A sob escaped Emma’s throat. Seeing Tyler reach his breaking point was not something anyone would want to see. With a curt nod, Shane motioned for her and Jenny to go ahead of him. “Can we have a minute?” he asked the doctor. Nodding solemnly, the doctor left them alone and entered the room with the girls.

Tyler immediately started spouting off. “I won’t, Shane. I won’t go in there.” Tears fell from his eyes as he slid down the wall. All 260 pounds of him collapsed with a thud and he threw his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as his emotions took control.

Kneeling down in front of him, Shane rested his hand on the back of Tyler’s neck. Putting his forehead to his friend’s, Shane spoke quietly. “I know, man, I know. It sucks. But we don’t know anything yet.”

“Yes we do, Shane. He’s gone. I can feel it.”

He was right because deep down Shane could feel it too. Something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t just because they were in a hospital. The gang had been all so connected, so in tune with each other, that Rob’s absence was easily felt.

“I know. But we’re gonna do it. We’re going to go in there, together, just like we always do.”

Tyler looked up at Shane, his face tear-stained and ghostly pale. He nodded and Shane offered his hand to help him stand up and they made their way into the room where Emma and Jenny were already huddled together, holding hands.

“Why don’t you guys take a seat,” the doctor said as he shifted in his seat across from the girls.

Tyler and Shane immediately complied.

Snapping the chart shut, the doctor sighed, “I’ve spoken with some of the nurses and they’ve agreed to let you wait in here until I can give you further news. I understand that Mr. Ziviani’s family is on their way, and as soon as I update them, they can decide what information to share with you all.”

Before his words could sink in, Tyler was up and angrily pointing at the doctor. “No freakin’ way!”

The doctor stood defensively. “I’m going to need you to calm down, sir.”

“No fuckin’ way, buddy. He’s our brother, and we have a right to know what the fuck is happening with him.”

The doctor sighed and shook his head, obviously hating his job.

Shane decided that perhaps he could be the voice of reason. Taking a deep breath in order to remain calm, he started. “We’ve been his roommates for years, sir. We’re family, and if he were able he would tell you that himself. Rob Ziviani married us.” He pointed to Emma. “He’s my kid’s godfather. He’s been in every big moment of our lives and we need to know if he’s gone or not so we can start trying to heal ourselves.”

“Please.” Jenny sobbed into the air.

The doctor, being human, sighed and sat back down.

“Your friend was traveling at high speed, much higher than he should have been, and he hit the back of a bus. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and he sustained serious head injuries. He’s currently in a coma, and it doesn’t look good. I’m sorry.”

And with those words, Shane lost it. Right there. Knowing that Rob was lying somewhere in a coma, possibly entering his final hours, was just too much for him to handle. Shane was supposed to be the strong one, he knew that, but it was no longer bearable. He dropped to his knees, allowing all the memories they’d shared to come flooding back to him…

“Okay, that’s it!” Rob yells.

Shane jumps as the front door slams shut behind him.

“I’ve had enough of this bullshit,” Rob continues. “Either you go tell that girl why you’ve been such a jackass for the past ten months, or I will!”

“He’s right, Shane,” Tyler adds. “The hostility here has got to end… like, now.”

They were right. Shane knew he needed to come clean. His friendship with Emma was already crumbling because of his secret feelings. Besides, at that point Shane no longer had anything else to lose…

Rob had given Shane the courage to finally buck up and be a man. He didn’t know if he would ever have had the nerve to come clean to Emma without the extra push from his friends. Well, he probably would have eventually. But without them, the timing may have never been right.

Then there had been the baby powder incident…

Before Tyler knows what is happening he is hit with an onslaught of white powder. Stunned, he stops in his tracks as Shane shakes bottles of powder over his drenched body. “Baby powder,” Tyler laughs, his anger slowly subsiding while he sits back down on the edge of his bed.

“If you want to act like a baby, then we’ll treat you like one,” Rob spits.

“Seriously, Ty,” Shane says as he throws the emptied bottles into Tyler’s covered lap. “You can’t push us away. We care about you—”

Rob quickly interrupts with, “That bitch is using you.”

Tyler immediately stiffens.

“Would you just shut up!” Shane commands, nervously running his hands through his hair. “God, you always make shit a million times worse. You have no filter. Kid gloves, Rob. We talked about this…”

Rob and his careless mouth. He had a way with words in that he didn’t mince them. Even though he hurt a lot of feelings, he spoke the truth. And sometimes that was exactly what people needed.

The touch of her hands brought him back. Emma. She wrapped her arms around his neck and joined him on the floor as the doctor left the room. Shane could hear the others sobbing as he clung to his wife. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Ever the optimist, Shane thought they’d get their happily ever afters, all together. How could they go on living in a life without Rob in it? It didn’t seem possible. No, it just wasn’t right.

Sitting in silence, they comforted one another while they waited for Rob’s family to show up. After what felt like forever the doors opened and an older couple entered, their eyes reddened. Tyler had been the only one to have ever met Rob’s parents, so he was the first to reach out. Rob’s mother nodded at him, and Shane knew. With tears in her eyes she addressed them all collectively. “He loved you all, so much.”

“Loves.”

Shocked by the harshness in her voice, Shane turned to face Jenny, her face set in an angry hard line. “He
loves
them. He’s still alive.”

“What is
she
doing here?” Rob’s mother asks, an angry edge to her voice.

“Jenny?!” A young girl pushed her way through the throng of people and launched herself into Jenny’s arms. “I’ve missed you so much.”

It was obvious to everyone in the room that Jenny and the girl, whom Shane guessed was another family member, had a special relationship, and seeing the way Jenny embraced her made him more comfortable with her being present. There were few positives that he had heard about this woman from Rob’s past, but it would appear that she did have some redeeming qualities. “Hey, Alyssa. I know. It’s gonna be all right now, I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Every time you don’t deliver on them you break her heart.” Rob’s mother glares in Jenny’s direction and the tension mounted in the room just enough to make Shane feel awkward. Thankfully the atmosphere was forgotten as the doctor opened the door. His eyes took the scene in and Shane knew he could feel the friction too.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I thought you’d all like to take a few minutes to go see Robert. Keep in mind that he’s pretty banged up, and he’s hooked up to a lot of machines.”

Tyler looked to Shane and shook his head. Despite their earlier conversation, Shane knew there was no point in pushing Tyler to see Rob. Everyone was dealing with this in their own way, and if Tyler didn’t want to see Rob hooked up to a bunch of machines, then that was his choice to make.

Shane nodded, completely understanding where he was coming from. Rob was the most vibrant person any of them had ever known and it was rare to see him vulnerable. Even during the times when he’d dropped his guard, he’d still managed to make a joke of it. Such was Rob’s ability to hide things from them, it had taken Shane that much longer to notice that he was a mess.

“You can go three at a time, for moral support. Talk to him. Studies show that coma patients can still hear what’s going on around them.”

At that point the young girl, Alyssa he thought Jenny had said, collapsed into hysterics and Rob’s parents rushed across the room to calm her down. She was sobbing uncontrollably when Rob’s mother looked to Shane and said, “Why don’t you all go first. We need a minute.”

Shane nodded in agreement and looked to Tyler. “Are you sure?”

Tyler’s jaw tightened and he gave a curt nod. “Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll stay here and see if I can help with Alyssa.”

Grabbing Emma’s hand and motioning for Jenny to come with them, Shane headed to the door. Jenny bent down and kissed Alyssa on the forehead. Rob’s mother glared at Jenny as Alyssa clung to her.

The three of them followed the doctor down the hallway in silence, the strong antiseptic smell making Shane’s stomach churn. Or perhaps it was simply the stress of it all. He wasn’t sure, but he felt like he could lose his lunch at any moment. Eventually they stopped in front of a room. Shane could hear the noise of air being released in a slow methodical rhythm, accompanied by sporadic beeps and he knew Rob was in there, hanging on by a thread. Suddenly, Shane was jealous of Tyler, wishing that he didn’t have to be the rock for once. Deep down, he didn’t want to do this, but he had to. Emma needed him.

“Remember, that he doesn’t look good.” The doctor spoke softly. “But talk to him. It can’t hurt to try.” He motioned for them to head in. Shane took a deep breath and lead the way.

When the door swung open and he caught sight of his friend, his breath caught in his throat. The doctor hadn’t been lying. If it wasn’t for Rob’s name on the whiteboard above his bed, no one would’ve known it was him—his face so swollen and bruised he didn’t look like Rob.

The shock of it didn’t only fall on Shane either. “Oh my God.” Emma gasped and turned into Shane’s chest with a thud.

“It’s okay, Em. We’ve gotta talk to him, it’s the only thing we can do that might help.”

She nodded against his chest and sniffed before turning back around to him. She’d always been one of the strongest women he’d known, second only to his mother, and he’d always thought it was one of the best things about her. He could feel his heart swell with pride as he watched her accept his challenge.

“Rob?” she called out hesitantly. “Can you hear me?” Emma dropped Shane’s hand and carefully approached Rob’s bedside. “I know you’re in there. I need you to stay, Rob. Felix needs you, the baby needs you. We all need you.”

Shane made his way toward the spot next to her. “Yeah, man. Who is going to put us all in our place when we need it?”

The three of them were standing there looking at him, unsure of what to say or do next, when suddenly Jenny grabbed his hand.

“Rob.” She kissed his knuckles carefully, avoiding the many tubes coming from his hand. “I’m so sorry, babe. I should have never left you, ever. I was selfish and mad at you. I hated that we were from two different worlds, when in reality all I wanted was to be with you. In fact, it’s all I’ve ever wanted. Not a day went by in all those years that I didn’t think of you… wondering what you were doing… if you were thinking of me too.

“Fate brought us back together for a reason.” She wiped at her face with her free hand. “This isn’t the end. It can’t be. We’ve got unfinished business, you stubborn ass. I need you in my life. You’ve never been one to quit so don’t you start now, you hear me, Rob? I need you to fight. That way, when you wake up, we can make up for all that lost time.”

As if on cue, the alarms on his machines started beeping furiously, the line on the heart monitor sporadically flat lining and jumping.

“Oh my God,” Emma cried as she backed away from his bed, pulling Shane with her.