Meant for You (17 page)

“And are you satisfied with the results of your little exchange?”

William's grin broadened. “More than you know.”

* * *

Unfortunately, no one on the hospital staff was familiar with—or impressed by—the Montgomery name. No matter how loud Robert yelled or how hard William tried to charm the nurses, no one was in any rush to speak to them.

An hour after their arrival, the group of them sat and listened to what the pair of doctors had to say. “What we're looking at right now,” Dr. Eric Morgan said, “is a torn rotator cuff, four broken ribs, his leg was broken in four places along with his hip, and there was trauma to his spinal cord, causing swelling. And this is just a preliminary overview. We've done scans and X-rays, but that's not to say that we're not going to find more injuries.”

“Basically,” Dr. Richard Peters began, “we have a lot of work ahead of us, and I need you to understand we won't be able to update you every five minutes.” His voice was firm. Dr. Peters looked to be in his late fifties, and it would appear he had dealt with more than his fair share of anxious families. They had been assured he was the top trauma specialist in the region. “We still have multiple tests to run to fully understand the extent of Zach's injuries.”

“Can we at least see him?” Ryder asked.

Dr. Peters shook his head. “Right now, we need to tend to Zach. We have to set the bones and put pins in place, so we can see more clearly what we're dealing with. Then we can give you a more specific prognosis.” When Robert made to speak, the doctor held up a hand to stop him. “Your son has already lost a lot of time trapped up on the mountain; the more time I spend in here with you means more waiting for him.”

“Is he awake? Is he in pain?” Robert asked as the doctor made his way across the room.

“From what the medics conveyed to us, he's been in and out of consciousness since the fall. He was unconscious when I got to him, and they're prepping him for surgery now, so he'll be asleep for some time. Depending on the extent of the swelling on his spine, we may have to keep him in a medically induced coma for his own comfort.” Dr. Peters looked around the room. “I'm sorry. I do wish I had more to tell you, but until I get back upstairs and look at the results of what we've done so far, there isn't much more I can say. I'll send a nurse out to update you when I can.”

And with that, he was gone.

It seemed like everyone was afraid to move, afraid to speak. Ryder got up and went to look out a window briefly before taking out his cell phone and leaving the room. James excused himself to call and check on Selena. Robert agreed it was a good idea to call his wife, and William soon followed suit. When it was down to only Summer, Ethan, and Gabriella, Summer let out a breath. These were the people she preferred to be with right now—the people who had comforted her the best since this entire ordeal had begun.

Gabriella sat in a corner, lost in her own reflections. Ethan moved to sit next to Summer and touched her cheek. “I know I keep asking you the same thing, but I want to make sure you're doing all right.”

“None of what Dr. Peters said sounds good,” she sighed. “All this time, I knew that there was a good possibility of Zach being injured, but I didn't want to believe it was going to be this bad.”

Wrapping her in his embrace, Ethan pulled her close and did his best to calm her. “None of us did, Summer,” he said softly. “But your brother is strong, he's a fighter, and we have some of the best doctors here. If there are issues, I'm sure your father will move heaven and earth to get better ones. Zach is going to get the best care possible. You can count on it.”

Her hands were fisted in his shirt as she buried her face against the warmth of his chest. The feel of him, hearing his heartbeat, did wonders for soothing her, but her mind continued to race. “All that time lost,” she said. “All that time he was up there in the cold and wind. What if that time cost him?” she asked as she raised her head. “What if because of the delay, Zach doesn't make a full recovery?”

Ethan cupped her face in his hands. “We can't think like that,” he said fiercely. “Right now, we need to stay positive. When we're finally allowed to see him, we need to show him we're not terrified. Your face gives you away all the time. Zach will take one look at you and know you're freaking out. You need to be strong, Summer. For Zach.”

Shaking her head, Summer tried to pull away but Ethan wouldn't let her. “I don't think I can, Ethan. I'm too worried. I'm scared it really is my fault that this happened.”

He released her and pulled back, staring at her as if she'd lost her mind. “What? Why are you still even thinking that? We've been over this already, sweetheart. You're not to blame!”

“I distracted him. You said so yourself when you came to find me at the springs. I had been so intent on telling Zach about how I felt about the risk he was taking with this stupid trip, and even if you managed to convince him I was fine with it or whatever you said to him, I distracted him for all those weeks. If anything, I pushed him into going because I kept saying he couldn't. I'll never be able to forgive myself if he doesn't recover. He'll never be able to forgive me either.”

Ethan didn't know what to say; he thought the topic was closed after she confronted her father. He hated that she still felt guilty about this. “Summer, once everyone is down from the mountain safely, we'll find out what caused the accident. I think it's pretty safe to say for something of this magnitude, Mother Nature is to blame. Not Zach and certainly not you. Your brother isn't the type of guy who lets himself get distracted. Trust me; I've gone on more adventures and dangerous trips with him than I can count. Nothing gets in his head. Nothing and no one.”

“Tell me about it,” Gabriella mumbled in the corner. With a shake of her head, Gabriella stood. “Ethan is right, Summer. Your brother doesn't let anyone affect him; it's just not who he is. You could have talked until you were blue in the face, but once he started that climb, I can guarantee your concerns were all but forgotten.” At the stricken look on Summer's face, she tried to make things sound a little less cold. “I don't mean he forgot about
you
. You're his sister and you know he loves you, but when Zach sets his mind to a task, he is extremely focused. You have to know this accident had nothing to do with you.”

“But we don't know that,” Summer retorted. Why couldn't everyone see? Why couldn't they simply understand?

“Whatever you're thinking,” Ethan said, “stop. We're going to get up, go grab something to eat, and maybe play a game of cards…or chess. I'm sure the gift shop has some games we can buy to keep us busy. And there will be no more talk of you being to blame. Is that understood?” He stood and held out a hand to her.

She looked up at him warily. Now wasn't the time to argue. She'd keep her thoughts and feelings to herself. After all, how could he possibly understand what she was going through? He barely knew her. Even after how intimate they had been, he really didn't know who she was and what made her tick. Right now, she just needed a little time, a little space.

Ethan's hand was still steady in front of her. Summer looked at it and then turned to look at Gabriella standing by the window. If she was going to focus on Zach, that meant she had to put her feelings for Ethan to the side. Ignoring his hand, Summer stood and walked over to Gabriella.

“C'mon, let's go and grab a little fresh air before heading back to sit with everyone.”

Gabriella looked curiously between Summer and Ethan and saw Ethan's jaw hanging open. Moving away from the window, Gabriella hooked her arm through Summer's and together they headed toward the door. “We'll meet you upstairs in a little while,” Gabriella said right before they walked out the door, Summer silently walking beside her.

* * *

With fresh cups of hot chocolate in their hands, Summer and Gabriella sat side by side on a bench outside the hospital entrance. It was cold enough to see their breath in front of their faces and the steam off their cups.

“Care to tell me what happened back there?” Gabriella finally asked.

“When?”

“When you pretty much blew Ethan off after he tried to cheer you up.” Gabriella took a sip of her drink and hummed with delight.

Summer shrugged. “I can't keep leaning on him. It's clear he's not comfortable letting anyone know anything's happened between us, and now that everyone's here, I need there to be some distance between us.”

“I know it sucks and all, but has it occurred to you that maybe it's not that he doesn't want everyone to know but he's trying not to add to everyone's stress level?”

“What about my stress level, dammit? What about my feelings? Why is it so important not to upset James, Ryder, my uncle, or my father, but it's okay to upset me? Huh? Tell me! Why?”

“Okay, okay… Clearly this is a sore subject and I completely understand what you're feeling.”

“No, you don't,” Summer snapped. “Unless you've had to deal with a houseful of overbearing men all your life, you don't.” Then she stopped and realized she actually knew nothing about Gabriella's life or her family. She turned to her with an apology on her lips. “Wait… do you have any siblings?”

“I do,” she replied quietly. “I have a sister.”

“Older or younger?”

“Older.”

Summer nodded. “Must be nice. I always wished I had a sister. I have one female cousin on my dad's side. We were kind of close, but it's not the same.”

Gabriella snorted. “Trust me, having a sister is not all it's cracked up to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let's just say I moved to Portland to be as far away from her as possible.”

“Well, that doesn't sound good.” She hesitated and was almost thankful for a distraction. “Want to talk about it?”

“I'll give you the
Reader's Digest
version—she's older than me and didn't like having to give up her only-child status. My entire life, she did her best to torment me. She was never kind. We didn't do things together like normal sisters do; everything was a competition. The only problem was, no one explained the rules to me. I just wanted to have a relationship with her. She wanted to make sure everyone liked her best.”

“Wow. I don't even know what to say.”

“There's nothing you can say. She destroyed friendships I had, caused strife between me and our parents… Every insecurity I have is because of her.”

Summer looked stunned. “You are quite possibly the most confident woman I have ever met. What could you possibly have to be insecure about?”

She laughed. “This Gabriella? The one sitting here with you is not the same one my family sees. You see a confident businesswoman; they see someone who is hiding from life. You look at me and may see a well-dressed individual; they see me as someone shallow who likes to lord her money over them by buying expensive clothes. It's exhausting and endless.”

“Gosh, I am so sorry. I had no idea. I naturally assumed life would be so much better with a sister rather than a houseful of brothers.”

“You may be right. I'm just the wrong person to talk to about it. I've heard of a lot of women who rave about the relationships they have with their sisters, and I can't even relate. If even once she had shown me an ounce of kindness, I would have been so grateful. But throughout my life—particularly before I came to work for Montgomerys—she made sure I knew she was better than me. More successful. Wealthier. She had the whole world at her fingertips because she married well and I was just a lonely, struggling single person nobody wanted.”

Summer's jaw almost hit the ground. “How can you even say that? You're stunning! How could she even imply nobody wants you?”

“I don't date much.”

“By choice, I'm assuming.”

A
sad
one
, Gabriella thought miserably. “I have some issues with trust,” she said quietly. “Thanks to my sister.” She sat quietly for a moment. “Don't get me wrong, not every problem with my life is her fault, but she's done a lot of damage.”

Summer could relate. Her brothers and her father had been so overprotective because of her family name—it was sometimes hard to know if someone was with her for herself or for her name. She knew Ethan was different, but even though there was trust, there was a boatload of other hurdles for them to get over.

Suddenly Gabriella stood. “Okay, enough of a sidebar for now. Let's go back upstairs and see if there are any updates.”

“Okay, but I'm stopping at the vending machine for my chocolate fix.”

“Didn't we just finish drinking our chocolate fix?” Gabriella asked with a smirk.

“Please…to deal with this group and this level of stress, there isn't enough chocolate to be found.”

* * *

For all the years Ethan had known the Montgomery family, he had never felt like an outsider until now. Maybe it was his own imagination or guilty conscience, but as he sat with James, Ryder, William, and Robert, he pretty much felt completely alone.

When Summer had ignored him earlier and walked away with Gabriella, he felt as if a part of him were walking away. He was completely torn. What was the right thing to do here? Did he go on as he and Summer had and just say the hell with the consequences? Keeping quiet and not disrupting things—especially now—had seemed the smart thing to do, but now he wasn't certain. James had been giving him the stink eye since they arrived at the hospital, and Ethan wasn't sure what that was about. Then Summer had blown him off.

Deciding that another lap around the room wouldn't hurt, Ethan stood and went to the window and looked out at the parking lot below. There wasn't much else to see. It was a gray day out, but watching the people coming and going was something to do besides sitting.