Twinsequences (A Twisted Twin Series) (42 page)

The
 problem
 was
 that
 I
 just
 had
 to
 know.
 I
 had
 to
 know
 if
 he
 didn’t
 make
 it.
 
 
I
 had
 to
 know
 if
 a
 part
 of
 my
 soul
 was
 going
 to
 be
 lost
 forever.
 
 
It
 hurt
 even
 more
 knowing
 that
 we’d
 missed
 so
 much
 time
 together.
 We
 
should
 have
 been
 the
 ones
 that
 were
 married
 with
 little
 children
 running
 around.
 
 
All
 of
 the
 little
 things
 that
 Stoshua
 had
 done,
 while
 helping
 Ivy,
 seemed
 so
 
small
 in
 comparison
 to
 a
 lifetime
 without
 him.
 I
 didn’t
 care
 that
 he’d
 lied
 to
 me,
 or
 
hurt
 me.
 He
 did
 it
 to
 be
 with
 me,
 because
 he
 thought
 it
 was
 the
 only
 way
 it
 could
 
ever
 happen.
 I
 think
 if
 the
 roles
 were
 reversed,
 I
 would
 have
 been
 desperate
 enough
 
to
 do
 the
 same.
 My
 love
 for
 him
 had
 only
 grown
 stronger
 and
 the
 baby
 that
 was
 
growing
 inside
 of
 me
 helped
 me
 to
 forgive.
 
 
The
 only
 thing
 that
 I
 wanted
 was
 to
 be
 able
 to
 feel
 his
 strong
 arms
 wrapping
 
around
 me.
 I
 wanted
 to
 see
 him
 holding
 our
 baby
 when
 he
 or
 she
 was
 born.
 I
 wanted
 
to
 lay
 in
 bed
 with
 our
 baby
 in
 between
 us,
 while
 looking
 into
 each
 other’s
 eyes.
 
 
He
 was
 everything
 to
 me
 and,
 even
 when
 we
 weren’t
 together,
 he
 always
 had
 
been.
 
 
I
 waited
 another
 half
 hour
 before
 I
 sat
 up
 and
 started
 pushing
 the
 button
 for
 
a
 nurse.
 
A
 woman,
 a
 little
 older
 than
 me
 came
 walking
 in.
 “Can
 I
 help
 you
 with
 
something?”
 
“My
 parents?
 Have
 you
 seen
 them?”
 
She
 shook
 her
 head.
 “I’m
 afraid
 my
 shift
 just
 started.
 I
 can
 look
 around
 for
 
them.”
 
“Don’t
 worry
 about
 it.
 They
 probably
 went
 to
 get
 something
 to
 eat.”
 
After
 she
 walked
 away,
 I
 grabbed
 the
 telephone
 and
 dialed
 Stosh’s
 number.
 
Of
 course,
 I
 should
 have
 known
 that
 he
 couldn’t
 answer.
 Maybe
 I
 just
 wanted
 to
 hear
 
his
 voice
 when
 the
 message
 thingy
 came
 on.
 
 
This
 is
 Stosh.
 You
 know
 what
 to
 do.
 
I
 started
 crying
 harder,
 just
 hearing
 his
 recorded
 voice.
 
It’s
 me.
 I
 know
 you
 aren’t
 listening
 right
 now,
 but
 I
 need
 you
 to
 know
 how
 much
 
I
 love
 you.
 No
 matter
 where
 I
 was
 in
 life,
 you
 never
 left
 my
 mind
 and
 my
 heart.
 It’s
 
always
 been
 you,
 Stoshua
 Wheeler.
 I
 don’t
 care
 about
 the
 past
 or
 what
 we’ve
 had
 to
 go
 
through.
 I
 just
 want
 our
 future.
 I
 want
 us
 to
 be
 together.
 It
 doesn’t
 matter
 where
 we
 
live,
 or
 what
 we
 do,
 as
 long
 as
 we’re
 together.
 We’re
 a
 family
 now
 and
 I
 need
 you
 so
 
much.
 Do
 you
 hear
 me,
 Stosh?
 I
 can’t
 lose
 you,
 babe.
 I
 can’t
 lose
 the
 one
 thing
 that
 I’ve
 
always
 wanted.
 We’re
 so
 close.
 You
 have
 to
 fight.
 Please,
 just
 be
 okay.
 I
 can’t
 live
 
without
 you.
 
If
 he
 did
 hear
 the
 message,
 I
 wasn’t
 sure
 he
 would
 be
 able
 to
 hear
 the
 last
 
parts.
 I
 was
 too
 emotional.
 Thinking
 about
 the
 possibility
 of
 him
 not
 surviving
 was
 
making
 it
 hard
 to
 breathe.
 I
 needed
 to
 know.
 
 
I
 had
 to
 call
 information
 to
 get
 his
 parent’s
 phone
 number.
 I
 called
 three
 
times
 and
 nobody
 had
 answered.
 I
 didn’t
 know
 who
 else
 I
 could
 call
 or
 what
 I
 could
 
do.
 Knowing
 that
 they
 were
 going
 to
 come
 back
 at
 some
 point,
 I
 didn’t
 call
 my
 
parents.
 If
 they
 were
 staying
 away,
 it
 was
 for
 a
 legitimate
 reason.
 
Unfortunately,
 only
 one
 thing
 could
 have
 kept
 them
 away.
 
My
 fear
 of
 losing
 Stosh
 was
 becoming
 a
 reality.
 
When
 my
 parents
 finally
 came
 around
 the
 corner,
 and
 my
 mother
 had
 tears
 
in
 her
 eyes,
 I
 knew
 it
 couldn’t
 be
 good.
 I
 sat
 up
 and
 immediately
 started
 to
 cry
 
harder.
 I
 felt
 all
 of
 my
 hope
 leaving
 my
 body.
 My
 heart
 was
 empty.
 
“No!”
 I
 shook
 my
 head
 while
 continuing
 to
 cry.
 
My
 parents
 looked
 at
 each
 other
 and
 then
 back
 to
 me.
 I
 didn’t
 take
 my
 eyes
 
off
 of
 them
 as
 I
 waited
 to
 hear.
 I
 wished
 I
 was
 one
 of
 those
 people
 that
 could
 feel
 
nothing.
 I
 wanted
 to
 be
 numb,
 instead
 of
 feeling
 overwhelmed
 with
 pain.
 
“Just
 say
 it.
 I
 need
 to
 hear
 you
 say
 it.”
 
 
 
 
Chapter
 27
 
I
 need
 a
 Mulligan.
 
 
They
 came
 over
 to
 the
 bed
 and
 my
 mother
 grabbed
 my
 hand.
 “Sweetie,
 Stosh
 
isn’t
 gone.
 He
 just
 may
 not
 be
 able
 to
 ever
 walk
 again.
 The
 bullet
 was
 lodged
 into
 his
 
spine.
 He’s
 been
 in
 surgery
 for
 four
 hours
 and
 they
 are
 afraid
 he
 has
 spinal
 damage.”
 
I
 didn’t
 hear
 the
 part
 about
 Stosh
 being
 paralyzed.
 All
 I
 heard
 was
 that
 he
 was
 
going
 to
 live.
 “He’s
 really
 okay?”
 
“Your
 father
 talked
 to
 the
 surgeon
 himself.”
 My
 mother
 looked
 over
 at
 him
 
and
 gave
 him
 a
 nudge.”
 
“It’s
 true.
 I
 spoke
 to
 Malcolm
 Brodham
 on
 the
 phone.
 We
 were
 colleagues
 a
 
while
 back.
 The
 bullet
 entered
 clean,
 but
 became
 lodged
 in
 Stoshua’s
 lower
 spine.
 
They
 won’t
 know
 the
 extent
 of
 his
 paralysis
 until
 he
 wakes
 up
 and
 can
 begin
 
physical
 therapy.”
 
“But,
 he’s
 alive?”
 
“Yes,
 sweetheart,
 he’s
 alive.”
 
I
 was
 so
 happy.
 Of
 course
 I
 was
 afraid
 of
 his
 recovery,
 but
 he
 was
 going
 to
 be
 
able
 to
 hold
 his
 child.
 He
 would
 be
 there
 during
 the
 birth
 and
 to
 celebrate
 birthdays
 
and
 holidays.
 “I
 need
 to
 go
 there.
 I
 have
 to
 see
 him.”
 
“Willow,
 you’re
 in
 the
 hospital.
 Stosh
 would
 want
 you
 safe,”
 my
 mother
 
argued.
 
I
 shook
 my
 head.
 “Please!
 He’s
 all
 I’ve
 had
 for
 a
 while
 now.
 He
 needs
 me
 
there.”
 
“You
 aren’t
 due
 to
 be
 released
 until
 the
 morning.”
 
I
 grabbed
 my
 IV
 and
 ripped
 it
 out
 of
 my
 arm.
 My
 mother
 seemed
 so
 shocked
 
that
 she
 rushed
 over
 and
 tried
 to
 grab
 my
 arm.
 “Willow,
 what
 are
 you
 doing?”
 
I
 pulled
 away.
 “Take
 me
 to
 Stosh.
 You
 both
 have
 the
 pull
 to
 get
 me
 out
 of
 
here.
 I’m
 fine.
 You
 said
 it
 yourself.
 Check
 me
 out
 under
 your
 care.
 You
 can
 stay
 with
 
me
 the
 whole
 time.
 I
 just
 need
 you
 to
 take
 me
 to
 Stosh.
 I’m
 not
 asking
 you.
 Now,
 you
 
can
 either
 help
 me,
 or
 I
 will
 call
 a
 cab
 and
 get
 there
 myself.”
 
I
 hated
 threatening
 them,
 but
 nothing
 was
 going
 to
 stop
 me
 from
 seeing
 
Stoshua.
 I
 had
 to
 be
 there
 with
 him.
 Nothing
 else
 mattered
 in
 my
 life
 at
 that
 very
 
moment.
 
My
 parents
 didn’t
 fight
 me
 after
 I
 threatened
 to
 go
 alone.
 Within
 a
 half
 hour,
 
we
 were
 in
 the
 parking
 lot,
 headed
 for
 their
 car.
 They
 insisted
 on
 keeping
 me
 in
 a
 
wheelchair
 and
 I
 didn’t
 even
 care.
 As
 long
 as
 we
 were
 headed
 to
 the
 other
 hospital,
 I
 
was
 okay
 with
 their
 insisting.
 
The
 anticipation
 of
 seeing
 him
 had
 me
 on
 edge.
 My
 parents
 tried
 to
 talk
 to
 me
 during
 
our
 twenty-‐minute
 ride,
 but
 I
 could
 hardly
 answer
 them.
 All
 I
 wanted
 to
 do
 was
 
wrap
 my
 arms
 around
 Stosh
 and
 feel
 that
 rush
 of
 relief.
 The
 worst
 was
 over
 and
 we
 
were
 going
 to
 be
 able
 to
 breathe
 again.
 
 
No
 matter
 what
 he
 had
 to
 go
 through,
 we
 were
 going
 to
 do
 it
 together.
 From
 
now
 on,
 we
 were
 going
 to
 be
 a
 team.
 Nothing
 could
 come
 between
 us.
 
So
 I
 thought.
 
We
 arrived
 at
 the
 hospital
 and
 my
 parents
 were
 adamant
 about
 me
 being
 
wheeled
 in.
 I
 imagine
 running,
 but
 just
 knowing
 I
 would
 get
 there
 was
 fine
 with
 me.
 
They
 had
 to
 stop
 and
 talk
 to
 a
 couple
 people,
 since
 it
 was
 after
 hours
 and
 our
 
situation
 wasn’t
 ideal.
 Thank
 God,
 both
 of
 my
 parents
 knew
 their
 way
 around
 a
 
hospital,
 and
 enough
 physicians
 to
 be
 able
 to
 get
 around
 the
 rules.
 
Stosh’s
 parents
 were
 both
 in
 his
 room.
 They
 were
 arguing
 with
 him
 and
 I
 
didn’t
 understand
 why
 that
 would
 be
 happening.
 
 
I
 thought
 when
 he
 saw
 me;
 he’d
 be
 happy
 and
 reach
 his
 arms
 out
 for
 me
 to
 
come
 into
 them.
 
Instead,
 he
 turned
 his
 head
 in
 the
 opposite
 direction,
 like
 he
 hadn’t
 even
 seen
 
me
 at
 all.
 It
 hurt
 my
 feelings,
 especially
 considering
 what
 I’d
 done
 to
 get
 there.
 I
 
looked
 back
 at
 my
 parents
 and
 told
 them
 to
 let
 me
 go
 in
 alone.
 Stosh’s
 parents
 both
 
kissed
 my
 head
 as
 they
 walked
 out
 of
 the
 room
 to
 join
 my
 parents.
 He
 still
 hadn’t
 
turned
 back
 around,
 even
 as
 I
 spoke
 to
 his
 mom
 and
 dad.
 
I
 wheeled
 the
 chair
 over
 to
 his
 bed
 and
 reached
 out
 for
 his
 hand.
 He
 pulled
 
away.
 “Don’t,
 Will.”
 
“Don’t
 what?
 I
 came
 as
 fast
 as
 I
 could.
 I
 was
 so
 worried
 about
 you.
 I
 thought
 I
 
lost
 you.”
 
He
 put
 his
 hands
 over
 his
 face.
 “We
 can’t
 be
 together.”