finding Reese.: a SAFELIGHT novel vol.2 (SAFELIGHT Series) (6 page)

“Yes, I can’t wait to see the other man in my life,” Catalina chirps. I turn around and smile. She’s dressed in dark blue jeans with a red blouse, her trademark skulls emblazoned all over it. Her make-up is minimal, yet that sexy-as-fuck black eyeliner and cherry red lipstick enhances her natural beauty.

Since we met, Catalina has lost weight, but not enough to lose the curves that drive me insane. To me, she is perfection; I take all that comes with her: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know I’m jumping the gun here, but I find myself dreaming of a future with her. If that makes me a fucking softie, then so be it.

Chuckling, I kiss the tip of her nose. “Careful, I don’t share well with others . . .”

To my complete surprise, Catalina grabs my crotch and squeezes softly. “I don’t either,” she declares confidently with a smile on her face. Once she lets go, she winks, making me chuckle, and after grabbing our winter gear we head out the door.

At the hospital, there’s a massive amount of reporters doing live shots. Someone must have recognized us, because they begin to shout questions at us.

“Is it true Reese has been given his last rites?”

“Can you confirm Jackson Reese is out of a coma?”

Ducking my head and sheltering Catalina from the blinding lights, we rush through the automatic glass doors of the hospital and step into the elevator. As soon as the lift doors close, I let out a breath of relief. “Jesus, can you believe these assholes? What kind of fucked-up questions were those?” I exclaim, completely rattled by the bullshit queries our colleagues threw our way.

Catalina shakes her head, her facial features bearing a mixture of disgust and rage. “I agree, Stryder. Those sons of bitches need to get their facts straight. Lately, journalism has taken a deep shit. The days of factual reporting are long gone. Scandal boosts ratings, and tragedy even more.”

She’s holding tightly onto the metal rails of the elevator and judging by the color of her knuckles, Catalina is angry. She needs to calm down before Jax sees us. As the elevator doors open, I weave my hand into hers, and we walk down the hallway towards Jackson’s room. We are met by Kaelan. Her usual prim appearance is long gone; her face is free of make-up and the dark circles and bags underneath her eyes prove she hasn’t slept in days. Her short blonde hair is tied up with a rubber band, and her usual professional attire has been replaced with baggy sweats and a wrinkled t-shirt with the hospital logo, courtesy of the gift shop downstairs. I wrap her in a warm hug, gently kissing her hairline.

“Oh my sweet boy, being tamed I see?”

I scoff at her words but deep down I know she’s right.

“How are you holding up, Kaelan? You look tired,” I say empathetically, rubbing her back.

Kaelan puts me at arm’s length and holds my cheeks affectionately. “I am, but knowing my boy is safe and sound makes all this exhaustion worth it.” Turning to her side, she greets Catalina by giving her a hug and a kiss on her cheek. “Catalina, dear, he’s been asking for you . . . irritatingly so.” When Kaelan rolls her eyes in mock annoyance, we all burst into laughter.

“Okay, let’s go see him then!” Catalina beams happily.

Approaching the glass door leading to Jax’s room, Kaelan gives us the thumbs up first and then we enter. Jax is watching something on his tablet and when he hears the door close behind us, his head snaps up in attention. I take a moment to process the image before me.

Jackson’s face is painted in different shades of purple and red, and both of his ankles are covered in a plaster cast; one of them elevated by a sling. His head is bandaged and his arms are covered with scratches and bruises. I can’t imagine what his chest and legs look like underneath his hospital gown. At first glance you’d think little brother took a beating in a street brawl. Not many have survived an avalanche, and seeing Jackson alive on the hospital bed makes me want to jump for joy.

“Look what the cat finally dragged in,” Jackson jokes while wiggling his eyebrows. “How are the lovebirds?”

Catalina rushes to his side, her lips kissing his cheeks repeatedly. With tears leaking from her eyes she breathes, “If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will kill you with my bare hands, you son of a bitch.”

He wraps his arms around her neck to give her a quick peck on the lips like long-time friends would. His bandaged hand softly wipes the tears away from Catalina’s cheeks, and upon closer inspection, Jax’s cheeks are wet with tears of his own.

“I’m sorry,” Jax whispers. “I’m so, so sorry, Catalina. As I was struggling to breathe, I thought of you and how the news of my death would crush you. Thinking of you kept me alive, Cat.”

Standing there, watching my best friend and the woman I love share a moment of pure love doesn’t make me jealous like it used to. I don’t fully understand the dynamics of their relationship, but it’s probably one of the most beautiful friendships I’ve ever seen. They are like two kids who love each other deeply, and the vision of them warms my heart.

Catalina takes hold of Jax’s wrist and smiles when she sees her friendship bracelet back in its rightful place. She kisses it, and when her eyes connect with mine she smiles.

“Who knew having me on a Lo-Jack would save my life, huh, Catalina?” Jackson jokes, his body broken but his humor completely intact. I snicker from across the room and shake my head. Catalina giggles and nods.

“When I gave you the bracelet, you didn’t have to prove its reliability by playing hide and seek in the snow, and testing it out, Jax,” Catalina admonishes, but deep down I know she’s using humor to deflect her concern. To ease her wavering emotions, I scoot her to the side.

“Can I say hi now?” I ask, rolling my eyes and feigning irritation. Catalina sticks out her tongue at me, but moves aside. Jax struggles to sit up, so I place my palm on his chest to stop his movements. It makes him wince.

“Easy there, brother,” Jackson mumbles.

I don’t care. I need to feel his warmth to reassure myself this mangled body before me is in fact my little brother. Wrapping my arms around him, tears fall from my eyes unrestrained. “You son of a bitch,” I cry softly, “I thought I’d lost you, Jaxy boy.” As I cry, Jackson sobs in my arms and nods.

I know this kid through and through. The thought of him being dead makes me cry harder and I know he’s thinking the same thing. We sit there in silence with Catalina’s arms around us both. As our tears subside, Jackson goes on to tell us about the avalanche, and at the mere mention of Chris’s and Rem’s names, he breaks down in tears again.

If anyone knows about survivor guilt, it’s Catalina. I’m sure she will be by his side to help him work through it. She’s helped him work his issues with alcohol out since they bonded in Whistler, and now more than ever he needs her. Jax has a long recovery ahead of him, and while his body will recover, I’m more concerned about his mental state. Somewhere in the world, two mothers and two fathers, not to mention sisters and brothers, are making preparations to bury those who died the same day Jax survived. A part of me feels heartbroken, yet another part feels immense relief the same fate isn’t rested on our families.

Breaking away from the pack, I take a seat near Jax’s bed and watch the two people that matter most to me lose themselves in conversation. My thoughts drift back to a few months ago when Catalina arrived into my life. Everything has changed for the better I smile more often, fret less and look forward to many happy days ahead of us.

A nurse walks into the room, interrupting my thoughts. In a stern voice, she announces, “All right, family. Visitation ends in ten minutes. Mr. Reese needs his rest.”

She assesses the room and frowns when she sees Catalina is curled right beside her patient on the bed. Catalina places a kiss on Jax’s forehead and gets down from the bed to gently squeeze his hand.

“See you tomorrow?” she asks.

Jax nods and smiles longingly. I move to stand and pat him shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. He looks sad and that breaks my heart.

“We’ll be back in the morning for breakfast, got it? What are you going to do tonight?” I ask.

Jax lifts his tablet and with a wicked grin he goes on, “Thank goodness for cellular signals. I’ll be falling asleep to the soothing sounds of moaning and grunts.”

Catalina looks at me puzzled, and I shake my head while chuckling. “What?” Catalina asks confused.

“Porn, Cat. He’s going to watch porn,” I explain, slightly amused at her shocked expression.

“Jeez, Jax. Make sure you remove your heart monitor then. The nurses will think you’re having a coronary. They’ll be rushing into the room with a defibrillator,” Catalina quips amid laughter.

The nurse who is standing near the door huffs and, turning on her heel, walks out of the room with red cheeks. We all look at each other and laugh even harder.

Jackson points towards the door and asks, “That one . . . Do you think she’ll offer a helping hand? She’s a little old for my taste, but hey, a man has needs.”

Catalina laughs until tears stream down her face. She bends down and kisses his cheek and whispers as best as she can. “Be a good boy, Jax.”

“Me? Good? Never!” he replies with a grin.

Taking hold of Catalina’s hand we bid Jackson farewell, and leave the hospital in high spirits. As we are walking out, I notice a freshly dressed and impeccable-looking Kaelan standing beside a hospital official. Both are briefing the press. With everyone’s eyes focused on the press conference, we hop into a cab and return to the lodge with grumbling stomachs.

As soon as we arrive at the room, I place a call for room service and order a movie for us to watch while we wait for our dinner. Leaning into each other on the suite’s sofa gives us an opportunity to unwind after the past few long, stressful days. When the food arrives, we waste no time devouring our meal, taking the liberty of drinking beer and enjoying each other’s company. With full bellies, we lay against each other, and Catalina dozes off on my shoulder far before the movie ends with a soft smile on her face.

Picking up my Raven Girl, I lay her on the bed and peel all of her clothes off. I take mine off as well, and then curl beside her. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I feel content with how my life has changed for the better ever since this amazing woman walked onto that plane and into my life.

“I love you, Catalina. So damn much,” I whisper into the silence of the room. Catalina curls into me in her sleep, sighing softly. I close my eyes and quickly surrender to my exhaustion, feeling happier than I have for as long as I can remember.

A
SOFT RAY OF SUNLIGHT
shines through the slightly drawn curtains of our suite. Stryder is fast asleep with his strong hand wrapped around my wrist. The soft whistle of his even breathing makes me giggle. He must be catching up on sleep. It has been a long week.

I gently remove his hand from my wrist and go to the bathroom to settle into my morning routine. We promised Jax we’d go visit him during breakfast, and I want to make sure we don’t break that vow. After taking a nice hot shower, I emerge from the bathroom bundled in a fluffy white towel.

I rummage through the contents of my duffle bag only to discover I have one outfit left. In our rush to get here, we only grabbed a couple of things. At some point today we will need to get more clothes. I’m not heartbroken over it. After the press tour, half the contents in my closet are no longer useful. I’ve lost close to thirty pounds in the past two months. After living with a curvaceous body for most of my life, I’ve learned to embrace its beauty, and so far Stryder hasn’t complained.