Lying With Temptation (16 page)

             
He stops, “Sorry I didn’t think about that.  Anna is already up and Mom really is cooking breakfast, she says you need to eat.”

             
“Okay, let me get a quick shower… Linc are you ready to eat?”

             
He looks up, “Ugh yeah.”  He stands up and throws a shirt on with his boxers and starts downstairs.

             
I go into the bathroom and start the shower after I get in and close the curtain.  I step under the steamy stream of hot water and try my best to wash the past couple of days away.  The only part of the past few days that feels remotely good was my time with Linc.  As I wash my body, I try to imagine Linc’s hands instead of my own.  I want him so freaking bad, for all of the butterflies Reece ever made me feel, I swear this is more like birds.

Chapter 21

Linc

              I head downstairs for breakfast as soon as I hit the stairs I smell, home cooked breakfast.  I walk into the kitchen where Cade, Daria, Anna, Russ and Lydia are already sitting at the breakfast bar.  There is a huge stack of pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon…HOLY CRAP…didn’t realize how much I missed a Mom cooking.  Everyone must see the smile on my face.  Anna laughs, “Linc you better get over here and eat before the rest of these boys eat everything.”

             
“Yeah, Oh…this smells and looks awesome.”  I say as I sit down at the counter. 

             
Lydia jumps up, “Linc honey what would you like to drink?”

             
“Oh I can get it.”

             
“No you sit and eat, we have juice, milk, coffee whatever honey.”

             
“Um juice is fine.”  I say as I pile food on my plate.

             
I hear Gabby come in the room, “Holy Crap Lydia, I’ve missed this. I Love your breakfasts.”

             
She sits down next to me at the bar and starts filling up her plate.  Lydia looks across at her, “So Gabby, Anna told me Elle woke up while you were there last night.”

             
“Yeah.  They are still watching her though.”

             
“Um do you know if anyone has said anything about the arrangements for Leslie?”

             
“No ma’am, no one said anything.”

             
“Well, sweetie what actually happened?”

             
Gabby takes a deep breath, “Well, she said that…someone called her and said that Reece was with someone else at the bar, so she and Leslie were on their way down there.  She was speeding and ran the red light.  Leslie’s side took most of the impact.”

             
Lydia swipes a tear from her eye, “Honey, I’m so sorry.  I know you and Elle were close.”

             
I hold Gabby’s hand down below the edge of the counter.  I know she is feeling guilty for all of her feelings toward Elle.  She grips my hand tight, “Well, we did grow up pretty close, but with everything that happened last year and this year…I…I’m not happy she’s hurt or that Leslie died. However, it doesn’t really hurt me like it would if it were Cade.  Does that make
any
sense?”

             
Lydia looks at her and nods her head, “Yes sweetie it does.  Are you going back down there today?”

             
She nods, “I told her I would so yes I am.”

~*~

              After we all clean up the breakfast dishes Gabby, Anna and Cade decide they are going to the hospital.  Lydia has gone to work, so Daria, Russ and I decide to go with them.  We all climb into the Tahoe and drive to the hospital.  When we walk into the waiting room I see some familiar faces from the weekend some of them came to see Cade.  I also catch the glare from that guy Reece. Who I’m guessing is Anna and Gabby’s mom comes over and hugs them.  Gabby looks over to all of us, “Mom these are my roommates, Linc, Russ and Daria…who has become the light of Cade’s life.”  Cade rolls his eyes.  “Guys this is my Mom Jillian.”

             
We all nod with the pleasantries.  I can tell from her Mothers expression she isn’t thrilled at the idea of all of us being roommates or being here for that matter.  I remember Gabby telling me that her parents kind of blamed her for the whole Elle/Reece/Gabby fiasco.  We had a little while before they could get in to visit Elle, so we sat together and passed the time by talking about our classes and football.  Some of the guys that came up to visit talked with us.  I couldn’t help but notice Gabby really didn’t speak with any of them…Reece just stared at me.  Had all of these people really treated her like this?  Gabby is one of the nicest people on the planet and for her to basically go out of her way and not speak to them…that means they treated her awful.  I did notice a few of the girls spoke to her and asked her about school, they must be some of the ones she kept from beating the crap out of Elle.  Reece is still staring a whole through Gabby and I, I mean we are just sitting here, I have my arm thrown over the back of her chair, but so what.  He finally gets up and strolls over to us, “Gabby can I speak to you outside?”

             
She looks around and then up to him, “No.”

             
I move my arm that’s around her so that my hand is on her shoulder, so she knows I’m there.  I can feel her relax into it.

             
He looks back at her, “Um Yes.”

             
She looks at him, “No…Not now.”

             
He makes a move to grab her arm and before I could move Cade was up out of his chair.  Gabby being Gabby stands up, I’m right there with her.  She looks at Reece with a disgusted look, she speaks through her teeth to keep it quiet, “Fine, we’ll talk but if you put a hand on me…let’s just say it’s a damn good thing you’re at a hospital.”

             
Everyone looks at each other and she goes to walk out the door with me behind her, Cade sat down once he saw I was walking that way.  Reece looks back at me, “We don’t need a chaperone.”

             
I look at him calmly, “No you don’t, because she will kill you, but I go where she goes.”

             
Gabby looks at me and I see a shimmer in her eyes like she’s going to cry…
Oh hell no if he makes her cry he will need this fucking hospital.

             
He stops in front of her out in the hall.  I lean against the opposite wall to give them space.  He folds his arms across his chest, “What do you think you are doing dragging you’re little crew from college here?”

             
She glares at him, “First off, I didn’t drag them here.  Second off, they are our friends here to support Cade and I.  Third off, it’s none of your freaking business.”

             
He looks at her, “What kind of friend are you?”

             
She looks at him as if he’s slapped her in the face and I’m ready to pounce on him.  She shakes her head, “I am a real friend, I don’t fuck around with the guy my best friend like.  I don’t talk shit about people behind their back…I don’t tell everyone about their personal business…or intimate details about their life…like you or Elle for that matter.”

             
“How dare you talk about her like that in the shape she’s in.”

             
“Oh really, you know why she’s in that shape? She was going to the bar because she heard your whore ass was there with someone else.  So I can say any fucking thing I want to after the things you guys did to me last year.”

             
He ducks his head down, “Whatever Gabby, you go sit back on your high horse and act like you didn’t enjoy the time you and I spent together.”

             
At that point I push myself off the wall and stand in between them, “Ok so I’ve let you guys talk, but you will not talk to her that way. For your dumbass information, most girls don’t like being treated like a side item and they don’t like having their sex life spread around town.  Especially from an asshole like you, who treats someone like you treated her.  If I wasn’t really trying to be a nice guy right now, you’d be in a bed in ICU but, since I’m being a nice guy…Gabby and I are going to go get a soda and come back, when it’s visiting time.” 

             
“Oh so I suppose she told you that sob story about, me how I didn’t take my time with her since she was a virgin, how I was just this horrible person...”

             
I grab her hand and go to walk off before I deck his ass, “No I could’ve figured out you’re a horrible person all on my own.”

When we get around the corner waiting for the elevators Gabby looks up at me and I can see the tears
brimming in her eyes, “Shh…hey don’t cry over that asshole…then I will go back and kick his ass.”  I pull her into a tight hug.

As we step into the elevator
, she pulls my face down and kisses me, “Thank you.  For being here, for everything…”

I smile like the
goofy idiot I know I am… she laughs.

I brush her hair from her face, “YOU are very welcome…anytime for you pretty girl.”

Chapter 22

Gabby

I can’t believe Linc just did that for me…no one besides Cade has ever really stood up to Reece for me…well except when he was at that party with us.  These feelings I’m getting for Linc I’m sure hoping he can feel too because, I think a heartbreak from him would COMPLETLEY devastate me.
We are standing so close in this elevator, I would love to act out one of those movie or TV show scenes where, we push the stop button on the elevator and have wild passion filled mind blowing sex right here, without a care in the world. 

I try to stifle a giggle, but of course Linc heard me, “What are you giggling about?”

“Oh nothing, just thinking about a movie.”

He laughs, “Okay whatever…”

About that time the elevator doors open and we walk down to the snack bar.  We sit down with some nachos and drinks.  He looks over at me and smiles. I laugh, “What?”

“I still wanna know what you were thinking and giggling about in that elevator…since you had just kissed me and all?”

I laugh, “Oh wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Yes…I really would…you are letting my imagination run wild here.”

“Good…gotta keep you on your toes you know.”

He smiles at me and I really could just melt right here in this seat…a puddle of mushy girl goo.  “I really do appreciate the way you handled the whole Reece thing.  Cade would’ve beat the crap out of him and we didn’t need that here.  I think your calmness kinda scared him.”  I laughed, “You know that whole
speak softly and carry a big stick
think.” About that time my phone chimed that I had a text.

Anna: Come back up here now…

Me: Okay on my way.

Come on we gotta go back up. 

As I round the corner into the waiting room I can hear soft sobs…I get to Anna, “What is going on?”

“Well, the doctors just came out and told Mary and Todd that Elle had a blood clot that burst and they had to put her on life support.  They think it went to her brain, they won’t know for a couple of hours they are doing some scans and some tests to find out.”

I feel deflated, “She seemed fine last night…were they expecting anything like this?”

“No they said it was always a slight risk from the surgery and the accident, but they weren’t really worried about it.”

~*~

A couple of hours pass by and they finally have come out to update her parents.  From their reactions I don’t think
its good news.  I walk over to my mother, she looks at me and we step outside in the hall, “They said the clot did go to her brain and for all purposes she’s brain dead.”

“I’m really sorry for them, so what happens now?”

“Well, they are deciding about the life support, but prepare yourself.”

“I’m prepared.”

“And I think it’s time you ask your friends to go, this needs to just be her family and friends now.”

“Excuse me, they are here to support Cade and I.”

“Well, you guys need to have your real friends around right now, not some stragglers you’ve brought from college.”

“Look, these people are my real friends.  The people from here aren’t my life anymore and really for that matter neither was Elle.  I’m here out of respect that’s all…we didn’t have a friendship anymore.  You can’t be friends with someone you don’t trust.”

“Oh Gabby grow up, get over yourself…see the bigger picture.”

“I did see the bigger picture Mother, when she betrayed me. The guy part didn’t bother me as much as the
betrayal by my best friend, then when they came to town for the game and acted like that, I was really done.”