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“Oh, shut up,” I mutter, dropping back to the bed once more.
“I always feared this would happen,” Jack continues, his voice laced with his twisted sense of humor. “I guess I should be grateful that it happened now and not back in high school.”
“Fuck you,” I retort quietly, and Jack laughs, a big, hearty sound.
“I'm sorry, but I think I'm allowed to give you shit for knocking up my baby sister,” he teases.
He has a point. And I appreciate Jack trying to lighten the situation, but my heart is anything but light. I haven't eaten, have hardly slept since Natalie was brought into the hospital. I'm utterly spent, and I'm not going to feel any better until Natalie wakes up, when I know for certain that she's okay.
“Listen, Julian,” Jack begins, his tone shifting into something more serious, more gentle. “Thank you for protecting Natalie.”
His thanks is both unexpected and undeserved. If anything, he should be furious. It's my fault that we're in this situation in the first place. It's me Mason was after. It's me that got Natalie pregnant. Me that let her fall and hit her head.
“I didn't protect her,” I murmur, straightening up. “I'm the one who put her in danger, and after everything I did to try to keep her safe, she still got hurt in the end.”
Jack leans forward, his eyes fixing mine with an intense gaze. “You might have saved her life, Julian. You couldn't have predicted any of this, but I'm glad it was you at her side when everything went down. You'll never be able to prevent bad things from happening—none of us can—but I know I can trust you one hundred percent to keep Natalie safe, whatever the cost.”
Jack's words resonate deep within me, and the dam breaks, my tears flowing freely now. I can't remember the last time I cried like this. I've spent so many years of my life trying to shove everything down, to be strong, to handle things on my own so the people I love don't have to worry. But this whole summer, everything with Natalie and the Langford and Mason and the baby, it's all been so much, and I can't carry the weight of it alone anymore.
I cry openly, my body shaking with the effort. At some point, Jack appears at my side, a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
“Let it out, man,” he whispers. “Let it go.”
CHAPTER 35
JULIAN
Later that night, Natalie wakes up.
I’m almost asleep when I hear it: a sharp intake of breath that catches my attention, a change from the same rhythm I've been listening to all day. I lift my head to gaze at Natalie, still lying motionless in the hospital bed. Then she moves, just barely. Her finger first, twitching against my palm, then her head, turning ever so slightly toward me.
I'm suddenly very awake. Pulling my chair closer, I watch Nat's face intently, searching for any other sign she might be regaining consciousness.
A soft furrow of her brow, her lips parting slightly. My heart slams against my ribs with every movement. “Natalie?” I call, shaking her hand gently. “Nat? Are you awake?”
“Mmm,” she murmurs, my heart soaring at the sound.
“It's okay, angel, I'm here. I'm here,” I soothe, trying to steady my trembling fingers as I brush the hair from her forehead.
“Julian?” My name on her lips is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, nothing short of miraculous. Her eyelashes begin to flutter, slowly revealing her stunning blue eyes. It's not until I see them that I realize how afraid I was I would never see them again.
Then suddenly, she's alert, eyes opening wide as she takes in my face, her surroundings. “Julian!” she breathes, her voice hoarse. “What happened? Are you hurt? Where's Gabriel?”
I shush her quietly and gently stroke her cheek. “Everything's fine, Nat. I’m fine.”
“But the gun,” she continues frantically. “I heard it—I thought you were?—”
“Natalie.” I say her name tenderly, relishing each syllable on my tongue. She quiets, her eyes searching mine for answers. “Gabriel didn't hurt me. He didn't hurt anyone.”
She lifts her hand carefully, covering mine that still rests on her cheek. “Then why are we in the hospital?”
I can't help but smile. How just like Nat, to be so worried for everyone else that she doesn't even notice she's the one lying in a hospital bed.
“When I ran at Gabriel, you were knocked over, and you hit your head pretty hard on the cement,” I explain, watching her carefully to be sure she understands my words. “You have a concussion, but other than that, you're perfectly fine.”
Natalie lurches forward then, gripping my hand tightly. “But the baby, what about the baby?” Her voice is strained and laced with emotion.
“Our baby is fine,” I assure her. Cupping her chin, I bring her face to mine and plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “Everything is okay, angel. We're going to be okay.”
