Page 123 of Tell No Lies

The dispatcher asked for our location and what had happened. When I finished, he asked about the severity of Carter’s injuries. I looked over his body and gasped when I saw red streaking the front of his shirt and upper left arm. I relayed these as I pushed Carter’s hands away so I could lift his shirt. Blood trailed down his defined stomach. When I exposed his chest, there was an opening several inches long.

“We need help now!” I couldn’t take my eyes off the wound despite the objections of my stomach. I swallowed back the urge to throw up and focused on my friend. “Carter, help is coming. Can you hear me?”

He groaned once in response.

The dispatcher said the first responders were in the area and should be there soon. In the distance, sirens rang out. When I saw the flashing lights, I hung up.

I held Carter’s hand as the ambulance pulled next to us and parked. A few EMTs jumped out and rushed over with their gear. I stepped back to give them room to work. One of the paramedics cut open his shirt, pulling it back and then down his arms. This exposed the other wound.

They spoke to each other too fast for me to follow, and only after what felt like hours later did they look up at me. One of them stepped over to me. “Do you know him?”

I kept my eyes on Carter as I answered. “Yes, we were walking home when we were attacked.”

“We have to take him now. Are you coming with us? The police will stay to look at the scene and will come to the hospital later to ask you questions.”

I nodded and followed as they put Carter on the stretcher and slid him into the ambulance. On our way to the hospital, I sent a text to Brandon, telling him to meet us there.

Thirteen

Brandon found me pacing in the waiting room. When he called my name, I ran to him, preventing him from being mad at me for just a moment. He stepped back and took in my appearance.

“What happened, Aubrey?” His tone sent chills down my spine.

“I went to a party with some of my friends. I was bored at home, and I thought they would watch out for me.” I looked up through my wet lashes and saw him staring down at me, expressionless. “When we got to the house, one of the guys I was with left me. The other one stayed with me but got distracted after an hour. I realized I was in a bad position, so I texted Carter to come get me.”

“How did he end up here?”

I fell into a chair behind me and held my face in my hands. I’d thought I was done crying but apparently not. “It happened so fast, Brandon. We were walking, and suddenly, a person in a mask jumped out from the side of a building. Carter threw me back and tried to fight him off. The other guy had a knife. Carter didn’t see it until it was too late.”

Brandon sat down next to me and remained silent for several minutes. He ran his fingers through his hair until it stood on end. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes before turning to me. “I’m sorry you felt trapped at home, but this was to protect you, not punish you. You should have told me where you were going. You never should have gone with guys you don’t know well enough to know they were taking you to a sketchy party. You shouldn’t have put yourself in that situation, but you know all of this … now. You’re responsible for those actions, but you’re not responsible for the attack. I want you to know that.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks at his words. I agreed with every word he’d said, except the end. This was all my fault.

I began shaking when I felt his arms tighten around me. I didn’t deserve to be comforted while Carter was somewhere in the hospital hurt and alone.

“Mr. Tate?” A doctor stood holding open a set of doors on the other side of the room.

Brandon stood and nodded to the doctor as he approached. I watched them talk quietly. Brandon’s head dropped. The doctor patted his shoulder twice before turning back through the doors.

Brandon turned back to me and nodded, signaling me to meet him.

I stood and slowly made my way across the room. I crossed my arms over my chest, caving into myself. “Is he alright?”

“Yeah, they just finished up with him. They’re letting us see him as soon as they put him in his room.”

I nodded and waited with him until the doctor returned. The seconds felt like hours while I stared at the door, willing it to open. Finally, the doctor opened the door and waved us in.

I always hated hospitals. The smell of chemicals and cleaners mixed with the lack of color. Nothing about being there was soothing. How were people supposed to recover in a depressing place like this?

We were led through a maze of hallways before the doctor stopped and ushered us into a private room.

Seeing Carter lying on the bed asleep with wire and tubes attached to him knocked the air out of me. Brandon helped me to the chair at the side of his bed before walking around to the other side.

“We have you listed, Mr. Tate, as the next of kin. Is that correct?”

I watched in confusion as Brandon nodded in response. “Yes.”

The doctor stared down at his clipboard before looking back at us. “It appears Mr. Blackwell suffered several wounds from the knife. None of the wounds were too severe, and they were treated with stitches.”