TEN
1805 Words
Lizzie’s POV
I dialed Reed’s number, and he answered on the first ring.
“What the hell, Reed?” I snapped, barely keeping my voice down in the quiet hospital corridor.
“Where the hell are you, Lizzie?” he barked back.
“What do you mean? I’m at the hospital with my dad. You know he was shot!” I said.
“Why did you have Drey arrested?”
“You should’ve told me where you were going,” he shot back, ignoring my question.
“You disappeared without a word. Do you have any idea how reckless that was?”
“I didn’t disappear,” I retorted.
“I went to be with my family. My dad’s in critical condition, and I needed to be here.”
“You hate hospitals,” Reed countered.
“You always avoid them, so why now?”
“Because he’s my dad!” I yelled.
“And he could’ve died! I had to be here, Reed. This is about him, not me.”
“I know he’s your dad,” he said, the bass of his voice going down slightly.
“But you should’ve told me. You can’t just vanish when things get tough.”
“I didn’t vanish,” I repeated.
My anger was already boiling.
“I told Evie I was coming here. I just didn’t want to deal with you on top of everything else.”
“Deal with me?” he scoffed.
“I was worried sick, Lizzie. And instead of communicating, you left me to figure it out from Evie.”
“Worried?” I shot back.
“You have a funny way of showing it, Reed. Barging into Evie’s place and getting Drey arrested? That’s not worry; that’s you being a control freak.”
“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice growing colder.
“I’m responsible for you, and you’re acting like a child.”
“I’m not a child!” I snapped.
“And I’m not your responsibility. You don’t get to control me or my life.”
“You’re acting like one,” he growled.
“Running off without a word, making rash decisions. This is exactly why I’m worried.”
“I don’t need your concern,” I said.
“I need you to get Drey out of jail and leave my friends alone.”
“I’m on my way.” He stated, ending the call on me.
Reed wasn’t wrong; I shouldn’t have left without a word. But I had to if I wanted to be at peace with myself. He made it clear that whatever happened between us was a mistake. His words, not mine.
I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t stand the tingles and flutters I’d feel when he was near. No. I was right on my path. f**k whatever Reed has to say.
Returning to the room, I found Mum glancing up at me.
I forced a smile and resumed my seat beside her.
Hours dragged on with agonizing slowness. The only sounds were the steady beep of the heart monitor and the occasional murmur of hospital staff outside.
Dad remained unconscious.
Mum's composure was slipping; I could see it in the way her fingers trembled, in the tightness around her eyes. Every passing minute without any change was eroding her fragile calm.
Then it happened. Dad's body began to tremble, his face contorting as if in pain. His eyes fluttered beneath closed lids, and his breathing grew ragged. He was having a panic attack.
“Mum!” I gasped, standing up in alarm.
“He’s—”
“I see it,” she said, her voice breaking as she reached for the call button.
“John, it’s okay. You’re safe, you’re safe,” she murmured, her hands hovering over him.
His body shook violently, sweat beading on his forehead, his chest heaving.
It hurt to watch. I grabbed his hand, trying to anchor him, to reassure him in some way.
“Dad, we’re here,” I said, tears finally filling my eyes.
“Mum and I are here. You’re safe.”
A nurse burst into the room, quickly assessing the situation. She moved, checking his vitals and adjusting the IV.
“He’s experiencing a panic attack,” she said calmly, injecting something into his IV line.
“This should help calm him down.”
Minutes passed like hours, the medication slowly taking effect. Dad’s shaking subsided, his breathing gradually evening out. The nurse monitored him closely until his body finally relaxed.
Mum let out a shuddering breath, her hand still gripping his. “Thank you,” she whispered to the nurse, her eyes wet and glazed.
The nurse gave us a reassuring nod.
“He’s stable. Panic attacks can happen during recovery, but he’s strong. Just keep talking to him, let him know you’re here.”
We nodded, I squeezed Dad’s hand.
The atmosphere around me suddenly changed when Reed walked into the room.
He was dressed in his usual black suit, it was almost hard to miss the fact he had a great body.
“Liana,” Reed called softly, walking further into the room.
Mum turned towards him, a small, relieved smile lining her mouth.
“Reed.”
He embraced her gently, his eyes briefly meeting mine over her shoulder. I looked away as fast as I could.
“How are you holding up?” he asked Mum, his voice soothing as he pulled back.
“I’m managing,” she replied.
“It’s been hard, but we’re getting through it.”
Reed nodded, his gaze shifting to Dad.
“Any updates?”
Mum shook her head.
“He had a panic attack earlier, but the nurse gave him something to calm him down. They say he’s stable, but he hasn’t woken up yet.”
Reed’s jaw tightened. “He’s strong. He’ll pull through.”
Mum’s eyes filled with tears again, and she reached out to squeeze Reed’s arm.
“I hope so.”
Reed glanced back at me, it was brief, but I couldn’t miss it.
I was too self-conscious to miss it.
But as soon as it happened, he turned his attention back to Mum.
“Liana,” he began gently,
“Have you informed John’s company about his condition? They’ll need to know.”
Mum blinked, as if the thought had just dawned on her. “Oh, no, I haven’t. Everything happened so quickly, and I’ve been so focused on him.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Reed said firmly.
“I’ll contact them and make sure they’re aware. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you, Reed,” Mum said.
“I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
He gave her a reassuring nod, then glanced around the room.
“Anything else you need? Anything I can do?”
Mum shook her head.
“Just having you here is enough. It means a lot to us.”
He nodded.
“I’m here for you, Liana. For both of you.”
As he spoke, I watched him closely.
There was a stark difference between the cold, controlling man he’d always be to me and the compassionate friend standing before my mother.
It was confusing, seeing these two sides of him, and it made my feelings even more tangled.
Reed’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it, frowning slightly.
“I’ll step out and make those calls now. I’ll be back soon.”
Mum nodded, squeezing his hand.
“Thank you, Reed. Really.”
He gave her a brief smile before turning and heading towards the door.
As he passed me, he hesitated before walking out.
A few minutes later, I excused myself, needing some air and maybe a private word with Reed.
I found him further down the hallway, his phone pressed to his ear.
His posture was tense, shoulders squared. He must have sensed my approach because he turned to face me just as I reached him.
“Okay, send me the details,” he said, then ended the call.
I crossed my arms.
“Did you get Drey out?”
“No,” he answered, his tone infuriatingly casual.
I glared at him.
“What part of 'get him out of there' don’t you understand, Reed? He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Reed's expression hardened.
“I’ll let him go when I feel like he should be let go, Lizzie. You don’t get to tell me when to.”
“You’re unbelievable. This isn’t about Drey, is it? This is about you trying to control everything and everyone around you.”
His jaw tightened, the muscle in his jaw working.
“He interfered with something that’s none of his business. He should’ve stayed out of it.”
“He was just helping me!” I shot back.
“I needed to get here, to be with my family. How is that interfering?”
“You left without telling me,” he said.
“You put yourself at risk, and I had to find you. Drey should’ve known better than to get involved.”
“You don’t own me, Reed. I can make my own decisions. You don’t get to punish people just because they helped me.”
He took a step closer.
“You’re right, I don’t own you. But I care about you, whether you like it or not. And you need to understand that your actions have consequences.”
“Consequences?” I spat.
“Like getting innocent people arrested? That’s your idea of caring?”
Reed’s expression softened, but only slightly.
“I’m trying to protect you, Lizzie. You don’t see it now, but—”
“Protect me?” I interrupted, like it was the fattest lie I had just heard.
“You’re not protecting me. You’re controlling me.”
He sighed, rubbing his forehead as if trying to ward off a headache.
“This isn’t the place for this conversation, Lizzie. Your father needs you.”
I scoffed, taking a step back.
“Nice deflection, Reed. But this isn’t over. Get Drey out, or I swear, I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” he interrupted.
“You have no leverage here, Lizzie. I’ll get him out when I decide it’s safe. End of discussion.”
I glared at him, my chest heaving with frustration. “You’re impossible.”
Reed's gaze didn’t meet mine. He was looking past me.
I turned to see what had caught his attention just as a group of nurses rushed into my father’s room.
Panic gripped me, and I ran towards the ward.
As I reached the doorway, a cluster of nurses surrounded Dad’s bed and I could barely see him.
“Mum!” I called out.
“What’s wrong?”
She approached me, her eyes wide.
“Your father is awake.”
- Writer
