CHAPTER 20

  "There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment."
-Sarah Dessen

An hour later, Logan's car parked in front of me. As expected, I got in, exhausted and shaken. I looked at Logan who was silent, his eyes on the road, which was surprising yet relieving. I didn't need him telling me 'I told you so' tonight.

"Logan?" I called out to him, my lips dry from dehydration and a killer headache. "Where are mom and dad? Why didn't they come? I waited for an hour." I complained lightly. I was worried why they didn't show up, but more so I felt uncomfortable in the silence Logan was emitting. Logan didn't answer me, he just kept driving.

"Where are we going?" I asked noticing this wasn't the route to our home. Something was wrong and I was getting desperate for answers.

Logan finally spoke up but he spoke curtly. "To the hospital."

A pang of fear hit me and I told myself not to expect the worst. I cautiously asked. "Why?"

"Mom and dad got in to an accident. I got the call." Logan still didn't look at me, his jaw clenched as he pulled in to the hospital lot.

"What? How?" I cried. Mom and dad were in the hospital. Avoiding yet another question, Logan just got out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

My heart was pounding and I felt my world falling apart. Barely holding it together, Logan and I went in to the hospital. 

Rushing in, we consulted the grouchy lady at the reception of our parents' room. We went to the emergency room, where mom and dad were still in treatment. I sat down in the waiting room, and Logan paced around. He didn't stop until the doctors came out.

When the doctors delivered their message to us, we knew we had lost everything. I knew I lost my parents. I'd lost my parents to a drunk driving accident. I went to a party against all odds. I'd called my parents to come for me. And they'd rushed out to their deaths.

Logan fell in to a chair, his head in his hands and I could see his shoulders slightly shaking. The shock obviously overwhelmed me because I felt nothing right now. I could not decipher what was going on right now and worst of all I had no idea how to comfort my sobbing brother.

He finally lifted his head, and looked straight at me. Properly for the first time. "Logan, I-"

He looked at me and quietly said. "You killed them. You know that don't you?" The look in his eyes tore my soul in half. 

I knew. I knew I'd killed them. "I know." I whispered.

So when he left me, I didn't stop him. I deserved to be left alone. And he left me.

♡♡♡

I could hear panicked voices calling out my name in a distance. Then the voice got closer and louder, pounding hard through my head. I opened my eyes and saw Evans' worried face peering at me. I regained consciousness from my little black out, which was weird because I'm sure I didn't hit my head.

"You had me worried, I drive here and see you lying in the middle of the road." He said in a low voice, carefully holding my shoulders and pulling me up in to a sitting position. "You're a trouble magnet, you know that?"

I groaned in reply, gripping my left leg, which was heavy and burning. I could swear this time I'd thought it was real. That it wasn't an illusion or a dream and that Logan was back, a few seconds ago

"You okay to stand?" Evans asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. I felt giddy seeing him worried for me, him caring for me.

Just as I was about to reply a dark figure walked out from behind the light surrounding the darkness. "I brought some water."

Logan came in to view and crouched down beside Evans, mirroring his look of concern. "You're up." He said distracted with his own thoughts. "You had me worried for a bit there, always one for drama eh, Scarlie?"

I gaped at him like a fish and then punched Logan's arm really hard, partly because I needed to reassure myself if he's real and because he just called me dramatic.

Logan hissed in reaction and rubbed where I punched him, giving me an annoyed look. "You're back." I said more to myself then Logan.

Evans looked confused as hell but didn't ask anything, he just kept looking between Logan and I. He then gave me his hand and I locked my own with it and Evans gave a swift tug pulling me up.

Though the whole motion made me dizzy and I swayed slightly making Evans hold me as I fell back. He peered in to my eyes, "easy there tiger." He said in a low, raspy voice which let me tell you would get any girl excited, intense situation or not. I decided against making the strangled noise bubbling up in my throat to avoid scaring Evans away. My inner fangirl is extremely incapable of controlling any emotion.

"Get in, I'll take you to the hospital." Logan said, opening his car's passenger side door. I looked at Logan then up at Evans who was still supporting me.

"You could ride with me..." He said softly.

"Yeah. I'm riding with him."

"Why?"

"Because she wants to." Evans stated.

Logan slammed his door, and puffed out his chest. "Alright, who the fuck are you again?"

"Okay, Logan, I'm going with Evans. Meet up at the hospital. Or not. Don't stay in guilt of knocking me over." I said sternly to a very annoyed Logan. Even though I hadn't seen him in a year, and he hated me, I knew this was just protectiveness from Logan. Or maybe just testosterone and men getting offended over stupid things.

♡♡♡

Logan sat in a brown wooden chair by the bed, slouched with his eyes shut. He'd arrived a few minutes after Evans and I, and hadn't left my side since. As soon as the nurse finished wrapping my broken leg up, Evans  He looked like he was sleeping. I looked down at my leg which was now bandaged. But my throat itched, parched and thirsty. I reached for the small water bottle by the table.

"Hey. I'll get that for you." Logan stood up quickly and picked up the bottle from the table, twisted the cap off and offered it to me.

I took a swig of my water, relieving my dry mouth and focused on the water bottle in my hand. I could feel Logan's eyes on me but I couldn't find it in myself to look up.

Of the dreams I'd had in the past eleven months, of the nightmares and of the hallucinations and memories I'd had, this was not one of them. Logan was really here. And he wasn't disappearing. I was just waiting for the moment he'd start pointing fingers at me, scolding me for my immature behaviour that caused my parents death. Maybe so I hadn't directly picked up a gun and shot them. But this-happened-because-of-that. Cause and effect. I was smart enough to know I was the idiot and my parents paid for my stupidity. [A/N does that make sense, is this too awkward? weird?]

Logan walked up to the corner of my bed, looking down at my leg and then slowly up at me, he frowned. "What were you doing out so late?"

"I just... I don't know, went for a walk."

"At midnight?"

"Why? Are you concerned?" I almost scoffed at his worry. He left me. He'd been gone for a year and he comes back demanding explanations.

"Concerned? Really Scarlett, of course I am. I'm your brother."

"That wasn't what you said when you left."

"I know." He took a deep breath, and rubbed the back of his neck. "But I'm here now and I want to know why you were out at night with your suitcase, by the way."

I looked up at him annoyed and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Shouldn't you know this, considering she ran away from home?" Evans said angrily walking in.

Great. Perfect.

"No. I wouldn't know. Mind telling me why she was running off with you mate?" Logan took a step towards Evans. 

"Yeah, I'll tell you why she was calling me at night-" I could see the testosterone dripping off their bodies.

"Alright stop it! What's wrong with both of you?" I exclaimed, and they instantly stopped arguing but kept glaring at one another. "And I did leave the house, and then I called Evans because I had no where else to go. I had no one else to call." I looked at Logan who wore a guilty expression.

Evans looked confused again, glancing between me and Logan.

"Your turn. Tell me why you're back." I asked coldly. Logan flinched, he pursed his lips. And just as I felt he was going to answer, a doctor entered the room with her eyes on her clipboard.

She checked my heart beat, vitals and asked a few questions. When she was done, she informed that I had permission to leave as I was well enough to go home.

"Hang on, you said you didn't hit your head or face when you fell, yes?"

"Yeah, just my leg, and then I stumbled back, but I fell on my bum."

"Huh. You got a bruise on your jaw, let me check it for you." I almost smacked myself, I forgot about that.

"Uh- no. I fell like yesterday and hit it then." I bit my cheek, such a stupid lie.

"Sure?"

"Yep. I'm totally fine." I smiled brightly and the nurse smiled back.

"Alright, then your free to leave, just sign a few papers first."

"Thank you!" I said after her, she left checking her clipboard once more.

"What happened to you there?" Logan asked immediately.

"I just told the nurse in front of you Logan."

"That was a lie." Logan said flatly. "I know when you lie Scarlett, it's on your face. Plus you bite your cheek when you lie."

Evans raised his eyebrows, "that wasn't there when I dropped you off earlier, Scarlett."

"It's why you left isn't it?"

My silence was answer enough for Logan. And he left the room, with and furious look on his face.

"Logan!" I called out after him.

"Who did it Scarlett? Was it- was it your dad?"

"My parents aren't here Evans."

"So then who was it Scarlett? Was it Eric?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Evans!" I snapped.

"TALK TO ME, DAMN IT!" Evans roared. "You can't keep it bottled up, Scarlett. You can't expect me to stay calm after seeing you like this, with a goddamn bruise on your face."

"You don't need to worry Evans, I walked away from it. I promise." He looked away, staring out in to nothing for a few minutes. He stood up and collected his jacket which lay on a table. He walked out of the room and returned five minutes later with crutches in his hand.

Logan didn't return. Maybe he left for good again. Everyday after Logan left, I expected him to come back. I believed he wouldn't leave me alone for good, that he'd come back. I waited everyday, telling Bree and Dave that I wouldn't stay for long.

I told myself to wait one more day, then one more and another. Until my will faded, and I knew he'd never come back. I learned to live with it and without him.

I started tying my pony tail getting ready to swing off the bed, and grabbed on to the crutches awkwardly.

I kept glancing at the door, hoping to prove myself wrong. Even when I had prepared myself to be alone and gotten used to it, my heart sank because I didn't want to be alone. I wanted a family. I wanted my parents. I wanted love.

"You okay?" Alex asked, his green eyes peering into mine.

"Sort of." I chuckled and tried to balance myself, as we walked out Evans stayed right beside me supporting each step. As he grabbed my hand when I stumbled and one of my crutches fell, he patiently helped me back to the bed and retrieved my crutch.

"Don't worry, we'll get the hang of it." He said patiently. We'll get the hang of it, I repeated to myself.

I was whole in that moment and I realized that I'd be okay again. Because I wasn't alone, I had Alexander Evans by my side tonight. When nobody else was. Alexander Evans was with me.

♡♡♡