Southern Heat by Natasha Madison

Chapter 14

Willow

"Enabled them," he repeats the words I just said. “Is that what you did?" I look at him as my heartbeats fill my ears. “I see someone who did what they did in order to survive. You, Willow Davis,” he says my full name, and my stomach dips. "You are the epitome of a survivor."

The lump in my throat forms, and I want to say something, but I fear that if I open my mouth, nothing but a sob will rip through me. "My head hurts," I whisper, and he nods his head, walking out of the room to give me a chance to get myself together. My lower lip trembles, and then the sob I’ve been holding back escapes me. I put my hand over my mouth to cover it, but it’s not fast enough because Quinn turns and runs right back in.

“Are you hurt?" he says, his voice filled with worry. “Shirley!” he yells for her as I shake my head back and forth.

"I’m …" I start to say. He comes to the side of my bed, and he sits in the chair beside me. His face is filled with fear. “I’m …"

“Just breathe,” he says softly, taking my hand in his. His thumb rubs over the back of my hand. “Just breathe.” I close my eyes, trying to count to ten and get my heart to calm down. “You’re okay.” It’s not my counting that gets my heart to go down. No, it’s his voice. It’s his voice, and his touch, and it scares the shit out of me.

I lick my lips and open my eyes, looking at him as he sits there in the chair with his shoulders slumped forward and his head hanging down. “How are you still here?" I ask him, and he looks up at me with his own tears in his eyes. “After hearing all of that, how are you still sitting here. Why?"

“How can you ask that?” He looks at me, his hand coming up to wipe the tear that has just escaped from my eyes. My heart speeds up for a whole different reason. “How do you not know that I’m not leaving your side?” His words hit me in the stomach as I think about the fact no one has ever said that to me in my life. I’ve been told many things. I’ve been made empty promises. But I’ve never ever had someone say something like that and feel it in my bones that he meant every single word he just said.

"What’s going on?" Shirley walks into the room.

"Her head hurts,” Quinn says for me.

"It’s a low throb,” I say, and she looks at me with her own tears in her eyes.

"You’ve had a long day,” she says. “I’ll get you something for the pain."

"No," I say, my voice coming out stronger than I want it to. “It’s tolerable."

She tilts her head to the side. “Fine, but if it gets worse, you tell me."

"I will," I agree and close my eyes, not looking back over at Quinn.

I just told them a fraction of what I went through, baring my soul to each of them. I stared at each one of them, waiting to see how their eyes would shift, and they would look at me. But as each word poured out of me, and I showed them the hell that was my life, nothing in their eyes changed.

I hear voices, but the darkness sucks me in.

"She’s staying with me." Quinn’s voice plays in my head over and over again. "When she is discharged, she’ll be staying with me." I turn around to find him, but all I see is the darkness.

"He didn’t mean it." My mother’s voice breaks into my head. "He wouldn’t bring you home, not after he finds out what you did."

I run away from her voice, but then his voice comes in. “No one is ever going to want you."

I run in the dark forest until I see the light shining in. "You are everything." I hear Quinn, but the sound of Rosalie and Benjamin’s wicked laughter overtakes his voice.

My eyes fly open, looking around the room, I see him standing at the window. His arm rests on his head as he looks out at the sunset. I wonder if he regrets what he said or if he’s replaying everything I said. I watch him for a second longer until there is a knock on the door, and my head turns toward it at the same time as Quinn.

"Hey," Mayson says, stepping into the room. My eyes go from his to the black bag in his hand. My black backpack that I’ve had since I was seven years old. I don’t have a chance to look at it too long before my eyes fly to the blonde walking in behind him.

Her eyes find mine, as her face fills with a huge smile at the same time as tears start to run down her face. “Is this a good time?” she says, not looking at anything but me.

“Um,” I start to say and look down at my hand. “Sure.”

“Hey,” Quinn says, going to her and hugging her. “Are you supposed to be walking?"

"That’s what I said," Mayson pipes in. “She refused to sit in the wheelchair I found at the front door.”

"Would you two knock it off." She pushes Quinn away from her and then comes to me. “Hi,” she says. “I’m Chelsea."

I’m expecting her to stand by my side, but she comes closer and leans in and hugs me as gently as she can. I hear her sniffle. “Thank you," she whispers. I don’t have a chance to say anything because she lets go of me. Her eyes lock on to mine, and I see the love in them. She looks at me like I did something for her, when, in fact, I was the one who helped the person who hurt her. "I’m sorry,” I say softly in a whisper. “I tried to get help."

"I know,” she says softly and moves away from me and smiles again. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I say to her and then look back when Mayson comes to my other side.

"I brought your bag,” Mayson says, and my eyes light up. "This fell out of it,” he says and holds out the locket that I kept in a secret compartment.

"It,” I say, grabbing it in my hand. “It was my grandmother’s." My voice trembles as I look down at the locket I got when I was seven. "She wore it every single day. The day of her accident." I close it in my fist. “She forgot to put it on." I wipe away the tear running down my face. “Thank you,” I say, and he nods at me and puts the bag down on the bed.

"I need some help," Mayson says, looking at Quinn. “Can you come and help me?"

He looks at him and then looks at Chelsea. They share a look, and he nods. "I’ll be right back." Quinn looks at me, and I nod at him.

My finger taps the bed beside me. “Willow," Chelsea says. “I don’t know what happened to you."

"I told Mayson," I start to say, and she shakes her head.

“The only thing I know is that you got hurt because of me,” she says and puts her hand in front of her mouth. She laughs and cries at the same time. “I said I was going to be strong for you.” I look at her. “We are in debt to you.”

“You don’t have to,” I say, not sure I can take what she has to say.

“You have to let us be there for you,” she says. “Just give us a chance.”

“What is in this?” Quinn says, saving me from having to say anything to her. I look over at him and see him carrying a big green bag.

“Well, that,” Chelsea says. “Quinn’s mom and I thought you might need a couple of things for when you get out of here."

I sit up as I look at the big green army bag. “We had to borrow Ethan’s bag."

"I can’t take that." I look at the bag that looks like it weighs a hundred pounds.

Chelsea puts her head back and laughs. “There are three more bags at Quinn’s house."

I sit with my mouth open as I look at her and then back at Quinn. “My family can be a touch …"

"They are the best," Mayson says, looking at me. “It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but if you just let the love in, it’s going to be everything."

I can’t say anything to either of them. “We should get going so you can get some rest," Chelsea says. “But if it’s okay." She looks down nervously. “I can come back some time with my cousin Amelia."

"Um …" I look at Quinn, who just smiles. “I guess so."

Chelsea claps her hands together. “She’s going to be so happy,” she says, and my head just turns around and around.

Chelsea walks up to Quinn and gives him a hug, and Mayson shakes his hand. I watch them walk out of the room, holding hands, and then turn to look at him. “You have to take that bag." I point at the green bag. “And you have to tell them to take it back."

He puts his head back and laughs. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him laugh so freely. "No chance."

"You have to." I shake my head.

"With the women in my family, you have to learn when to pick your battles." He looks at me, walking over to the pie and cutting a piece. “And this is a battle that one, I know I’m going to lose, and two"—he shrugs his shoulders—“I don’t want to." He walks over to me, and I see his eyes crystal tonight as he smiles and hands me the plate. “Hopefully, you will be able to eat a bit more by tomorrow."

I look down at the pie in my hand. “Where is Shirley?" I ask him, and he looks back at me as he walks over to grab another piece of pie for himself.

"She clocked out two hours ago. Doris is here.” He turns to look at me from head to toe. “Do you need anything? Are you in pain? Is it your head?"

"No, I’m fine. I was just wondering if I could have some juice,” I say, then I look down. “It’s fine. I’m good with water."

"I’ll be right back," he says, walking out of the room, and I want to kick myself for even asking. I take a bite of the pie, and as soon as it hits my tongue, I close my eyes.

"This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my whole life,” I say to myself, taking another bite, and then I look up when I hear footsteps coming closer and closer to my door.

Quinn walks into the room, and his hands are full. He walks over and dumps the juice on the bed. He picks them up and shows them to me. “Apple, orange, pineapple, grape, cranberry, strawberry kiwi.” He holds that one up. “I don’t think this is real juice, but who knows.”

“Oh my God.” I look down at them, trying not to let him see that I’m crying. How would I explain that I’m crying because this is the nicest thing someone has ever done for me?

"I also got grapefruit juice.” He picks up the last one. “But I don’t know if you can drink it. I have to ask Doris." He looks down at the bottle in his hand, and then he looks up at me. “Which one did you want?”

“You bought me all the juices, didn’t you?” I ask him, surprised but somehow not. How do I tell him that every single time I turn around, he is blowing my mind with his kindness? How do I tell him that if it wasn’t for him, I would still have some fear in me? How do I tell him that when I close my eyes, he is the one who helps fight off the demons?

"I didn’t know which one was your favorite, and I was assuming you wouldn’t tell me, so this"—he smirks—“was my last resort."

"Apple," I tell him, looking down at the bottle. For the first time in my whole life, I admit, “Apple is my favorite." He opens the apple juice, and he pours a bit in a cup and then holds the cup up for me. I take a sip as the sweetness hits my tongue right away.

"Little sips,” he says when we hear a knock on the door.

I look up to see the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Her blond hair is hanging down, and she smiles at Quinn. "I’m sorry. I should have called before just stopping by." She comes in, and I see how well put together she is. My head spins as I wonder who this person is.

"Mom," Quinn says, walking to her and hugging her. I just look at her looking up at him with such love, and my heart speeds up as I watch him smile at her. Then she looks back at me, her whole face filling with a smile. “Willow,” he says my name. "I’d like for you to meet my mom, Olivia."

She comes to me, stopping by the bed, and her eyes fill with tears. “It’s so good to finally see you up,” she says, and I look at her, confused. “I would come by when you were sleeping." She looks at Quinn. “We were all so worried about you,” she says. She reaches out to grab my hand, and it’s warm just like her son’s.

“Um,” I say, not sure what to say. “Thank you.” I’m shocked that someone other than Quinn would be worried about me or my well-being. This is uncharted territory, and I have no idea what to do about it.

"I would have brought you something if I knew you would be awake,” she says and looks back at Quinn. “I feel silly showing up empty-handed."

“You don’t have to bring me anything,” I tell her, hoping she doesn’t feel bad. My hands shake but not from fear this time, it’s from being nervous about making a good first impression. I don’t know why I care. Everyone usually just looks at me like I’m dirt. But for reasons that I won’t admit, I want her to look at me without disgust.

"I promise I’ll bring stuff next time,” she says. “How are you feeling?"

"Okay,” I say and then look at Quinn. “He hounds me a lot." I hope that maybe if I tell his mother, she will make him leave. “I told him to leave."

"Oh, honey." She shakes her head. “Wild hogs couldn’t keep this one away."

Quinn laughs and shakes his head. “Wild dogs, Mom,” he says. “My mother is a city girl trying to pretend she’s a country girl."

"You can take the girl out of Louboutins, but you can’t take the Louboutins out of the girl." She shrugs. “I’ve been a country girl for a long time." She looks at me. “I miss the city sometimes." She looks at Quinn. “Okay, never. I never miss it." I just look at her. “I am so happy you are going to be okay,” she says softly, squeezing my hand. “And when you get out of here, we’ll take a drive to the city." I don’t tell her anything else because there is nothing to say to that except I’m not going to be here for any of that. The minute I’m free to go, I’ll be just a memory.