Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
We stayed that way for hours, until sleep claimed me too.
When I woke, it was with Bonnie in my arms…exactly where she was forever meant to be.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bonnie
Two weeks later…
“I like it…” I said as Cromwell played the violin at the end of the bed. I watched his bow work, mesmerized at how somebody could play such an array of instruments so well.
My stomach tensed as I tried to breathe through my tight chest. But it didn’t help. Cromwell closed his eyes and played the passage we had just written again. I said “we,” but in reality it was all him. I couldn’t fool myself when it came to composing with someone like Cromwell. He took the lead. How could he not, when all he had to do was follow his heart?
And I was tired. I was so tired. In the last ten days, I hadn’t left my bed once. I glanced down at my legs. They were thin on the bed. I was unable to move. Yet Cromwell came every day. He kissed me as much as he could, held me against him when I was cold.
I sometimes wondered if my heart felt it too. Felt what my soul felt when he whispered in my ear how much he loved me. How much he adored me. And how I was going to get through this.
I wanted to believe that. I did. But I’d never realized I would get this tired. I’d never realized I would feel so much pain. But when I looked into Cromwell’s eyes, my mama’s and papa’s eyes, and when I thought of Easton, I knew I had to hold on.
I couldn’t lose them.
The sound of a car door opening came from outside. Cromwell paused in jotting down notes on our sheet music. My fingers tingled, knowing who it would be. Easton was coming home today. He had been at a rehab center just outside of Charleston that his therapist recommended. One that could help him get back to a safe place. One that could equip him with the tools he needed to battle his darker thoughts. And I’d missed him. I hadn’t seen him except that first night at the hospital.
Cromwell stood when the front door opened. My heart seemed to pound in my chest, but it must have been a phantom beat. I knew it didn’t have that kind of strength.
Cromwell sat beside me on my bed, holding my hand as the door to my room opened. Easton’s head was bowed, and his wrists were bound in bandages. But he was my brother. And he looked just the same as always.
Tears fell down my cheeks as he stood awkwardly in the doorway. He didn’t look up. Cromwell released my hand and crossed the room. Easton flicked his gaze up at him, and Cromwell pulled him into his arms. I couldn’t help it then. Seeing the two of them there, the victim and his savior, I fell apart. Easton’s back shook as Cromwell held him close.
They stayed that way for a few minutes, until Easton lifted his head and his eyes collided with mine. “Bonn,” he whispered, and his face contorted seeing me in the bed. It was like he couldn’t move. So I lifted my hand and held it out for him to take. He wavered, until Cromwell put a hand on his shoulder.
“She’s missed you, East,” Cromwell said. I loved that boy so much. So impossibly much.
Easton came slowly, but when he sank to the edge of the bed and took my hand, I pulled him close. Easton hugged me, and I held on, just having him back in my arms. In my world.
“I love you, East.”
“Love you, Bonn.”
I held him for as long as I could. Then my IV beeped and Clara came back into the room. She gave Easton a smile and quickly changed my IV bag. I had to get fluids. But on top of that, I also now had a PICC line in my arm. I could no longer eat, so I needed to get nutrition this way. Easton watched, his eyes still sad. When Clara left, he sat on the seat beside my bed. And like he did every day, brazen as he was, Cromwell climbed on my bed beside me and took hold of my hand.
“How are you?” I asked, a lump in my throat.
Easton’s eyes shone. His head dropped. “I’m sorry.” He looked at Cromwell. “Sorry, Crom.”
I went to speak, but Easton said, “I just couldn’t do it anymore.” He sucked in a breath. I would have taken one in too if I could. “I’d stopped taking my meds. And it all got on top of me…”
I held out my other hand and he took it. “I…I need you,” I whispered.
Easton met my eyes and finally nodded his head. “I know you do, Bonn.” He gave me a weak smile. “I’ll be here. I promise.”