Beneath the Surface

Lexie

December 10, 2011

Me and Jax have been together about three weeks now and things are going amazingly. Me and both boys love having him around. Dex spent the night at my house last weekend and we showed him how to play baseball, and took the three boys to the theater to see a movie. Jax spends every evening with us. When he gets off work he comes over and hangs out until dinner time, then we all eat dinner together and spend some more time together before bedtime. Sometimes he stays the night but the boys don’t know that. Sometimes he goes back home after spending a little time with me after the boys are in bed. Our lives have become intertwined and I love it. While we haven’t really talked about it I’m pretty sure we have a future together. I hope Jax feels the same way.

I’m on my way to the grocery store now to pick up something to cook for dinner tonight. As I come up on a curve in the road I press the brakes, but nothing happens. I push the pedal all the way to the floor, and still nothing happens. I yell for the boys to hold on and that I can’t stop. The last thing I hear before everything goes black is the boys screaming, metal crunching, and glass shattering.

*********

Jax

I’m sitting at my desk at the station filling out some paperwork and Dillon is at his desk which sits butted up against mine facing me. My phone rings and I push the speaker button.

“Stephens”

“Jax its Braden.” I see Dillon’s head jerk up from the corner of my eye. I immediately start to hang it up. “Don’t hang up. This is important.”

I sigh. “It better be.”

“I’m not sure if you know this but I’m a paramedic now.”

“Okay” I say slowly,” and I care because?”

“Because I just had a call out and the person I transported to the hospital begged everyone he saw to call detective Jax Stephens for him.”

I look up at Dillon and see the same confusion on his face that I feel. I have no idea what guy would want the paramedics to call me unless it’s Carson. “What’s the guy’s name?”

“It’s a boy, said his name is Jason Evans.”

Panic immediately floods my entire body as I sit up straighter and see Dillon do the same, “What happened to Jason?”

“A car wreck.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I grab my keys out of my desk drawer, “I’ll call you right back on my cell.” I hang up the phone and run for the door with Dillon on my heels. I toss him the keys not sure if I can drive right now my hands are shaking so bad. He didn’t say anything about Justin or Lexie. Are they okay? Dillon calls Carson as I call Braden back on my cell.

“How is Jason?”

“He seemed okay. Has a broken leg and needs some stitches. Vitals were good. Other than that you’ll have to wait for the hospital to run some tests. I don’t know anything else. My partner took him in. I stayed outside to call you.” I suck in a deep breathe.

“What about Justin?”

“Who is Justin?”

“Jason’s a twin. His twin brother should have been with him.”

“I didn’t see a twin brother, he must have been in the first ambulance on the scene. They were leaving as mine pulled up.”

“Lexie?”

“The woman with him wasn’t good. I don’t know the details, but when my ambulance left with Jason they were still trying to get her out of the car. She was unconscious but breathing. That’s all I know about her.”

“Okay I’ll be at the hospital in fifteen to twenty minutes. Is there any way you can maybe stay with him until I get there? So he’s not alone or freaking out. Tell him you’re my brother.”

“Yeah I can do that.”

“Tell him I’m on my way.”

“Will do”

He hangs up and I start to panic again. Jason sounds like he’s probably going to be okay, but what about Justin and Lexie? Are they okay? Did they get Lexie out of the car? Why was it taking them so long that both boys were already on the way to the hospital before they even got her out of the car?

***********

The tires protest as Dillon takes the turn into the hospital much faster than he should have. I’m not complaining. He swings into a parking spot and we both run for the Emergency room entrance. Carson is standing outside the door looking pissed off. “They won’t let me back to see the boys. They won’t tell me anything at all to do with Lexie either.” I wish they would try to keep me out. I make the decision to lie. I rush up to the counter “I’m looking for Jason and Justin Evans”

“And you are?”

“Their father”

She nods, “Go through those doors and it’s the third door on the right. We have them in a room together since they’re twins. We figured it would help keep them calm, but Jason is up at xray right now. He will be back down in a few minutes.”

“Can you tell me anything about their mom, Alexis Evans?”

She shakes her head, “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t have any information on her. I’ll let the doctor know you’re with the kids so that he knows where to find you when he knows something.” I nod and head towards the double doors to find the boys.

When I walk through the door I see Justin with tears running down his face as he holds his arm across his chest. I can see on his face he’s obviously in pain. As soon as he sees me he yells my name and runs to me. I bend down and pick him up careful not to jostle his arm to much. He wraps the other arm around my neck and starts sobbing.

“Hey now, it’s okay, Justin. You’re okay.” I sit down on the bed with him in my lap and notice Braden standing in the corner with his hands in his pockets but I act like he isn’t there. Carson and Dillon walk over closer to us. I rub Justin’s back until he starts to calm down. “What’s the matter?”

“It hurts and I was scared.”

“What hurts? Your arm?” He nods. “Anything else?” He nods again. “My head hurts. It hit the window I think.”

They wheel Jason into the room. “JAX!” He’s crying too.

I stand up still holding Justin and walk over to him when they get his bed in place. I’m about to sit on his bed when I remember his leg’s hurt, and I don’t want to jostle him so I straighten back up, and grab his hand with my free one instead. “Hey Jason, Are you okay?” He shakes his head.

I almost start crying with them. I’ve never had to deal with this before. They’re both hurting and there is nothing I can do to make it better. Maybe if I can distract them it’ll help.

“Do y’all remember what happened in the accident?”

I look over at Carson and Dillon. They both step forwards so they can hear better. “Mom screamed for us to hold on, and that she couldn’t stop. Then it was like we were spinning and landed on the top a bunch of times and then hit a tree. Mom wouldn’t wake up.”

“You mean the car flipped?” They both nod. “Which side of the car hit the tree?”

“The side mom sits on.” I close my eyes and swallow as fear takes over my senses for a minute. I say a silent prayer for god to please let her be okay before taking a deep breath and opening my eyes. The boys need me to be strong right now. I can’t break down. Not right now.

Carson walks up and puts his hand on my shoulder, “Do you have Shawn’s number?” I nod and dread making this phone call. I let go of Jason’s hand and pull out my phone and click on his contact information. He answers on the second ring.

“What’s wrong? I gave you my number for emergencies, something’s wrong isn’t it?”

I swallow again and close my eyes, “There’s been an accident Shawn, I’m at the hospital.”

“What do you mean accident?”

“Lexie and the boys were in a car wreck.” I hear him suck in a sharp breath as I continue. “I’m with Jason and Justin now. They are both OK. Jason has some stitches in his left shoulder and the left side of his head, and it’s obvious his left leg is broken. It looks like Justin might have a broken arm, and he hit his head on the window. That’s all I know for now. I’ve only been here a few minutes and the doctor hasn’t come in yet. I don’t know anything at all about Lexie except I was told by someone at the scene that Lexie was still in the car and unconscious when the boys were on the way to the hospital. They won’t tell me anything yet. We’re just waiting but I told the woman up front that I was the boy’s dad to get back here so they shouldn’t have a problem telling me anything. I can call you back when I know more.”

“Please do. I’m going to call everyone and we’ll head down immediately. I’ll see you in about six hours.”

***********

I’m in the hallway with tears running down my face. I can’t hold them back anymore. The boys have been admitted for observation for the night and moved to a room. Justin has a cast on his left arm and Jason has a cast on his left leg and thirteen stitches, eight on his left shoulder and five on his forehead. It’s been three hours and we have no word on Lexie yet. I can’t take it anymore. I left Dillon with the boys in their room for a few minutes and came to sit outside their door. I let the tears run freely down my face as I pull the ring out of my pocket and stare at it.

I can’t lose her. I don’t know what I would do if I lost her at this point. Her and the boys have become an everyday part of my life. The best part of my life. What happens with the boys if she doesn’t make it? I doubt her family would let me keep them. I’ve only been in their lives for a couple months. I’m sure Shawn would take them. I can’t lose them! I close my eyes and pray for what seems like the millionth time today. Helplessness, fear, and panic are taking over every part of my brain. I held it together for the boys for hours, but I’m at my breaking point now.

“That’s a nice ring. That for my sister?”

My eyes pop open and I jerk my head up to see Shawn, Maddie, and Mason standing over me.

“How the hell did y’all get here so fast?”

“Any news?” I shake my head, and he responds to my first question.

“There was a flight leaving home in time to get us here faster than driving. It was hell waiting for time to board, but it got us here in half the time even with waiting a couple hours for the flight. How did you get a call before I did? I’m her emergency contact and you called me a whole forty-five minutes before the hospital did.”

“My brother is a paramedic. He’s the one who transported Jason. He said Jason kept asking them to call detective Jax Stephens. So as soon as he dropped Jason in the emergency room he called me.”

“He still here? I’d like to thank him.”

“Nah, he left as soon as I showed up.”

“You said you told the hospital you were the boy’s dad. You tell them you’re Lexie’s husband?”

“They didn’t ask. Guess they assumed I was.”

“That what that ring is for? You plan on making that a true story?”

I almost lose it again thinking of what will happen if I don’t have that option anymore. I nod my head at him, “I’ve had the ring for two weeks. I should have already asked her, but we haven’t been together very long and I was trying to give her time to be sure first.” I close my eyes and lean my head back against the wall and wonder what she would have said if I had asked her. Would she have said yes? Does she want to marry me? Has she even considered a future with me? Will I ever get the chance to ask her? More tears leak from my eyes, and I don’t even care who sees.

“The boys are sleeping, but you can go on in if y’all want. Dillon is in there with them. Carson went to call Brett and Nina about an hour ago and hasn’t come back yet. I’m not sure what he’s doing.”

About that time a doctor coming down the hall calls my name. I scramble to my feet and face him. He holds a hand out for me to shake, “Are you Mr. Stephens?” I nod my head and shake his hand. “My name is Dr. Jesser. Your wife is stable. Her left ankle has a severe sprain, and I see on her xrays she had a recent break in her arm?” I nod my head. “It has re-broken, and will require surgery to repair it again. We will perform the surgery day after tomorrow. Our biggest concern is she has a severe head injury. She has a cerebral edema that has caused her to slip into a coma.”

“What does that mean?”

It’s Mason that answers, “Fluid collection from swelling on her brain.”

My knees almost buckle but I catch myself, “When will she wake up?”

“There is no way for us to know that. I called UAB and had her medical history sent over. I’ve looked at her CAT scans from last time, and we performed one here today. That’s what took so long. I can tell you that her head injury does not appear as bad as last time. I do need you to hurry though. I normally would have ran one more test before I came to talk to family, but I wanted to let you be there for his next test.”

“What next test? What are you testing for?”

“We’re checking to make sure your baby is OK.” I hear all three of her siblings gasp next to me before it sinks in what he just said.

“I’m sorry. My what?” Carson and the Johnsons walk around the corner behind the doctor just in time to hear his response.

“Your baby. Your wife is pregnant, Mr. Stephens.” This time my knees do buckle and Carson makes it around the doctor just in time to catch me before I hit my knees. Lexie is pregnant with my baby, and I don’t know if she will ever wake up or if either of them are going to be OK.