“Hey, Judy, it’s Allison, sorry I couldn’t take your call. It’s crazy loud in here, and I couldn’t hear. What’s up?” I ask her.
“Allison,” Judy chokes and my heart drops.
“Judy. What’s wrong?” I ask, fear lacing my voice.
“I’m so sorry, sweetie, she was sleeping, and I went to check on her and—and—” She’s crying now, and I can’t find my words to coach her to continue to just spit it the fuck out, to tell me what happened. “She—she wasn’t breathing. I tried to do CPR, but it was too late, she was already gone.”
My body is taken over by wrenching sobs as pain laces through me, and the tears flow heavily down my cheeks. “No,” I sob into the phone.
“Allison, I am so sorry to tell you this way, but I knew you would want to know.” She sniffles into the phone. “Allison, the funeral home just showed up, so I need to go. I’ll call you back as soon as this is all situated,” she tells me.
“I…I’m on my way. I will be there as soon as I can,” I tell her as I hit end on my phone. I’m crying so hard my chest is heaving with sobs, without thinking I take off running toward the parking lot. Gran. I need to get there as fast as I can. Through my tears, my vision is blurry, and I’m not watching where I’m going when I feel myself bump into someone. I look up and see Jason and this makes me cry even harder. I don’t need to deal with this asshole right now. What is he doing here anyway?
Jason gently grabs my arm to keep me from falling. I see his arm is still in a cast. Serves him right. “Slow down, Allison, what’s wrong?” he asks me. I’m surprised he even asked.
Instead of answering him, I back up into the wall, letting my body rest against it, and let the tears flow.
“Allison, you’re scaring me. Where’s Liam, do you need me to find him for you?” His voice is laced with concern.
I nod, unable to speak through the tears. Jason puts his arm around me as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Okay, can you tell me his number?” I shake my head, but hold out my hand that has my cell phone in it. He takes it and starts to scroll through to find Liam’s number.
Before he even gets a chance to hit send I hear Liam’s deep voice. “What the fuck did you do to her? I’m going to fucking kill you this time!” he yells as he plows toward us, flanked by security guards. He’s still in his uniform, sans helmet and shoulder pads. The look on his face is pure rage, however, the rage doesn’t register with me. All I see is Liam, the man I love, and I need to be in his arms, I need him wrapped around me. I push myself off the wall, and run and launch myself at him. He immediately lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, squeezing him tight. Liam’s whispering in my ear, “I got you, beautiful, you’re safe.” He kisses my neck. “What happened, baby?”
I hear Aiden. “You’re going to have more than a broken arm by the time I’m through with you!” he roars as he stalks his way toward Jason. It’s then I realize I need to stop this. Jason was trying to help me, help me get to Liam.
“Aiden, no!” I scream, and he stops in his tracks. I release my legs from the hold they have on Liam, and he gently sets me back on my feet, keeping me tucked close to his side. I’m still crying, but the sobs ease just a little when I feel Liam tighten his hold on me.
“Jason—he was—he was helping me.” I start to cry harder. “He was calling Liam for me.” As proof of what I was saying he hands Liam my cell phone.
“Here, man, she ran into me and she was crying so hard, she couldn’t even see where she was going. I asked her if she needed help and she nodded her head. I asked her if I could call you for her, but she couldn’t tell me your number she was so upset. Instead, she handed me her cell phone. I was just getting ready to call you.”
I nod my head, agreeing to what Jason is telling them. Liam bends his knees and uses his finger to lift my chin, so I’m looking at him. “Allie, baby, what happened? Did someone hurt you?” I can see the tension in his jaw at the mere thought that someone has hurt me.
I shake my head. Aiden rubs his hands up and down my back, while his parents stand close by, but I refuse to let go of Liam. I tighten my arms around him, take a deep breath, and rasp out the words, “She’s gone.”
“Who’s gone?” he asks, still keeping an eye on Jason.
All of them look really confused except for Hailey. She knew I was going out to return a call to Judy. “Oh, God,” she cries.
“What? Can someone, please, tell me what is going on?” Liam raises his voice. I tense at the sound. “I’m sorry, baby, I’m scared. I don’t know what’s wrong, you’re upset, and I can’t make it go away unless you tell me,” he pleads.
“Gran, she’s g...g...gone. J...Judy…” I break down in sobs. “Judy called, she was sleeping, she checked on her, and she’s gone. She tried CPR, but it was too late, she was already gone.” I bury my head in Liam’s chest and let the pain that is tearing through my heart unleash with my tears.
He squeezes me tight. “Oh, Allie, I’m so sorry.” He embraces me in his arms. “I’m taking her home,” he says to everyone.
“No, I need to go to her. I need to go to Grans. Please.” I cry harder.
“Okay, I’ll take you there.” He looks to Aiden. “Can you get my bag from the locker room and meet us at the car? I have a change of clothes in there I can change into when we get there.”
“Sure, man, go on, and I’ll be right behind you,” Aiden says, already turning in the direction of the locker room.
“Dad, can you call the airport and get us on the next flight out?”
“I got it covered, son,” he tells Liam.
“I’m coming with you,” Hailey says to Aiden as she follows him.
“Allison, honey.” Mrs. Emerson is rubbing my back. “We’re changing our flight as well. We’ll meet you there, okay, sweetheart?”
I nod, but it’s Liam who responds, “Thank you both. Mom, Dad, I’ll call you and keep you posted.”
“Sounds good, son, you just take care of our girl,” Liam’s dad tells him. Both of his parents give me a hug. I still refuse to let go of Liam.
He turns to Jason. “Thanks, man, for helping her.”
Jason nods. “I’m sorry for your loss, Allison.” Then he walks away.
Liam picks me up and carries me out to the cab that’s waiting to take us back to the hotel. He opens the rear passenger door to set me in the car, and I panic. I keep my hold firm around his neck. “Oh, Allison, baby, I’m so sorry,” he says, tightening his grip on me.
I hear Aiden talking and the next thing I know Liam’s climbing in the back seat with me in his arms, never letting me go. He holds me close and continues to tell me how sorry he is, how much he loves me, and how everything is going to be okay.
All I can think is I’m alone, all alone. I have no family left in the world. It’s just me. I feel hollow inside. My tears continue to flow as I fall asleep in Liam’s arms.
Chapter 34