Touched By You (The Touch Series)

  “Derrick, it’s fine. What’s wrong? Why are you out of breath?”

  “Chloe, it’s Char. She and Riley have been in a terrible accident.”

  My hand flies to my face as I gasp at his words. I think my heart just stopped.

  “So are you sure about this man?” I ask looking at Riley while he paces my living room.

  “Of course I’m sure dumbass.” He replies running his fingers through his hair.

  “Well if my opinion matters I think you have planned a wonderful evening little brother. Char is lucky to have you.” Emma says in a sincere tone.

  “Thanks a lot Emma, I feel so much better now.” Riley says falling into the couch.

  “I don’t understand why you’re so worked up about this. You two already act like a married couple. It’s not like she’s going to say no.”

  “Fuck you Derrick. Of course she isn’t going to say no. I just want tonight to be perfect for her. She means the world to me and I want this to be a night she’ll remember forever. This is the kind of thing she’ll tell our kids and grandkids about. I don’t want to blow it.”

  The poor guy has been sick to his stomach since Char left for the day at the spa with Angie and Ruthie. I know exactly how he feels. I felt the same way the day I was set to propose to Chloe. I just hope his night turns out better than mine did.

  “Look why don’t you run home, get some running gear on and head to the park with me and Emma. Maybe the fresh air and a good five miles will lift your spirits before the big night.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be right back.” Riley says and walks out the door with Manny in tow.

  Emma and I just look at each other, shrug our shoulders and start to laugh.

  Riley has got it bad for Char. They may have fallen fast for one another, but in the time they’ve been together they’ve grown so much as individuals. I’m happy for both of them. He just needs to calm the hell down before he gives himself a heart attack at a young age.

  Thank god he has agreed to come along with us for a run. He can slam the pavement with his running shoes to release some of his nerves. Within a few hours Riley and Char will be a happily engaged couple and we’ll all be meeting them for drinks afterwards at Callahan’s Pub.

  Emma and I make our way out to my car in the driveway waiting for Riley. Once we see him walking in the distance we both get in and buckle up.

  “Let’s hope this run clears his nerves. Otherwise I’ll have to give him a valium before they leave.” Emma says with a laugh.

  “Nah, he’ll be alright. He just needs to get through with it and everything will be fine.”

  Riley gets into the front seat and lets out a huge sigh.

  “Thanks man, this was a good idea. I need to go for a good run to get this shit out of my system.”

  He pulls down on the rim of his hat and slaps me on the back.

  Last one done with the five miles buys drinks for the other two tonight.

  “Deal!” Emma and I shout in unison.

  Once we get to the park the three of us shuffle out and line up along the trees. The plan is to run through the park and meet back here. I know for sure I can take Emma, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to out run Riley, surely not in the mood he is in right now.

  “Okay assface, let’s see if you can beat me. On your mark, get set, go.” Riley shouts as we all take off in a sprint.

  The next 45 minutes feel fucktasitic. I guess I needed this run more than I thought. The weather is perfect and it’s just early enough that the sun isn’t beating down on our bodies. By the time I get back to the car I’m dying of thirst. I pop open the truck and grab out three waters.

  Riley comes walking around the car with a smirk on his face. It sucks that he beat me, but at least I’m not the one paying for us to get drunk tonight. I hand him bottle of water and watch as Emma approaches us.

  “You both suck, don’t even say a word.”

  Riley and I just look at each other, laugh and get in the car.

  After we get home Riley makes his way back to his house to get ready for the big proposal, Emma says she has stuff she has to do and will catch up later which leaves me all by my lonesome.

  Story of my fucking life lately, I just wish I could get her out of my mind. It’s been four months since I’ve seen or spoken to her. I head up to my room and decide to take a shower and a nap before I have to get ready to meet up with the crew at the pub.

  I wake up from my nap to a banging on my bedroom door.

  What the fuck.

  I glance over at my alarm clock and I see it’s 6:30.

  Shit I never sleep that long during the day.

  I get out of bed and head over to the door. As I open it Emma falls into me crying.

  “Emma, what’s wrong. Why are your crying?”

  “Oh my god Derrick, hurry get dressed we have to go.” She says between sobs.

  “Slow down Emma, what’s going on?”

  “It’s Char. There was an accident. We need to go to her. Now!”

  “Okay, okay Emma. Let me get dressed and we will go.”

  “Oh Derrick, you have to call Chloe. Teresa and Bryce are on their way to the hospital.”

  Fuck! I have to call Chloe.

  While I attempt to throw on a tee-shirt and shorts I dial Chloe’s cell.

  “Damn it, she’s not answering.”

  “You have to keep trying. She has to pick up eventually.” Emma yells at me.

  “Go into the office and grab my briefcase. I’ll Skype her.”

  Emma comes back into my room and I’m dressed ready to go. I sit down on my bed and pull up the Skype app on my iPad. I hoover over her picture and within two seconds find the balls to push it.

  The line chimes a few times and finally I see her face on the screen.

  “Derrick.” She says in a whisper.

  “Chloe, I’m sorry I’m calling you like this but you didn’t answer the call I made to your cell.”

  “Derrick, it’s fine. What’s wrong? Why are you upset?”

  “Chloe, it’s Char. She and Riley have been in a terrible accident.”

  Getting a flight back to Boston was the easy part. It was getting me up off the floor after Derrick told me the news. I felt numb from my head to my toes. Not only was I in a state of shock, but I wanted to trade places with Char more than anything.

  As soon as I ended the Skype call I looked into the hallway and saw Andrew standing there. He didn’t hesitate for a second and walked right over to me. Scooping me up into his arms he sat us down on the couch and helped me book my flight. I’m glad I wasn’t completely alone when I got the news. It helped a lot having him there, but leaving him in LA was hard. I think more on him than me. He offered to fly back to Boston with me, but I told him that it would be best for me to go back home alone.

  Seeing my baby sister hurting is going to be hard, but seeing Derrick and not talking to him will be next to impossible.

  I’m still in shock and I hate that it’s going to take me eight hours to get home. My poor baby sister, why her. She’s never done a hurtful thing to anyone in her life. Char would rip the shirt off her back to help a stranger. She has to be okay. I’m a ball of nerves and no one has called me since I text mom my flight itinerary. She said someone would be there to pick me up, but she wasn’t sure who. I told her not to worry about sending me a ride. I could just grab a cab to the hospital. Everyone in Boston is probably a frantic mess and the last thing I want is for someone to leave to come and get me.

  I lean forward and place my head in my hands. I have a ball of tissues in one and my cell in the other. My head is pounding either from the alcohol I drank last night or all the crying I’ve done this morning. I could really use a cup of coffee and some pain medicine to help curb this headache. Looking up I see that there’s a Starbucks near the gate. I glance at the time on my iPhone and see that I still have an hour till they will start boarding our plane. Since I have plenty of time I make my way over to get in my caffeine fix
and then to the newsstand for some Ibuprofen.

  I get to the gate and take a seat with my hot coffee, muffin and bottle of water. This should help at least I hope it will. I feel my phone vibrate and I see I have a text from mom. I slide the lock screen and when I read the message it’s actually from Derrick.

  Mom – Chloe it’s Derrick. Teresa isn’t in any shape to call you so I thought I would just send a text through her phone. Char’s not good Chloe, things aren’t looking good.

  My breath catches and I almost choke on the muffin I just put in my mouth. I don’t know how to respond, to be honest I don’t want to talk about this over a text message.

  After thinking it over a few minutes I gather up the courage to call Derrick’s cell. I don’t know why he was using mom’s cell to begin with, but with her being so upset I really don’t want to call her phone and bother her. I make my way over to a corner in the room and dial his number.

  “Chloe hey, sorry about the text I just don’t know what to do right now.”

  I start crying hearing his voice.

  “I’m trying to get home as soon as I can. My flight doesn’t leave for another half hour. Please tell me she’ll be okay till then?”

  “I don’t know what is going to happen Chloe. The truck hit her side of the car and broke just about every bone on the right side of her body. She has a head injury that they are monitoring closely hoping that blood doesn’t sit on her brain.”

  “Oh god Derrick, why Char?”

  By now I’m sobbing so hard people are starting to stare at me from the gate. I wipe my tears with the sleeve of my sweatshirt and try to focus on the conversation.

  “Chloe don’t. Just get here and be with her. I can’t talk now, but I’ll call if anything changes.”

  “Okay Thanks Derrick.”

  And the line goes dead. He doesn’t say bye or get here safe or anything.

  Char is just as much a sister to him and she is mine. I know that this is killing him.

  I go back over to the chair I was sitting in before and attempt to wipe my face with the tissues I brought with me. I only have a few more minutes till we will start to board so I finish up my coffee. I lean back in the rock hard airport chair and think how my life has gotten to this point and how I pushed everyone away including him.

  Someone once told me everyone has a special someone they are meant to be with forever. A man who will be my world, my partner in life, and the one person I can grow old with and always be at my side.

  Maybe I never found that right person to begin with.

  No! That can’t be right. I had my person and I was too wrapped up in my own little bubble to realize what was right in front of me.

  He was the one.

  He was my forever.

  I screwed it up over my own damn selfish needs.

  I thought I had chosen the path in life that was best for me, but I seem to have lost my soul mate along the way.

  Waiting to board a plane back to Boston, I sit here wondering if I made the right choices in life. Did I follow the path that would take me in the right direction? Could I have done something different that would change the outcomes I am faced with right now?

  I haven’t seen or spoken to him in four months. Four long, torturous months dealing with what I did to us and our happily ever after. I know I’ll run into him soon, but when I do I’m not sure how he’ll react. He can accept me in an embrace or turn the corner and run the other way.

  What did I do?

  The choices I made changed my life in only a short period of time and I fear I may have lost him forever.

  At one time he was all I ever knew. The two of us were so in sync with the other no force field could tear us apart. I can hear him whisper in my ear. “Chloe you and I will stand the test of time because I was touched by you and only you.”

  I, Chloe Taylor, am faced with a decision I may not like myself for in the next few hours. Only time will tell what is meant to be and for now I have a much bigger weight on my plate than that of my love life.

  After getting off the Skype call with Chloe, Emma and I make our way over to the hospital. The ER is packed, most likely because it’s a Saturday, but thankfully we’re able to spot Bryce and Teresa right away.

  Taking Emma’s hand we run over to them and Bryce releases Teresa from his grasp as she clings onto both Emma and I. Bryce tries to explain to us the little detail they know while Teresa cries into Emma’s shoulder. There isn’t much news on either Riley or Charlie other than she was rushed straight into the O.R. for immediate surgery. My heart falls to the floor and I feel the need to sit down.

  Of all days, the day Riley was meant to propose to Charlie. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life and they never made it to that point. I feel tears begin to cloud my vision and an ache starts to rip through my heart. I’ve known Charlie as my little sister for too long. She has to be okay. She needs to pull through and marry that dumbass Riley.

  The four of us take a seat until we hear word from a doctor.

  About an hour later we still have not heard the condition of either family member and we’re all beginning to worry more and more. My parents show up and I’m grateful for their support. It means a lot for them to be here with a huge part of my family, regardless if Chloe and I are together or not.

  Another hour goes by and the six of us are on pins and needles waiting to hear from a nurse or a doctor.

  Emma decides to take a walk since the waiting is getting to her. My mom offers to go with her and get some coffee from the cafeteria. Trying to pry Teresa from her seat is a feat, but eventually the girls get her to go along.

  We sit in silence for a few minutes. Now that they are gone I feel it’s a good time to ask Bryce if he knows actually what happened.

  “What details did the police give you about the accident?” I ask moving over to the seat next to him and my dad.

  “They didn’t give us much when they called and no one has talked to us since we got here. It seems that they were at a four way stop and when Riley pulled out to go a truck plowed through the sign without stopping. The other driver was going about 40-45 mph and hit Char’s side of the car. That’s all we know.”

  “This is fucking ridiculous. Someone has to tell us more. They could both be dead right now for all we know.” I say punching the chair next to me.

  “Derrick Mason Peters, don’t talk like that!” My mom shouts.

  “Damn it mom, someone has to know something. This isn’t right. What if one of them needs us? We can’t help them from out here.”

  I’m trying to remain calm, but two of my best friends are hurt and there’s nothing I can do about it.

  “Here take this and let’s go walk outside.” Emma says.

  I know she is just as upset as I am, my god it’s her brother in there. To keep the peace I take the cup of coffee from her and follow her outside.

  Emma is texting like crazy on her phone and I have no clue who the hell she could be talking to. I’m certain it’s not her husband Keith and the rest of us are here. Hmm that’s a conversation for a later time I guess.

  We sit out on the curb for what feels like forever and eventually Bryce comes out to get us.

  “We just spoke to the doctor that saw Riley and Char when the ambulance brought them into the ER.”

  “Thank fuck, it’s about time. What did they say?”

  Tears start to glaze his eyes and a lump grows in my throat.

  “Well the good news is that Riley is okay. He has a broken humerus, collar bone and a few cuts from the windshield breaking, but we can go see him in a few minutes.”

  Emma lets out a sigh and I know a huge weight has been lifted from her chest, but Charlie …what about Charlie?

  “Okay so if that’s the good news, what did they say about Charlie?” I ask.

  Bryce’s face is now wet with tears and I can only hope for the best.

  “She’s still in surgery. She has broken majority of her bones on the right
side and has a severe head injury. Even after surgery it will be difficult to know what will happen for a few days. She needs to wake up and come back to us. Then we can help her heal with the rest of her injuries.”

  Seeing this grown man cry and hear Emma crying behind me make the dam burst. The tears fall fast down my face and in my emotion state I grab onto Bryce and Emma.

  Charlie isn’t just Chloe’s sister. This family isn’t just Chloe’s, they are mine too. I can’t lose Charlie. She’s my best friend. She has helped me get through some of the hardest times of my life. I can’t live without my Charlie…I have to be here for her just as she has always been here for me.

  The three of us pull away from our group hug and make our way back into the ER. We’ll be able to go up to Riley’s room now so I say a silent prayer following the nurse and my family up to see the only brother I have ever really known.

  After a long ass flight I’m finally going to be setting foot into my home town of Boston, Massachusetts. Once I got on the plane the flight wasn’t so bad. My head was feeling a bit better, but I knew I needed to catch up on some sleep. I remove my sweatshirt from my bag and place it against the window. Since I’ll be here for awhile I figure I might as well take a nap. I know my mind will be racing as soon as I land, so the more sleep I can get now the better.

  I’m jolted awake when the plane lands on the runway. Rubbing my sleepy eyes I try to focus on my watch to see the time. It’s already eight o’clock here on the east coast and the sky is getting darker as the sun sets. I always loved to watch the sun setting at Pier Park and on the boat with Derrick. The memories of our times together make me happy, but with everything going on I wish I had a reason to smile right about now.

  The thought of what I’m about to walk into scares me. As much as I wish it were me in that hospital, it really is Char. I can’t imagine my life without my baby sister in it and I’m so scared to find out what’s going on once I get there. Now that the plane is taxing the run way I turn my phone back on to see if I have any missed calls or text messages.

  My palms begin to sweat and my heart starts to become more rapid. Finally a text alert pops on the screen from a number I don’t recognize.