Their night had been awful, Beca didn't get any sleep at all. Luckily, Dylan slept, but Jesse was extremely restless all night. When he did manage to sleep, he would thrash around, cry out in pain or call for Beca and Dylan. He was in a lot of pain and couldn't get comfortable. He would move from the bed, to the recliner, to the couch and back again and the pain meds didn't seem to be helping at all. He winced with every move he made and seeing him that way was killing Beca slowly. She hated seeing him like that and she hated that there was nothing she could do to help him or take the pain away. He did his best to try to mask his pain but Beca was able to see right through it; after all they knew each other better than they knew themselves. He was absolutely miserable and so was she.
As soon as she could, Beca called Jesse's doctor to ask for something else for the pain. The doctor said he would call something stronger in but told Beca that if this new medication didn't work she needed to bring him in for additional x-rays and tests because the ER doctor may have missed something.
Since she wasn't comfortable leaving Jesse alone to go to the pharmacy, she asked Stacie if she would pick up the new prescription and a few other things they needed. Stacie jumped at the chance to help, especially since she knew Beca didn't ask for help often. She was such a doll…Beca really didn't know what she would do without her.
When Stacie got back she offered to take Dylan off their hands for a little while so Beca could call Aubrey, tend to Jesse and possibly even take a much needed and deserved nap. Beca welcomed the break, she was exhausted and not really looking forward to calling Aubrey though she knew it needed to be done. Dylan was at Stacie's for a play date with Colton and Jesse was lying on the couch waiting for his pain meds to kick in. Now was as good a time as any to call Aubrey. Beca went out on the patio, took a deep breath and dialed the number.
"Hey Beca." Aubrey answered.
"Hey…sorry I didn't get to call you yesterday. It was a long day and an even longer night."
"Beca…I'm so sorry about what happened. Is Jesse ok?"
"He will be but right now he's in a lot of pain. We had to get a new pain medication this morning because the other pains meds just weren't working."
"Beca is there anything I can do?"
"Yeah, please tell me what the hell happened?"
"Ok." Taking a deep breath, Aubrey said, "We haven't seen Kyle in a couple of years, last I heard he was in South Carolina. I had no idea he was in LA or that he even knew where I lived. I found out last night when I talked to my mom that he was supposed to be in a rehab facility out here. Evidently either he didn't go or he left against medical advice. Anyway, Mom swears she didn't tell him our address and it isn't listed, so I'm not sure how he found out. The only thing we've been able to figure is that he followed one of us home."
Aubrey took another deep breath and continued. "Around 6:30 yesterday morning, Uni was getting ready to go to the gym when he heard a loud crash in the garage. When he got out there, he noticed that my car was gone, the side window in the garage was broken as was the garage door." Beca listened quietly as Aubrey continued on. "We called the police and they put out a BOLO on my car. An hour or so later, we were told that a call went out over the radio about a vehicle matching the description of my car. It was seen drag racing down North Highland. There were two different police units dispatched but they couldn't catch up with Kyle, that's when the accident occurred."
Beca remained quiet. She was trying to process everything Aubrey had told her.
"Beca…are you still there?"
Taking a deep breath, "Yeah, I'm here. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around everything."
"Beca…I'm so sorry."
"You do know that Bumper was also involved right?"
"Oh my God! No...I had no idea! Are you serious?!"
"Yes. Evidently he and Kyle are pretty good friends."
After a long silence, Aubrey said, "I wish I knew what to say."
"Don't worry about it. There's not much that can be said. What's done is done." Beca told her. "Are you, Uni and the girls ok?"
"Yeah, we are. What we're dealing with is nothing compared to you and Jesse. What did the doctor say?"
Beca took a deep breath, "He was sandwiched in the BMW and had to be cut out before the paramedics could assess his condition. The ER doctor told me that he sustained a minor blow to the left side of his head but there's no swelling in his brain so that's good. He is covered head to toe with cuts and bruises. He has whiplash, 2 fractured ribs, his left wrist is sprained and he has swelling and fluid on both of his knees."
"Oh Beca!" Aubrey said, "Is he really gonna be ok?"
"He looks pretty bad and can hardly move around. He can't do anything on his own right now, but he's gonna be ok."
"Beca, I really am so sorry. Be sure to send us all of his medical bills. I'll take care of everything I promise."
"Aubrey, it's not about the money, we can afford the bills. It's about Kyle; he's your brother. Where does this leave our friendship?"
"I'm a victim in this too Beca. I couldn't careless about what he's done to me but I want to see him punished for what he's done to Jesse."
"I know you're a victim Aubrey, but he is and will always be your blood. Jesse and I are just friends."
"Just because he's my brother that doesn't mean I'm going to jump to his defense. He was and is wrong. And for the record, you and Jesse are more than just our friends, you're our family. We love you."
Beca was crying uncontrolably by this point; damn her pregnancy hormones and lack of sleep. Aubrey said everything she hoped to hear and having her in their corner meant a lot. "We love you too Aubrey." Beca said softly. "I really hate to do this but I have a favor to ask."
"Anything, anything at all."
"We're going to need a good attorney, the best money can buy. Can you recommend someone?"
"I've already taken care of that for you. I called a colleague of mine. His name is Brendan Brooks; we went to law school together. He's amazing."
"Oh my God Aubrey…thank you."
"It was the least I could do, given what happened."
"Beca!" Jesse called.
"Just a minute Jess." She called back. "Hey Aub, I almost forgot, have you heard from Chloe lately?"
"No, I haven't. I've called, texted, emailed and I haven't gotten any response from her. It's really kind of weird."
"Same here. I heard from everyone yesterday with the exception of Chloe and Josh."
"BECA!" Jesse hollered.
"Ok Jess...I'm coming!" Beca hollered back. "Aubrey…I really hate to cut this short but Jesse's calling me."
"It's ok Beca. I'm really glad he's ok and I'm glad we're ok too. Give Jesse our love. When he's feeling better we'd like to visit."
"Sure…just call us first. Last night was awful and I'm sure the nights will get worse before they get better." Beca said.
"We will…Promise."
"Love you Aubrey."
"Love you too."
Beca went inside to check on Jesse. He was still on the couch, holding his ribs and trying to get up but couldn't. "Babe, hurry…I have to go to the bathroom and I can't get up." She helped him up and followed to make sure he didn't lose his balance. He was walking like an 80 year old man due to the swelling in his knees. His legs and back were stiff and the simple task of breathing made his fractured ribs ache. By the time they got to the bathroom door, he was out of breath and looking for a place to sit down. Living in a big house was great until you became injured then it became more of an obstacle.
When they got back to the family room, Jesse was completely wiped out. Just walking for those few minutes was enough to exhaust him. Beca adjusted his pillows and brought him lunch before going over to Stacie's to get Dylan. When she got there, she was nearly tackled by the boys as they met her at the door. They were both so excited to see her; when she got down on their level they both showered her with hugs and kisses. They were just what she needed.
Stacie asked about her call with Aubrey and whether everything between them would be ok. Beca assured her that everything was fine and that Aubrey had even taken care of retaining an attorney for them. After talking for a while longer, Beca reminded Stacie that Jesse was home alone and she needed to get back. She thanked Stacie and Bryan for watching Dylan and as she was walking out, Stacie told her they would bring dinner by later and help with anything else they needed.
"Did you have fun at Aunt Stacie's house?" Beca asked Dylan.
"Yeah…I play wiff Colt." Dylan said as he kicked a rock.
"And what else?"
"Unk taked us si'side to play ball."
"He did?"
"Yeah and Aunt 'Tacie give me juice wiff lunch." He said bending down to grab the rock he had been kicking.
"What did you eat?"
"Turkey and carrots and celery wiff ranch dip."
"Yum…did you eat it all?"
Dylan threw the rock and said "Yeah…cheese and grapes too."
"Wow…good job my man." Beca said. "Let's go inside and check on Daddy?"
"Yeah...Daddy got owie's dat hurt real bad." Dylan said as they walked in the house.
Jesse was asleep on the couch which meant that either his meds were finally working or he had passed out from the pain. Beca wasn't sure which it was but she was glad to see him finally resting somewhat peacefully. While she adjusted his blanket, Dylan kissed Jesse on the cheek and said, "Nite, nite Daddy."
A few minutes later, Beca and Dylan snuggled in the recliner and watched Mickey Mouse. She hated letting him watch so much television but she was really in no mood or condition to be running after him all afternoon. She was tired after their rough night and she just wanted a nap. It wasn't long before they were all asleep…that was until Beca was startled awake by Jesse's moans and thrashing around. She quickly got up and moved Dylan to their bed before trying to tend to Jesse.
There was fear on his face as he continued to moan. He was calling Beca and Dylan in his sleep. "Baby, I'm right here." She said kissing him on the forehead as she kneeled down next to the couch. She tried to wake him by lightly shaking him but that didn't work. In fact, he seemed to be getting more and more agitated. She quietly called his name and stroked his cheek but he wouldn't respond. She tried sitting on the couch and rubbing his arm to calm him and was shocked when he punched her in the arm. She knew he didn't mean it, he didn't know what he was doing, but it hurt and left a big red mark on her arm that was sure to bruise. He continued to call for her and Dylan, tears running down his face. As she rubbed her arm she said, "Jess…baby, wake up. It's me…I'm here." He wouldn't wake up, he seemed to be getting further and further away and she didn't know what to do. He had done the same thing the night before and she hadn't been able to get him to wake up then either.
Beca was not one to give up or give in but this situation made her feel defeated. Jesse needed her and there was nothing she could do to help him. So she curled up in the recliner and cried watching helplessly as Jesse's nightmare went on for another few minutes before he finally settled down. As his body calmed, she wondered if he was dreaming about the accident or being trapped in the car. She sobbed as she realized how scared he must have been in those moments right after the accident. The paramedics couldn't get to him right away because he was trapped; they had to wait for the fire department to cut him out of the car. She was told that he had been in and out of consciousness while they were working to get him out of the car and that during that time he would cry out for her and Dylan.
An hour had passed and Beca was still wide awake watching Jesse. He was starting to move around again but she didn't dare go near him for fear that he would hit her again. Luckily this time, he was waking up not having another bad dream. As he opened his eyes he saw her watching him. "Hey babe, did you get to nap?"
She looked right at him and for the first time since their freshman year of college, she lied to him. "I did. How did you sleep?"
"I slept ok. I still feel really tired though."
"You can go back to sleep but you're due for another pain pill." She said as she got up to get him a fresh glass of water. As she placed the glass of water and a snack on the coffee table, Jesse noticed the mark on her arm.
"Babe…what happened to your arm?"
"Oh…I think I bumped it on the door frame when I helped you to the bathroom earlier." She lied again. She couldn't believe that this accident had caused her to revert back to who she was in college. She told herself that she should just tell him what happened but she didn't want him to feel bad, he felt bad enough and he didn't need the burden of what happened in his sleep to affect his recovery.
"Are you ok? It looks like it hurts."
She rubbed her arm remembering what happened, "Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing compared to what you're going through."
"Mommy!" Dylan called from the other room. "I waked up!"
"I'm going to go get him. I'll be right back." Jesse grabbed her hand and pulled her down toward him for a kiss. He kissed her so gently then he kissed her arm where the bruise had already started to form. "I love you baby."
"I love you too. I'll be right back."
Beca changed Dylan's diaper then sent him into the family room to sit with Jesse. When Dylan was out of the room, she went into their bathroom and looked at the bruise in the mirror. She was so mad at herself for lying to Jesse. It would have been so easy to just tell him the truth but she just couldn't do that to him. He was already suffering so much and with any luck at all, it wouldn't happen again. She told herself that she would just have to be more careful if he had another nightmare. She changed her shirt so that Stacie and Bryan wouldn't see the bruise when they brought dinner over; she really didn't need or want to explain what happened.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful. They watched a movie with Dylan and Jesse fell asleep again. Once he fell asleep, she was careful to keep Dylan away from him in the event that he had another nightmare. Luckily, he hadn't had one which she was really thankful for because she didn't want Dylan to be scared or upset.
When Jesse woke up Dylan carefully crawled into his lap with the ipad and said, "Daddy, play a game wiff me."
"Ok, buddy…what are we playing?"
"Dis one." He said pointing to one of the apps Beca downloaded for him.
"Ooo, this is a good one."
"Yeah...a good one." he said parroting Jesse.
They sat playing the game while Beca folded laundry. It wasn't long before Stacie and Bryan arrived with dinner. The boys played for a few minutes before they all sat down to eat. During dinner they all talked but Stacie noticed that Beca wasn't eating a whole lot and she was exceptionally quiet. She figured it was because she was tired but decided to let it go. Beca would come to her if she wanted to talk about anything.
Beca knew by the look on Stacie's face that she knew something was wrong. She felt that if she couldn't talk to Jesse about what was going on, then she certainly wasn't going to bring anyone else into what was going on and she didn't want to embarrass Jesse. No one needed to know about his nightmares or what happened when he had them. What happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.
