Hearts on Air
Page 66
Her breath came out all at once, her eyes watery with fear. “Cal slipped. I don’t . . . I can’t . . .”
I pulled her into my arms, because she was just as distraught as I was. I couldn’t see what was going on; there were too many people surrounding Callum and Trev. When I heard an ambulance siren approach, I worried the worst had happened. But then I saw both Callum and Trev being helped down, and neither of them appeared hurt, at least not as far as I could tell.
I let go of Leanne and rushed to Trev’s side. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“It’s just a sprained wrist and maybe something torn in his shin,” one of the medics explained. “We’re taking him to the hospital just to be certain.”
“I’m okay, Reya,” said Trev, but his voice was clipped. I could tell he was in pain. “Told you I was made of sterner stuff.”
“What about Cal?” Leanne asked.
“He’s okay. There’s some ankle strain, but that’s all,” said the medic. “Again, we’re bringing him to the hospital as well to be checked out.”
A second later Barry stormed onto the scene, his face a mix of anger and concern. “Christ, Cal, what happened back there?”
“He slipped,” Trev answered, like he was defending him. “Happens to the best of us.”
“The fuck it does,” Barry fumed, his angry gaze cutting to Callum. “Have you any idea how lucky you are, you little shit? Trevor could’ve been paralysed. So could you, for that matter.”
“Hey, talk like that isn’t going to help anyone,” James cut in, the voice of reason.
Barry held out a hand. “Don’t try using that calm-voice shit with me, James. It won’t work. I’m allowed to be pissed off.”
The sirens grew louder and I turned to see an ambulance was on the scene. Its arrival cut short whatever argument was about to break out between Barry and the group. I tried staying with Trev but was quickly pushed out of the way in their hurry to transport him to the ambulance.
Neil, Paul, James and I took a cab to follow them, while Leanne was permitted inside the ambulance. We spent the next few hours at the hospital. There was a bit of a language barrier at first, but we eventually found a nurse who spoke fluent English and could translate.
It turned out Trev did have a sprained wrist. It had swelled significantly and I couldn’t get rid of the pang of anguish I felt at seeing him hurt. His wrist was put in a cast to keep it immobile and he was prescribed painkillers. The doctor also instructed him to rest for at least forty-eight hours. Luckily his leg was fine, just a little bit bruised.
Callum had ankle strain and some bruising, too, but nothing serious. I heard through Neil that Barry was fuming because now they had to delay the filming schedule for at least two days. Also, Trev wasn’t going to be able to take part in many stunts for the remainder of the series. His wrist could take weeks to heal properly. He could probably do some jumps so long as he didn’t need to use both hands, but he wouldn’t be able to climb. I personally thought it’d be fine if they just filmed with the other four stars, but what did I know?
“So, you excited to play nurse?” Trev grinned as I helped him to his bedroom when we arrived back at the apartment. I thought he might be feeling a little loose from the painkillers.
“Oh yeah, my life’s dream is finally coming to fruition,” I deadpanned.
He had a slight limp as he made his way to the bed and sat down. I stood in the doorway, eyeing him as I worried my lip.
“Something wrong?” Trev asked, brows arched.
“I’m just wondering when the time will come that you realise you aren’t invincible.”
He gave a soft chuckle then winced. “Believe me, that realisation came the first time I fractured a bone. Hurt like a motherfucker.”
I came and sat down next to him on the bed. “Hmm, I’m still not so sure. Don’t you ever get scared?”
Trev nudged me with his shoulder. “Can you keep a secret?”
I glanced him and smiled. “Always.”
He bent close to whisper, “Sometimes.”
His breath hit my skin and a shiver ran through me. When I met his eyes, there was an emotion in their depths. One that spoke of want and need and fierce desire.
“No me mires así,” I murmured quietly. Don’t look at me like that.
“Why not?” he asked, his voice a whisper.
I gasped. “How did you—”
He scratched his jaw, sheepish. “I’ve actually picked up some Spanish here and there over the years. Being around you all the time helped.”
I stiffened, my mind wandering back to our night at the Eiffel Tower.
Creo que nunca tuve otra opción más que amarte.
Had he understood what I said back then, too? Self-consciousness flooded my insides. It had always been the one thing I never gave to him, the one thing I managed to keep to myself. When we were together, Trev told me he loved me, but I never told him I loved him back.
I loved him more than anything, but I’d simply been too terrified to voice it. What if I told him and we drifted apart again? What if I gave him my whole heart and he cast me aside just like my family did? On the one hand, it was an irrational fear and I knew it, because Trev was nothing like my family. But on the other, it was completely rational. He hadn’t rejected me, but he had walked away. He had his reasons, yes, but that didn’t change how much it hurt. This was my last vestige of power. If he did let me down again, then at least I’d know I never gave him those words. At least I could reduce a small proportion of the pain.
“Reya, are you okay?” Trev asked, his eyes narrowed in concern.
“Yes,” I breathed. “It’s just . . . it’s been a long day.”
He studied me for a moment, then said, “Yeah, it has. I’m sorry if I scared you back there. It can’t have been easy seeing me fall like that.”
It was terrifying.
And the fact that it was terrifying was also terrifying.
The idea of something bad happening to Trev scared me more than anything, more than if it were happening to me. What if he’d died today and I never told him how I felt? My gut twisted with nausea just thinking about it. Maybe I needed to cast my fears aside, because they were more irrational than rational. And if we did somehow lose each other again, it would still hurt immensely. Lessening the pain wasn’t going to make that much of a difference.
I pulled her into my arms, because she was just as distraught as I was. I couldn’t see what was going on; there were too many people surrounding Callum and Trev. When I heard an ambulance siren approach, I worried the worst had happened. But then I saw both Callum and Trev being helped down, and neither of them appeared hurt, at least not as far as I could tell.
I let go of Leanne and rushed to Trev’s side. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“It’s just a sprained wrist and maybe something torn in his shin,” one of the medics explained. “We’re taking him to the hospital just to be certain.”
“I’m okay, Reya,” said Trev, but his voice was clipped. I could tell he was in pain. “Told you I was made of sterner stuff.”
“What about Cal?” Leanne asked.
“He’s okay. There’s some ankle strain, but that’s all,” said the medic. “Again, we’re bringing him to the hospital as well to be checked out.”
A second later Barry stormed onto the scene, his face a mix of anger and concern. “Christ, Cal, what happened back there?”
“He slipped,” Trev answered, like he was defending him. “Happens to the best of us.”
“The fuck it does,” Barry fumed, his angry gaze cutting to Callum. “Have you any idea how lucky you are, you little shit? Trevor could’ve been paralysed. So could you, for that matter.”
“Hey, talk like that isn’t going to help anyone,” James cut in, the voice of reason.
Barry held out a hand. “Don’t try using that calm-voice shit with me, James. It won’t work. I’m allowed to be pissed off.”
The sirens grew louder and I turned to see an ambulance was on the scene. Its arrival cut short whatever argument was about to break out between Barry and the group. I tried staying with Trev but was quickly pushed out of the way in their hurry to transport him to the ambulance.
Neil, Paul, James and I took a cab to follow them, while Leanne was permitted inside the ambulance. We spent the next few hours at the hospital. There was a bit of a language barrier at first, but we eventually found a nurse who spoke fluent English and could translate.
It turned out Trev did have a sprained wrist. It had swelled significantly and I couldn’t get rid of the pang of anguish I felt at seeing him hurt. His wrist was put in a cast to keep it immobile and he was prescribed painkillers. The doctor also instructed him to rest for at least forty-eight hours. Luckily his leg was fine, just a little bit bruised.
Callum had ankle strain and some bruising, too, but nothing serious. I heard through Neil that Barry was fuming because now they had to delay the filming schedule for at least two days. Also, Trev wasn’t going to be able to take part in many stunts for the remainder of the series. His wrist could take weeks to heal properly. He could probably do some jumps so long as he didn’t need to use both hands, but he wouldn’t be able to climb. I personally thought it’d be fine if they just filmed with the other four stars, but what did I know?
“So, you excited to play nurse?” Trev grinned as I helped him to his bedroom when we arrived back at the apartment. I thought he might be feeling a little loose from the painkillers.
“Oh yeah, my life’s dream is finally coming to fruition,” I deadpanned.
He had a slight limp as he made his way to the bed and sat down. I stood in the doorway, eyeing him as I worried my lip.
“Something wrong?” Trev asked, brows arched.
“I’m just wondering when the time will come that you realise you aren’t invincible.”
He gave a soft chuckle then winced. “Believe me, that realisation came the first time I fractured a bone. Hurt like a motherfucker.”
I came and sat down next to him on the bed. “Hmm, I’m still not so sure. Don’t you ever get scared?”
Trev nudged me with his shoulder. “Can you keep a secret?”
I glanced him and smiled. “Always.”
He bent close to whisper, “Sometimes.”
His breath hit my skin and a shiver ran through me. When I met his eyes, there was an emotion in their depths. One that spoke of want and need and fierce desire.
“No me mires así,” I murmured quietly. Don’t look at me like that.
“Why not?” he asked, his voice a whisper.
I gasped. “How did you—”
He scratched his jaw, sheepish. “I’ve actually picked up some Spanish here and there over the years. Being around you all the time helped.”
I stiffened, my mind wandering back to our night at the Eiffel Tower.
Creo que nunca tuve otra opción más que amarte.
Had he understood what I said back then, too? Self-consciousness flooded my insides. It had always been the one thing I never gave to him, the one thing I managed to keep to myself. When we were together, Trev told me he loved me, but I never told him I loved him back.
I loved him more than anything, but I’d simply been too terrified to voice it. What if I told him and we drifted apart again? What if I gave him my whole heart and he cast me aside just like my family did? On the one hand, it was an irrational fear and I knew it, because Trev was nothing like my family. But on the other, it was completely rational. He hadn’t rejected me, but he had walked away. He had his reasons, yes, but that didn’t change how much it hurt. This was my last vestige of power. If he did let me down again, then at least I’d know I never gave him those words. At least I could reduce a small proportion of the pain.
“Reya, are you okay?” Trev asked, his eyes narrowed in concern.
“Yes,” I breathed. “It’s just . . . it’s been a long day.”
He studied me for a moment, then said, “Yeah, it has. I’m sorry if I scared you back there. It can’t have been easy seeing me fall like that.”
It was terrifying.
And the fact that it was terrifying was also terrifying.
The idea of something bad happening to Trev scared me more than anything, more than if it were happening to me. What if he’d died today and I never told him how I felt? My gut twisted with nausea just thinking about it. Maybe I needed to cast my fears aside, because they were more irrational than rational. And if we did somehow lose each other again, it would still hurt immensely. Lessening the pain wasn’t going to make that much of a difference.
