Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

D ean's next few days at River Camps were busy, but his mind was constantly on his sister after his last call with his mom. His sister's illness had caused her physical strain and her ex-husband's antics were taking their toll on her emotional and mental health. Even he was becoming exhausted from trying to keep up with Luke's antics.

Thankfully, he could mentally escape into work, but as soon as his shift ended, the worry set in again.

One evening, just as he finished cleaning up after the dinner rush, his phone buzzed.

It was a message from his mother: "Taking Sophia to the hospital."

His heart sped up as he read the message a few times. His first instinct was to call her, but she was probably already driving and he didn't want to take her attention away since it was raining heavily.

After shooting her a text saying he was on his way there, he quickly changed out of his work clothes. He drove straight to the hospital, worry gnawing at him with every passing mile. He parked haphazardly in the almost-empty parking lot and rushed into the ER. His mother was pacing in the waiting area and rushed towards him when she saw him.

"What happened?" he asked, breathless.

"She collapsed after dinner," his mother said, tears brimming in her eyes. "She was so weak, and then she just…collapsed."

He hugged her tightly and felt her shiver.

"She'll be okay. They'll take care of her," he said as much for himself as his mother. She had to be okay, he told himself over and over again.

They waited for almost an hour before a nurse appeared and informed them that Sophia was stable but needed to stay overnight for observation.

"Can I see her?" his mother asked.

"We'll be moving her soon," the nurse said, nodding. "But one of you can head back until we move her to a private room."

"Go," he said and kissed his mother's cheek. "I'll be head up when she gets a room."

His mother disappeared with the nurse and for a moment he felt a small sense of relief. But it was short-lived. Not long after, a familiar and unwelcome figure entered the waiting room—Luke. Shit. He didn't want to deal with the man now. How the hell did he even know Sophia was here? They couldn't have been here more than an hour.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean groaned, stepping in front of the double doors that led back to where Sophia was.

"Your mother called me. She told me that she was taking Sophia here. I need to see her," Luke said, his voice slurring slightly as if he'd been drinking. "She's my wife." He tried to pass him.

"Ex-wife," Dean corrected, instantly upset that his mother would have called the man. "You lost the right to demand anything as far as my sister is concerned."

Luke's eyes flashed with anger. "She needs me."

"No, she doesn't," Dean shot back. "She has us, her family. You're not part of that anymore."

Luke took a step forward, his face contorted with rage. "You think you can keep me away? You're nothing, Dean. You couldn't protect her then, and you can't protect her now."

Just then a woman in a tight red dress strolled in and, seeing the two of them, she walked over to sling her arm through Luke's.

Dean felt his own anger rising. "Get out of here, Luke. You're not welcome."

Luke threw off the woman's arm and shoved Dean, causing him to stumble back. "I'm not going anywhere!" he shouted as several people in the waiting area gasped and looked on.

Before Dean could react, Luke swung his fist, landing a punch squarely on his jaw. The force of the blow sent him sprawling to the floor, and chaos erupted in the waiting room. Nurses and security personnel rushed in, pulling Luke away as he struggled and shouted. The woman, who was obviously with him, stood by looking slightly amused.

His mother reappeared and cried out, "Has someone called the police?" as she knelt beside him.

Within minutes, the police arrived, and Luke was handcuffed and led away, still shouting obscenities. His new woman had apparently disappeared during the chaos.

Another hour later, Dean sat in the waiting area with an ice pack held on his jaw.

"Are you okay?" his mother asked him again, her voice trembling.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he groaned. "Why'd you call him?"

His mother sighed. "Sophia asked me to call him whenever something happened to her. She…I'm not sure she remembers they're divorced. Sometimes her mind slips." She shook her head. "It's all the drugs she has to be on. They mess with her."

"Next time she asks you to call him, call me and pretend it's him," Dean suggested. His mother nodded slightly. "Go." He took her hand in his. "I'm fine. Go back and be with Sophia."

She nodded as a police officer approached them. "We'll be filing charges against him for assault since there were several others who witnessed the altercation. Are you willing to press charges?" he asked Dean.

Dean nodded. "Absolutely. He can't keep doing this."

"All right," the officer said, and then he sat next to him to take his statement while his mother headed back to be with his sister.

After the police left, Dean followed his mother up to the top floor, where Sophia had a private room. His sister looked fragile in the hospital bed, but she managed a weak smile when she saw them.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting beside her and taking her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Sophia whispered. "But better now that you're here." She glanced towards the door. "Where's Luke?"

Dean squeezed her hand gently. "We're here for you."

"He's my husband," she said, her eyes foggy and unfocused.

"Not anymore," he pointed out.

"He punched Dean," their mother said. "In the waiting room." She took Sophia's other hand. "The police came and took him away."

Sophia's worried eyes filled with tears. "Are you okay?" she asked, and he nodded quickly. "I'm so sorry about Luke. I never wanted any of this. I thought…I divorced him." She shook her head. "I remember, sometimes."

"It's not your fault," Dean assured her. "He's gone now, and he won't bother you again."

Sophia rested her head back. "I'm so tired," she said as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Tired of fighting him. Tired of fighting this body that seems hell-bent on destroying itself." She sighed and then fell asleep.

He and his mother sat in silence as the weight of everything hovered silently between them. Despite the pain and the chaos, being there for his sister was what mattered most. He would do whatever it took to protect her and support her through this. That's what family did. That's what the three of them always did for one another.

Later that night, as he sat by her bedside, watching her sleep, Dean's thoughts drifted to Andrea. He hadn't had a chance to call her or explain what had happened, but he knew she would understand. She always did. For now, his focus was on Sophia, but he promised himself he would make time to be with Andrea soon. She was becoming an important part of his life, and he didn't want to lose that connection.

The weekend was coming up, along with their first official date. His mind played over the possibilities as he listened to the sounds of the hospital and his sister's shallow breathing.

The following day, after a few hours of sleep, he walked down the pathway to the main campus building to go to work and stopped when he came up against a wall of Wildflowers. Zoey, Scarlett, Elle, Hannah, and Aubrey to be exact.

Zoey and Scarlett were sisters. Zoey, Elle, and Hannah had married three brothers and were now all Costas. Zoey had married Dylan, Elle had married Liam, and Hannah had married the oldest Costa, Owen.

They were all as different as the flowers they named themselves after, other than Zoey and Scarlett.

Out of all the friends, Zoey was the most sport-oriented friend. The fact that she'd gone to the Olympics for softball before opening the camp was a big draw to a lot of sports fans. She and Dylan had a daughter Paige and a son named Benjamin, who was born late last year. Dylan worked at the camp overseeing employees and the grounds.

Zoey's sister, Scarlett, who looked a lot like her sister, was slightly taller than Zoey. She'd had a son, Samuel, shortly before Benjamin had been born. Scarlett's hair was a lot wilder and, even though she was just as good at sports as her sister, Scarlett spent more time working with the horses.

Aubrey had a mass of red hair she was always trying to tame and porcelain skin that kept her wearing sun shirts when outside. She was currently carrying her and Aiden's first child and was due at the end of the summer.

Elle was the tallest and the tannest out of the group. Her grandfather had owned the camp before the friends had inherited it when he'd passed away almost ten years before. Elle had cut her long blonde hair a little shorter after having her twins almost two years back. Elle was married Liam Costa, who also worked at the camp and ran the wood shop.

The last of the friends, Hannah, was a petite blonde who had obviously come from wealth. She had more connections than anyone he'd ever met. She was the reason celebrity chef Issac Andrews was the head chef at the camp. She had a boy named James Oliver, who was a spitting image of his dad Owen Costa.

At the moment, each of the five friends, his bosses, stood blocking his way with their arms locked as if they were playing a game of Red Rover. They were obviously prepared to keep him from getting inside the building.

"What are you doing here?" Zoey asked.

"Your mother called us," Elle said softly. "Go home. Get some sleep."

"Or go back and be with Sophia," Aubrey suggested.

"You look too tired to work," Hannah added.

The five of them were all talking at the same time and he groaned.

"Did you five seriously stand here waiting for me?" he asked.

They all smiled as an answer.

"Don't make us get Lea out here," Scarlett warned.

Dr. Lea Val had worked at both the camp and the hospital for a few years. Last year she'd finally opened her very own health clinic in Pelican Point. She still occasionally made house calls out to the campgrounds and was an unofficial Wildflower along with a few other women who worked at River Camps.

He liked Lea and had spent a lot of time over at her and her husband Brett Jewel's house since they got married. They'd all gone to the same school. Actually, Brett, Lea, Elle, Damion, Aiden, Carter, Andrea, and he had all grown up together. Even though they hadn't run in the same circles when they were younger, they were close now.

"Fine." He sighed and rolled his shoulders. He was stiff from sleeping in the hospital chair.

"But first…" Zoey stepped forward. "Why don't you head over and have Andrea work those kinks out?" Zoey motioned to his shoulder, which he was unconsciously rubbing.

"That's not a bad idea," Hannah said, pulling out her walkie-talkie. "Andrea, you there?"

A moment later Andrea replied, "Yup, what's up?"

"Clear a space on your morning schedule. We have a high priority client heading your way."

"Will do, boss," Andrea replied as the five friends smiled back at him.

"Meddlers," he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Elle asked with a grin.

"Nothing." He turned to head towards the pool house.

"Then go home and sleep. You look like shit," Zoey called out as the friends chuckled.

He couldn't be mad at them. He knew they had his best interests at heart. Besides, he was really tired. Probably too tired to work. No doubt he'd crash halfway through his shift.

Andrea was standing just outside the glass doors waiting. Her smile told him she'd heard where he'd spent the night. The worry was obvious.

"So, you're the VIP?" she asked as he stepped into the cooler building.

"Guess so," he mumbled.

She stopped him from walking past her, her hand going up to his chin. "What happened here?"

He frowned and then remembered Luke's sucker-punch and shrugged.

"My ex-brother-in-law decided to go a little overboard last night," he explained.

Andrea frowned up at him. "Did you punch him back?"

He shook his head. "Nope, which is why he's the one sitting behind bars this morning."

"Okay, I guess there's more to this story," she said, catching up with him as he headed towards one of the massage rooms. "Hey." She laid a hand on his arm. "Is everything okay?"

He glanced up and down the hallway. "Did you really cancel your appointments this morning for me?"

"Just one. But I already had an idea you might be coming. When your mother called Elle and told her you were heading in here after spending the night at your sister's hospital bedside, she and the rest of the Wildflowers jumped into motion."

He rolled his head back and shut his eyes. "Busybodies."

"They love you," Andrea said with a chuckle. "And are worried at the same time. Still, we didn't hear about your run-in with your brother-in-law."

"Ex-brother-in-law," he corrected.

She nodded. "Right. How about you tell me about it, after you change and lay on my table."

"Fine," he sighed. "Only because I know they'll have someone watching the building to stop me if I try and leave without a massage."

He glanced towards the glass doors and, sure enough, he could see Dylan and Brett standing by the pool chatting. Both of them kept stealing glances in their direction.

Andrea chuckled and then pulled him back to one of the rooms. "You know the drill. I'll let you change." She shut the door with him alone inside the room.

It wasn't until he started sliding his shorts down that he realized that he'd be naked in the same room as the woman he wanted to sleep with. Sure, Andrea had given him plenty of massages in the past. But every time, he'd secretly wanted her.

And now they'd kissed and she'd told him she wanted to sleep with him. Which meant, this time, everything was different.