The Girl Jax Never Knew
Chapter 02 - The Girl Jax Never Knew
Jax didn't remember driving to the hospital.
He remembered Ethan sitting beside him.
He remembered Helen insisting on coming.
He remembered every red light feeling like a personal insult.
But most of all, he remembered the photograph lying on the dashboard.
Rachel.
Seventeen years younger.
Smiling.
Alive.
Before everything went wrong.
Ethan stared out the window.
"My stepdad doesn't know I found you."
Jax glanced at him.
"Your stepdad?"
"Martin."
The name meant nothing to Jax.
"Where is he?"
Ethan's shoulders tightened.
"I don't know."
Helen leaned forward from the back seat.
"Ethan, when did you last see him?"
The boy hesitated.
"Last night."
"What happened?"
"Mom told us to lock our doors."
Jax's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
"Us?"
"Me and Lily."
Jax felt his chest tighten again.
"How old is Lily?"
"Sixteen."
The math was close enough to hurt.
Too close.
At the hospital, a nurse stopped them.
"Family only."
Ethan pointed at Jax.
"He's family."
Jax looked at him.
The nurse looked confused.
Helen stepped forward.
"The patient specifically told her son to find him."
Eventually, a doctor came out.
Rachel was unconscious.
She had suffered injuries after falling down the stairs inside her home.
Martin Dawson, her husband, told police it was an accident.
But according to Ethan, Rachel had been afraid of Martin for months.
The doctor allowed Jax inside for two minutes.
He walked into the room alone.
Rachel looked smaller than he remembered.
Machines surrounded her.
A bruise marked one side of her face.
Jax stopped beside the bed.
For sixteen years, he had imagined what he would say if he ever saw her again.
Why did you leave?
Why didn't you call?
Did you ever love me?
None of it mattered now.
He touched her hand.
"Rachel."
Nothing.
Jax looked toward the machines.
"You sent your little boy to find me."
His voice broke.
"I don't know what you expect me to do."
Rachel didn't answer.
Then the door opened.
A girl stood there.
Long brown hair.
Hazel eyes.
Jax knew those eyes.
His mother's eyes.
The girl stared at him.
"You must be Jax."
He couldn't speak.
She entered slowly.
"I'm Lily."
Jax looked at her.
Seventeen years of unanswered questions suddenly stood five feet away.
Lily folded her arms.
"Before you ask..."
Her voice trembled.
"Yes."
Jax felt his knees weaken.
May you like
Lily looked directly at him.
"My mother says you're my father."
