Three Hearts One Soul (The Soul Series #1) Read online

  THREE HEARTS ONE SOUL

  All rights reserved. This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook is copyright Material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any form without prior written permission of the publisher, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution, circulation or use of this text May be a direct infringement of the author’s rights, and those responsible May be liable in law accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.

  Copyright © 2013 Bec Botefuhr

  Published by Bec Botefuhr, June 2013.

  Three hearts one soul is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Please do not take offence to the content, as it is FICTION.

  Books in this Series

  Three Hearts One Soul – Book One

  Two Hearts One Soul – Book Two (Released June/July 2013)

  Book Three is still being decided upon.

  Join my facebook page “Author Bec Botefuhr” to get updates on more of my work! Also go and give my like page “Bec Botefuhr” a like for me!! It would mean a lot!

  *PLEASE NOTE* I am an Australian Author and while I try hard to make sure my work doesn’t sound too “Aussie.” I do miss things here and there. I have tried to set most of my work in Australia, and tried to make my slang a little less obvious. Please, if you find anything feel free to email me on [email protected] and let me know. That goes for spelling/grammar errors too; I try the best I can.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I’m fairly sure I’ve given everyone I love an acknowledgment now, so this book goes out to all of you who have had a friend in your life that changed everything for you. A friend that made you who you are, a friend that you fell in love with or didn’t. Friendship is the rainbow in life, it gives us everything we need to stay strong even through the storms.

  So for all of you, and your wonderful friends, this one is for you.

  Prologue

  Do you remember your first love? I don’t mean the one you had when you were ten, I mean the one that came along like a hurricane and changed your life. The one that took your breath away, the one that made every day worth living, the one that taught you how to love, how to fight, how to be strong, and how to reach for your dreams. The one that was not only your friend, but your lover, your hero and your confidant. The one that changed something inside you. The one that would, in one way or another, break your heart.

  I remember my first love, because I had two of them. Jase and Jarrod ‘Whiskey’ Levanox. I remember them because they whirled into my life and taught me everything I know now. They weren’t just my friends, they were my soul mates, they held me together like glue, they brought sunshine into darkness. Then, they left me. Left me to fight, left me to try and love again, left me alone. They took a part of me with them, and sometimes I honestly feel like I’ll never love another person in my life, the way I loved them.

  But life is funny sometimes, it throws us situations that sometimes we believe is a second chance. In my case, it threw me the back the boys, but there’s always a catch isn’t there? Nothing ever just goes perfectly, no matter how much planning and effort is put into it. Life goes how life goes, and that’s why it’s so damned hard sometimes, because it’s something we can’t control. Mostly though, life teaches us a lesson, even if at first we don’t see what that lesson is. I am still trying to figure out what my lesson is, because sometimes looking past the pain, heartache and agony makes it hard to see the light at the other end.

  I’m sure though, that my lesson is there, I just have to find it.

  Chapter 1

  “Whiskey, shove over, you can’t always sit next to her!” Jase laughs, shoving his brother in the shoulder. His beautiful smile lights up the room. His eyes dance with mischief. That’s Jase, always the mischief maker.

  “Nah, this time she’s mine,” Whiskey grins, giving me that devilish smile that gets him into more trouble than it’s worth. He’s the perfect combination of gorgeous bad boy. He has that stunning charm and at the same time, he can be an utter ass.

  “How about this,” I smile, standing. “I’ll sit in the middle, then you can both have me.”

  Sometimes hanging with these two is like hanging with a bunch of school kids. They argue and fight for my attention often. That’s why I love them though, their dedication to me is truly heart-warming.

  Jase laughs and Whiskey smirks at me. “A girl with brains,” he drawls. “I like it.”

  “Yeah, well, what can I say? I’m amazing.”

  I sit on the chair between the two boys and feel my heart swell. Since ten years old, we’ve all been friends. I met Jarrod aka ‘Whiskey’ and Jase when we moved in down the road. They used to tease me, as all young boys did. Then one day some older girls picked on me and the boys were there, just like that. After that, something just grew between us. Life’s funny like that sometimes, isn’t it? They turned from teasing me, to protecting me and life for us all was never the same after that. I’d like to say it changed for the best, I am more a glass half full kinda girl.

  Since that day, we’ve all been inseparable. Known as the trouble makers and the three stooges, Whiskey, Jase and I did everything together. We went to school together, we hung out together, we sat together at lunch together, we partied together, curled up together on rainy nights and they were always there for me when I needed them. I’d never met one person in my life that I felt was a part of me before, let alone two. The boys quickly became my everything and that’s how they’ve stayed.

  “So Nevaeh, girl, tell us about Harold?”

  I snort at Jase’s teasing voice. Jase lives to tease, he’s got that personality. He’s just one of those happy go lucky people, I really don’t think Jase has a dark side, if he does I’ve never seen it. He’s utterly beautiful, inside and out.

  I cross my arms across my woollen sweater and give Jase a pointed look. “Harold? What about him?”

  “He was totally giving you the bedroom eyes at lunchtime,” he grins, wiggling his eyebrows.

  Whiskey snorts rudely and I give his hand a sympathetic squeeze. Whiskey and I have always had a lot of…shall we say…sexual tension. While Jase and I have always had a crush on one another, with Whiskey it’s more…dangerous. The two boys are ying and yang, Jase is quiet, sweet and the kind of person that puts everyone before himself. Whiskey is different, he’s darker, tougher, rougher and the bad boy of the two. My dark and light, my heaven and hell, my day and night, my sunshine and rain, they are my perfect opposites.

  “Aw Whiskey, mate, don’t be jealous!” Jase laughs, shoving his brother in the shoulder.

  “There’s nothing to be jealous about!” I cry, slapping Jase’s leg and giving him a scowl. “I don’t even like Harold!”

  They both laugh now, the sound is like Christmas. “Nevaeh and Harold sittin’ in a tree,” Whiskey begins singing in his drawly voice.

  Huffing, I stand. “Fine, watch the movie yourselves.”

  “Aw Heaven, come on!” Whiskey says, gripping my arm and pulling me back down. “We’re only teasin’.”

  “Why do you insist on calling me Heaven?” I ask, crossing my legs and staring at Whiskey.

  He looks divine tonight, in his black singlet, black jeans and chains hanging around his neck and off his jeans. He likes his bad boy lo
ok. His dark hair is messy and his black boots top the look perfectly. He turns to me and winks, making my heart do a crazy little flutter.

  “Because your name is Heaven spelled backwards, I think it suits you better the way I put it.”

  I smile and roll my eyes, then I shove my hand into the popcorn, popping the buttery morsel into my mouth and groaning as I chew. When I’m done having a moment with the popcorn, I turn to Whiskey. “Well, I think your name suits you, too!”

  “Oh?” Whiskey smirks, showing me those perfect dimples in his cheeks.

  “Yep, I hear you smell good when covered in your own Whiskey spew.”

  He grumbles and Jase roars with laughter, gripping his belly and leaning back against the chair. “He’ll never live that down.”

  I grin thinking about how Jarrod got his nickname ‘Whiskey’, which everyone now calls him. We were at a party one night and he was on the prowl. He began drinking our friend Liam’s father’s expensive Whiskey. We all warned him it would make him sick, but he didn’t listen. Whiskey is stubborn like that, he thinks he knows best all the time. Anyway, he went walking off with a girl and right before they got it on, he barfed all over her. She ran off screaming that all she could smell was Whiskey and how it burned her nose, that she would never be able to get it off her clothes. After that the name just stuck.

  “You’re a real piece of man candy, Whiskey,” I giggle. “Barfing on girls.”

  He chuckles and grips my face, bringing me close. “Says she. I’ve held your hair back while you’ve barfed on my shoes sugar, real piece of woman candy you are.”

  I giggle and reach out for Jase’s hand. He looks over at me with the same brown eyes as Whiskey and runs his free hand through his thick blonde locks.

  “This,” he says pointing between us all. “Is love.”

  “Shhh you lot!” Someone from the back yells.

  With a giggle, I snuggle back into the chairs and watch the movie with my two favourite people. Life is perfect.

  “Nevaeh? Hey! Helloooo!”

  I snap my head up and look over at my colleague, Tanya. She’s clicking her fingers in front of my face. I blink a few times and focus on her face. I hadn’t even heard her approach, I really was off in my own little world.

  “What’s up?” I ask, shaking myself from my moment of daydreaming.

  “I was calling you, from like…back near the storage closet. Seriously, where were you just then?”

  I shake my head and run my hands over my face. “Daydreaming, sorry Tan.”

  She smiles and rolls her eyes, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder and looking down at the clipboard in her hands. “You’re on beds three to nine today. We’ve got a new patient in nine, he’s in for cancer treatment but there’s not a spare bed in oncology at the moment, so he’ll spend a couple of nights here before they move him. Beds three to eight are the same as yesterday. Bed seven, Mr’s Anderson, needs a dressing changed this morning. She’s been complaining… a lot.”

  I scoff and finish it with a long, dreary sigh. “Craggy old duck will be the death of me. I’m always so nice to her and she still snaps at me and constantly says ‘you kids these days’ seriously, the woman needs a good slap.”

  Tanya giggles. “You’re the best nurse ever, no wonder the males like you.”

  I grin, flicking my blonde locks and giving her my best sultry voice. “They just love me for my booty!”

  With a laugh, Tanya hugs me and then continues on her rounds. I plod happily to reception to gather my charts, but I can’t find the chart for bed nine. It must be still in there. Picking up my pen, stethoscope, and mini torch, I head towards bed nine. When I get into the bland, clean smelling room, I look over at the man lying on the bed facing the wall. He’s quite large in build, well-muscled and broad. His head is completely bald, and my heart goes out to him. I couldn’t imagine how it must feel to be so sick. I have been lucky enough to never have a family member get so sick, I honestly don’t know how I’d deal with that.

  I walk over to his bed and pick up his chart. My heart stops as I read the name. No…it can’t be. It can’t be. No, god, please. This isn’t happening right now, how can it be?

  “Jase?” I whisper.

  The large form rolls and I am met with the most beautiful brown eyes I ever did see. Darker than milk chocolate and so deep, they swallow me in. I loved those eyes, for such a long time, they were my safe place. Looking at Jase always made things better. He just had that kind of sunshine about him, he’s was so utterly perfect. Now he’s sitting in a hospital, staring up at me from his bed with pure confusion in his brown depths.

  “Nevaeh? Is that you?” he whispers, his voice hoarse.

  My heart clenches as I stare down at the man I once loved so dearly. The man who became my world so quickly. I cover my mouth with my hand and make a strangled, choking sound. I haven’t seen Jase for five years, I haven’t seen him since he and Whiskey left me with no contact. I stopped looking for them after a few months, when I realized they weren’t coming back. It broke me, I lost not only one, but two of my best friends. I was young, alone and forced to deal with the backlash of their leaving on my own.

  “It’s me…Jase…is it really you? Oh god, Jase. Tell me this isn’t real?” I manage, clutching my chest.

  His brown eyes widen and he sits up, running his hand over his bald head. Then it hits me hard. I remember what Tanya said about the man in this bed. Cancer. Sick. Cancer. Jase has Cancer? Jase? Jase the nicest man I’ve ever met? Jase the sweetheart who never let me cry alone? No, it can’t be. This is just a dream. Maybe I’ve got the wrong bed. Maybe he just cut his hair. Jase isn’t sick. He can’t be. He’s too good. He’s too perfect. Jase is one of the good ones, this can’t happen to him.

  “Nevaeh, oh god, it’s really you.”

  Unable to contain my emotions, I turn and run out of the room. I hear my own shoes clatter on the floor as I rush towards the toilets. When I reach the wooden doors, I shove them open and barrel into a stall. Then, I drop to my knees and I throw up. Jase is in the hospital and he has cancer. It can’t be happening. It can’t be. It’s a dream. I’ll wake up soon. My hands tremble and tears stream down my face as I grip the toilet and dry reach until I can’t breathe. I hear a knock at the door a moment later.

  “Nevaeh? Honey? Are you ok?”

  It’s Tanya.

  “I…I…”

  “Open the door, come on,” she encourages.

  I manage to turn and flick the lock on the door. I flush the toilet and turn so my back presses against the wall, I bring my knees up to my chest and tremble as reality washes over me. Jase is here. He’s in the hospital and he’s sick. He’s my patient. I have to be his nurse, to take care of him, to help him. Jase is sick. Oh god, he’s sick. I can’t…I can’t seem to push that from my mind. How could this be happening? Maybe it’s not so bad. Maybe it’s something mild and he’s just in for treatment. Maybe I’m over reacting.

  “Hey, what happened?” Tanya asks, kneeling and staring down at me with those deep blue eyes.

  “Remember when I told you about Jase and Whiskey?” I whisper hoarsely.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  Swallowing the painful lump in my throat, I rasp, “The man in bed nine…that’s Jase.”

  Tanya’s mouth drops open and she slumps down beside me. “Jase is our cancer patient?”

  “I…oh…I…”

  “Hey, shhh, it’s going to be ok,” she soothes, gripping my hand and stroking her fingers over my skin.

  “I haven’t seen Jase for five years. I didn’t even know he lived so close. I didn’t know he was sick.”

  “He got transferred and you couldn’t have known he was sick honey.”

  I turn to her, I know my eyes are wide and frightened. “I can’t do this Tanya, I can’t look after him. I can’t after…”

  “You don’t get a choice honey, Jase is in your section and you know we’re too short staffed to swap around right now. It’s
only for a few days, after that he’ll be moved.”

  “How can I face him, Tanya? After so many painful years?” I say in a small, desperate voice.

  “You just have to treat him as a patient hon, you don’t get a choice.”

  “Tan…is he…dying?”

  She shakes her head, letting me know she doesn’t know. “I haven’t read his chart honey, but I don’t think it’s good.”

  My stomach clenches again and I turn back towards the toilet, losing my stomach once more. Tanya strokes my hair and soothes me as I cry and throw up until there’s nothing left. When she finally gets me to my feet, she takes me out into the washing up area and soaks a towel, pressing it against my face. I hold the cool cloth against my cheeks, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths to try and calm myself. Regardless of the past, your best friend could quite possibly be dying. You have to be here, you have to suck it up.

  “I have to get back to work babe, are you ok?” Tanya asks, tucking a stray hand of hair behind my ear.

  “I’m ok,” I croak. “Thanks Tan.”

  “Call me if you need, ok?”

  I nod. “Ok.”

  When she’s gone, I stare at myself in the mirror. My usually grey eyes are bloodshot. I dab my face with the cool cloth again, trying to reduce the blotchy, red marks all over my cheeks and forehead. I let my hair down, covering the ones on my neck and then I take a deep breath and head back out. As I walk down the halls, I have to force my legs to move. All I want to do is run, but I can’t, I have to face this, I have to. It’s Jase, regardless of anything, it’s Jase.

  When I get back into his room, he’s sitting on the side of the bed staring at the floor. I clear my throat and he snaps his head up. I get a good look at him now. His once flawless porcelain skin now has a grey tinge to it. He has no flush in his cheeks, and his eyes look a little sunken. His once thick blonde hair is completely gone, but I can see his lashes and eyebrows are still there, for the moment. Our eyes meet and so much passes between us, I don’t know what to say, so I’m thankful when he speaks first.