Pieces of Him (28 page)

“Room seven,” he calls as he walks away, and I mutter my thanks as I rush in that direction. I practically run in the room, needing to see her, to make sure she’s okay. All of the relief I felt moments ago washes away when I actually catch sight of her. In its place, the fury returns and I want to find that motherfucker and beat the shit out of him. I push past my initial reaction and tell myself that she’s here, that these bruises will fade over time, and that Xander and I will still have her. If she still wants us, that is.

Her eyes are closed and I imagine that she must be exhausted after going through such a traumatic experience. I tread quietly into the room and take a seat next to her bed, careful not to wake her.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, resting my arms on the bed. Her eyes flutter open and I’m struck by the intensity in them when she sees me and the storm that threatens to break free as tears pool in her eyes.

“Max.” Her voice breaks, and I’m up out of my chair and sitting on the edge of the bed immediately.

“It’s okay,” I reassure her, as I stroke her hair wearily. The last thing I want to do is cause her any more pain.

“I’m so sorry, Max.”

“Why are you sorry, Em?” I ask, disbelieving. After the hell she’s been through, she actually apologizes to me. “I’m the one who messed up. I’m the one who’s sorry. You were the victim here.”

She shakes her head in disagreement. Her movements are shaky, stilted, and I want to tell her to stay still. “It was my constant lying that …”

“Don’t,” I interject. I know Emelia’s not a liar. I know that she always acts with the best intentions, so I don’t want her to carry that worry and guilt with her. “I should never have left you alone, not even for a minute, and that’s on me. I’ll have to live with that forever.”

“It’s not your fault.” She lifts up a hand to my cheek, and her touch feels like heaven because, deep down in the recesses of my mind, I was terrified that I’d never feel that again. That I’d never have her again.

“I was so scared, baby. I was so fucking scared that I’d never see you again.”

“Me too. I just kept thinking of you and Xander, and it got me through.” She takes the hand at my face away and places it on my hand instead. I take hold and give it a gentle squeeze, thinking that maybe she needs to feel my touch just as badly as I need hers. Maybe she needs to feel the connection between us, to make sure it still exists. “He was crazy. He snapped, and I wasn’t sure …”

“Don’t go there. I never should have walked away from you.”

“This was going to happen eventually. He was waiting for any opportunity to get to me. It was better this way. What if he would have gotten to me when I had Xander? Please don’t blame yourself.”

“It was my job to protect you,” I counter because it’s true. I should have been with her, and there really is no excuse for me. I acted like a dick, and she paid the price for that.

“Max,” she pleads with me. “Please let it go. I don’t want to have to relive this night forever. Garrett can never hurt me again. He’s locked up, and if I have anything to say about it, he’s going to stay that way for a long time.”

“I’ll try.” I give in because I don’t want her to have something else to worry about. As long as I know that he can’t hurt her anymore, I can handle what’s swimming around in my head. I can make it so that it never touches her because I want nothing but good things for her from now on.

“Where’s Xander?” she asks, effectively changing the subject. “Can I see him?”

“He’s home with Mrs. Park. I’ll make sure you get to see him tomorrow.” She looks disappointed, but her eyes flash with something. I can tell she’s thinking about something when she looks at me, but there’s indecision on her face. I’m about to ask her what’s wrong, but she gets there before me.

“I want him to be mine,” she blurts out, a fresh set of tears pooling in her eyes. “I mean I know he’s not really mine. I know he belongs to Keri, but she’s not here and I am. I love you and I love him and I want him to …”

“Em, you don’t have to ask me for permission to love my son. I love that you love him.”

“No. You don’t understand.”

“Maybe I do.” I try to reassure her because I do know exactly what she’s saying. I know what she wants to ask and I know why it would scare her. She’s afraid that I’ll object or that we won’t work out and she’ll lose her hold on Xander, but I know better. I know that would never happen. I’d never take anything good away from my son because, over the short course of time he’s been with me, I’ve realized there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. That’s what separates me from my own father. “But I think you need to just say what you want to say and not be scared of my reaction.”

Her lips tremble as she says the words. “I want to be his mother.”

I smile at her, and I swear if she weren't in so much pain, then I’d take her in my arms, kiss her, and more than likely fuck the shit out of her.

“You already are, aren’t you?”

“I feel like I am,” she whispers. She has hope in her voice, and I realize that she’s worried about this in the past.

“You feel it because you are. He’ll always have Keri. I’ll do my best to make sure he knows about her. But stories about her and a faded picture are not going to give him what he needs right now. That’s what you give him, and he can have you both.”

“What if something happens and we break up? Where will that leave me? You could easily walk away from me and take him away from me. Or if God forbid something happens to you? I have no claim to him.”

Jesus, she’s really freaking out about this, and I can’t say that I blame her. I know better than anyone that life can be a bitch. That shit can and does happen.

“First of all, we’re not breaking up.” She wants to interrupt me, I can tell, but I shake my head once, letting her know that I’m not done. “But you’re right, life happens and because it does, we need to take measures to ensure Xander’s well-being. For now, I’ll contact a lawyer and have a will drawn up naming you as legal guardian in the event that anything ever happens to me.”

“Okay but …”

“We’ll start the paperwork for you to adopt him, Em. This way no matter what happens between us, you’ll know where you stand. I’m never leaving you, never, but if it makes you feel better to know that he’s legally yours, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Really?” she asks in a relieved whisper.

“Yes, really.”

“Okay,” she says, trying to smile but flinching when the pain from her bruises registers. I wish I could help her, take the pain away somehow, but all I can do is make sure she’s comfortable.

“All right, why don’t you relax and try to get some sleep.” Sliding off the bed, I readjust her covers.

“Are you leaving?” She sounds anxious and her anxiety makes me want to put a fist through a wall. It takes some effort, but I keep my shit together.

“I won’t go far. Your family is waiting to see you.”

“My mother?”

“She’s here.” I nod.

With a steely determination, she makes a request. “I don’t want to see her.”

“Then you don’t have to see her,” I assure her. I’ll tackle the bitch if she tries to get anywhere near this room. Her days of fucking with my girl are over. From now on, Em has me to run interference with her mother.

“I don’t want you to leave yet.”

“Then I won’t go.” I would do anything for her. I’ll stay here until she’s released if that’s what she wants. I don’t know what’s become of me, how I went from anti-relationship to needing someone so badly. Sitting in the chair, I take hold of her hand again, stroking it gently with my thumb. This night could have ended so differently, but I can breathe a sigh of relief that the worst didn’t happen.

“Just till I fall asleep. I know you have to get back to Xander.”

“Xander’s okay. Mrs. Park is fine with him.”

“I love you so much, Max. The best thing I ever did was move in across the hall from you.”

Well, shit. What can I say to that? How can I tell her how much it means to me that she feels that way? How do I express the fact that I feel exactly the same way about her? How different would my life be if she hadn’t moved into our building when she did?

“I love you too, Em. You know you’re stuck with me now, right?”

“You can be a jerk sometimes, but I kind of like the sound of that.”

A nurse comes in to check on her one last time before a transporter arrives and takes her upstairs to a private room. She settles into the pillows of her uncomfortable looking hospital bed, her eyes close, and I wait and watch as she falls asleep. Only then do I go back downstairs to the waiting room in order to let her family know that she’s okay.

“It took you long enough,” her mother scoffs at me.

“She didn’t want me to leave her, so I didn’t.”

“It’s okay, Max,” Hannah says to me but glares at her mother. “How is she doing?”

“She’s pretty banged up, but she’s okay. She’s already been transferred to a room upstairs.”

“Well, what’s the room number? Phillip and I will check on her first.”

I turn back to her mother. I can’t lie, I’m looking forward to this a little too much. If it makes me a bad person, I can live with that.

“Actually, Mrs. Masters, she asked me to make sure you don’t go up there. She doesn’t want to see you.”

“Excuse me? You can’t keep me away from my daughter.”

“I can, and I will if it’s what she wants. Plus, she already informed the emergency room nurse who informed security, and if you try to go in her room, you’ll be removed.”

To this, Hannah and Colin both smile and try to hide their laughter. Her father looks indifferent, but Mrs. Masters is fuming and she directs her ire toward me.

“You think you’re so smart, the way you’ve managed to take Emelia away from me, don’t you? She used to listen to what I had to say until you came along.”

“No. The truth is that she couldn’t deal with your constant pressure and nagging so she moved here to get away from you.”

“You don’t know anything about our relationship.”

“Corrine.” Mr. Masters tries to interject, tries to calm her before shit gets out of hand, but I’m done with this lady.

“I know plenty. I know that you pushed her into a relationship with a man she never loved for the sole purpose of financial gain. I know she tried to explain to you how he was harassing her, and you told her his attention was a good thing. I know that you would rather see your children miserable than let them have what they want. And I swear to you, that you will get near Emelia over my dead body.”

“I-” she begins, but thankfully, Mr. Master’s cuts her off.

“Corrine, enough. She doesn’t want to see you. You brought that on yourself, now sit down and shut up.” He turns to Hannah and takes hold of her hand. “You go on up. I’m going to get your mother checked into a hotel and then I’ll be back.” She nods to her father, and I show her and Colin the way to Em’s room. I sit off to the corner in the back of the room while they have their visit. Emelia is in and out of sleep throughout, looking for me each time she wakes up, and only relaxing after she’s seen me. I know it’s because a part of her is still scared, but I can’t help but to be happy that I’m the one she’s looking for.

By the time I get Emelia home from the hospital, she’s losing her mind. She couldn’t stand to be stuck in a hospital bed for one more second and having to wait for a doctor to come and discharge her was not pleasant. Her father spent a lot of time at the hospital but finally left to go back to Connecticut last night, taking his wife with him. I haven’t seen her since our last run-in at the hospital, and I honestly couldn’t care less if I ever see her again. I’ve been trying to figure out how their relationship works, or better yet, how Mr. Master’s puts up with her, but at the end of the day, it’s none of my business.

Hannah and Colin have been staying in Em’s apartment and are heading back to London in the next day or two.

“Where’s my little man?” she questions as I help her into the apartment.

Since I could only sneak Xander into the hospital for a couple of minutes yesterday, Emelia’s been anxious to see him again.

“Mrs. Park had somewhere to be, so he’s across the hall at your place with Hannah and Colin.”

“Well, are you going to go get him?”