All of Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy (26 page)

“We’ll meet you there,” Mike says. He grabs my robe off the chair and helps me into it. “Are you alright, Miss Taylor?

I nod my head even though every inch of me aches, especially my head.

“Let’s get you to the hospital,” Mike says. With his arm firmly holding me upright, he walks me to the car. We drive to the hospital in silence, as I stare into nothingness. My crying subsides, but I feel like I could crack at any moment. I’m beyond worried and terrified that I might lose Aiden after everything. We pull up, Mike parks, and we make our way inside the emergency room. I walk in and a triage nurse walks toward us.

“You look like you’ve had a rough morning,” she says.

I feel like saying,
No shit Sherlock,
but I don’t. Instead, I say nothing.

“We’re here for Aiden O’Connell, a patient who’s coming in by ambulance,” Mike says to the nurse.

“Yes, he’s being assessed by the doctors and is going in for x-rays. I’m sorry I can’t tell you any more than that. Are you family?”

Mike swallows hard.

“Yes, I’m his fiancée and this is his stepfather,” I say, making sure that Mike can go with me to see Aiden.

Mike looks at me with furrowed brows. I nod ever so slightly at him to make him go along with me, and he exhales.

“Yeah that’s right,” he says with confidence.

“Okay, I will let you know when you are able to go in and see him. Do you need to be seen for those cuts?”

I shake my head.

“Yes, she does,” Mike says with sternness to his voice.

“Okay, take a seat in the waiting room, and I’ll have a nurse check those cuts when one is available.”

“Thank you,” Mike says and ushers me to the waiting room.

It feels like hours since we arrived and they haven’t told me anything, which only heightens my concern for Aiden, and my patience is starting to wear thin. “Why won’t they fucking tell us anything, Mike?”

“Hey, no news is good news, right? Just let them take care of him. They’ll let us know when we can go in with him.”

I huff in frustration, get up, and pace the waiting room floor. My tears have dried up and are now being replaced with anger and frustration.
I just want to see my damn
fiancé
.

A nurse comes over to me “Are you here for Aiden O’Connell?”

“Yes, we both are,” I say, looking back at Mike who stands up and walks over to us.

“He’s stable but still unconscious. The doctor says it’s fine for you to go in with him now,” she says.

“It’s about time,” I say, starting to walk toward the emergency room doors.

“Jeni!” Mike says sternly, instantly making me feel bad for talking to her like that. I look back toward them.

“Sorry, I’m just a bit stressed,” I say.

We rush through the ER and straight to the desk.

“Excuse me, where is Aiden O’Connell?” I ask the woman behind the desk. She looks on her computer screen.

“Room four, sweetheart.”

“Thank you,” I say as I rush off to find room four.

We pull the curtain back. Aiden has on an oxygen mask, an IV drip in his arm, and monitors attached to his chest. Just when I thought I was holding it together, I lose it immediately at the sight of my fiancé in hospital. Now I know how he must have felt every time I was in hospital. I feel helpless, like there’s absolutely nothing I can do to help him, or make him wake up. Mike pulls me close to him. Callie comes rushing in with tears in her eyes. Mike lets me go and walks to Callie’s side.

“Oh God, what did he do to you both,” she says, crying into Mike’s shoulder.

Blair and Brielle both walk in, looking sullen, consoling each other. I’m left on my own at Aiden’s side, hoping and praying for him to be alright. I can’t live without him in my life. He’s my light, my air, he’s my everything. Nana comes in looking ashen. She hugs me tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Nana. This is my fault,” I say.

“This is no one’s fault, sweetheart. Alistair was sick, and it was the disease’s fault, most definitely not yours,” she says, stroking my hair.

“What if Aiden doesn’t wake up?”

“He will, sweetheart, he will.”

A nurse walks in. “Jenifer?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “Can I please check your wounds?” She puts on gloves and moves my hair to check out the cut to my head. I flinch when she fiddles around with it. Then she inspects the grazes and bruises.

“I think you’re mostly okay except for that cut on your head and the one on your leg. They will both need stitches unfortunately, my dear,” she says kindly. “I’ll go and grab the things I need to stitch you up and be right back. Also can we please empty this room; there are too many people in here. Please keep it to three people at a time.” She leaves.

Brielle and Blair decide to wait in the waiting room. Mike kisses Callie on the cheek and goes with them, leaving me, Callie, and Nana watching over Aiden.

The nurse comes back with a tray of surgical items. Nana sits right next to me the entire time, holding my hand. The nurse starts to put some anesthetic into my scalp, next to my cut, and I wince in pain. Nana tightens her hand around mine.

“Three stitches in the scalp should do it,” she says, tying the last one off.

“Now your leg will need a few more,” she says and then stitches my wound.

“That should do it. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, but I have a pounding headache.”

“I’ll get you some pain meds,” she says, and walks off with the tray in hand.

Callie paces up and down the room while Nana and I sit and wait. A nurse comes in to take his vitals: she checks his blood pressure, pulse, temperature and heart rate. Everything seems to be fine. We just need him to wake up. Nana and Callie decide to go grab a cup of coffee.

“Would you like to come?” Nana asks.

I shake my head. “I’m not leaving his side, not for anything.”

“Aiden, please wake up. I need you. I love you so much. I can’t do this without you,” I beg him. I bring my chair over closer to his side, sit down next to him, and hold onto his hand as soft tears flow down my cheeks.

CHAPTER 22

We’ve been here for hours, and the doctors seem to think his brain is recovering from all the swelling, and that he will wake up soon. I rest my aching head on his hand while I hold it.

“Aiden, I love you so much, please come back to me.”

His fingers start to move. I look up quickly at his face.

“Aiden, if you can hear me open your eyes.” I see his them flickering, like he’s trying to open them, but can’t quite manage it.

“C’mon, you can do it. I’m right here by your side,” I say to him, and kiss his lips.

“Please, Aiden, please wake up.”

I see them flicker and open. I exhale a sigh of relief as he blinks rapidly and moans slightly. A wave of pure happiness erupts from within me as I laugh and try to hold back my tears of joy.

“You’re in hospital, try to relax.”

I push the call button. He raises his hand to his head, touching it. He winces, reaches out to the cut on my head, and then caresses my cheek.

“I love you,” he says.

A male nurse comes in. “Aiden, my name is Dr. Baker. Can you hear me?”

Aiden nods.

“Good, now I’m going to raise up your bed. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Aiden says.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Baker asks, removing Aiden’s oxygen mask.

“Just a really sore head,” Aiden says.

“Follow my finger,” he says, shining the light into Aiden’s eyes. He moves his finger back and forth from side to side. Aiden follows his finger perfectly.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” he asks.

“Two,” Aiden says.

“Do you know what day it is?”

“Wednesday.”

“Good work, Aiden. Do you remember what happened?” he asks.

“My father was at the end of our bed when I woke up. I got out of bed and walked around to see what the hell he was doing in our bedroom. That’s the last thing I remember,” he says.

“Okay, that’s good. You were hit with a vase and it knocked you unconscious.”

“What happened to Father? And why are you hurt, Jeni?”

I freeze. I don’t know what to tell him.

“I’ll be back with shortly,” Dr. Baker says, leaving.

“Babe, um… your father… he…” I gulp a lump down my throat. “He fell.”

Aiden stares at me with furrowed brows. “Fell from where? Is he alright?”

I can’t help the tears that fall down my cheeks. I hold his hand to my chest.

“Aiden, he fell from the balcony,” I say.

“But he’s okay though, right?”

Even with the torment his father put us through, Aiden still loves him. I exhale and sigh, trying to find the right words, but I can’t find any, so I shake my head.

Aiden’s hand shoots up to his mouth.

“I’m so sorry, Aiden, I tried to help him, so did Blair, but he was too heavy for us. I couldn’t save him. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“He’s…” Aiden says.

I look into his teary eyes and nod. “Yes.”

A tear falls down his cheek, and I lean over to comfort him. Callie and Nana walk back in, talking and holding their cups of coffee.

“Oh, honey, you’re awake. Thank God,” Callie says. “Has Jeni told you?”

“Yes,” Aiden says.

I move out the way so they can have their time together. Nana walks to Aiden’s side, and they console each other. I sit down in my seat feeling a little dizzy and in a lot of pain. The nurse walks back in with my pain meds. She opens the curtain and sees the family mess as I sit alone. She looks at me sympathetically and hands me the pills with some water.

“Glad he’s awake,” the nurse says, patting me on my shoulder before she leaves.

When the doctor comes back into the room, he tells Aiden he needs to stay overnight for observation, but he should be alright to go home tomorrow.

He gets moved to his own private room and everyone comes to see him. I sit on the edge of the bed, and he holds my hand while everyone talks to him. When my mom enters the room, I hug her tightly.

“I’m so glad you are both alright. I’m so sorry for your… loss. Sorry, I never know what to say in these situations,” Mom says, sitting next to me on the bed.

“Thank you, Ev,” Nana says kindly, while wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

After a while everyone leaves and Aiden’s dinner arrives. It’s a very dry looking slice of beef and roast vegetables. He hands me the Jell-O.

“No, that’s your dinner.”

“Jeni, baby, I know you’ve had nothing to eat today. You will eat the Jell-O, and you will love it,” he says jokingly.

“Darling, I think I’ll go and give you two some time together,” Mom says kindly.

“Thank you so much for being here, Ev. It means a lot to me,” Aiden says.

“Don’t be silly. I wouldn’t be anywhere else. And call me Mom. You two are practically married anyway,” she says, making him laugh.

“Thanks, Mom,” he says, and she leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Let me know when you get home tomorrow,” she says, walking out of the room.

I sigh when we're finally alone. He moves his tray aside and scoots over in the bed so I can lie next to him. I cuddle into his chest while he strokes my hair and kisses my head.

“I was so worried about you,” I say.

“I’m worried about you. Look what he did to you.”

I shrug. “I’m fine.”

We spend the rest of the night lying on the bed together and we eventually drift off to sleep.

***

I wake suddenly and look around to get my bearings. I’m in the hospital with Aiden. My alarm sounds, and I quickly jump up and run to my bag to turn it off. I walk back to the bed and sit on the edge. Aiden sits up.

“Morning, beautiful,” he says and he leans in to kiss me.

“How are you feeling?”

“Tired but otherwise fine.”

“I know the feeling,” I say as a nurse comes in to check on Aiden. When I come back from the bathroom, Aiden’s bed is propped up. He’s reading the newspaper and looks delectable.

The doctor comes in eventually and gives Aiden the all clear. We head out to the car where Mike is waiting, and he drives us back to our home. We arrive and there is nothing of the horror from the morning before, not even in the bedroom where Aiden’s blood soaked the carpet. Someone’s done a great job of cleaning the house, thank goodness.

We decide to take a shower to wash off the residual blood stains on both of us. Mike goes back to the guesthouse, leaving us alone. We strip off and step into our large shower together. Aiden adjusts the temperature and we both stand under the twin showerheads and relax under the cascading water. Aiden turns and holds me while he gently washes the blood from my hair and I wash the blood from his. We stay in the shower holding each other tightly.

After our shower, we make our way out to the deck. We relax by the pool’s edge, soaking up the sun, relaxing for most of the day outside, until a soft cool breeze wafts in the air, making me slightly chilled. We head back inside and hear Aiden’s cell ringing. He rushes over to the countertop and catches it just in time.

“It’s Mom,” he calls out, and then he answers.

“Hi, Mom. Yeah, we are both fine. How are you?” he asks, rubbing the back of his neck and then stretching it from side to side.

“Next Wednesday. Are you able to arrange all this or do you want me to take over?” His brows furrow and he frowns.

“Honestly, I don’t mind. If it’s too hard for you, I can definitely do it.”

He exhales and runs his hand through his hair. “Well, if you change your mind or need any help, please let me know.”

“Yes, that should be fine. Hang on, I’ll ask Jeni.” He covers the receiver and looks at me.

“Baby, is it alright if Mom and Mike come over tonight to have dinner with us?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, of course.” He should be with his family in a time like this.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks, Mom, I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up his cell and sighs sadly.

“That was about the funeral,” he says, walking over to me. I bite my bottom lip, and I move to hug him. He pulls me in so tightly I can’t move. I feel sorry for him, sorry that his father’s gone, and sorry that I couldn’t save him.