BREAKTHROUGH (Love's Not Easy Series Book 2) (18 page)

“I am here, honey.  I am right here.  He is not going to hurt you anymore, I promise.”  She smiled again, and squeezed his hand, before she closed her eyes again.

Mark and Tessa came running through the door with security and Mr. Edward.  Tessa leaned over Aimee. “Has anyone called for an ambulance?”

Piper nodded her head.  “They are on their way.  She has a pulse and she looked and talked to Aiden.”  Piper was crying hard.

Tessa looked at Kelli, holding pressure on Aimee’s leg.  “What’s wrong with her leg?”

“He stabbed her.  She is losing a lot of blood.”  Kelli pressed more pressure on Aimee’s leg.

“I would like to know how Aimee ended up like this and why LJ is beat up and being pinned against the wall?”  Mr. Edward demanded.

“LJ attacked Aimee.  When we busted the door down, he had knocked her out and was tearing off her dress.”  Piper motioned around the room at the pieces of her dress.

Mr. Edward looked at LJ.  “You did this to her?”

LJ turned his head.  “She started running her mouth and would not listen. Things went down the hard way.”

“LJ, I can’t believe you.” His dad yelled.

“Believe it.  This is not the first time he hit her.  In fact, it is the third, that we know of.  The first time, he jerked her backwards at the flat on the sidewalk.  She had to get steri-strips on her arms and face and she had a concussion. The second time, was at Dolli’s Delegacy, he slapped her twice in front of all the customers and then dragged her down the sidewalk, while he punched her in the face.  And you see what he did today.”  Lexi was very angry.

The EMS crew came through the door and started checking Aimee. Everyone moved out of the way, so they could work on Aimee.  One medic put a pressure dressing on her leg, while the other placed a neck collar around her neck.  Then, the two placed Aimee on the long board to protect her spine.  Once they had all the spinal immobilization protocol done, they left, telling Mark they would be taking her to Ancaster General.

Aiden wanted to rush right after her, but he had to stay for questioning. He volunteered to go first. He relived the horror of breaking down the door and seeing Aimee lying on the floor, helpless. Then, he left with Mark and Tessa to go to the hospital.  He was so anxious and nervous. He paced the floor for a while; and then, he sat in a chair linked his fingers into praying hands, and prayed for Aimee again.

The others came in and ran to Aiden, Tessa, and Mark.  They still didn’t know anything, the receptionist told them they had Aimee in testing and would let them know when she returned to the room.

Mr. Edward came in and went to Mark.  “They brought LJ here to be checked out, but I am more worried about Aimee, is she ok?”

Aiden heard Mark telling Mr. Edward the same explanation they just told the others.  All Aiden could focus on, was the fact Aimee maybe in the ER alone with LJ lurking around.  He had to get in the back with Aimee.

The receptionist called the nurses’ desk and found out Aimee was just brought back to her room.  Aiden told Piper, to tell the others he wanted to go to Aimee first.  When he walked into the Trauma unit and looked at Aimee lying on the ER bed, looking so helpless, and his heart fell to his feet.

She looked so pitiful.  Her color was pale, her leg was wrapped with a different type of bandage, but he could still see blood on it.  They had her on a heart monitor and an IV in her left hand.  He watched the machine monitoring her heart rate, it was in the high fifties.

Tessa and Mark entered the room, with the doctor behind them.  Aiden listened as he told them how Aimee had lost a lot of blood, due to the stabbing in her leg.  They had a tough time, but the bleeding has stopped, for now.  He said that she had a concussion, but no signs of any hemorrhages or blood clots in her brain.

He mentioned she will be getting a blood transfusion shortly, when she was admitted up stairs. They are hoping that her heart rate and blood pressure would go up after her transfusion.  He told them that Aimee needed to rest, but for them to let her know they are here with her.

Tessa was asking about visiting hours and how many can come back at a time.  Aiden didn’t care, he was not leaving Aimee.

Tessa and Mark joined Aiden at Aimee’s bedside. He looked at them, his eyes full of tears.  We need to pray for her.  Aiden held tightly to her hand.  “Aimee, I am here and not leaving you.  You’re safe and ok now.  I promise.” He wiped the tears from his eyes.

Mark touched Aiden’s shoulder.  “Let’s go for a walk and get you some air.”

They took a walk outside and sat on an empty bench.  “Aiden, we need to talk. I am just going to come right out and ask you, what is going on between you and Aimee?”

Aiden looked down at his folded hands.  “Nothing.”

“You are not looking at her like nothing.  I have been observing the way the two of you act around each other for a long time now.”

Aiden looked up at him.  “I am in love with her.  She is the one for me, but I can’t…”

“You can’t what?”

“I can’t date her.  The main reason is because we live in the same flat.  I now know why that is so important to her.  The temptation would be too great.”

“Does Aimee know how you feel?”

“Yes.  She has feelings for me too, but she is scared.  She has all these other reasons we can’t date.”

“Like what?”

“Like, we are from different countries or it is too soon after my breakup with Ava.”

“I know Aimee better than she knows herself and, you are right, she is scared.  It is hard for her to give her love to someone.  She has a fear of losing those she loves.  That is why she went out with LJ. She didn’t stand a chance of becoming emotionally involved.”

“I hate seeing her like this.”

“I know. Listen, Aiden, if you have these feelings for her, you need to be careful.  You need to really think about your living situation to start with.”

“I know.  I am working on things.  I am not rushing things with her.  When God tells me the time is right, that is when I plan on asking her to be my girlfriend.”

“That is a good plan.  Just know, I am watching you closer, after tonight.”

“Thanks.  I think we need to get back before they move her to a room.”

Aiden and Tessa stayed in the room with Aimee while everyone else stayed in the lobby.  No one was leaving until she woke up. The nurse said it may be in the morning. They brought in an extra reclining chair for Aiden that, he laid back in and he fell asleep, holding Aimee’s hands.

Tessa watched him with a mother’s eye.  Mark told her about the conversation outside.  They had guessed right.  She could tell how much Aiden cared for Aimee and they looked so good together.  She knew Lillian was smiling from heaven about Aiden liking her daughter.

Aimee’s head was pounding and she still couldn’t open her eyes, but she could feel her head and leg hurting.  She can hear Aiden too. He said he was not leaving her. She heard him pray for her over and over.  Right now, he was holding her hand, but not speaking.  Tessa said something about both Aimee and Aiden are sleeping.  That made her smile inside.  Aiden really loves her.  He loves her enough to be sleeping in a hospital chair beside her.

She managed to get her eyes to open a little.  Everything was blurry, she looked to her left and seen Aiden, even blurry, and he was the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen.

“Aiden.  Aiden.”  She whispered her voice was horse.  She even coughed.

Aiden sat up immediately. “Aimee, oh thank you, God.”

He jumped up and looked at her face.  He didn’t care if Tessa caught him or not.  He bent over the bed and kissed her lips.  She liked that, he could tell.

He stroked her hair from her face.  “I have been so worried.  I am so sorry for all of this.  I should have walked you to the powder room.”

“Aiden, stop, you can’t blame yourself.”  Her throat hurt.

“I just thank God you are ok.”  He kissed her forehead.  “Sorry I went crazy a minute ago and kissed your lips.  I….”

Aimee laid a finger on his lips.  “I’m not.”  She grinned.  “It was a nice way to wake up.”

Aiden smiled at her.  “Glad you feel that way.”

Tessa decided it was time she let them know she was awake.  “We need to call the nurse.”

“Tessa.”  Aimee turned her head.

“Hey, honey.  Aiden isn’t the only one thankful you woke up.  Everyone else is in the lobby.”

Aimee looked at Aiden then Tessa. Tessa caught them kissing.  “Tessa, I ...”

“Aimee, it is ok.  Mark and I have known for a while you two were in love.  We have been waiting for you to admit it.  But, just keep the living situation in mind.”

“We will.”

The nurse and doctor came into the room to examine Aimee.  He told Tessa and Aiden to go let the others know she was awake. He would join them in a few minutes.

Aimee was fine.  She was alert and oriented to person, place, and time.  All her neurologic exams were good. The leg stopped bleeding and the doctor said she could go home tomorrow as long as her blood count remains in normal range.

Aimee had a lot to think about, but she was so tired.  Everyone, except Aiden and Tessa, went home for the night. Tessa sat quietly in the corner reading, while Aimee and Aiden talked.  Aimee told him as long as they were sharing a flat, they couldn’t kiss or date at all.  Aiden agreed. He didn’t want the memory of the time they started to date to be while she was in the hospital recovering from an attack by her ex-boyfriend.  Neither did Aimee.  Now, wasn’t the time for them as a couple, but neither of them are getting involved in any other relationships either.

Chapter Nineteen

Aimee had been home for two days now.  Life was different, she was using a crutch to keep pressure off her leg.  They had to call and tell her dad what happened.  At first, he was furious and ready to make her move back to the States.  But, Mark calmed him down by letting him know that he and Tessa have now stepped into parent mode with Aimee.

He was upset when Aimee told him she didn’t want to press charges.  Mr. Edward was meeting her, Aiden, Mark, and Tessa to work out an agreement.  No one wants this in the news; and, if she presses charges, it will make the headlines.  She told her dad she would feel like people were trying to violate her again.

Her dad agreed to this, as long as he was on video chat with them during the meeting.  He was an ocean away, but no one was going to violate his daughter again.  He spoke to Mark for a long time about how to protect Aimee.  Surprisingly, Aimee was glad her dad was reacting this way.  For a first time in a long time, he was acting like a father.

The meeting was at five today and Aimee was nervous.  Today was also her first day in class.  Aiden had been taking notes and videoing the lectures, with the permission from the professors.  She couldn’t walk to Chapman hall on crutches, so Aiden got permission to park close to the building.

Before she could go to class, Lexi and Piper helped her dress the wound on her leg.  The cut from the knife was pretty deep and caused her upper leg to be in pain, but she had to get on with her life, and the sooner the better, she would just bare the pain.

Aimee was glad all her classes were in Chapman Hall.  She just wished she could have walked to class today, instead of having Aiden drive her.  He was being so supportive.  She was trying to hide the pain of her leg, head, and her heart from him.  She wanted nothing more than to walk into her classes, hand in hand, with Aiden.  To be perfectly honest with herself, she wanted to walk through life, hand in hand, with Aiden.

Classes went fairly well today.  It wasn’t as hard walking on the crutches as Aimee thought it maybe.  For lunch, they ate at a bistro cafe close to Chapman Hall.  At the end of the last class, Aiden drove Aimee to Frank’s, for the meeting with Mark, Tessa, and Mr. Edward.  LJ was not permitted to attend, that was Aimee’s sole request.

They sat at a table close to the entrance, so Aimee wouldn’t have to walk as far.  Mr. Edward was the last to arrive with his lawyer.  A surprise to all the others.  Aimee looked up at him.  “I didn’t realize we were bringing our lawyers or I would have called mine.”

“Miss Pittman, I seriously doubt you have a lawyer in Neahovia.”

“Don’t under estimate me, Mr. Edward.  I do have a lawyer in Neahovia and he will be looking over whatever contract your lawyer makes.”

“Very well.  What is his name and we will fax them to him?”

“He will contact your lawyer.  That way, I can be positive he gets what we need.”

Aiden looked at Aimee.  Just when he thinks she cannot impress him anymore, she proves him wrong.

“Are we ready to get started?”  The lawyer for Mr. Edward spoke.

“One second, I need to go to the ladies’ room.  Tessa, can you please help me, my leg is hurting pretty bad right now?”

Aimee placed her hand on Tessa’s shoulder until they walked out of the site of the men. “Thanks for helping me, Tessa.”

“You’re welcome. However, I have a feeling you really didn’t need to use the ladies’ room.”

“No, I need to call Mr. Myers and get a company lawyer’s name.”

“I thought you may be bluffing a tad.”

“Roseednay has lawyers on staff.  As the CEO, they are my personal lawyers as well.”

“Aimee, you impress me so much.  Your mother and Gran would be so proud of you.”

“Thanks, I am calling him now.”

Mr. Myers said they had a lawyer, Lucas Small, which lived close to Frank’s.  He would call and have him go to Frank’s.  They set up a plan that Lucas would come in, like he was going to eat, then he sees Aimee.  Mr. Myers sent a picture of Lucas to Aimee’s cell and would send a picture of Aimee to Lucas.

Lucas was more than happy to meet Aimee.  He walked in the dinner and spotted her right away.  He walked over to the table and greeted her, just as they planned.  “Miss Pittman, what a surprise.”

“Mr. Small, how are you doing?”  Everyone at the table was confused, except for Aimee and Tessa.  “Mr. Small, I am glad you are here.  I am in need of one of my lawyers at this instant.  Would you please join us for dinner?”

“It would be my pleasure.  How can I be of service to you?”

Aimee looked at Aiden, who by know, had had figured out why Aimee went to the ladies’ room.  He took her hand.  “It’s ok, we are here for you.”

Aimee told Mr. Small about how LJ had attacked and tempted to rape her. Then, she explained how she didn’t want to press charges, because of the risk to everyone involved.  If this story was made public, and the fact that she didn’t want to rehash the events in court, she would feel violated again.

Just before they formally started the meeting, Aimee contacted her dad for video chat and introduced everyone to him.  Mr. Fields, the lawyer for Mr. Edward, began the conversation. “Ok, the one thing everyone at the table agrees on, is this needs to stay out of the news, especially tabloids.”

“That is correct, Mr. Fields.  I am sure you want to protect your client’s interest as much as I want to protect Miss Pittman.”

“I agree.  So, here is a simple contract I have drawn up. I believe it will satisfy Miss Pittman as much as it has satisfied the Edward family.”

He handed the contract to Mr. Smith.  Aimee ask him to please read the contract aloud, so her father would know what it entails as well.  The contract was simple with no small print or loophole issues that could be missed.  Aimee agreed with LJ keeping a distance from her whenever possible; if they see one another in public, they would be civil, but neither would approach the other for conversation or any other matter.

“I have one request I want to make.  Mr. Edward please know, I mean no disrespect in my request, but I would like to see LJ get help with his drinking and anger issues.” Aimee smiled at the gentlemen.

“Miss Pittman, with all due respect, my son is not your concern.”

“Mr. Edward, I realize that we are not meeting on the best of terms today.  As a Christian, I do care for LJ and what happens to him.  That is part of the reason I am here today, instead of pressing charges.  He stands to lose a lot more than I do.”

“I don’t care for your Christianity views.”

“I still have a window of opportunity to press charges, sir.  I was lucky my friends were there for me when he yanked me backwards in the parking lot and the fact they busted through the door when they did, as well as for the gentlemen who sacked your son at the restaurant, causing him to release me.”

“Where are you going with this, Miss Pittman?  It is awful close to sounding like blackmail.”

“I am not blackmailing anyone.  If I sign this contract, like it is, and LJ doesn’t get the help he needs, then, Mr. Edward, your family may not be so lucky the next time LJ treats a lady this way.”

Mr. Edward put his hands together, like he was thinking. “Mr. Edward, every time LJ attacked me, I could smell alcohol on his breath?  His eyes were glazed.  I never noticed him acting this way, until he moved into Chester Hall.”

“Aimee, I don’t like what you are saying about my son.”

“I don’t like saying it either, but it is the truth.  Mr. Edward, after I agreed to be his girlfriend, he moved into his place with his friends.  That is when I noticed a change in his behavior. When we went mini golfing, he was mean and cruel to me and the staff.  It was the beginning of the nightmare for us.”

Mr. Fields looked at Aimee. “Miss Pittman, we can’t force him to get help, he is an adult.”

“I realize that, but if we went to court, he would be mandated by the courts to take anger management classes.”

“Ok, let me talk this over with Mr. Edward and his son.  Mr. Small, I will fax a revised contract to your office.”  Mr. Small handed them his card and the gentlemen left the restaurant.

Mr. Small explained to Aimee her rights as the victim.  He told Aimee, it was a long shot getting LJ to agree to treatment, but it was definitely worth a try.  Her father commented on how proud he was of Aimee.  She was such a strong woman, just like her mother.

~  ~  ~  ~ ~  ~

Lady Y sat at the table behind Aimee and her friends.  Watching Aimee these past few days has been so hard.  She wanted to run to her and tell her everything was ok.  Mr. Edward looks as slimy as ever.  He has always been a rude cruel atheist.  She could smack herself for not remembering him and his family right from the beginning.  The two families have never seen eye to eye.

He tried to take Orchid Orchard years ago and demolish it to put in one of his fancy hotels.  Thank God he was unable to do that.  That was why it was so important for Lilliend Rose to purchase the orchard and farm, to keep them in the family.

Aimee was a strong woman, just like her mom and grandmother.  To be a part of this family, you have to be strong.  She listened as Aimee was working out a deal with Edward.  Smart move on her part, to keep this out of public.  The last thing Aimee needs right now is her picture in the papers.  Mr. U would definitely figure her out.  She looks too much like her mother.

Aimee was smooth, sliding in the requirement that LJ get help.  Not that he or his family would admit he has a problem.  At the least, they will agree, but Aimee didn’t ask for proof of said treatment.  Lady Y was having him tailed.  Aimee may not press charges, but if her hunch is right, he is doing more than drinking alcohol.  Once she proved her theory, she would give the evidence to her friend in the police department.  He will never hurt Aimee again.  Lady Y would make sure of it.  Watching one lady in this family be abused by a man was enough.

Lady Y watched Aiden with Aimee.  She could see the love in his eyes.  She also noticed the rage that was in his eyes, whenever they spoke of LJ.  It reminded her of Ryder, when someone threatened Aimee’s mother.  Had his friends not pulled him off LJ that night, he would have probably done some major damage.  She also admired how he stood right beside Aimee in the hospital. He loved Aimee, that much was true, and Aimee loved him as well; she has that look in her eye all the ladies from her family gets when they are in love.

Those two kids are so right about now not being the time to date.  It is more than the issues of the flat or the countries they are from.  If Aimee dating him became public knowledge, she would be in the papers for a different reason.  Aimee has to stay out of the papers for now.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Aimee was quiet on the ride home.  Aiden could see in her eyes, she was still afraid of LJ. No matter what she tells everybody, those beautiful hazel eyes tell a different story.  He hated to see her like this.  He wanted to drive to the airport right now, take her to Kaiser Island, and never leave.  That was impossible though.

Lexi text Aimee, to let her know that she and the others went out for pizza and a movie.  They wanted Aimee and Aiden to join them at the movies, but the last place Aimee wanted to go was to a dark theater.  She told Aiden to go, but he refused to leave her home alone.

They cancelled the study group for the night because there was not a lot of material to go over.  Aimee studied the only assignment they did have and had it memorized in no time.  So she decided to read her mom’s diary.  She promised not to read it alone and Aiden currently had them.

He was sitting in the living area when she came down from her room. She was use to walking down the steps with her crutches.  “Hey, I was just going to text you.  Are you done with our assignments?”

“Yeah, they were pretty simple.”

“I want to read some of mom’s diary.  Can you get it for me?”

He smiled and rose from the sofa.  “Whatever my lady’s heart desires.”