Home is Where the Heart Is (Home #1) (40 page)

Tate’s green eyes were weary and dull as he eyed Jace, his messy brown hair in disarray, and very new frown lines creased deeply into his face.

“Which one?” Tate replied softly.

Guilt sliced through Jace because he was only thinking of Isabelle,
had
only really been thinking about her for the last three days.

Tate saw his guilt and sighed, pulling out of his grasp.

“I’m sorry, that was a shitty thing to say. I knew who you meant, and I actually have been sent down here to give you news.”

“What about Kimberley though?” Jace asked.

Tate looked stricken for a moment. “She’s not waking up. I’ve been sneaking into her room and taking pictures of her chart so I can Google it, even eavesdropping on the nurses since no one will release any information to anyone but family. They… they’re not sure if she is going to wake up - said that the trauma might be too much this time and her mind might not be able to handle it.”

Fuck. Jace should have killed that monster when he had the chance. Kimberley was flawed but she didn’t deserve this life she had been handed. If someone had earned a second chance, it was her. He’d sneak in later to hold her hand and he would send his Mum to retrieve her egg donor (she didn’t deserve the title of Kimberley’s Mother) so that she could sign over the rights to her and Jace. His family could take care of Kimberley from then on, give her a real family.

“I’m sorry man, that’s… I’m going to talk to my Mum and we’ll make sure she’s getting the best care, OK?”

Tate nodded solemnly and then, with a deep exhale, he offered Jace the tiniest of smiles.

“Belle is awake and lucid - they think she should be able to go home tomorrow.”

Jace didn’t wait to hear anything else. He strode purposely towards Isabelle’s room, his only thought was that he had to see her, touch her.

He was only five steps in when Tate grabbed him, yanking him back hard.

“Let me finish,” he ground out, his face all kinds of ‘don’t fuck with me’.

Jace contained the urge to punch Tate…barely.

“She’s pretty messed up, dude. Broken bones, bruises everywhere, and her throat’s badly damaged - enough that she can’t speak at all for the next month. Her parents have gone to fetch some things to make her more comfortable, but they wanted you to know she’s going to be OK, and you can head home and see her tomorrow when they release her.”

“Nope,” Jace replied, popping the ‘p’. “I’m going to see her now, don’t try to stop me, man. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tate, the crazy bastard, actually gave Jace a grin. “Figured you’d say that.”

Jace rolled his eyes and then turned swiftly to head towards the elevators, in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” Tate yelled. “Her room’s the other way.”

“I’ve gotta get something first,” Jace replied over his shoulder.

“What? Flowers?”

Jace shrugged but kept walking. “Something like that.”

*

He hated the room instantly, and she looked so tiny in the bed, pale skin patterned with bruises and bandages.

The white walls seemed to accentuate all of the blues and blacks on her pallid, fragile skin. There were a couple of machines around her, whirring mechanically. An IV stand was hooked up to her left hand dangling lifelessly on the side of the bed but her right hand was clenching and unclenching in her lap.

Those golden orbs he always got lost in were hidden, her breathing loud and laboured. If it weren’t for her clenching hand, he would think she was sleeping. 

All at once he felt incredibly awkward and stupid for rushing in here, for staking out the hospital for days for any scraps of information they were willing to provide. The last time they had been together for longer than a minute was a memory filled with pain, anger, and so much confusion and hurt.

Should he just sneak out before she opened her eyes?

He backed away one step and was almost at the door when her eyes snapped open and her gaze locked onto his like a target.

His breath rushed out and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He was so gone for this girl. He’d thought as much for the last couple of months but now, now he
knew
with everything inside him, that he would have to spend the rest of his life in agony, being anything she would let him be in her life - because he wasn’t going to be able to stay away.

Fuck his life.

Intuitive as always, Isabelle’s full lips turned down as she watched his face intently. He felt her scanning and deciphering his emotions as he felt them.

He took another uncertain step back, watching in fascination as her eyes widened in panic and her mouth opened, emitting a strangled, pained grunt.

Her pain spurred him on and he rushed over to her side. “Hey, don’t speak, OK? You’re going to have to take a break from your adorable babbling and just sit there and look pretty.”

And she did look pretty, even with one eye completely bloodshot and a scowl in place. She flipped him the bird, causing him to chuckle for the first time in days.

“I uh…got you something,” he mumbled.

Pulling his hands from behind his back, he offered her the small white board he’d purchased. He’d poorly drawn a bouquet of flowers in the centre of the board in blue and green marker, and it seemed totally lame now that she was just staring at the board resting on her lap.

“You don’t have to use it,” he said lamely. “I just figured it would help give you a voice without you having to actually use your voice.”

His voice trailed off as Isabelle pulled her phone from the bedside table, snapped a picture of the board, and then rubbed out the flowers. Next, she uncapped the green marker attached to the side of the board and wrote her first words.

Thank you, Spiderman.

Her silly little nickname for him filled him with warmth, and some of the tension left his body. The tension eased further when she scooted over and gestured for him to join her on the bed.

“I don’t know, Angel, you’re pretty beat up and I don’t want to hurt you.”

The look she gave him quite clearly said he was to shut up and do as she said or
she
would hurt him. They both knew she was in no condition to do any damage but he indulged her, laying half of his body on the bed so she still had plenty of room and he didn’t disrupt anything medical.

“You’re going to get me killed when your Dad finds me in bed with his little girl.”

I’m so sorry, Jace
He smiled down at her. “Nah. I think he’s feeling a little sorry for me so maybe he’ll just take an eye or something.”
She erased her words and then began to write… and write, her hand shaking slightly so the words were a bit wonky.

You know that’s not what I meant. I’m so sorry for hurting you, for hurting US because I was too stuck in the past to see the lifeline you were offering me. It was stupid to punish you for someone else’s mistakes.

Oh wow! They were really going to have this conversation right now? Well shit. The agony was going to start even earlier then he thought.

“Angel, it’s OK. We both could have handled things better. I’m sorry about that night too, I shouldn’t have-”

She cut off his apology by pressing her swollen lips to his, effectively silencing him by stealing away all his good sense.
With a tiny mewl of pain she pulled away and then frantically wrote on the board again.

Please don’t apologise for the single most beautiful night of my life. That you would care so much and give me that kind of joy meant everything to me. I was just terrified of losing you, of losing myself in you. I was just kind of terrified of anything that held the power to hurt me.

“I
never
meant to hurt you,” he told her fervently.

She smiled softly and pressed her fingers against his lips.

I know. I’m going to make it up to you - I’m done running away.

He didn’t really know what to say back to that because he wasn’t entirely sure that this wasn’t a dream and he was about to be woken up by a nurse in the waiting room. This was more than his wildest dreams come true.
With perfect timing his phone rang, and Jace awkwardly lifted his hips to pull his phone from his back pocket. His Mum was calling.

“Hey Mum,” he answered and Isabelle stiffened in surprise next to him.

“I’m just leaving work now,” she said, a little distantly, and he could bet she was on the hands free in the car. “I’m going to bring you a change of clothes and something to eat. Any requests?”

“Just go home and rest Mum. Isabelle is awake, and I’m visiting with her now. She’s probably getting released tomorrow so I’ll be home tonight once they kick me out.”

A deep sigh of relief came through the receiver. “Oh honey, that’s fantastic news. We can all rest easy tonight knowing she’s pulled through. Are you sure I can’t bring anything for either of you?”

“Just take care of yourself, Mum. Thanks for being there though. I’ll see you tonight…” he hesitated and then added softly. “I love you.”

A pause - a muted sob. “I love you too. Give Isabelle my love.”

Disconnecting, he placed his phone in his front pocket this time and turned his attention back to Isabelle who already had the board waiting.

You worked things out with your Mum?

He gave her a smirk. “Yeah, I’m having the best dream. Do me a favour and don’t wake me up, OK?”

She rolled her eyes and elbowed him, then winced as she aggravated the pain in her ribs.

“Easy there killer, you can kick my arse another day. I’ll take it as an I.O.U.”

He looked down at her scowling at him in mock outrage and couldn’t help a massive smile spreading across his face. He tucked a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear, and very gently traced the side of her face that was less bruised.

“God, are you ever not beautiful?” he whispered.

She stared back at him earnestly, so much unguarded emotion in those eyes. Completely vulnerable, completely all open, and completely all for him.

“Isabelle,” he whispered reverently, wanting so badly to kiss her but not wanting to inadvertently cause her any further pain.

So caught up in all the things he wanted and then decided
would
do with Isabelle, Jace missed her hands moving on the board until she handed it to him

I.O.U AN I.L.Y

His gaze snapped to hers as soon as he read the words. Was she saying….? Did she….?

“What’s this?” he asked quietly.

When I say those words to you for the first time, I want you to be able to hear them and know how true they are for me.

Jace closed his eyes immediately to fight against the wet warmth pooling there, his heart beating erratically and his body now coiled tight. There were no words for the feeling in his heart right at that very moment.

Were dreams a palpable thing you could touch and hold? Because he was certain he had the best of his dreams cuddled in his arms right this moment.

“Jafgh…”

Eyes snapping open at his mangled name on Isabelle’s lips, he took a leaf out of her book and kissed her lips softly once.

“Don’t speak, babe.”

Are you OK?

He pecked her lips again. “I think this is what happiness feels like. Push me off a building and I promise you I could fly.”

A weird rasping sound came from her lips and he realised she was laughing, or at least trying to, in spite of the damage to her throat.

You’re such a weirdo.

“I’m
your
weirdo?” It was meant to be a statement but came out as a question.

With a brilliant smile, she gave him a nod and his wimpy heart actually skipped a beat.

Bruised, a little broken but so totally beautiful, and she was all his – just as he was all hers.

God, he really hoped he didn’t wake up.

*

“Mum!” Jace yelled as he moved quickly through the front door later that night. “Mum, where are you?”

Moments later Maia came running into the front entrance, skidding to a halt just in front of him. Her black hair was pulled into a messy bun atop her head, she was dressed in a pair of Matt’s footy shorts and tank top she’d stolen years earlier and her face was pale and worried.

“What’s going on? Is there any news?” she asked breathily.

“Isabelle is stable and lucid. They gave her some meds to get her to sleep though, since she’s still in a fair bit of pain, but she will be discharged tomorrow. Kimberley is still unresponsive and her Mum hasn’t shown up yet. That’s why I need Mum. The doctors won’t release any information to anyone but family, and because Kimberley isn’t eighteen they need a guardian to make some medical decisions and work out payment.”

Maia’s jaw tensed. “Are you kidding me?”

“I wish,” Jace muttered.

“Jesus, no wonder Kimberley was such a basket case,” Maia seethed.

“Where’s Mum?” Jace repeated.

“She was bringing Isabelle’s family some dinner at the hospital so they didn’t have to choke down any more of that horrible hospital food.”