Rose In Bloom (30 page)

Sliding my foot back, I duck in the shadows and stay near the back wall, working my way closer to where I need to be to take him down.

“STOP! Please don’t hurt her! PLEASE!” Sebastian begs, his constant thrashing against the metal disguising my approach.

In order to get where I need to be, I have to lose sight of him to crawl behind some old wooden crates. Sounds of ripping fabric echo across the large space.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU’RE A DEADMAN!” Sebastian roars.

Scooting behind the tall metal shelf, I finally have them back in my view.

Skylar’s unconscious body rests across the wooden desk, her shredded clothing exposing her swollen belly. Everything in my universe stops when I see what he’s about to do.

“This has been the problem all along,” Brandon snarls, pressing his long knife into her skin. He hesitates to before looking back at Sebastian. This sick fucker is getting off on all of this.

“STOP! Don’t do this! PLEASE!” Sebastian begs and Brandon laughs.

“I’m going to cut this fucking thing out of her. Be proud, Daddy, because I’m about to deliver your kid.”

“GOD, NO!” Sebastian screams.

Steadying my arm, I know I have to end this now.

“LUCAS, STOP HIM! GODDAMN IT!” Sebastian screams just as I pull the trigger. Brandon turns and my shot lands in his abdomen. Falling to his knees on the concrete, he drags himself a few feet before collapsing. Blood quickly seeps out from underneath him. I focus on getting to Skylar as fast as I can. Blood pours from her head, and when I see the cut on her stomach, I freeze. It looks deep, but I don’t think it’s deep enough to hurt the baby. I’m more worried about the damage from the kicks.

“Skylar? Baby, it’s me, Lucas. Can you hear me?”

“Is she okay? Please tell me she’s all right!” Sebastian pleads. Ignoring him, I touch her face and move in closer.

“Skylar, Please wake up. Please.” Her head shifts from side to side, and then she squints her eyes, struggling to come to.

“Oh, thank God!” I shout, brushing her hair away from her face.

“Get these fucking things off me,” Sebastian demands, yanking hard on the pole.

Looking around, I spot bolt cutters sitting next to a stack of old tires. Grabbing them, I hurriedly snap the chain from his cuffs. Sebastian almost knocks me down as he rushes to her.

“Oh my God, baby. Are you all right?” he says, scooping her up and easing back down to the floor.

“I’m alr- AGHHH!” she screams, holding her stomach in pain. “The baby!”

“We’ve got to get her to the hospital!” he cries.

“Go! Get her out of here! I’m going to finish this. I’ll be right behind you!” I shout.

Nodding, he lifts her up and runs out of the side door. I hear the gunshots before I can turn around. Brandon continues pulling the trigger, but finds his clip is out. Dropping the gun to his side, he lays back, wailing in pain. My side and shoulder feel like they’re on fire as the warmth of my blood saturates my shirt. I know I’m hit, but I can’t stop until this is over. Each step towards him is excruciating, but I’m going to end this now. I can put one bullet in him and be finished with it, but that is too easy of a death for him. He will suffer for what he did.

Staggering over to the large red can, I smile and pick it up. Sitting on the table beside the can is a pack of Marlboro Reds and a silver Zippo. Tucking them in my pocket, I continue with my plan.

“You’ll never get away with it. My people will end you.”

“No, they won’t. No one knows anything about this.” I manage to reply through the pain.

“Mikey knows I’m here. He’ll end you!”

“That isn’t all Mikey knows. And the only thing ending today is you.”

Quickly unscrewing the top, I pull out the long nozzle. Biting through the pain, I turn the can up on top of him, relying on my good shoulder to complete the task. Cringing, he shields his face as the gasoline drenches his body.

“You fucking piece of shit. Do you really think your brother’s coming for you? Who do you think told me where you’d be? He knows about your dad, Brandon. He gave me his blessing to end this, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”

Lifting up my leg, I kick the fucker over and over in his stomach, right where his gunshot wound is. Spewing blood, he falls back to his side in pain.

“You messed with the woman I love, and now, you are going to die.” I warn.

Laughing, he strangles on the blood in his throat. “Go ahead and kill me, but she won’t ever be yours.”

Pressing my heel down into his stomach, I watch his face redden in pain. The blood is now growing dark and thick below my shoe. I know he’s about to bleed out.

“I may never have her, but I will always love her.” Biting through my pain, I reach down, and take his cigarettes and monogrammed lighter from my pocket. Shoving a cigarette between his bloody lips, I strike the Zippo and back away.

“You know, smoking is really bad for you,” I say with a smile, tossing the still lit Zippo on his gasoline soaked clothes. Bright orange and red flames erupt, and soon his screams pierce my ears. Standing there watching him scream and thrash on the ground as he burns to death is a blessed sight. For everything he’s put Skylar through, he deserves to die like this a thousand times over. I empty the rest of the gas from the can, soaking the crates and boxes around him. The fire grows out of control before I realize it. Covering my mouth, I run to the exit while struggling to fight the smoke.

By the time I make it outside, I’m gasping for air, but I know I have to get out of here. Stumbling to the car, I manage to climb inside and start it through my coughing spells. My shirt is now seeping with blood that’s pouring from my wounds. I know I’ve lost a lot of blood, and maybe I shouldn’t have stayed that long in there, but I had to make sure I saw it through to the end. When I look my angel in the eyes, I want to be able to promise her that Brandon will never again hurt her.

Everything grows fuzzy as I weave in and out of traffic. I struggle to keep my eyes open, knowing I need to get to her. All I can think about is Skylar, and whether or not she’s all right. I can’t bear the thought of losing her or the baby. The lines dividing the lanes of traffic begin blurring together. Horns blare around me as I fight to stay awake. I know I’m almost to the right exit, but I can’t hold my head up. When my eyes close, I’m awakened by the loud horn beside me. Jerking the wheel, I manage to miss the car in my lane, but I overcorrect, sending me off the road and into the metal ramp. The impact is so hard that it sends my head slamming against my window.

Pain surges through my body. Blinking, I see hazy figures running towards me, but my eyes can no longer stay open. All I hear is voices getting closer to my car.

“Call 9-1-1! He’s bad! Get back and don’t move him!” a deep voice orders.

“Sir? Can you hear me? Stay with me!” another voice says.

I can see her. I can touch her. Skylar walks towards me. Am I dreaming
?

“Sir! Come on, stay with us!” The stranger’s voice fades.

“I love you, Skylar.” I fall into blissful peace.

Sebastian

“HELP! Someone help us!” I scream, running through the hospital entrance with Skylar in my arms. Doctors and nurses rush to us, motioning for me to follow them.

“Lay her on the stretcher,” the tall doctor orders, while pushing his stethoscope up to his ears. Noticing her torn clothes and the blood on my shirt, he looks at me for answers.

“How did this happen?” he asks sternly.

“She was attacked,” I reply, keeping my story short and to the point.

“Nurse Watson, I need you to notify the authorities that we have an assault case here.”

“Yes sir,” she says, leaving the room.

The doctor turns to me as he continues to examine her. “It’s standard procedure. You will need to make a statement and I’m sure the police will have some questions for you.”

“Please, help my baby! I can’t lose my baby,” she cries through her pain. Holding her hand, I lean in trying to soothe her.

“Get Dr. Lewis down here. We have an Obstetrics emergency. We need an ultrasound machine in here STAT. Rhonda, get a fetal monitor on her now!”

Turning to me, he frowns, and then motions for the nurse to handle me.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but you are going to have to come with me.” A small nurse pulls at my arm.

“She’s my wife, and I’m not going anywhere!” I yell, yanking my arm away.

“How far along are you, Miss?” the tall, skinny doctor asks.

“I-I just passed twenty-three weeks. Oh God, please save my baby,” she screams, squeezing my hand as she winces in pain.

“Clear the room! The obstetrics’ crew is en route and the NICU is on standby.”

“Come on, sir, we’ve got to go.”

“I told you I’m NOT leaving! So fuck off!”

“Sir, we’re going to have to examine her in order to see what’s going on. Any minute now, that door is going to open and a whole team is coming through. You can’t be in their way when that happens. Do you understand? You’re going to have to trust us to do our job. I promise we will take good care of her.”

“Please, help her. She’s lost so much, please.”

“We’re going to do everything we can, I assure you. I’ll send a nurse out there once we know something.”

“NO! DON’T LEAVE ME!” she screams, clinging to my arm. It takes everything in me not to break down right now. The desperation in her eyes will always haunt me.

“I have to get out of these people’s way, sweetheart, so they can help you. I’m just going to be on the other side of that door, I swear! I love you.” I say, kissing her lips.

Another pain hits her and she grips the side of the gurney.
The double doors fly open and a large crew hurriedly pushes a machine into the room. The workers whiz around me, hooking her up to machines.

Walking out this door is the hardest thing I have ever done. Her loud screams escape the room and fill the hallway, literally ripping my soul in two in the process. I’m helpless out here. As all the other times before, I’m dependent on the higher power and the skill of these doctors to work a miracle for me… for us.

Sitting against the cold block wall, I listen to the chaos in her room. People rush in, and people rush out. I beg everyone who exits to help me, but they wave me off. My mind is going insane and I don’t know what to do. It isn’t long before the police arrive and begin questioning me. They ask me for my statement and I give it to them, but not the real story of course.

I don’t mention Brandon’s name at all. Instead, he becomes a nameless attacker with a common description. When they ask me where it took place, I lie and tell them it had happened in an attempted carjacking downtown when I’d stopped to help someone. I tell them he got away and I rushed her here. They say that they will also need Skylar’s statement, of course, but that they would come back when she is more stable. Unfortunately, I will have to ask her to lie to them. It is the only way to bury this day. I only hope Lucas does a good enough job of burying it for good.

An eternity seems to pass before I see the doors open and they wheel Skylar out. Rushing to her, the tall doctor pulls me back.

“Is she all right? Is the baby…”

“They’re taking her to the third floor. She’s stable right now and resting. Dr. Lewis will be out in just a minute to fill you in on the rest.”

“But what about the baby?”

Please God, don’t take our baby!

“Dr. Lewis will discuss all of that with you. I’ve got to run this paperwork up to get her admitted,” he says, running off towards the crew.

“Wait!” I beg, but he doesn’t stop. A middle-aged woman steps out and looks my way. Judging by her green scrubs, I’m assuming she’s Dr. Lewis.

“Mr. Thorne?” she asks, looking down at the file in front of her.

“Yes, that’s me. How are my wife and baby?”

“Your wife is resting comfortably now. When she came in, she was experiencing strong contractions that were near eight minutes apart. In obstetrics’ terms, we consider this preterm labor. I was able to administer magnesium sulfate and for right now, it has seemed to stop the contractions. The baby seems to be tolerating everything at the moment, but we are closely watching for signs. Normally, this medicine can be extremely rough on the mom’s body, so we will watch both of them very closely.”