The Shooting (14 page)

“We’ll take it slowly, I promise,” he whispered. “It might hurt just a little, but then it will feel right. So damn right.”

He groaned and eased into her another inch and Lily rejoiced in their coupling. She loved him and he loved her. She was overwhelmed with the magic of it.

Tom slid a little further inside her and once again came up against the barrier. This time, he pushed a little harder and Lily bit her lip. Pain splintered inside her and she dug her fingernails into Tom’s back.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just relax. Soon the pain will be over and we get to enjoy the good stuff.”

She listened to his words of comfort and did her best to relax against him. He pushed his cock in further, another inch and then another.

“Oh, Christ, Lily. You feel so good.”

He pushed further still and then with a surge of his hips, he buried himself inside her. She cried out against the pain and Tom captured it in his mouth. He kissed her and crooned to her and all the time, his cock moved slowly in and out.

The pain eased and Lily concentrated on the rhythm of his movements. Hesitantly, she lifted her hips and met his slow thrusts. He groaned in her ear and she wondered if she’d done something wrong, but his rhythm continued without interruption and she relaxed back against him again.

Time and time again, he slid in and out of her body. Need built deep in her core and she clung to him, seeking relief.

“That’s it, Lily. Christ, you feel so good. Relax and go with it. I can see how close you are. Close your eyes and feel me. I’m buried way deep inside you. It feels beyond fantastic. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.”

Tom’s thrusts became harder, more frantic and Lily held on for the ride. The need inside her reached fever pitch and all of a sudden, she reached the peak and was falling. Her muscles tightened around him, pulsing out their relief. Tom’s groan was almost guttural with need and he pounded his hips into her.

One thrust, two and he cried out in exultation. A moment later, he collapsed on top of her, his breath harsh in her ear. It seemed a lifetime passed before he moved his weight off her and propped himself up on one elbow.

“That was amazing,” he whispered, his eyes full of wonder.

Lily smiled shyly and nodded.

“It was pretty amazing for me, too.” She looked away and then found the courage to ask the question she’d been dying to ask. “Is it… Is it always like that?”

Tom shook his head. He rolled onto his side, taking her with him and tucked her up under his chin.

“Not that I’ve had a lot of experience, but it’s never been like that before. Maybe it’s because we care for each other. Maybe that’s why it’s different?”

She smiled again and snuggled up beside him and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tom listened as Lily’s breathing deepened and traced a finger across the petal-softness of her naked skin and then skimmed his palm down the length of her spine. He wondered if life could get any sweeter. His fingers tangled gently in the silkiness of her long hair and he turned his head to breathe in its intoxicating scent.

Reluctantly, he moved away and pulled the condom off his cock. A droplet of liquid hung off the end of the rubber. It took him a moment to realize what it was…and what it meant. He stared at it in shock and then cursed in alarm. The hole was tiny, but it was there. As real as the woman he’d just made love to. He shook his head in disbelief. They might as well have used no protection.

With the condom between his fingers, he stepped into the hall and through the doorway that led to the bathroom. Disposing of it in the trash, he wished he could get rid of the knowledge he now possessed and its implications just as easily. He cursed again. He had only himself to blame. The condom had been in his wallet for months. He should have known better than to trust that it would still perform at its peak.

It wasn’t that he was against the thought of a baby—he’d always intended to find a wife and raise a family—but they were both so young. Lily was only nineteen. She’d just finished her first year of college. She had her whole life in front of her and so did he. A baby wouldn’t necessarily ruin everything, but it sure as hell hadn’t been in his immediate plans.

They’d have to get married, of course. There was no way his baby was being born out of wedlock. Call him old-fashioned, but it was just the way he was. Besides, the way he felt about Lily, he’d be proud to call her his wife. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her he’d fallen in love with her on the night that they met.

He stared at himself in Lily’s bathroom mirror and tried to think things through.
Perhaps the hole in the condom wouldn’t matter?
Perhaps it would be nothing more than a scare?
He could be worrying over nothing. Yes, that was it. He was worrying over nothing. The chances of Lily falling pregnant the very first time must be one in a million. Surely they couldn’t be that unlucky?

Leaning over the sink, he splashed some water across his face and then dried it against a towel. With a sigh, he pushed his concerns to the back of his mind and returned to the bedroom. Lily was still sleeping and for that, he was guiltily relieved.

There was more than likely nothing to worry about. No sense in alarming her unnecessarily. It was her first time. She didn’t need the burden of wondering if she was pregnant. Not now, when she was in the middle of her end-of-year exams.

With his mind made up, he pulled her unresisting form in close against him and fell asleep with his face buried in her shiny, blond hair.

CHAPTER TEN

Royal North Shore Hospital—present day

Tom stared down at his wife and wished he could believe she was just sleeping. She looked so young and beautiful, like she had when they’d first met. The age lines that had begun to creep around her eyes had been smoothed away in sleep. Her lashes were dark and as thick as they’d always been. They cast shadows on her pallid cheeks. Her lips, while still full and luscious, were now also pale, almost lifeless.

No!
His heart rebelled against the thought. Not lifeless. He refused to think that way for even an instant. The steady rise and fall of her chest reassured him, even if it was being regulated by a machine. She was alive and she’d get better. She’d come home and laugh and dance and sing again. They’d make love all night long. It
would
happen. He refused to contemplate any alternative.

The ICU ward was busy that morning, with all but one bed occupied. The lack of curtains in the open plan room meant that privacy was non-existent. Seeing as all of the patients were either unconscious or too sick to care, Tom guessed it wasn’t an issue. Besides, it meant that the staff could monitor every patient at a glance from the centrally located nurses’ station. He could see how such a thing would be an advantage.

The phone on his belt clip vibrated and he glanced down and frowned at the unfamiliar number. The last thing he wanted to do was speak to someone who didn’t know what had happened. He couldn’t bear to pretend all was well in his life when the truth was, his world was falling apart.

The fact was he didn’t want to talk to anyone. The only voice he wanted to hear was that of his wife’s but for the moment, all that confronted him was the repetitive humming and beeping of the machines.

The phone fell silent and he breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, it began vibrating again. The Caller ID displayed the same number. Tom cursed under his breath.
Why couldn’t they just leave a message and leave him the hell alone?

Again, the phone fell silent and once again, it began vibrating not a minute after Tom sighed in relief. Momentarily forgetting his surroundings, he exploded.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! You’ve got to be kidding!”

A nurse appeared a few seconds later and frowned at him. “I’m sorry, Mr Munro, but you’ll have to switch that off. We don’t allow cell phones in here.”

Tom nodded and mumbled an apology. Stowing the phone in his pocket, he leaned over Lily’s bed and pressed a soft kiss against her lips.

“I’ll be back in a minute, sweetheart. Don’t go anywhere.” He tried to summon a smile at his lame joke, but failed miserably. With a sigh, he turned and headed out of the ward.

Once outside the ICU, Tom pulled out his phone and stared at the screen.
Three missed calls from an unfamiliar number.
He supposed there was nothing to do but to return the call. With a deep breath, he dialed the number and waited for it to connect.

“Doctor Slee’s rooms, may I help you?”

It took Tom a moment to register the name and another to remember who she was. Doctor Mary Slee was an oncology specialist his local doctor had referred him to. He’d been trying to see her for more than a year. It was no wonder she was growing impatient with him. He’d made three different appointments and had canceled two. His third was due in two days. With Lily fighting for her life in hospital, it would be yet another appointment he couldn’t keep.

“Oh, hi. It’s Tom Munro. Someone from your office called me. I assume it’s about my upcoming appointment.” He opened his mouth to advise the receptionist that he was going to have to reschedule again and then he closed it.

What if Lily died, or stayed in a coma forever?
He’d be the only parent his kids had left. He absently fingered the lump in his breast and came to a decision. He had to keep this appointment and deal with whatever it threw up at him. For the sake of Cassie and Joe, he owed it to them to investigate.

“Oh, yes, Mr Munro. It’s Judith, here. I’m Doctor Slee’s receptionist. I was calling to confirm your appointment the day after tomorrow. Doctor Slee’s concerned you have already canceled twice. Are you seeking care from another specialist?”

Tom’s face heated. “Um…no. I-I’ve been busy. I haven’t had time to have it checked out.”

“I understand, Mr Munro, but these things are better treated sooner rather than later. Who knows, you might not have anything to worry about?”

Tom grimaced and rubbed at the lump again. “Yes, you’re right, of course. I-I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

“Do you know where we are?”

“Yes, in the medical center next door to Royal North Shore Hospital, right?”

“That’s right. Suite twenty-nine, level three.”

“Thanks.”

“We’ll see you then.”

“I guess so.”

Tom ended the call and clipped the phone back onto his belt. The truth was, he’d forgotten all about the appointment. With everything that had happened, his lump was the last thing on his mind, but with Lily gravely ill and his children still very much dependent upon him, he had to face the situation head on and deal with it, once and for all.

With a bit of luck, it would turn out to be nothing and he could forget about it. In the meantime, he’d pray for his wife’s speedy recovery.

* * *

Brady Sutton stared at the plastic case that held his
GTA V
game. The picture on the cover depicted a lifetime of fun and adventure. A mad ride from one crazy mission to another, where nothing was taken seriously and nothing ever went wrong. The worst that could happen was that you were killed in a shootout or blown up by a stray grenade. You’d hit “reset” and then press “play” and start all over again.

But things hadn’t worked out that way for him. Reality was far harsher than he’d anticipated. He’d been charged with attempted murder and was now out on bail. His mom had put up their house as collateral.
Collateral.
He hadn’t even known what the word meant until his mom had explained it to him.

His father called and had been horrified, unable to believe what his son had done. Brady shook his head slowly and his lip curled up in a sneer. He didn’t care what his father thought. It was his father who had given him the gun. It wasn’t all Brady’s fault that he’d used it.

Okay, so his dad hadn’t shown him how to load it and probably didn’t expect him to know how, but anyone who thought giving a kid a gun and a box of ammunition was a good idea was just plain dumb. The cops thought so, too. He’d heard his mom talking to someone on the phone. His dad had been charged, too. Something about an unsecured firearm and leaving a gun in the possession of a minor.

It wasn’t as if his dad even cared that much about him anymore. The last he’d heard, his dad had moved on with another woman and she was going to have his kid. Apparently, it was a girl. What use was a rough-and-tumble son amongst all that softness and pink? It would be only a matter of time before his dad forgot all about him and now that he was headed for jail, he’d become nothing more than a distant memory, a topic of conversation avoided around the dinner table, a constant reminder of how his mom and dad had failed as parents.

The shooting had happened more than twenty-four hours ago, but he hadn’t returned to school. How could he? The last time he’d shown up, he’d been brandishing a gun intending to shoot Ian Little. Despite his mom’s position in the school, it didn’t take a genius to work out he wouldn’t be allowed back at Chatswood Elementary.

There was a brief knock on the door and then his mom appeared in the opening. Her face was drawn and pale and she looked like she’d been doing more crying. Brady closed his eyes and turned on his side, away from her.

“Can I come in? We need to talk.”