Together Forever (21 page)

I close my eyes and sigh in relief. Thank you, God!

“Now you, my man, have your arm re-casted, your other arm all bandaged up from the scratches, your hands from all the tearing of the net and so is your bad leg. They took several x-rays, I am told, and you’re also a very lucky man,” he winks.

“Thanks,” I choke out. “But, I don’t care about me, just my girl and our baby.” I smile.

You know, I’m not a very patient man. I’ve been lying here in this fucking bed for hours with no word on my girl. I’m about ready to get up and go find her. You’d think someone would fucking tell me something! And, I. Want. A. Fucking. Coke.

I’m flipping through the T.V. channels when the door opens, a nurse walking in backwards pulling my girl’s bed into the room, a doctor following. I begin to sit up when he raises his hand, shakes his head and puts a finger over his mouth. I quietly lay back down, my eyes in a frown and wait until they are finished placing her bed beside mine. After the nurse checks her I.V. and her pulse, she leaves.

I look at my sleeping girl. She looks so beat up, one eye is swollen and gauze is taped over the left side of her face and eye. She’s so pale. I swallow my tears from coming.

The doctor walks over to the other side of my bed and sits in the chair. “I’m Dr. Finch. I performed the surgery on Allie.” I nod for him to continue, swallowing my relief down. “She’s doing great and we’ll begin bringing her out of the sedation shortly but I wanted her to be brought to your room first. I will tell you this is highly irregular, not to mention against hospital rules, but Detective Connors is most persuasive, so we’ve bent the rules a little.” He smiles, looking at Allie then to me.

“Is the baby?” I start. I know Connors told me the baby is ok but for some reason my fear rises again.

“The baby is just fine, strong heartbeat, it’s a miracle really. After what Detective Connors told me happened, it’s truly a miracle that they are both alive.”

“Don’t I fucking know it? I watched the van go down the embankment, rolling over and over with my girl in it. I couldn’t get to her fast enough.” I take a big gulp of the freshly poured cup of water that was on my table. “Any chance I can get a fucking coke, doc?” I smirk.

He laughs as he stands. “I’ll get the nurse to come in.” He checks his watch. “It’s close to dinner time anyway. Now, you need to stay in this bed, no getting up to be with Allie, not right now. Got me?” I nod slowly. He leans down closer. “And if for some reason, say on the way back from the bathroom, you make a detour to her bed, just be careful when you climb in. For your sake as well as hers.” He winks, turns and leaves. Fuck, he’s all right.

After eating the most terrible meal and drinking three cokes, I pull my I.V. stand behind me as I walk into the bathroom. I limp to the toilet and raise the seat. Ah! Fuck I needed to piss. Damn, my body hurts all over, even my cock. I wash my hands and go to the side of my girl’s bed. Shit, will I be able to get in there with her and not hurt her as I clumsily get in the bed? Well, fuck. I have to try, I need my girl and she needs me.

I grunt as I move her over with my wrapped hands, trying to be careful with her. She doesn’t wake. Trying not to disturb the I.V. in her hand, I move her sweet arm around my waist and move a bit to get comfortable. Her head lays on my chest and I get a good look at her swollen, bandaged face. Fuck! I wish I could kill that asshole all over again! It was too good for him to get killed in a car wreck. I stroke her hair, lightly as I doze off.

Woken abruptly, I see the doctor messing with her I.V. bag on the stand. He winks at me and whispers, “Giving her something to bring her back to you. It will take an hour or so for her to come out of sedation. Do you need anything?”

“Coke,” I choke out. He smiles, nods and leave us alone. I lean over and kiss my love on her nose. “Soon, love, soon you’ll come back to me.” I snuggle into her and fall back asleep.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Ohh…my God. I can only get one of my eyes to open and am staring at a chest, my head moving up and down with the light breathing. My eye rolls up to see my sexy man’s gorgeous chin. Shit! What a nightmare I had. So glad to find that I’m in my lover’s arms in bed. Mmmmm, I snuggle back into his warm chest and fall back into slumber.

I hear water. No, fizz. What is that? I open my eye to see my man pouring a coke. He looks like hell, what the fuck? I try to roll over but pain shoots everywhere. “Ohhh,” I moan. He moves to me and gently helps me get comfortable. “Wha, what’s going on? Why—”

“Shhh, love. There was an accident.” My eye widens, my heart starts to beat rapidly.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. What is that? I look at the doorway and a nurse rushes to the side of my bed. I can’t see what she is doing but I look down as she grabs my wrist.

“Shane?” I ask pleadingly. I start feeling drowsy. “Shane?” I fade into darkness again.

I smell food, and my stomach growls. My eye opens to see Shane next to me in bed, eating. Damn, that smells good. I try to get up but don’t get far. I groan and wince. Shit, my whole body hurts.

Shane leans down and kisses my nose. He moves some hair back from my face and kisses my mouth. “Fuck, you scared the shit outta me, love. I’m so glad you came back to me,” he says so full of love.

I swallow and cough. “Ungh” I groan, holding my side. He reaches over me and pushes a button, the bed starting to rise. “You tell me when to stop, if the pain gets too much. I don’t want to hurt you,” he tells me. I raise my left hand and he releases the button. He takes something off the table next to me and places a straw to my lips. Oh heaven, water. I choked down most of it and lay my head back. My right hand moves up to the left side of my face and feels something cover it.

“Shane, what happened? I can’t remember. What’s on my face?” I ask, panic starting to rise within me.

He takes my hand away from my face, kisses the palm, and places it against his face. “You don’t remember anything?” I shrug, shaking my head slowly. “We were at the coffee shop, you went to go to the restroom and—” My body begins to tremble as memories start becoming clearer.

“He— He grabbed me, took me away. I— I couldn’t— I tried— Oh, my God, Shane! Our baby!” My hand leaves his face and lands over my stomach. I close my eye and start crying. He leans back and puts his arm around me, readjusting us.

“No, sweetheart. The baby is fine, just fine, just like their mom,” he whispers. I look up, through my tear filled eye and smile. I can feel the cloth covering the side of my face getting wet. His hand rubs my hair as he kisses my forehead. “Yes, love. Thank God, you’re both fine.”

My heart won’t stop beating fast. “Paul? Where is he? We need to leave. Please we need to get away from here!”

“Shhhh, no love. He’s dead. Shhhh. Please calm down, sweetheart. It’s ok now, he won’t ever harm you again. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

I kiss the tear on his face and cuddle into him, letting out a huge sigh of relief. I take deep breaths, and my beating heart begins to return to normal. “Are you ok, darling? Your arm is all bandaged,” I say gently touching his arm. “And, your cast looks new?” I’m so confused. I do remember most of what happened now, but not everything.

The doctor came in and checked me and let Shane stay in the bed. Weird, but a wonderful hospital. He tells us that I had a ruptured spleen, which he had to remove, and it will take a few weeks to heal, and I should see my doctor as soon as possible. Not only for me but also for the baby even though he assured us the baby is fine. He said we could leave probably in the morning, depending on how we are both doing.

A nurse came in shortly after bringing me some food and more for Shane. I’m sure he worked up a hearty appetite chasing a crazy man and being hurt again. My poor man.

I dozed in my lover’s arms after our stomachs were full while he flipped channels on the T.V. keeping the sound down low. He explained he would tell me everything once we are back at his dad’s house. I am fine with that and in no hurry. I’m just so freaking tired and so happy that we are all safe together.

Morning comes too soon, and I am woken by a nurse checking my vitals. Don’t they believe in rest here? Shane is still asleep, his beautiful face right next to me. Sigh. My gorgeous, sexy man.

The nurse leaves and Steven walks in with Emily. It’s like a revolving door. I put my fingers to my lips asking them not to wake Shane. My man needs sleep. They nod and pull up chairs by my side of the bed, quietly. He places his hand over mine, careful of the I.V. “How are you doing? The baby? Shane?” He whispers.

I smile. “We’re just great. All of us.” I look at my man and back to Steven. “He needs rest. He does so much protecting me, our baby. He needs some tender loving care and I’m afraid I won’t be much help for a while.” Shane sighs and turns his head the other way, still asleep.

“Oh, we’ll take care of him. I called Buck and Jesse and told them what happened. Jesse wanted to get on a plane as soon as possible but I told him no, you’re ok and we are taking care of you. I told him you would call him when you can.” I grin. I feel so loved. I can’t believe I have a wonderful man and his loving dad that love me. “Buck told me to tell Shane not to hurry to come back, take all the time he needs.”

Emily rises, leans over and kisses my cheek. I see her wiping her eyes with a Kleenex once she is seated. “We were so scared when Steven got the call from the police. I’m just so glad you’re all are here and alive.” She pats my leg through the railing of the bed. “Now, you just don’t worry about anything. I mean it, sugar. I will be there to cook, clean, do laundry and will take care of anything you or Shane need.” Now I’m crying. She is so sweet and caring. Like the mother I wish I had. “Oh, what’s wrong, dear? I didn’t mean to upset you.” She looks at Steven, worry in her eyes.

I watch as Steven’s hand leaves mine and takes Emily’s hand. “No, No. I’m not sad, not in the least. You both just make me feel so loved.” I sniff and she hands me a Kleenex. “Thank you. You don’t understand. My dad has always pushed me but not really believed in me, in my dreams and my mother? My mother who won’t even let me call her mom. No love there, at all. At least she’s never really shown me love like a mother should. So, yes, I’m crying because I feel so loved right now.” My Kleenex is taken from me, and I look over to see Shane smiling at me, so I smile back. He wipes my tears and kisses them on my face.

“I love you, my wonderful, brave girl. And don’t you ever forget it.” He kisses me again.

We all got to talk for a while until the doctor and a nurse come in and ask Emily and Steven to leave so Shane and I both can be checked out. The doctor says my vitals are getting stronger, but that it’s critical that I take it easy for the next few weeks. He removed the gauze over my cheek and tells me to press a warm wash cloth on my eye to help with the matting that develops as it heals. He tells Shane that he needs to slow down and take care of himself or he will do more damage to his arm and leg, causing severe issues. He also removed his stitches from his forehead and told him to apply vitamin E oil on it to help it from scarring.

We get our discharge papers and are wheeled out to the front of the hospital. Shane didn’t even put up a fuss about having to ride in a wheel chair. I think my man is exhausted, poor thing. The orderly has to help both of us into the back seat of Steven’s car. I’m already dozing as we pull away, in my man’s arms. I think he is too.

I am jolted awake as we stop in the driveway at the house. Steven opens my door and helps me out. I feel like a walking zombie. He walks me all the way upstairs to our room and helps me to sit on the bed. Shane comes in slowly, with his limp, which is worse now and sits next to me.

“Shane, I hope you and Allie don’t mind but I would love to help her get into her pajamas and into bed. You’re hurting, I can tell, and need to be careful yourself.” Emily says to us. Shane opens his mouth to speak but Emily stops him with her hand. “I know you want to take care of her and do everything but I insist. You will not help her if you can’t get yourself healed properly. I used to be a nurse, it’s been several years ago, but I remember everything to do to help.” She looks at me and smiles. “Is it ok, dear, if I help you. I would really love to.”

I look at Shane and shrug. “It’s kind of nice to have another woman around.” He kisses my lips and stands. He limps to the dresser, grabs some pajama pants and heads towards the door.

“I’ll just change in the bathroom downstairs and talk to the ole man for a bit. You ladies take as long as you need.” He winks at me and shuts the door behind him.

Emily comes over and starts helping get me undressed, smiling the whole time. “That’s some fine man you have there.”

I wince as I move to pull my arms out of the sleeves of my shirt. “Seems like he came from the right tree, I think.” I smile back. We laugh and talk as she helps me to the bathroom, where I do all my business and she helps me into the bed. She fluffs my pillow behind me and gets a glass of water to take my pills. “Oh, can you also get my prenatal vitamins from the bathroom?” I ask. After I swallowed that huge pill, I am set. Now all I need is my man.

“Dad. I want to marry Allie here, before we leave. I’ve never felt so strongly about something in my life. I don’t want to wait.” Dad and I have been sitting in the living room for quite a while, my bad leg up, foot resting on the coffee table. “We could get married on the beach right behind the house.”

“Son, I would love that, but do you think that’s what Allie wants? What about getting her family and friends here? It’s really short notice.” He looks at me with love and concern.

Taking a drink of my coke my thoughts flash through my head. The day I met Allie, the first time we made love, finding out we were gonna have a baby, her lifeless body in the van. “I’m gonna talk to Allie in the morning.” I shift a little to look him in the eyes. “We’ve been through so much, so much time wasted. I’ve thought of nothing else the entire time in the hospital, dad. I can’t— I can’t wait. I know it’s just a piece of paper and we are together anyway, but I want her to be officially mine. I love her so much.” A tear drips from the corner of my eye. Man, when did I get to be such a pussy? I wipe the tear quickly and see him smiling. “It’s the drugs, damnit!”