Untangle Me (36 page)

“Without you I am nothing.” she said.

Lisa tried to kiss him and my blood boiled. I lunged off the bed, landing on her back with a smack. I wrapped my hands around her neck squeezing.

“Stop, Kayden,” she said gasping for air.

“No, Lisa, let go.” Kayden fought for the gun, trying to pry it from her grip. A large bang echoed through the air and my heart stopped at the sound, but I felt no pain. Our bodies fell to the floor in a heap of human flesh. I gasped for air my mouth wide open like a fish out of water, winded from landing on Lisa’s back. She was crying.

“Kayden,” she yelled. “Get up, Kayden!”

Kayden was lying on the bedroom floor, a red spot growing on his shirt. She fucking shot him. I covered my mouth trying to hold back a scream. She killed my Kayden. I finally found a man that loved me the way I wanted to be loved, and this vile bitch took him from me forever. She still hovered over his body, crying and touching his face. She kissed his cheek and pleading with him to wake up and bile rose in my throat.
Quiet, be quiet.
I grabbed a large crystal candle holder from my nightstand and tiptoed behind her.

“You bitch,” I yelled bringing down the candle holder on top of her head. Her body slumped over him. I didn’t know if she was knocked out or dead, but I didn’t care.

I grabbed my phone dialing 911 as I kicked her body off his. His breathing shallow, but he was alive. “Kayden, hang on. Help is coming,” I pleaded with him. “I love you, Kayden. Don’t leave me.” I sobbed with a shaky voice. My hand shook as I stroked his face and my lips quivered as I kissed him. I loved him, he couldn’t leave me.

“Sophia…,” Kayden said in a shaky voice as I rested my head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.

“Oh, Kayden! Help is coming, stay with me, fight Kayden, please,” I begged him. I bit my lip and stared into his beautiful green eyes, the same ones that had captured my attention the moment I met him.

“I love you, always,” Kayden said in a trembling voice, I whimpered as his eyes closed. The color and liveliness that he had brought into my life was slipping away from me. I rocked back and forth a bit mumbling, trying to hold him in my arms.
Where the fuck are the paramedics?
Helpless and despair sucked the air from my lungs.

I yelled and sobbed as I heard the paramedics rush through the door. I sat back on my feet… rocking and watching them work on his body.. Everything moved in slow motion. I heard the men talking, barely able to process the words, Kayden’s heart beat sounding on the machine.

“He’s critical, but alive.” My heart fluttered in my chest hearing those words and I bit my bottom lip.

“She’s alive,” said a paramedic checking Lisa’s pulse.

I hadn’t killed her, but she would’ve killed me. If she could shoot Kayden, I’d be a piece of cake. I sat with my knees pulled up to my chest, my face buried, rocking back and forth. Tears were streaming down my face. Kayden can’t leave me—not now.

I sat in the emergency waiting room, covered in blood—Kayden’s blood. I stared at the floor watching my tears splash off the tile. “Ms. DeLuca?” a man said pulling me

“Yes,” I said lifting my head to see who called my name.

“Mr. Michaels is in recovery. He was touch and go for a while. The bullet nicked some organs, but we were able to repair the damage and stop the bleeding. He’ll be in the hospital for a couple of days, but should make a full recovery,” the man said as he patted me on the shoulder. Warmth spread across my body as my tears flowed heavier.

“Thank you doctor, when can I see him?” I said with a shaky voice.

“Give him a while to wake up, and a nurse will come and get you,” he replied.

I had no other words, only thoughts of Kayden.

I didn’t move. I cried—no—I sobbed. I didn’t know if they were tears of sadness or joy. Kayden survived Lisa’s attack, he didn’t leave me.

I entered his room slowly. He looked weak—he fought for his life. The machines beeped in a steady rhythm as I walked towards his bed. Butterflies filled by stomach as I stood over him looking at his beautiful face. I kissed his forehead, trying to smell him, but his scent was missing, replaced with the antiseptic smell of a hospital. I sat down in the chair besides his bed and held his hand. Resting my cheek against his hand, I closed my eyes exhaustion overtaking me. I longed to feel his touch.

The Beginning

I opened my eyes to a yellow room, beeping machines filling my ears. I could feel Sophia’s face against my hand and I turned my head to look at her. Her face was peaceful after all that she had been through. Everything was because of me. I could have lost her to Lisa and my life would have been over, forever.

“Sophia…” I whispered, moving my fingers to rub against her cheek. Drool ran down the side of her face. That was my Sophia. I didn’t want to startle her. She sat up quickly as if in shock.

“Kayden, I love you,” she said. She kissed my forehead, my cheeks, ending on my lips. “Shhh. Don’t speak, just rest.” Tears ran down her cheeks.

“I love you, too, lay with me please,” I said. I needed to feel her in my arms. I wanted her to curl up against my side, her spot. I hadn’t slept a night without Sophia in over six months.

“I don’t know, Kayden, I don’t want to hurt you, baby,” she said grimacing.

“Get up here, I need you.” I patted the bed next to me, not taking no for an answer.

She climbed on the bed carefully and kicked off her flip flops, falling to the floor with a thud. I let her try and tangle her body around me, but she seemed so uncertain.

“Baby, don’t worry about hurting me, just lay with me.” She finally stopped and rested her head against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her head, inhaling her scent. She fell asleep within minutes. I laid there listening to her breathing, the soft snore escaping her lips. I stroked her arm relishing in the feel of her smooth skin.

Footsteps approaching the bed woke me. Two police officers entered my room and for the first time in years, I wasn’t scared by their presence.

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Michaels, but we need to get a statement from Ms. DeLuca,” the officer said.

“She’s sleeping, can’t you come back another time,” I asked.

“No, sir. We need to get something on the record quickly from Ms. DeLuca.”

“I’ve already given you a statement of what happened. What more do you need?” I asked.

“We need to hear from her. You weren’t home or alert for some of the events. We need her to fill in the blanks,” the officer replied.

“I’m awake,” she said in low sleepy voice. “What can I do for you, officer?”

“We need you to tell us what happened on the night of May thirty-first,” he said to me.

She recounted the events—waking up to Lisa standing over our bed, the gun, trying to fight her off, and then the shooting. It was the first time I heard the full story. My heart hurt listening to everything she went through with Lisa and that I didn’t go home sooner to save her. I squeezed her hand as she retold the story and she gave me a fake smile. She made the officer aware of the history between the three of us. She wanted all the information to be out in the open.

Lisa had been placed under arrest for the attack on Sophia and my attempted murder.

As the officer walked out the door I whispered, “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Sophia.” I kissed her head. I touched her chin; bringing it up, making her look into my eyes. “I love you… Thank you for saving us both.”

“You’re free of her. She can’t hurt you—us—anymore. I’ll love you, forever,” she said, leaning forward kissing my lips.

“You’re mine, Sophia, always. I’ll never leave you. Don’t ever give up on us,” I said against her lips. She snuggled back into my arms. I finally felt like I could breathe relax, the first time in a long time. We could move forward with our life— nothing would tear us apart. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I felt a sense of hope. I wanted a family with her… I wanted to grow old together. I loved being spontaneous and surprising her, as long as it didn’t end in handcuffs … well, at least not those used by the police.

“Kayden, will you tell me about your past? There’s so much I don’t know about you,” she asked looked at me with big brown puppy dog eyes.

“Where do you want me to start?” I said butterflies filling my stomach. “You don’t want to hear everything Sophia.” I cringed at the thought of telling her about my entire past. I knew she’d still love me, but she didn’t know the depth of my depravity and addictions throughout the years.

“Start at the beginning, I want to hear everything. I love you no matter what, Kayden. I’ve earned the right to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.” She winked at me and chuckled.

6 months later…

“The court has been notified that Ms. Jackson has accepted a plea bargain from the district attorney in exchange for pleading guilty to a lesser offense,” the judge stated.

My blood boiled as the judge spoke. I wanted that bitch to pay for everything she did to us and to Kayden, but she took the easy way out. She found a way to have her charges reduced from attempted murder to assault and battery. The court found her unable to stand trial earlier due to a mental problem and ordered her into treatment placing her on medication. The court now claims that Lisa is able to make coherent decisions and she weaseled her way into a plea deal. Kayden rubbed my hand as I listened to her words.