Watch What Burns (18 page)

Grace nodded; crying quieter into her mother’s shielding body.

As more glass shattered, Austin began to panic thinking this would be it. Her mind screamed at her to get Grace and Alice upstairs and hiding, but she couldn’t move. She just held on tightly to her daughter, and curled in tighter to Alice. If she moved, she didn’t want to know what could happen. There was no way she could assume this was anyone else, but Natasha, and if she was right, then she knew Natasha was wielding a loaded gun.

“Mommy,” Grace cried, as she tried curling into her mother’s body even more than she had, the terror racking her tiny body with endless shakes.

“Shh,” Austin tried to calm her daughter, but a tear slipped down her face, knowing she was unarmed and unable to save her daughter if Natasha got into the house. “We’re all okay, baby. I know you’re scared, but mommy’s here.” She whispered at her daughter, only wishing she could believe her words herself.

The next thing she heard imprinted so far into her brain it sent shivers down her spine.

“I’m coming for you,” Natasha’s voice sliced into the air, the house falling silent thereafter.

Austin just prayed it was a trick of her mind, but the noise of fear that escaped Alice told her it wasn’t her imagination this time. As the door opened, the noise of it hitting the wall behind it, Austin’s panic went into overdrive. She squeezed her eyes tighter, her body shielding her daughter more. She didn’t want to open her eyes and allow Natasha to see the fear she was feeling. She wouldn’t let her revel in that.

“Aus,” Tyler’s voice penetrated the dead air around them.

“Ally,” Nicolas’ voice reverberated after Tyler’s and movement drew closer.

Austin uncurled, looking from her husband to her father and realizing they were now safe. It was then she just broke down, kissing her daughter’s head knowing they were now safe and able to feel that way.

Dropping to his knees, Tyler cupped his wife’s face, her tears spreading beneath his palms as he forced her to look at him, Nicolas going to comfort Alice while he did so. “I’m here,” he said, and released her face. “You’re safe,” Tyler told them, rushing straight to wrap his arms around his wife and daughter. “You’re safe. I promise you.”

A
USTIN laid her head onto her husband’s shoulder as she closed her eyes. It had been hours since they had arrived at the hospital, and the only thing she knew was her sister was in surgery to stem the bleed to her leg and remove the bullet.

Hearing his wife sniffling beside him, he decided to break the silence that had descended upon them. “Sunny,” Tyler commented, forcing her to sit up.

“This is my fault, Tyler.” Austin dipped her head, unable to look at her husband. She was scared if she did, she would see the one thing that terrified her - the bare truth. “You heard Alice. She was trying to find me so she used Sienna to do so.” As she felt her husband lean in to comfort her, Austin pushed him away, the tears falling in droplets down her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Fear, guilt, and hopelessness consumed her and realizing everyone’s eyes were on her, watching her, she was up and out of the waiting room. The moment the doors closed and she was safely tucked away around a corner, Austin sunk to the floor, only breaking completely the moment she hit the ground.

“Aus,” Tyler’s voice followed her as he found her instantly.

“I just want to know why this happening,” Austin pleaded, unable to make sense of any of this. “I don’t know why she can’t just leave it be. I am trying to keep my head on straight and not be like this, but tonight has me terrified. I don’t want Natasha to win. I don’t want to be beaten by her.”

“You won’t be,” Tyler told her and watched her snort at his comment. Tyler sat with her, his back to the wall, his shoulder pressing against her as he spoke. “You are one of the most caring, loving women in this damn town, Austin, and you’re strong and vigorously courageous when you want to be, but stop trying to be the hero. Stop trying to be the strong one who then feels like they fail when they cry over things that scare them. It doesn’t make you any less brave or weak in comparison. It makes you human.”  He turned his head and saw her staring at him, her gaze intently fixed upon him. “It makes you my wife.”

“I just feel so guilty,” Austin admitted feebly.

“Why?” Tyler asked, turning on his side so he could get the right affect with what he was about to say. “Because somebody we both were involved with in the past decided they were going to be vindictive and evil and try for something that will never ultimately happen? Aus, this isn’t down to you. You didn’t set out on purpose and make Natasha who she is. She did that a long time ago when she set us against one another, enough for you to run and me to be blind to my responsibilities. Shall I let you in on a little secret?”

“What’s that?” she asked him, wondering where this could be going.

“We’re not the same people anymore,” Tyler told her, smirking a little. “We aren’t the Austin and Tyler that were madly in love all the way through our childhood, and we certainly aren’t the couple that first got engaged.”

“Not really a secret,” Austin grumbled to her husband sarcastically.

“I know,” he agreed, nodding his head swiftly. “You just seem to forget that important part. You and I, Aus, we’re better than we first were as a couple. We’re wiser, more in love, happier, and I think that’s
because we were broken for some time of our lives. Perfection is this, Austin. This life had broken us down and built us back up, and right now, with what happened to Cassie and Sienna, we’re going to become a much tighter knit family.”

“Any tighter and we’ll be living together under one roof,” Austin joked, making Tyler laugh at her wit. “Ty?” she asked and looked at him, “Can you promise me one thing?”

“Anything,” Tyler told her, prompting her to carry on.

“Do you promise to be here, whatever?” she asked him, and watched him nod. “Promise me that whatever
happens you’ll be here by my side, fighting for me, and keeping me strong when I feel like breaking down. Can you do that, Ty?”

“I’ve been doing it for the past three years, Sunny, I intend to do it for the rest of my life,” he admitted gently, leaning in to kiss her. “Whatever happens, you and I will always have each other.”

“What about loving me when I ugly cry like I have been?” she asked, teasing him.

“I’ve done that your entire life,” he mocked her, earning himself a back handed slap across his chest. “I
think I can definitely do that for a little while longer,” Tyler smiled at her, putting his hand out for her. “Now, you ready to go back?”

“I think so,” Austin replied, trusting him to keep her standing until she found her fight again. She allowed Tyler to pull her to her feet and take her back into the waiting room feeling a lot less guilty and a lot less like the whole world was riding on her shoulders. Walking back through the doors, everyone looked at Austin and she smiled bravely, but as she went to talk, Tom came towards them and she was grateful all of the attention was taken off her and applied to her brother.

“You look exhausted, son,” Nicolas stepped in, concerned about how much more his son would be able to take in one shift.

“I am,” he laughed weakly at the stance.

“Tom, you need a break,” Austin stepped in, also worried at how exhausted Tom looked.

Offering his sister a small smile, he acknowledged her bid, but waved it off. “I’m fine. I won’t be sitting down until Sienna is out of surgery and the doctor can say she’s not critical. Then I’ll be going home,” he paused and thought about his home now before
restarting. “I’ll be going to mom and dad’s with you two,” he stated, and offered a weak smile.

“I guess mom and dad have a full house,” Austin commented nonchalantly. She allowed Tyler to put his arm around her and hold her tight, remembering how they had commented on their house not being safe due to Natasha’s vandalism and verbal taunting.

“It’ll be fun,” Tom stated and looked to Tanya and James and offered them a short smile. “I’m going to see if Cassie is up for you guys. Then I’ll come back down here for you.”

“Thank you,” they both spoke in unison.

Waiting on him to leave, Tyler turned to his parents. “She’ll lap up the attention she’ll get from this,” he joked and saw his father smile, while his mother shot him a look to calm it. “Look mom, you can’t keep panicking over this. You heard Tom, there’s no major damage. I would take a slight skull fracture over a bleed on the brain or a-”

“Or a bullet,” Austin quipped dryly, cutting in over her husband as she stood thinking about her sister’s untold future.

“Austin,” Tyler snapped at her, trying to make her see. “They’re both going to be fine. Why can’t you just see that?”

“I just want to see her,” Austin mumbled, and hated
herself for being so weak and miserable.

“Well you can do that soon,” Tom spoke, having walked in to hear his sister’s current emotional crisis. “You can come through in a bit to see her for yourself, but right now, Tanya, James, Cassie’s waiting on seeing some people,” Tom broke the moment, and saw the intensity in the room quickly disband. Even though everyone was on tenterhooks over Sienna, knowing Cassie was okay was making this situation easier to handle. Tom then smiled; knowing how to make sure everyone really was okay. “Sienna’s just being brought up to recovery, we can go up there when she’s woken up a bit more,” Tom told his parents and siblings.

“But she’s okay?” Jane asked, stepping in towards her son, holding onto her husband for dear life.

“She’s more than okay. The doctor told me she was stable and her stats were good,” Tom told them and knew he would need to get more information before coming back to his family. “For now, who’s coming to
see Cassie? She’s asking for people,” he spoke and offered a small smile.

“Tyler?” James asked his son as he noticed him holding back.

“I’ll be through in a moment, I’m just going to talk to Aus quickly,” he said and immediately felt grateful his father understood. Tyler settled as his parents ran off in the direction of Cassie’s room. Tyler, however, turned back to his wife and sat back down on the chair. He reached out and took her hand in his, letting her know he was there and waiting for her to just cave.

A few moments passed before Austin took the silent gesture and opened up to him.

“Our life is meant to be simple. We meet, we fall in love. We get married, have the family everyone wants and live happily ever after. It’s supposed to be that simple, Tyler.” Austin’s eyes were watering, her lip beginning to tremble. “It’s not meant to be full of deceit and hurt. There’s not meant to be heartache and fires, and crazy ex’s and hostage situations, and gunshot wounds!” She closed her eyes, allowed her head to bow and gave herself to a weakened emotion. “It’s not how it’s supposed to happen,” she whispered, her voice wracked and heavy with an emotional onslaught.

Tyler wouldn’t settle for this. He placed his hand to her chin and gently lifted her head back so he could look her in the eyes as he spoke. “Don’t start that. I know that right now we’re all worried and scared. We’re all trying to make it day to day, but I know we will make it through this.” He leaned
in, his eyes level with hers as he continued. “I always promised you that fairytale life, and even though we’ve had our moments, I’m pretty sure I’m living out my happily ever after. I dreamt every night of you coming back, don’t you think for one moment that now I’ve had you back this long, I’m going to walk out and bail on growing old with you.”

Austin gave a small smile, a tear falling down her face.

“Regardless of all the bad, I’ve definitely got the memories of meeting you, of our first kiss, hell our first date, even our first time. I remember getting engaged to you -
twice -
and I sure as hell remember marrying you. I remember the first time I saw Gracie on that screen and falling in love with her, and if my memory serves me right, the first time I held her I cried. Like a baby.” He laughed as Austin did, tears pouring from her eyes, her head bopping slightly with agreement. “I remember every piece of her life, and our life since. They made me the man I am today - Happy, loved, proud.”

“Are you trying to prove me wrong here?” Austin pouted at him.

“No,” he whispered and paused for a second. “I’m trying to show you that happily ever afters aren’t conventional. We have our own story to tell, and you forgot the most important thing about all fairytale endings.”

“What’s that?” Austin asked her, her voice remaining small as she searched his eyes for the right answers.

“Even the best fairytales have bad guys,” he gave her wink, annihilating her entire body of doubt in one swift action.

Slowly Austin’s face began to break into a smile as she finally let Tyler beat down her final ounce of negative emotion pulsating through her veins. She fell against him, her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I don’t know either,” Tyler mocked his wife and watched her try to issue a death glare before melting into a small giggle. “Come here, Mrs. Armstrong,” he said and put his arm around her and pulled her tight against his body. “When we’ve seen our sisters I think we should go home to Gracie. Lack of sleep isn’t going to help with this matter.”

“Oh sleep, now that sounds amazing,” Austin admitted and sighed contently against Tyler. She hadn’t looked at the time, but all she knew was Grace was sleeping under the supervision of Danny and that was enough for her.

“Your brother’s coming back,” Tyler suddenly shook her.

Even though she hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep, Austin was on her feet suddenly, taking Tyler by surprise. Trying to shake the sleepy feeling from her, she approached her brother as all of her family gathered waiting for news.

“How is she?” Nicolas asked, after clocking Tom advancing towards them first.

“She’s okay,” Tom calmed them all and smiled. “I’ve just left her in recovery and even though she’s groggy, she’s doing exceptionally well.” He gave a smile and watched his parents and Austin more than anyone else. “She’ll be out of here a couple of days, but her doctor wants to keep her monitored.” Finally
able to tell his family their sister was okay, Tom felt the weight of being a doctor lift from his shoulders immediately. He loved his job, until his family were involved. “She’s only allowed one visitor at a time, and right now she really wants Aussie.”

“Me?” Austin gasped, her hand coming to point at herself. “What about mom or dad?”

“She knows that you know Natasha was behind this. She wants to see you then the rest of us can take over her hospital room later when she’s more awake,” Tom spoke coolly, able to keep his doctor appearance on. He sighed, knowing how everyone would be feeling. “Look, she’s okay. As long as she remains this way for the next twenty-four hours then we’re looking at a smooth recovery. She woke up and insulted me almost immediately, doesn’t that tell you something?”

Dean stepped to his sister, putting his arm around
her, he pulled her in towards his body. “Look, you either go there freely or Tom will drag you. Choice is yours, sis, but you need Sienna to tell you what’s what and to just get you out of this funk.”

“I’m not in a funk,” Austin said, her voice more of a mumble than anything.

“Course not,” Dean and Tyler snorted at once.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her brother off and stepped forward. “Fine,” she muttered, giving in to the brotherly attack. Following Tom, she went through another part of the hospital and just carried on walking as he did.