You'll Never Be Lonely (5 page)

Small bit of internal bleeding? Really? It angered Hank to hear him speak as though his wife hadn’t lost an insane amount of blood, blood that had been leaking inside of her. However, Hank bit his tongue and listened. This was his wife’s and baby’s lives at stake. He needed to control his own emotions and listen.

“With that being said, honestly, all we can do is wait for her to wake up and go from there. I cannot tell you how long it will be until that happens. I know it’s frustrating, but Kallie has to heal herself at this point. We’ve done all we can do. The rest is up to her.”

“Understood. Thanks, Doc.”

“My pleasure. I’m a huge fan of your books and I know quite a bit about your family history. I remember when you lost your brother. I only wish I could’ve been there then to try to save him.”

Hank’s first thought was irritation. This wasn’t about him or his brother’s death. This was about Kallie and he didn’t need some fan of his books playing games with his family’s life. But he could see that Dr. Radcliffe was completely sincere. He truly wanted to help.

“Thank you again.” Hank nodded and sipped at the now cold coffee.

“You really should eat something. I know it’s hard, but you need to keep your strength up. Your family is going to need you to be in tip-top shape. I’ve gotta run and make a few calls. I’ll see you again soon, Hank. Remember, we can’t rush this. We just have to wait.”

Hank watched as the doctor made his way to the door. Dr. Radcliffe turned around and said, “And Hank, I’m not a very religious man myself, but I’ve heard prayer helps a lot.”

And that’s what Hank did for more than a week. He waited and he prayed more than he’d ever prayed before.

“Please God, bring her back to me.”

* * * *

When Kallie finally opened her eyes, it was painful. She knew she’d been asleep but it felt like she’d been on her back for days. And her back was killing her! Her face felt swollen and when she tried to raise her hand to her head, intense pain radiated throughout her chest and back.

“What? Oh my God! What’s happening?”

Instantly the room was filled with loud beeps and bells.

“Where am I? What’s wrong with me?”

Suddenly, there were people running around her room, all of them in white clothing.

“Who are you?” She once again attempted to scream but it came out as a whisper.

Someone put a straw to her lips, encouraging her to take a sip.

“Calm down, Kallie. Just relax. The doctor will be in shortly.”

Doctor? Why did she need a doctor?

It all came back to her in a flash just before she passed out again.

The next time Kallie awoke, Hank was there by her side, holding her hand. She wanted to sit up and throw her arms around him, but as soon as she took a big breath, she cried out in pain.

“Shh. It’s okay, babe. Lie still and I’ll go get the doctor. It’s so good to see your beautiful eyes again.” Hank leaned down and kissed her before he disappeared through a door.

Kallie was still a bit confused. She remembered the crazy man screaming about a bear and running past her in the park. She could still feel herself slipping over the edge of the rock wall, but nothing after that. The frustration and pain made her want to cry! She didn’t want to be here, wherever here was. She just wanted to go home with her husband.

“Hello, Kallie. I’m Dr. Radcliffe. It’s very nice to finally meet you.”

The older gentleman held what looked like a file folder and she saw him scribble something in it before he put it on the side table next to her bed.

“Hi.”

“Do you know why you’re here, Kallie?”

She struggled to talk but her throat was so sore and dry. Hank quickly brought her a glass of water and she sipped a bit through a straw. His eyes were full of tears and that scared her. Was she dying? Why was Hank so upset?

“I fell.”

“That’s right, you fell. Do you remember where?”

“At the waterfall.”

“Do you remember why you fell? Did you trip? Did someone hurt you?”

“No, no one hurt me. I slipped. I stepped back to avoid being trampled by a man yelling about a bear in the area. Next thing I knew, I was at the bottom of the ravine.”

“Good. That’s exactly what witnesses told the police and emergency workers when they found you two weeks ago.”

“Two weeks? I’ve been here for two weeks?”

“Yes, my love. You’ve been here since the day I stupidly took off for Los Angeles. I’m so sorry I left you.”

“Hank, it wasn’t your fault. You had to go.”

Seeing the tears fall down her husband’s cheeks tore Kallie apart. Without thinking she reached up to touch his face and the pain nearly made her black out.

“Shit!”

“Kal, you’re going to be in pain for quite a while. Just try to relax, okay?”

“Haven’t I been relaxing enough? You said I’ve been here for half a month!”

“Yes you have, Kallie, and I need you to remain calm. You’re not out of the woods yet, so to speak. You suffered a severe head injury, fractured ribs and there was some internal bleeding. I’m sure you can tell you’re also covered in bumps and bruises. You’ll need to take it easy for quite a while. I’ll give you two some privacy and I’ll check back in with you soon. If you need pain meds, simply push that little red button and that should help.” Dr. Radcliffe then stepped out of the room.

“God, it hurts to breathe, Hank.”

“I know, honey. I know. I’m so very sorry. All I want to do is throw my arms around you and never let go. I’m so glad you’re alive! I’d have gone insane without you.”

“How could I have been so clumsy? Never mind, don’t answer that. I love you, Hank, and I promise I’ll never do something this stupid again. My days of taking on solo adventures are over. I swear it.”

“I certainly hope so. I love you so much, Kal. Seeing you here, unconscious for these past days damn near killed me. And it’s given me time to put things into perspective.”

“It has? I suppose it did. After all, you didn’t have to listen to my incessant rambling, huh?” Kallie’s attempt at a joke only caused white-hot pain to shoot through her ribcage and her head throbbed when she tried to giggle.

“I think it’s time for you to push that little red button. You need to rest.”

“Rest? Why on Earth would I want to do that?”

“Sweetheart, you’ve been through a terrible ordeal and you still have a lot of healing to do.”

“But if I fall asleep, how will we talk about your new perspective?”

Hank laughed, “Okay. I tell you what. Just push the button and I’ll be here when you wake up and we can talk then.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Kallie pushed the button and felt an intensely warm and comfortable feeling overcome her.

“Don’t worry about a thing, darling. I swore you’d never be lonely and you won’t be. The three of us are going to have a long, beautiful life together.”

Three of us? Kallie’s heart leaped and tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m going to be a mom?”

“And I’m going to be a dad.”

Kallie drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her new life with her husband and baby.

*The End*

About the Author

Madison's days are spent homeschooling her daughter, while her nights are spent weaving naughty, romantic tales for the many characters living in her head. When she has free time, her hobbies include:
Reading, writing, reviewing, crochet, baking, candy-making, hiking, going to every NASCAR race she can and buying as many outfits as she can for her little guy: ChiChi.

She writes unconventional endings which have been loved by some and hated by others. Madison is a firm believer that love is never predictable and she loves to show that happy endings come in many forms.

Madison's words to live by "Have fun, make it memorable and enjoy every moment in life. You never get a chance to do the exact same thing twice."

Also by Madison Sevier (In order of publication):

Natural Lust (Weekend Getaway)

Anything You Want, River Jewel Resort Series, Book 1

Wicked By Nature

Hunter’s Fortune, River Jewel Resort Series, Book 2

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com