HH01 - A Humble Heart (41 page)

with Tyler on her heels by the time the last word left her mouth.

“Please God!” she muttered repeatedly.

Tyler drove them as quickly as he could to the hospital. There was already a large crowd waiting outside the hospital

when they got there. Dana pushed her way through, ignoring screaming fans and intrusive reporters. Tyler had to push people

away from her so she could make her way to the emergency room. She ran right for the triage station.

“Edward, Elizabeth and Cole Pierce and Brett McCain!” she said, gasping for breath.

“Are you family?” the nurse asked in a cold professional tone.

“Yes, goddammit! Where’s my husband and kids?”

“Ma’am, you’ll have to wait in the chairs for the-hey, you can’t go in there!”

Dana pushed through the emergency room doors and ran towards the nurse’s station. “Pierce, where are they?”

“Right this way, Mrs. Pierce.” a nurse said with a look of recognition. She took Dana’s hand and led her to the open

Emergency room. Several rooms were hectic with doctors and nurses running in and out.

“Where are my children?” Edward yelled. “Let me see my kids, now!”

Some of the pain in her heart went away when she heard Edward’s voice. Now she needed to find her kids and Brett.

“Where are my children?” she asked the nurse. There was no question by her tone that she would not be refused. The nurse

pointed to the two rooms in front of her. Large curtains were the only thing that separated the beds.

Dana pushed through one curtain and saw Cole crying. He was covered in dry blood and strapped to a long board. “Oh

thank god,” she mumbled.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Cole screamed. He couldn’t see her so she pushed her way to him. “Baby, Mommy’s here.” She

kissed his cheek.

“I’m scared,” he whimpered.

“It’s okay, baby. I’ll be right back. I have to go find your sister first, okay?”

He nodded weakly against his straps. “I love you, Cole.” She kissed him again and looked at the doctor working on him.

“Tell me my son is going to be okay.”

“I think he has a few broken bones, a concussion and bruises, but other than that I think he’ll be fine,” he answered with a

soft reassuring smile.

“Time of death 12:57.” She heard from the bed next door. She moved automatically. Her heart pounding violently in her

chest. She pushed the curtain aside and sighed with relief, a teenage girl.

She drew the curtain back and looked at one of the nurses. “Where’s my daughter? Elizabeth Pierce and our bodyguard

Bret McCain.”

“Doctor,” the nurse said nervously.

A man turned around and faced her. “Let’s step outside, please.”

*******

now!” he demanded.

“Please calm down, Mr. Pierce. Your scans came back negative so we’re going to release you from the board, but I need

you calm down so I can stitch up those cuts,” a doctor said.

He made no promises as he waited to be released. They expected him to relax and stay in the bed when his two children

were close by in pain? No way in hell. As soon as the last restraint was removed he pushed off the board and sat up.

“No!” he heard Dana scream. “No!”

“Dana!” he yelled. He stumbled to his feet and pushed past the doctor and the curtain.

Dana was in the middle of the emergency room, on her hands and knees sobbing hysterically. A doctor was bent over her

trying to soothe her. Someone was dead. He stumbled over to her and pushed the doctor’s arm away from her. He took her into

his arms. She latched onto him tightly.

He looked at the doctor. “Which of my children is dead?” his hoarse voice broke several times.

The doctor looked like he aged a hundred years in the last few minutes. “Neither. Brett McCain has passed away.”

Dana squeezed her arms around him tighter. She sobbed into his neck. A huge part of him sighed inwardly with relief.

Then the sense of loss hit him. Brett was dead. He was a good friend and part of the family. He'd protected his wife and

children on a daily basis.

“Your children are going to be fine, Mr. Pierce. A concussion, broken bones, cuts and minor internal bleeding, but I

believe they will make a full recovery. I’m sorry about your loss,” he said softly and walked away.

“Oh god, Brett,” Edward mumbled. He began sobbing against her shoulder. They held each other for several minutes,

ignoring the world around them.

“Mommy! Daddy!” Elizabeth screamed. Cole joined in.

They wiped their faces and held onto each other to stand up. Dana took his hand and led him to their children. She pulled

back a curtain to see Elizabeth sitting up. Her arm was being set in a cast. She had a nasty looking cut above her eye and she

was crying.

Dana pulled the curtain on her right open, revealing Cole lying with his arm and leg being placed in a cast. “Thank God,”

Edward murmured. He leaned down and kissed his daughter.

“How are you, baby girl?”

“It hurts, Daddy!” Elizabeth cried.

“I know, baby. I’m just so glad you kids are okay.”

“Daddy, you’re crying!” Elizabeth gasped.

Dana moved over to Cole and kissed him as he looked at his father with quiet desperation. He was waiting for his father

there was no question about that. Edward stepped over to his bedside and kissed him repeatedly. Dana moved to Elizabeth’s

bed and held her good hand while the cast dried.

The kids were both asleep within a half hour. The doctor promised it was a side effect of the pain killers and not an

indicator for something serious. They both sighed with relief when they heard that.

Edward closed the curtains in front, but left the middle one open so the kids could be together. He took Dana’s hand and

led her outside the curtain. He pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I would never put the kids in jeopardy.”

“I know,” she said against his chest.

“They attacked me in the donut shop. I left and got in the car. I pulled out and they peeled out and chased us. We got

through the light and they decided to speed through the red light and the crossing traffic. They lost control and slammed into us.

I tried to grab the kids, but I couldn’t in time. There wasn’t even any space in front to get away from the cars. I am so sorry!”

“Stop that!” she said fiercely. “You didn’t do this! It’s not your fault!”

“Dana-”

She took his face firmly in her hands and looked him in the eyes. “You did not do this! You didn’t ask for this! They had

no right touching you or plowing through that intersection. They killed Brett, not you! And it’s because of them that two of our

children are here, not you!”

He nodded weakly. “You’re going to leave me now….. I’m so afraid of losing you and the kids. How can you stay with

me when I put us all in danger?”

She kissed him gently. “I am never going to leave you, Edward. I love you. There is nothing in the world that would make

me want to leave you. You aren’t putting anyone in danger. It’s not your fault if people think they own you, do you understand

me?”

“Yes. I just…..I feel like you and the kids would have been better off if you had never met me,” Edward said.

She laughed softly against him. “That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Edward, you are our family. You’re what

makes us happy and whole. You need to realize we had nothing before you, you are everything to us.”

He kissed the top of her head. “You really don’t regret marrying me?”

“No, and I never will. I love you, Edward, and the kids love you.” Dana pulled back to look in his eyes. He kissed her

softly.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Pierce, but I really need to get you stitched up,” a young doctor said. Edward reluctantly nodded.

“Do you want me to go with you?” Dana asked.

He chuckled softly. “No, sweetheart, you’ll only pass out.”

“Okay, I’m going to check on the kids one more time then I’m going out to the waiting room. I’m sure Amy and your

parents are beside themselves right now.”

“Good idea,” Edward agreed and walked back to his bed with the doctor beside him.

Dana looked over her sleeping children for a few minutes, noting all the cuts and bruises that were now visible on their

little bodies. Even asleep they looked very uncomfortable. Elizabeth had bruises up the left side of her body as well as several

long cuts that were now stitched up. The left side of her face was swollen and bruised as well. Dana guessed this was where

the car was impacted. She was beyond lucky that her children and husband survived.

She looked over Cole. The casts looked bigger and heavier than the rest of his body. His right side received most of the

damage. They'd been so lucky today. She only wished Brett had been as lucky. The doctor said he'd died instantly. He was such

a good man, fun, loving and honest. She was going to miss him. He was leaving behind a teenage son who he'd absolutely

adored. This was going to be hard on him. They would help him in any way he needed. John was a great kid. He didn’t deserve

to have his father taken away like this, for something this stupid and reckless, no one did.

***********

His grip on Dana’s hand tightened. They'd just been kicked out of their children’s hospital room ten minutes ago, but not

before they insisted a guard stand outside the room at all times.

Now they were making their way to the limo Amy hired for them. The hospital grounds were now tightly covered by

media and fans. People from the media were throwing questions at them while fans were demanding autographs, trying to hug

him, and pull on him. He felt anger bubble up in him. A man was dead and they wanted his goddamn autograph, were they

kidding?

He couldn’t get the image of John crying on Dana’s shoulder out of his head. Fifteen years old and now he was fatherless.

Dana held onto him for more than an hour while the boy broke down. The doctor’s finally had to sedate him when he began

flipping out. Dana couldn’t calm him down then. Edward grabbed John and hugged him tightly while the doctor’s injected him

with the sedative. He felt John’s body relax in his arms.

Now they were walking through people who were laughing and crying just because they got a
glance
of him and Dana.

They only saw what they wanted, two stars. These fans refused to see what was in front of them, a husband and wife who were

almost torn apart, a mother and father who came close to losing their children and now had two seriously injured kids to take

care of, and friends who just lost someone very special to them.

They made their way to the limousine, slowly. People were pulling on him, making his stitches sting. He pulled away

from them. Tyler was having a hell of a time clearing the way for them. There were dozens of police trying to control the

crowd. The hospital already demanded the police clear everyone off the property, but the people kept coming back.

Mark was leaning against the limousine when they arrived. His cameraman was standing next to him with the camera

down by his side. “Mark, I’m supposed to film this. We’re going to get in trouble.”

“We are not recording this,” Mark said through clenched teeth. He pushed off the limo and walked to Edward. He hugged

Edward tightly.

“Man, am I am glad to see you. I’m glad the kids are alright. I’m so sorry about Brett. He was a great guy,” Mark said in

Edward’s ear. Edward returned the hug and then released him so Mark could hug Dana.

“This is unbelievable. They’re acting like it’s a concert,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief, looking Edward and Dana

over. “How are the kids?”

“They’re…they’re in a lot of pain. The doctors want to keep them sleeping for a little while. John has been sedated and

admitted overnight to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash.” Dana wiped the tears off her face.

“Edward, can we have an interview?” a man from channel seven news asked.

“It might be the best thing if you said something now, while everything is fresh, Edward. It will have more of an impact,”

Mark said softly.

“What if what I have to say is something people don’t want to hear?” he snapped.

“Then I think you should say it,” Mark said somberly.

Edward nodded. “Okay, but only if you pick up that camera and take part of it.” After a long pause Mark sighed and

gestured to his cameraman to start rolling.

“I’ll wait for you by the car,” Dana said and stepped away. Edward grabbed her hand and brought her closer. He put his

arm around her shoulders.

“We stand together,” Edward said. He kissed the top of her head which earned several “Boo’s”

He ignored the crowd. “Are we ready?” Edward asked

Mark nodded.

“This isn’t going to be interview. I have something I want to say.” He looked down at the ground for a minute, drew in a

steadying breath before looked into the cameras. “Today I was attacked, chased, grabbed, and groped by teenage girls. I wish I

could say this was a new experience, but it wasn’t.”

“This was a typical day in my life and in the lives of my family. I appreciate all of the people who enjoy our films and the

books my wife writes, you have no idea how much you all mean to us. You’re in our daily prayers, but this” he gestured to the