Learning to Let Go (4 page)

Dad’s hands were on my shoulders, giving me a gentle squeeze, as he spoke. “Don’t be afraid to hold her hands and talk with her. We aren’t sure how much a person can hear while they’re in a coma, but let her know you’re here for her. Talk to her about anything.”

“I’m not leaving her,” I said decidedly. “I failed her today and I’m not failing her again.” I glanced back to my father. “I don’t care what you have to pull. I’m willing to donate whatever is needed to the hospital to allow me clearance to stay with her. I’m going to earn her trust back, as of now. You can have the nurses show me how to bathe and care for her, but no one else touches her but me.”

My dad’s face was filled with mixed emotion. I could tell the doctor side of him wanted to argue with me and tell me to let the staff handle everything, but the father side seemed proud that I’d go to such extremes. “Son, I know you adore her, but the nurses and security can handle everything. You need your rest. And what about your work?”

“I can handle the most important things with phone calls, and Kenneth, my VP, can watch over everything else.” I looked over to see that Jonathan had snuck in behind Dad. I raised an eyebrow in question, guessing he’d been listening in on our conversation. “I’ll need your help, bro. Can you have someone else do the cooking, at your restaurant, for a while so you can come back to the business?”

“I’ll help wherever you need me, Garrett. You just focus on the positive and on helping Laurel and we’ll take care of the rest,” Jonathan reassured me, patting me on the shoulder before going over to give Grace a gentle hug.

I turned to Grace next and took her hand. “Grace, I don’t want you returning to that apartment with him on the loose. Thompson has already taken care of the cleanup, and I’ll have my security team, and Jonathan, take you to collect some of your belongings. I can put you up in my penthouse, or a hotel, or you can stay with one of my family members, if you’d like. I want to ensure your safety, too. This guy is such a nut job, I wouldn’t put it past him to try and come after you to get to her. If he’s met you, then he probably knows that the two of you are close.” I wouldn’t risk her well-being. I insisted.

To my surprise, I didn’t have any argument from Grace. Everyone seemed to be in agreement with my plan. It did surprise me that she decided to stay with Jonathan, though, with my past sex life, who was I to question anything? I was just glad to see my brother and Grace happy with one another.

During the first 12 hours, the swelling in Laurel’s brain continued and her vital signs fluctuated. If it didn’t stop soon, they’d have to take her to the operating room and relieve some of the pressure. Grace couldn’t stand the waiting game, so she went home, reluctantly, with Jonathan. I wouldn’t budge, asking them to bring in a reclining chair so I could be by her side. I needed the physical connection, continually holding her soft, delicate hand to keep me grounded, knowing that she was still with me.

By the 24-hour mark, the swelling had stopped and her vitals had stabilized. The nurses tried to persuade me to let them care for her, but I wouldn’t allow anyone else to touch her. She was mine! Reluctantly, they showed me how to bathe her and wash her hair while they checked her wounds. The damage Chase had done, especially in her tender folds, made my blood boil. How dare he hurt my precious Laurel!

“I promise to keep you safe, my darling. I’ll never let you out of my sight again.” I whispered the words over and over, hoping she could hear me and realizing how true they were. I wanted to protect her with my life.

A couple days passed and I still refused to leave Laurel’s side, even for a moment, unless Grace and Jonathan were there to watch her. I didn’t trust anyone. I knew that Chase had access to money and with that brought the ability to get where you needed and buy people onto your staff. I only left her side long enough for a quick shower before returning to her.

“We may need to break down and tell her parents, or at least her brother, Donny,” Grace said at the end of day three. “He’s called my cell several times today, insisting on talking with her. I’ve told him that she was away right now and not sure when she was returning, but I don’t think he’s buying it. The only good thing is that she’s done this before to him, when she’s been working hard on a major project, so he’ll just have to wait her out,” she admitted.

I knew Donny hated everything about me, so it wouldn’t be wise to talk with him myself, at least not yet. “Let’s give her another day to see how things are progressing. If it looks like she’ll be coming around soon, then she can talk with him personally. I know we should let someone within her family know what happened, but I don’t want to lose her trust even more, Grace.”

“Nor do I,” Grace agreed. “I’ll see what I can do to hold him off and pray that she’s able to come out of this soon.”

My father walked in holding Laurel’s chart. “I’m glad to see all of you here. The last CAT scan came in and shows the brain tissue is back to normal. The sutures on her arms, legs, head and private area have sealed over and will unlikely separate when she starts moving.” He paused for a moment, which kept us on the edge of our seats, before finally smiling and happily sharing, “We won’t administer the next set of coma-inducing drugs; instead, we’ll continue to give her pain medicine. It will make her a little groggy, but we’re going to start waking her up.”

I leaned forward, using both of my hands and my knees to support my head. I sighed audibly. It felt like a giant weight had been lifted. My heart began to beat again for the first time in days. I would get to see my girl again soon! I watched Dad checking her pupils and pulse points, turning when a nurse came in with some restraints.

“What the hell are they for?!” I demanded. No one was going to tie my girl down, not unless she ever wanted that for play, and then only with me.

“No need to blow a gasket, son. They’ll only remain on Laurel for the time it takes for her to wake up. Some patients wake up violently, remembering the events that led them to be here, and often rip out IVs and cause themselves more harm. This is only a means to ensure she doesn’t hurt herself. They’ll be loose and once she’s fully awake, they’ll be removed.” My father’s voice was calm and steady as he explained everything, providing all of us with some reassurance.

Grace and I both gasped and had to turn our heads as the nurse and my father restrained Laurel’s arms to the sides of the bed. We were furious by the move, but understood the precautions needed so she didn’t reinjure herself. Regardless of our frustration with their procedures, we were hopeful that this meant she’d wake up soon and we would see her amazing eyes and wonderful smile again.

Over the course of the next twelve hours, Grace and I stayed by her bedside as she started showing signs of waking. Her hands twitched when any of us spoke with her or recalled pleasant things. Her heartbeat seemed to pick up when I talked about how much she meant to me. I was certain she could hear us now.

Grace had gone down to the cafeteria to get us some coffee and I was half dozing on the side of Laurel’s bed, holding her hand, when a squawk came across the police officer’s radio outside her door. Then the hospital security officer, who was stationed next to the local officer, reached for his radio as it went off.

“We have a visual on the perp entering in through a side door on the south entrance of the hospital,” the police officer’s radio blared. “Stand your position; we’re in pursuit. We’re tracking him on foot; visual cameras are down for all corridors he’s currently on. Extra backup is heading your way.”

The police officer came in to let me know they were trying to either capture Chase or, at the least, drive him from the hospital. He assured me he’d continue to stand guard while Security locked down the hospital. As he spoke, bells and sirens went off and the automatic doors closed all over the ICU, effectively locking us in. Grace had just returned with the coffee and Jonathan followed her in to check on all of us, just managing to step inside the door as it closed. It looked like we would be here for a while.

I could imagine the desperate look on Chase’s face, disturbingly intent on getting to Laurel. The image we were able to pull off of the cameras at Waters Towers showed how smug he looked entering the building and how panicked he appeared when exiting.

Grace had done an amazing job at identifying him. When I first saw the picture, I felt I knew him from somewhere, but I knew we’d never met. My mind flashed back to a memory of someone a little older than Chase was now, in dated clothing with a hairstyle from my early childhood. W
hat the heck was that all about?

Jonathan hugged Grace close to him while she cried, telling us her fear of Chase getting to us, especially to Laurel. I continued to hold Laurel’s hand, reassuring her that I’d never let her out of my sight again.

“I’ll be your protector, your trusted friend, your lover, and anything you want me to be, if you just wake up, darling.” I’d never let my emotions be on display normally, but for Laurel, I’d admit anything just to have her back with us.

I heard a soft moan, followed by a whimper, escape Laurel’s lips. Her hand clenched tightly, fisting around mine. She started jerking a little. I looked to Grace, who was already out the door, calling for the nurses.
Was she aware of what was going on with security? Is that why she’s struggling?

My father, Dr. Harris Waters, was immediately paged to ICU. While we waited for my dad to arrive, Grace and I talked softly to Laurel, providing words of encouragement for her to wake up.

“Come on, girl,” Grace crooned, “wake up and let’s see the fight you have inside you. I know you don’t want to lie here anymore. Donny’s been driving me nuts calling you; he needs to hear your voice. We all do. Garrett is a wreck and hasn’t left your side. Now snap out of that haze of yours and come back to us.” Grace sure knew how to tell it like it is. I guess that’s why Jonathan seemed so taken by her.

I leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “I’m sorry I failed you, sweetheart. I give you my word to do everything in my power to regain your trust and to keep you safe. My heart aches for you to wake up so that I can hold you in my arms again.” I could feel my emotions getting the better of me over the thought of never having Laurel in my life.
Why am I so conflicted? I can’t accept the idea of dating, yet I don’t want to imagine a life without her? Am I doomed to have history repeat itself and everyone I care for or love will be taken away from me? Or was it time to take a chance at happiness? All I knew was that I needed her.

Dad rushed in a moment later and took her vitals, murmuring to himself. He smiled at me and took his ophthalmoscope out to check her eyes for a response. As he lifted her eyelid and began to shine the light, her back shot up and she screamed.

“Get away from me, you bastard! You’ll never have my heart! I hate you, Chase!” Laurel struggled against her restraints, apparently believing she was being held by Chase.

My dad called for a shot of benzodiazepine, injecting it into her IV within what felt like seconds. The nurse tried to calm her and it was only a moment before she was asleep again.

“What the hell, Dad?” My heart felt like it was ready to beat out of my chest at all the excitement. I didn’t know whether to push everyone out of the way to protect her or if I needed to step back and let him do his job.

Jonathan wrapped his arms around my chest, holding my arms pinned at my side as he pulled me back, giving my father and nurse room to work.

Dad raised his hands calmly. “She’s not fully awake; her vitals are still indicating that she’s on the edge of waking. Her mind reacted to a fight or flight situation. Apparently, she heard that Chase was coming for her and her subconscious had a delayed reaction.”

I’d had it. I couldn’t take anymore, shaking Jonathan off me as I yelled, “I’m done waiting around here like a sitting duck, just asking him to come and get her!” I barely restrained myself from punching the wall again. “Is she stable enough to be transported?” I asked, looking pointedly at my father, who hesitated. “Damn it, Dad, can we move her or not?!”

My father’s expression was confused. “Yes, she’s stable enough, but where do you plan on taking her?”

My face must’ve shown my grim determination, because neither my father nor Jonathan or Grace attempted to stop my plans. “We need to help Laurel progress somewhere safe, so I need you to call in whatever equipment we’ll need, and I need a doctor and nurse who can stay on property to monitor her. I want to set up whatever you feel is necessary for her at my other place.” I mouthed the words “beach house” to my father so he would understand where I was headed with this.

My dad asked. “There’s no talking you out of this is there?”

I just shook my head.

“You do realize the ramifications of moving Laurel?” he asked pointedly. I could tell he was trying his best to remain calm; he probably wanted to shake me and tell me to let him do his damn job. “She’s stable and can be transported,” he admitted, “but you have to understand that moving her could delay her recovery…”