Of Love and Deception (34 page)

Barely lifting her head, she noticed he’d managed to wedge an arm and a leg into the narrow split of the wall, close enough to help her get one arm in. But how would she get the other arm in? She’d have to move her feet, which were completely numb from standing in the same spot for so long.

“Daniella!” He snapped and brought her out of her misery. “You have to do this! Your husband is up there in frenzy. I promised him I’d get you out safely. You can do this.” He kept pushing her, forcing her to take baby steps until she managed to get the vest on. He latched and secured the belts, and then connected the hooks on the vest to another roped wire, locking them in place. He grasped the loops on each sides of her vest.

“Grab on to me and hold tight!” he shouted and yanked her toward him. She grabbed on to him and found new strength out of panic as she was ripped out of the hole with the sudden force of the helicopter as it pulled them higher and higher. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see how far down she’d fall if the wires somehow snapped.

A sudden burst of voices mixed in with the sounds of the propellers. She lifted her head when she felt hands reaching for her. She didn’t move when the rescue team quickly moved in, removed the wire and vest and then hoisted her onto a gurney. She lay limp while they worked on her. She didn’t flinch when they placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, or when they scrubbed her arm and placed an IV there. She struggled to keep her eyes open and fought the urge to give up because there was one face she needed to see.

A spark of panic set in as the medics lifted the gurney and placed her in the flight-for-life helicopter. Tears trickled down her cheeks when she caught sight of Cruz rushing toward the copter, forcing his way in. His eyes now in direct contact with hers, penetrated deep within her soul, and never wavered.

He stood next to the gurney looking down at her, and she lost it.

“You… you came f-for me.” Daniella choked back a sob.

He fell to his knees and completely lost it. His chest heaved as he leaned over. He slowly dragged his hands along her arms, up her neck, and pulled himself over her, but never pressing his full weight against her.

“Oh, Daniella. What did they do to you?” He gasped. The look on his face—torn, terrified, guilt, remorse, and love all rolled in one, as he took in her rugged, battered appearance. “I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.” He traced her bruised forehead, puffy eye, and then rested his cheek against hers and whispered, “I should have never let you go. All of this is my fault.” His chest vibrated and his tears wet her cheek. His tears turned into uncontrollable sobs—his hands continually clutching and releasing her hair—he sobbed so hard he had to gasp to catch his breath.

Daniella mustered enough strength to wrap her arms around him and lightly squeezed him. “It’s not… your fault. It’s… not.” She cried a little, and a little more when Cruz suddenly pulled the oxygen mask up and captured her whimpers with a deep passionate kiss. It wasn’t just her cries he captured. It was her pain and tears, anguish and loss, alarm and fear, but more than anything, it was the insurmountable love swelling inside of her. And by the way he kissed her, she knew he’d felt it too.

She clenched his shirt, and didn’t want to let go, but she could feel herself fading. Withdrawing slightly, she mumbled against his lips, “Cruz. Cruz, I love you,” before exhaustion took her under.

~~~

In the pitch of night, Daniella woke with a start. “No, no, no!” she screamed and thrashed to free her unknowingly free arms. “Huh-whew-huh-whew,” she panted, slid off the bed and tumbled to the floor. The I.V. pole and bag attached to it clattered next to her, only startling her further, causing her to scurry into the corner against the wall, where she crumpled, and retreated into a fetal position.

Cruz rounded the bed, flipped the lights on and rushed to her side. Drawing her into his arms, he caressed and brushed the hair away from her cold, sweaty forehead. “Jesus, Daniella. What the hell did they—you’re safe, baby. Calm down.”

She grabbed onto him, refusing to let go, and buried her face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. “I need you,” she cried.

“Do I ever need you too,” he whispered, pulling her tighter against him and rested his head on top of hers.

Several nurses rushed in, faces aghast at the scene before them. Questions spurted from all of their mouths.

“What happened?

“Are you okay?”

“We’ve got to get her cleaned up.”—She flinched when they attempted to lift her up— “Honey, your hand is all bloody, from where the I.V. ripped away.”

“I’ll carry her to the bed,” Cruz said. He lifted her and cradled her against his chest.

Shaking her head, she cried, “No. Please. I don’t like th-that bed. She… she tied me to that bed. That same bed. Please…”

“That’s so horrible!” a nurse cried.

“And to a pregnant woman,” another nurse commented.

“Wait!” All eyes focused on the third nurse. “I have an idea, but I need to ask the charge nurse.” She rushed out of the room, one of the other nurses followed.

Cruz sat in a recliner with Daniella in his lap as the remaining nurse cleaned the blood off Daniella’s hand and wrapped it with sterile gauze and co-flex.

An hour later, Daniella rested comfortably with Cruz on a king sized bed in a hospital room made into as normal of a setting the nurses and maids could put together. There were no railings on the bed to remind her of the horrible trauma she’d too recently escaped from.

The following day was a blur. Daniella slept most of it away with very few waking periods. She woke in a panic, but quickly calmed when she rolled onto her back to find Cruz tucked under the covers next to her. The only bit of light, which seeped in through the crack of the partially opened door, spread across his face. Daniella stared and marveled at his ruggedly handsome features. Memories of the first time she met him played in her mind until she finally fell asleep.

~~~

 
Oh, no. Oh, Lord. Please, don’t let it be bad. Please, oh please! And the baby... oh, Lord!

A sudden burst of adrenaline rushed through Daniella’s veins and she threw her legs into full strides, her feet slapping the wet pavement, she was certain she lost her stalker. Until she was instantly pulled back and lost her balance.

“STOP. STOP,” she screamed, and kicked, and swung her arms in uncontrolled movements. In a mess of babbling sobs, she cried, “PP-lease don’t… I-I…” Her captor did nothing. His hands were strong and held her steady against him, even as she attempted to hit and kick him.

“Shush. It’s me, Daniella. You’re here. You’re safe. Nobody can hurt you now.”

“Wh-what do you want from me? Haven’t I been through enough? Why? Why does everyone want to keep hurting me? What have I done? What have I done!” She crumbled, but he held her and kept her from falling backward. He slid in front of her, pulled her legs over his and coaxed her into his chest.

Daniella woke from the nightmare to find herself wrapped in Cruz’s arms. She clung to him and held his shirt in the balls of her fists. Her heart raced, and her mind raced equally. Part of it was fear, but mostly from the mad desire to crawl up into him, to love him, and go back to all the days they’d shared with so much love, so much passion and so much happiness. No words came to mind, only more gushing tears, a runny nose and uncontrollable gasps. Riddled with chills, she shook violently.

Cruz held her tight in his arms until she finally calmed down.

Coaxing her to sit up, he said, “Let’s get you some dry clothing.”

Daniella didn’t argue, didn’t put up a fight. She let him slip off the damp smock, pat her down with a towel, and slide a fresh smock over her head. Given the previous circumstances, Daniella had refused to wear a hospital gown. The staff at University of Colorado Medical Center supplied her with baby blue scrubs instead.

“Look at you,” Cruz said. He hadn’t pulled the top over her belly. Instead, he gently glided his hands up, down and around her baby bump.

She watched him circle her belly a few times before she placed her hands over his. “I only have six weeks left. You…” her voice trembled, “… I’m six or seven weeks further—”

Cruz slipped his hands out from under hers and settled one on each side of her neck. He slid them in an upstroke, cupped her cheeks and pressed his forehead against hers. “Do I ever know. I tried to reach you, I did. I’d hired an investigator. That video… and the pictures, they were… it was Meg in that video, with your wedding ring on her finger.” He squeezed his eyes close and clenched his jaw so tight that the muscles along the right side twitched. He let out a deep, anguished breath and opened his eyes. “I’m so damn sorry, Daniella. So sorry.” His voice cracked and his hands trembled.

Daniella lost it. She was racked with choked, heaving sobs that rose up from the pit of every emotion she’d held within her. In that moment, he drew her into a tight embrace, her face buried in the crook of his neck, his buried in hers.

“I… I can’t believe I fell for it, believed all those horrible things
she
said about you and
him.
How crazy she was—so crazy she went to the extremes to tear us apart. She nearly kill—”

“Sh. Sh.” Daniella pressed a finger against his lips. She changed her position from sitting in front of Cruz to a knee crouch, now face to face with him. She blinked through her tears and smiled brightly. “She had everyone believing her, not just you, but probably many others. But…” she sniffled, reached out and pressed her palm against his cheek, “… but it was you who rescued me.”

“It never should have happened. Never.”

“Don’t. Don’t do this to me, or yourself. I just want to forget it all happened and return to a life with you and me.” Daniella was now comforting Cruz and it made her feel good.

“And baby makes three.” Cruz chuckled.

They talked a bit longer before they both snuggled into bed.

“Daniella?”

“Hmm?”

“How’d you deal with all of it?”

She shifted positions and then turned to look at him. “I didn’t really. My only comfort was sleep.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “My only connection with you was when I closed my eyes and dreamed of you. I… I didn’t want to dream anymore. I wanted to wake from those dreams and find myself wrapped in your arms.” She swallowed hard at the lump forming in the back of her throat. It had been such a desolate time for her, and she never wanted to revisit that kind of loneliness again.

Cruz pulled her closer. He ran his fingers delicately along her eyes, cheeks, her nose and then her lips. “I kept trying to tell myself I had all I needed. I have a beautiful home, plenty of real estate, financially set… but none of those things mattered.” He cupped his hand over her cheek. “If you don’t have love, you don’t have anything. If you have love, nothing else matters.” He kissed her forehead. “Without you, I had nothing.” His lips traveled down her nose and ended with an “I love you” pressed against her lips.

 There were no words after that. Only the warmth of embrace and quiet purrs of their love for one another, lingered.

26 - Sweet Love

The following morning, Daniella woke to a room full of family and the swishing sounds of the baby’s heartbeat coming from the monitor. Her mother, father and Cruz’s parents all sat on the couch, somewhat squashed, and stared at her. Kind of a humorous sight really, all of them bug-eyed and waiting, for what Daniella didn’t know. She wanted to say ‘boo’ but thought better of it. She thanked the Lord for sparing her and the baby’s lives. She was also thankful to feel a part of her old self-resurfacing.

A smile stretched across her lips. Not just any smile but a warm, cheerful smile. “Good morning all,” Daniella said. Her eyes swept across the room, in search of Cruz but he wasn’t there.

Cari, Daniella’s mother, scrambled off the couch and greeted her with too many kisses to count. “Baby, baby, baby. My baby girl,” Cari cried. “And baby,” she said again, obviously speaking to the little one this time; her hand resting on Daniella’s tummy.

“You look like heaven and hell,” her father, now at her bedside, teased, “but the prettiest angel in my book.” He wrapped her in a tight embrace.

Cruz’s parents showered her with hugs and kisses as well. Daniella absorbed all of their affections, thankful to have such a wonderful family and support system. She glanced toward the hall and found a warm smile hidden behind a big, white teddy bear approaching her. Cruz set the bear on the ledge in front of the window and then hugged and kissed her. When he attempted to slip his tongue into her mouth, Daniella pulled back and playfully punched his bicep.

“Behave,” she whispered against his temple.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and pressed his lips against it. “I can’t help it. I’ve missed you so damn much.” He settled by kissing her cheek and wrapping an arm around her.

Daniella smiled while a small tear glided down the crease of her nose. “Me too.”

 ~~~

The next two days passed quickly and Daniella was relieved when the families departed for home. She couldn’t handle anymore of her mom’s gasps when the nurses changed the bandages on her feet.

The following morning, Daniella was finally discharged. The staff at the University Hospital threw a small going home party for her. They even bought her a cute white maternity dress and a pair of white fuzzy boot slippers with rubber soles. “It’ll cover the bandages,” one of the nurses had said.

Cruz had gone to the nurses’ station to sign discharge papers. Daniella put on her new outfit and carefully slipped her feet into the fuzzy boots. She stood, and without much pain, she stepped into the bathroom to examine her appearance. A little rough without makeup or a flat iron to straighten her hair, but the outfit was cute and her cheeks were rosy, but still bruised. Her hair had grown past the center of her back over the last seven months, which allowed her to twist and tie it into a knotted ponytail. She stepped out of the bathroom at the same moment Cruz stepped into the room.

Raised eyebrows and a playful smile greeted her. “Don’t you look beautiful.” Cruz reached for her hand, wrapped her in a hug, and then settled on the couch with her on his lap. He held her tight. “I can’t wait to get you home,” he said as he slid his hand along her neck and twisted his fingers in her stray hairs.