One More Time (34 page)

“Can you please take this off?” I pointed to the brace on my neck.

“Not until we get you checked out. We are taking you to the hospital,” the EMT said.

“I’m fine, really. I just want to see my baby and my friends.” Suddenly I heard someone shouting my name. It sounded like Dillon. “Dillon?” Is that you?” I called out.

“I’m here, baby!” he shouted and I immediately started crying again.

A second later my uncle appeared. “Holy-Mother-Mary-Joseph,” he said when he saw me lying on the ground, strapped to a giant red stretcher.

“I’m okay, Uncle Charlie,” I cried. “Please get Amelia for me.”

“I’m on it,” he said and sprinted away.

A minute later Dillon and Adam were on either side of me. “Please tell me she’s okay?” Dillon asked the paramedic.

“Are you her husband?” the paramedics asked.

“Yes,” we all three answered at the same time.

“Her vitals are stable. Other than the cuts on her face, we think she’s fine. However, we have to take her to the hospital to make a proper assessment….”

Before he could say anything else, Dillon’s lips were on mine. “I saw the jeep and was so scared,” he whispered in my ear, “so damn scared.” When he pulled back I could see the tears in his eyes.

“I’m okay. Please check on Sally and Sarah for me.”

“I’m on it,” Adam said and hurried away.

“What happened?” Dillon asked.

My eyes filled. “I’m so sorry about your jeep.”

“The last thing I care about is my jeep.” He glanced up and smiled at something. The next thing I knew, Amelia was in his arms and I started crying all over again. “Is she okay?” he asked the paramedic.

“Yes sir. Thanks to the young lady sitting next to her, she didn’t get a scratch on her.”

That’s when I completely fell apart. “Dana was chasing us. She kept ramming into the back of the jeep. I tried to outrun her, but knew the curve was up ahead. She hit us right before we rounded it and was coming back for more. I didn’t know what to do, so I tapped the breaks and wrenched the wheel to the right. She barely missed us and flew off the road. A car must have then hit us. I’m so sorry. It was all my fault,” I cried.

Dillon handed Amelia to Uncle Charlie. He leaned down so I could see his face and captured my hands in his. “Listen to me, Ibbs. You did well. Everyone is alive. Everyone is going to be okay. You did well, my brave woman.”

I couldn’t stop the tears or my teeth from chattering. “I w-was so s-scared.”

“She’s in shock. We need to get a move on, people!” the paramedic shouted.

Dillon let go of my hands long enough to wipe the tears as they streamed from my eyes. “I know you were, baby, but I’m here now and nothing is ever going to hurt you again.”

Suddenly there was a loud commotion. Because I couldn’t turn my head, I couldn’t see what it was. “What’s happening?” I asked.

“The gang has arrived,” he said.

Cas was suddenly standing over us. “Where is she?” he panted.

“Where the fuck is my sister?” Max shouted behind him.

“Who are you looking for?” the paramedic asked.

“Sarah McLellan,” they both answered.

One of the paramedics steered them off while the other one addressed us. “It’s time to load you in and get you to the hospital.”

Dillon’s eyes shot to someone, but I couldn’t tell who. “Take care of this, man,” he ordered.

As the paramedics hoisted me up, I saw Piper, Gage, Garrett, Adam and Uncle Charlie all standing there. They secured me inside and waited for Dillon to hoist Amelia up and crawl in beside me before leaving for the hospital.

By the time we arrived, the adrenalin had worn off, my head was hurting and so was my left shoulder where the seatbelt had been. I was no longer in shock, which was a good thing.

Doctors and nurses swarmed me like a bunch of bees as the paramedics lifted me down from the back of the ambulance and I started to panic.

Sensing this, Dillon leaned down and said, “The sooner they check you over, the sooner I can see you.” He gave me a smack on the lips and said, “Be a good girl for the doctors.” I scowled and he smiled as they wheeled me away.

Thirty minutes later, they had taken off the neck brace, had taken a bunch of blood and had me hooked to a bunch of machines to monitor my heartbeat and other vital signs. A nice nurse stitched two of the deeper cuts on my face and butterfly bandaged the others. I had asked several times about Sarah and Sally, but no one seemed to have any answers for me. I was growing restless.

Finally, the curtain whisked back and a doctor appeared. “Hello, I am Doctor Andrews. I just want to take a quick peek at that head of yours. I hear it was a pretty nasty wreck you were in.”

“Are my friends okay?”

“When Marcy returns, give her their names and I’m sure she will be happy to check on them for you. In the meantime, let’s look at these cuts and that bump on your forehead.”

Marci rolled in five minutes later with a big smile on her face. She handed Dr. Martin a file and listened as I explained about Sarah and Sally, then she left the room, hopefully to finally retrieve information for me. As soon as she was gone, another nurse arrived to set up an IV.

“Why are you giving me an IV if everything is okay?” I asked.

“I am admitting you for the night. I want to watch the bump on your head as well as get you hydrated. It is easy to get dehydrated during the first trimester of pregnancy. We’re going to give you a little boost,” he said with a wink.

My hands went to my stomach. “I’m pregnant?” I whispered.

“Congratulations. Now, is there someone we can get for you while you wait for your room?”

“Dillon Whitaker, please,” I answered.

“I’ll send him right in and will check on you in a bit,” he said and then he was gone.

Dillon and Nurse Marcy arrived at the same time. Dillon snuggled in beside me and held my hand while she explained about Sarah and Sally.

“Sarah has a concussion and a broken arm. Sally was knocked out, but doesn’t seem to show signs of a concussion. They are x-raying her right ankle as we speak.”

The curtain whisked back and two policemen walked in.

“Are you Isabella Fisher?” they asked.

“I am,” I replied.

“I’m…”

“Officer Galvez,” Dillon finished for him.

He smiled at Dillon. “Well if it isn’t Mr. Whitaker. How is our friend, Piper doing?”

“She’s great, Galvez. My girl here, however, was nearly run off the road tonight.”

“That’s what we hear. Do you mind if we ask a few questions?”

I spent the next ten minutes explaining what happened tonight. “It was the same car that tried to run me over at the doctor’s office,” I told Dillon.

Dillon’s body tensed. “You’re kidding?”

“Are you aware Dana was supposed to have been picked up for questioning two days ago?” Dillon asked the policemen.

“We are,” Galvez stated. “What we aren’t aware of is your connection to all of this.”

I glanced over at Dillon and waited for him to explain.

“Over a year ago Dana and I had a brief relationship. She had a difficult time letting it go.” Galvez stared unblinkingly at him and Dillon sighed. “Piper and I are close friends.”

“I’m aware of this,” Galvez said.

Finally, Dillon got to the point. “Dana was involved with Dooley Shane because she wanted Piper out of the picture.”

Recognition appeared on Officer Galvez’s face. “And because you and Miss Fisher are involved?”

“The same,” Dillon confirmed. “Now, why didn’t you take Dana in for questioning like we were told?”

Both officers fidgeted. Finally Galvez admitted, “We were having trouble locating Miss Harkins.”

A horrible thought hit me and I had to ask, “You found her though, right?”

“We did,” the second officer confirmed.

I grabbed Dillon’s hand before asking, “What did she have to say about all of this?”

“I’m afraid Miss Harkins did not survive the crash,” Galvez answered. My shoulders slumped with relief and Dillon wrapped his arms around me.

“We will need you both to make formal statements,” Galvez said.

We made arrangements to meet them at the station day after tomorrow, and they left.

Dillon kissed my head and whispered, “It’s finally over.”

I was relieved for a second and then it hit me. “We could have died, Dillon. Our daughter could have died. My best friend and Max’s little sister could have died.” I turned into him and blurted, “I’m pregnant.”

Dillon stared at me for a second before breaking into a huge smile. “I’m going to be a dad again.” He placed his hands on my stomach. “I get to watch you grow and be there when you’re born,” he whispered to my stomach. My eyes welled. We had come so far in such a short amount of time. I couldn’t imagine my life without him. Suddenly, his hand was in front of my face. I pulled back to laugh, but then I saw the diamond ring pinched between his thumb and forefinger and gasped. “I had grand plans to do this tomorrow morning and celebrate with family and friends tomorrow night, but I don’t want to wait one more second to make you mine. Isabella Fisher, will you please marry me? I want you to be my wife, no, I need it.”

I was a snotty, teary mess, but I was so damn happy. “Yes, Dillon Whitaker. I will marry you.”

He slipped the ring on my finger and kissed me. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you and Milly,” he whispered against my lips.

“You didn’t,” I whispered back.

He kissed me again and whispered, “I love you, my beautiful girl.”

“I love you, too.”

Dillon

‡

I
f I learned
anything from this past year, it is to hold on tight to the things I love. I am not blind to the fact that Dooley, Dana and Jimmy could have taken everything away. I am also aware I almost threw it all away in a moment of weakness. Dooley and Dana lost their lives and Jimmy is now rotting in jail. Isabella calls it karma. I, however, call it justice.

Ibby was released from the hospital the morning after the accident. Other than the bump on her head, the cuts on her face and some mild bruises, she was fine. Sally was released with a fractured foot later that same day. Poor Sarah had to wait an extra day due to a mild concussion and a broken hand. Between Cas and Max, I couldn’t tell who was more upset. I’d be shocked if Max hadn’t caught on that there was something going on between those two.

A week after I took Isabella home from the hospital, I flew her to Vegas for a surprise weekend…and to marry her. I didn’t want to wait to make Ibby mine. With Piper and Gage’s wedding less than two weeks away, I also didn’t want to step on any toes. If I gave Ibbs the option, I knew she would feel obligated to do the whole bridesmaids-wedding thing, even though she could care less about it. So, I didn’t. It didn’t take much coaxing to get Sally, Charlie and Adam on board with my plan.

The moment Ibby spotted everyone milling about in the hotel lobby in Vegas, she broke into tears. Then she and Sally happily took Milly shopping for dresses, while Adam Charlie and I got fitted for tuxedos. That night, I barely slept a wink, partly because I was sharing a room with Adam and Charlie, but mostly because I was going to marry the girl of my dreams the next day. A year ago I was half a man living half a life. Now, my life was so full I sometimes had trouble wrapping my brain around it. I still had healing to do, but I now had a support system and would not fail.

On July eighteenth, Uncle Charlie walked Isabella down the aisle. She wore a simple but sexy white dress. She also wore her hair down, just like I loved. With a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Sally stood next to her holding a bouquet of brightly colored wildflowers, while Adam and Charlie stood beside me, taking turns holding Milly. After we were married, we celebrated at Joe’s Stone Crab. Then I took Ibby back to our hotel room and celebrated in private…all night long.

*     *     *

“What are you
thinking about?” Ibby asked.

I turned to my wife and smiled. “Us,” I answered.

We were on our way to Kiawah Island for Piper and Gage’s wedding weekend. The girls had gotten together and rented a house large enough to accommodate everyone. At the last minute, Ibby and I decided to pass through Charleston and drop Milly off with Uncle Charlie. He had a new lady friend who was dying to get her hands on our daughter. Not only would this give us time alone together, but it would give Ibby time to rest. She wouldn’t admit it, but this pregnancy was already draining her.