The Heart of Mine (14 page)

Once Kayla was admitted, I flung myself into the nearest chair, resting my head back against the wall. I never imagined this day ending the way it did. Least of all, I never imagined how much my heart would break seeing Kayla in harm's way. I knew how much I loved this girl, but knowing that she had an amazing man to take care of her, helped me realize that I would never have her. More than anything, I was grateful to have her as my friend.

Kayla

"I'm fine. Would you please stop poking and prodding me."

"Miss, we need to make sure the baby is okay. I'm just gonna wrap this monitor around you and then we need to keep you overnight for observation. Just sit back and calm down, please."

"Ugh, there is no reason to keep me overnight. I'm fine!" I shouted.

"What's all the ruckus in here?"

I would've known that voice in an instant, any place and anytime. I unattached the monitor and ran into my wheelchair bound love. My arms wrapped tightly around his neck as I pushed my belly into his stomach, pulling him into me as close as I could.

"Now that's a way to greet a guy." He whispered.

"Oh my god, when, how?" I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I missed you, cowboy." I whispered into his mouth as I sealed my lips over his.

"I would say so. I missed you too, pretty girl."

We kissed fervently and passionately for longer than was necessary, but I couldn't get enough of him. I had gone an entire week of not being able to feel him.

"Now get your ass back in that bed and get that monitor back on. We need to make sure that baby is okay. Speaking of which, ya wanna fill me in on why you're here anyway?"

I looked up at him ashamed. I wasn't sure I was ready to relive the events of the night already. When the tears stung the back of my eyelids, Madison rolled himself over to the side of the bed.

"Pretty girl, don't cry."

"I'll tell ya what happened." Joey's voice broke through my internal turmoil.

"Well don't you look like hell? What the hell happened to y'all?"

Glenn came walking through the door next and Madison looked abashed and confused. Well isn't this just a party.

"I'd tell ya to sit down if ya weren't already. Tonight the situation with Wren and your father came to a head."

"I knew you told her, but you let her get involved?"

Madison was pissed, and I could tell he was about to take it out on Joey, when I opened my mouth to defend him; Madison stopped me with a wave of his finger.

"It wasn't my idea. We had a back up plan. I swear I never would've let anything happen to her. You know that."

Madison ran his hand that wasn't in a cast back through his grown out hair and down his face. I could tell he was frustrated, and the story Joey was about to unleash on him was only gonna make the situation worse. Joey started at the beginning, leaving absolutely nothing out. I watched as Madison's hand balled into a fist and then as tears fell from his eyes when Joey got to the part about Wren and the gun pointed at our baby.

My hands fell to my stomach, clutching onto the tiny unborn life living inside of me. As much as I felt as though I was undeserving of love, Madison had taught me that love was exactly what I deserved. I deserved to be happy and I deserved to have this baby.

Madison reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly as Glenn and Joey wrapped up the rest of the story. When Glenn got to the part about Madison's father taking his own life, Madison's grip loosened and went straight for my stomach. He looked at our hands placed on top of one another lovingly and whole-heartedly. I could tell he was grieving the loss of the father he once knew, but there was never a tear shed for the man that his father had become.

After about another hour or so, Glenn and Joey said their good-byes and made their way out of the room. I couldn't stop staring at Madison praying that this all wasn't just a dream, that he was really here, in front of me and awake.

"You see somethin' ya like?"

I nodded my head and placed a small kiss to his cheek. "Marry me, Madison Raine."

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" He chuckled and it felt so good to hear his laugh again.

"I suppose." I blushed.

"The answer would still be yes, but let me ask. Please give me that much."

"Okay." I replied.

"When did you wake up?" I was concerned, but I was elated to have him back, in one piece and in front of me.

"Earlier this afternoon. They called my gran, but I asked them not to call you."

"Why?" I was beginning to get a little angry with him.

"Because my gran and I decided that we would get me home and settled and then surprise everyone tomorrow. That's why she invited everyone to dinner at our house."

Realization dawned on me, as I took in the gloriously romantic man in front of me. I don't know how I could have ever lived without him, and now thankfully, I didn't have to.

"Kayla, are you okay?"

"I'm better than okay, cowboy. I have the love of my life back."

"I mean with everything that happened tonight? Which by the way, I should kick your ass for even getting yourself involved. Even if you weren't pregnant with my child, I still wouldn't have wanted you to get involved. You mean too much to me."

"And you mean more to me. I needed to make sure that they paid for what they did to you. Oh, I need you to find my purse. Is it here?"

Madison rolled himself over to the nearest chair and brought me my purse. I searched for the camera I had taken to the swimming hole with us today and quickly pulled it out to show him. "Here, look at these." I shoved the camera into his free hand.

I watched his face as he scrolled through each picture one by one. I had taken at least a hundred of them, wanting to capture every moment I could.

"I see you wore my favorite suit." He winked.

"I did."

"This is amazing, Kayla. You did all of this yourself?"

"Well, I had a little bit of help, but for the most part it was my idea. I was going to come up here after, well you know, and show you. I knew you wouldn't be able to see them, but I wanted you to know just how much all of us missed you."

He set the camera by my leg and pulled himself up onto the bed next to me. "I know you may not believe this, but I could hear you and see you the whole time. It was like I was watchin' everything without anyone knowin'. It's a feeling I can't quite explain. Every time you touched me, I willed myself to wake up and touch you. I couldn't stand not feeling your warmth against me. I felt dead. Part of me wanted to be, if I wasn't able to hold you ever again. I took peace in knowing that even if I never woke up, that I could still see you."

My hand reached up to his cheek, sliding down to his chin, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were the most amazing green I had ever seen, and for a moment I was lost in what I would've missed out on had he not come back to me. "I knew you'd come back."

His lips skimmed the inside of my palm and then made their way up my arm. When he reached my neck, I couldn't help the giggle that escaped from between my lips.

"When do you get released?" I didn't want to ruin the moment, but my curiosity took over.

"I was being discharged when I heard the commotion coming from your room. My gran should be here shortly, but I can stay with you tonight if you would like me to."

"Are you crazy? Of course I do, but I'm sure you would enjoy sleeping in your own bed."

"I don't enjoy anything without you, pretty girl."

My lips found his and I forgot all the stress and bad luck that we had endured over the last week, and I was left with just us, here and now. My hand wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him closely into me. When he eventually broke free from the kiss, I found myself pouting.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Absolutely not, I just need a minute. It's been awhile since, well, I just need to cool down a bit."

I smiled down at where his hand was covering his crotch realizing exactly what he meant. I would be lying if I said his kiss hadn't affected me just as much, if not more. The nurse came in a few minutes later, to inform me that if I was absolutely insistent upon it, then I was able to go home tonight. I was elated and I could tell by the look on Madison's face, so was he. I think both of us were over this hospital.

She unhooked me from the monitors and told me I was allowed to get dressed, but that I wasn't allowed to leave until the police were able to finish up there questioning that I had avoided earlier. My heart constricted and my air was instantly cut off. Having to relive everything in front of Madison, was going to prove to be extremely difficult given the fact that this all ended with his father taking his own life.

"Is there anyway I can go down to the station at a later date to do it?"

"I'm afraid not."

"It's okay, Kayla. I'll be here the entire time." Madison squeezed my hand in reassurance, but it did anything but.

Madison

As happy as I was to be awake and see her face again, havin' to watch her now, answering these questions was breakin' my heart. I couldn't believe what she had been through. I wish I could've been there for her. I wish I could've been the one to have protected her and helped her through it all. Instead it was Joey. Joey was the one who came through for her when I wasn't able to, and all my doubts began to resurface. Did I deserve her unconditional love?

"Miss James, who shot Wren?"

I could feel the angst and pain radiating off of her and I pulled her deep into me.

"Mr. Raine did."

"Do you remember any words that were exchanged between Mr. Green and Mr. Raine before that?"

"I...I kind of do. I'm sorry sir, but I was a little more worried about the gun that was aimed at my unborn child."

"I'm sorry miss, I don't mean to make this any worse than it has been. We just need the facts."

"I understand. I believe Joey, I'm sorry Mr. Green was telling him how he was a horrible father and that he was allowing a piece of shit kid take the life of his unborn grandchild. Something along those lines."

My heart began to ache. It began to ache for Kayla, for my child and for my father of all people. For all these years I thought my father never cared for me. I believed that if it ever came down to it, that he would choose himself, but I was wrong. In that moment, regardless of what Joey may have said to him, he chose me. He chose the life of his grandchild he knew he would never meet.

"One last question Miss James, did Glenn Green ever fire a shot, or did Mr. Raine shoot himself. I'm sorry Mr. Raine, I know this must be hard for you."

I shook my head and tugged at Kayla's hand. "Mr. Raine shot himself. He felt unworthy of anyone's love. He knew his son would never forgive him for what he allowed Wren to do and I'm assuming he couldn't live with that on his conscience."

I watched Kayla answer with such bravery and certainty in her voice. In that moment, I was in awe of her. I could only hope that our child would have her strength, her courage, and the will to carry on with such a strong heart.

"If we're done here, I'd like to get my boyfriend home now. I think he's spent enough time in this place."

"Of course, and I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Raine."

"Thank you Officer Woods, but there's no love lost between two people who never knew what love was between them in the first place. But thank you all the same."

We made our way past the officer and down the hall towards the exit doors. Of course, Kayla was stuck pushing me in a wheelchair due to all of my broken bones, but she made the ride worthwhile. Every free chance she got, she was showering me with kisses and whispering sweet promises of all the things she was goin' to do to me later if given the chance.

Because no one knew that I was awake yet, well besides the usual suspects, I figured she would have to go to her house as I went to mine. I was so wrong. As the sliding glass doors slid open, there in front of me stood a whole slew of people. Everybody must've gotten word of me bein' awake. I glanced around at every face starin' back at me. Joey, Brandon, Bryce, Glenn, Cami, Bryan and even Taryn stood there with smiles. Wait Taryn? I was confused until I saw Bryan's arms wrapped around her waist and then it all clicked into place.

"Well, it's so damn good seein' y'all. Now, can we go home?" I laughed.

Everyone gave me a quick hug and promised that they would all see me tomorrow at my house for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. James were the last ones left besides my grandmother. I reached out for Mr. James' hand but he bent down and gave me a strong hug.

"It's good to have ya back, son."

"Thank you, sir."

He stood back up and placed a small kiss against Kayla's temple before tellin' her they would see her tomorrow. Looks like my girl was headin' home with me tonight. I couldn't help the pure joy that soared through my heart.

Mr. James helped me into the car and then we were on our way home. I watched Kayla dozing off in the front seat and I felt sorry for keepin' her up as long as I had. As soon as we pulled into the drive, my gran pulled out the crutches the hospital had sent home with me.