Unbeautifully Loved (Breathe Again) (43 page)

“Is mommy going to be okay?” Finn’s worried voice broke through in the far distance, making my head jerk in its direction.

Finn.

I was sitting somewhere warm, safe, and full of comfort. A place where nothing would be able to touch me and no one would be able to hurt me again.

I looked down at myself.

I was no longer broken and violated. There were no bruises, no cuts, no broken bones, nothing; nothing but unmarked skin.

Nothing hurt. I could breathe without pain, my head was clear, free of the skull pounding headache and I was unscathed of Erik’s touch.

“Yeah bud,” Lukas’ voice sounded just as far away. “She just needs time to heal.”

“Why can’t she be awake
and
heal?” Finn asked, sniffling.

“I don’t know bud, just how the body works.” Lukas paused and I could feel his familiar warmth strike me like a ray of sunshine through a window on a hot day. “She just needs some time, she knows we’re here and she’ll come back to us,” he promised.

“He’s right you know,” his voice sounded from the other side of me.

I stilled before turning, surprised to see him standing a few feet away, looking ordinary and unharmed.

“Dex.”

“He’s right sweetheart,” Dex said sounding nothing like I remembered him to sound.

Sweetheart?

“What are you doing here?
How
are you here?” I stood up from where I was sitting and looked at him uncertain. “And why do you sound so nice?” my brows knitted together.

He laughed and it, like his voice, was different. “I don’t know Lexie, it’s your subconscious not mine.” He smiled and it was a nice smile, a smile I hadn’t seen since we first started dating.

“You called me Lexie,” I stated taken back. “You never called me anything but Alexia.”

“Like I said, it’s your head not mine,” he said his smile not falling.

“I must be on some kick ass drugs then,” I muttered to myself, running my hand through my hair.

“You’re lingering sweetheart; why are you afraid to wake up and see Finn and Lukas?” he asked confused.

“I’m not afraid,” I said quickly.

Shit.

“Then wake up,” Dex said challenging me, his lips twitching in the corner.

I bit my lip and looked away from him. “I can’t.”

“And why’s that?”

“I don’t know.” I turned away from him. “I just can’t.”

“You have nothing to fear with Lukas, he loves you, undoubtedly more than I ever did,” he said genuinely. “He’s its
, the one
.”

“It’s not that simple Dex.”

“Sure it is. It is
that
simple, you truly love him and he truly loves you
and
Finn.” He paused contemplating what to say next. “Alexia, your nightmare’s finally over, giving you peace of mind; it’s time you finally wake up from it and enjoy the life ahead of you,” Dex said strongly.

Then he was gone.

I awoke in silence.

The room I was in was dark with the exception of a small amount of light coming from across the room. There was no more beeping from a machine and I could feel the faint pain throughout my body but nothing like it was before.

I could feel the heavy cast on my right wrist and a bandage on my other. I looked around the hospital room I was in, and saw bouquets of flowers placed around the room, every inch of surface filled with an array of arrangements, none of them small.

I counted ten different ones.

“Lex?” His voice called out and my head turned in his direction. I saw his shadow sitting in a chair by the window and I watched as he stood and made his way over to me.

“Hi,” I said my voice raw and groggy. “Water.”

Lukas nodded and reached over to the table beside my bed and poured some water into a cup then sat on the edge of my bed and put the cup to my mouth, helping me drink.

“Been waiting for you to wake up Peaches,” he said sounding relieved as he set the cup back down on the table.

I’d never felt so happy to hear him call me Peaches as my eyes clouded with tears I tried to blink away. “How long have I been here?” I asked, unable to keep them at bay any longer and I felt them roll down my cheek

“Going on three days.”

“Three days?” I asked startled as I wiped the tears away.

Lukas stood and kicked off his boots then pulled the blanket back and climbed in next to me pulling me into his arms, gently yet tightly. “We’ll talk more in the morning babe; it’s late, get some rest.”

“I just woke up after three days of being in a coma,” I replied, sounding exhausted.

His chest shook from laughter. “Wasn’t a coma babe.” He shifted us so my cast rested on his stomach. “It was more like a three day nap.”

I rolled my eyes, “Who takes a three day nap Lukas?”

The atmosphere around us started to change. “People who go through a trauma like you did.”

Sensing where this was about to go, I changed the subject. “Did you bring all those?” I teased motioning to vases that filled my room. There wasn’t a single one that looked like the other; all were big and full of an assortment of flowers that slightly took away the hospital smell.

“Of all –”

“Ten,” I offered, not waiting for him to finish counting them.

“Of all
ten,
two are mine. Well, actually one is from Finn and the other from me.” He grinned. “Mollie picked up one. There’s one there from Teri, Danny and Adam brought one by, Bobby brought two– believe it or not he brought the two big ones over on the table, and then the girls and Colt dropped two by and a girl named Whitney gave one to Mollie to bring by.”

Wow.

“Wow.” I looked at each one stunned. “They’re all so beautiful.”

He buried his head into the top of mine and kissed it. “A lot of people love you.” He kissed my head again then pulled back and looked down at me. “Including me Peaches.”

I looked up into his soft grey eyes and saw nothing but love swirling inside. If I wouldn’t have known how much he loved me before, then seeing him after being saved from Erik would have told me just how much he truly loved me. At that moment I saw a different Lukas. I saw a Lukas who didn’t know what he was going to walk in on and find, who was fearful history may have repeated itself.

I saw a man whose world was shaken to the core and then in an instant, the moment our eyes locked, became whole again.

As did mine.

I moved closer to him, ignoring the angry obscenities my ribs shouted. “I love you too Lukas. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you or anyone about Erik. You were right, and I should have trusted you.”

“Hearing you say those words Peaches,” he paused as his hand brushed along the side of my check, “makes everything complete baby.”

It did.

I smiled up at him as I kissed his lips gently, before I rested my head on his chest and let darkness take me away into a blissful sleep.

I felt his warmth surround me before I heard his soft hushed voice.

“Baby, time to wake up; there’s someone here to see you.”

My eyes fluttered open and Lukas came into view. “Huh?”

“There’s someone here to see you,” he said again, softly brushing the hair out of my face.

Finn.

I pushed myself up in bed, “Finn?” I asked looking around the room not seeing him or anyone else.

“And Molls, I’ll go get them.” Lukas bent forward and brushed his lips against my forehead before he walked over to the door.

When the door opened I watched as Finn bolted past Mollie and Lukas, and ran right for my bed. “Mommy!” he shouted as he jumped up and threw his arms around me. Mine instantly wrapped around his waist, and pulled him into me as close as possible, not caring about my ribs.

He buried his head in the crook of my neck, “I missed you,” he mumbled. “I didn’t know if I was going to see you again.” I heard the fear in his voice as his body lightly shook and his tears touched my neck.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Oh sweetie, that wasn’t gonna happen,” I said meaning every word, holding him tight. “I’m okay, and I’m never leaving you again. Okay?” Tears stung my eyes then spilt over and fell down my cheeks.

“Promise?” his small voice asked as he hugged me tighter.

I held him tighter not wanting to let him go again. “I promise.”

“When you coming home?” he asked pulling away and looking over my face. “Do they hurt?” He pointed to the cut under my eye and the bandage on the side of my head.

“Soon and no, not anymore,” I told him then kissed the side of his forehead.

“Hey bud, why don’t you come with me to get your mom something to eat, I think I saw pudding cups down there yesterday.” Lukas’ voice cut through the room and I looked over to see him smiling at us then motioning slightly with his head over to Mollie, who was standing back not looking too good.

Molls.

“Can I mommy?” Finn asked unsure. “You’ll still be here when I get back?”

“I’m not going anywhere without you, Finn. I’ll be here waiting,” I smiled brushing his hair to the side. “Make sure Lukas gets me a chocolate pudding.” I winked as he looked relieved then smiled before hoping off the bed. He took Lukas’ hand as they walked out of the room, door closing behind them.

The door clicked shut and then nothing but silence filled the room for what seemed like an eternity. Mollie stayed back by the door, her arms crossed tightly over her chest and her tired eyes looking down at her feet, avoiding any kind of contact.

“Molls,” I called softly. Her body jerked as her arms tightened around her. “Mollie, come here.” I shifted over and patted the empty spot.

After few seconds of nothing but stillness her arms dropped to her side then she rushed over and climbed in next to me, hugging me as a sob escaped her. “I’m
so sorry
Lexie,” she choked out through her sobs. “
I’m so sorry
.”

“For what?” I asked taken back.

She sniffed, “For what happened, I feel like it’s my fault.” Tears streamed down her face.

“Moll, what happened isn’t your fault. If it was anyone’s fault it’s mine. I set you up with him in the first place and I brought him into our lives, but it would have happened regardless,” I said honestly as I ran my hand over her hair trying to soothe her.

“I can’t believe Erik turned out to be a fucking creep, who I
slept
with. I feel so dirty and disgusting just thinking of his hands on me.” I could hear the tears begin to slow, her voice sounding cracked. “I should have known something wasn’t right with him, that he belonged in the loony bin.”

“He fooled us all Mollie, we can’t blame ourselves even though it’s all we wanna do. Erik has serious issues –”

“Had,” she interrupted.

“What?”

“Like Dex, the fucker’s dead,” she blurted out.

“How?”

I remembered the last time I saw him he was slumped on the floor but alive, or at least I thought he was.

“Something about his head being smashed in or something like that, I don’t know, I didn’t want the details,” she answered softly as her head rested on my shoulder.

“Yeah.” I didn’t have anything else to say.

Both Dex and Erik were dead and I didn’t feel the least bit of anything when it came to that. I never had to worry about Dex again, it was finally over and I could start to move forward, leaving everything in the past.

“I need a vacation,” Mollie chuckled. “I’m thinking somewhere tropical.”

“Yeah, it’s been a long couple of years,” I agreed

“You can say that again; it’s finally over now.”

I nodded agreeing.

Finally, for once and for all.