Broken Mercy

by Stacy McWilliams

  My heart told me to go back and fight for her, but my head told me to stay the fuck away and get things sorted out legally. I wasn’t sure what to do and was sitting contemplating it, when Apologies came on the radio. I usually turned the radio off, if one of our songs came on, but I listened to the words. I opened my mouth to ask Donny to turn back, when a car came barreling out of a side street, at speed. It spun around on the road and I knew, somehow, that it was going to hit our car and that it was going to hurt.

  My mind shot to Amber and I wished I’d just stayed there and thrashed things out, because I knew that I could die right now. I could die without fixing us and it killed me. I’d never get the chance to know our baby, or to see Sophia and Lucca grow. I picked up my cell and began a message, but what did you say to the girl you just fucked and walked out on? What did you say to the girl you loved, but who didn’t know if you would fit back into her life?

  The car continued barreling towards us and ten seconds later, which slowed to an eternity. I watched the car speed towards us, hit the left side of the car, and we were suddenly airborne. My head snapped back, while the car flipped, then rolled. I heard the crunching sound of glass and the squeal of the tires as the car sped away from us. My vision went black a moment later and I tried to shake off the feeling of being constricted. I woke up thrashing around, as EMTs put me onto a board. My cell was gripped in my hand and I held onto tightly, as they strapped my head down, with sandbags at either side.

  “Sir, can you tell me your name?” One EMT asked me, as the other strapped my chest and legs onto the board.

  “Mason, Mason Michaels.” I answered distractedly, as I tried to move around and the female EMT put her hand on my chest and stared down at me.

  “Okay, can you tell me if you are sore anywhere? Are you in any pain?” the male asked, and I wanted to shake my head, but I couldn’t move.

  “No. I’m fine. I’m not hurt, not really. My neck feels a little stiff and my head feels a bit foggy, but that’s it.”

  The male EMT nodded and began to attach some wires to my chest and upper body. He also placed something on my finger and moved away to the machine, as the female EMT spoke.

  “Mr. Michaels, can you tell us who else was in the car with you?”

  I struggled again and she moved closer to me.

  “I need you to stay still, Sir. There could be spinal damage and until we’ve X-rayed you, you have to stay as still as possible.”

  I tried to smile at her, but I couldn’t quite make my face smile, so I tried to speak to her.

  “Is my driver and security guard okay?”

  “Were they the front passengers?” she asked in a low voice and I mumbled a, ‘Yes,’ in response.

  “I’m sorry, but they have both already been taken to the hospital, along with the other male who was in the car. Do you know who that was?”

  Who else was in the car with me?

  I tried to think back, but my head was hurting, and I struggled to remember who it was. It hit me then with a jolt, Carver fucking Daniels.

  “It was Carver Daniels. My security guy was covering him too tonight, so he’d picked me up after Carver.”

  The female EMT smiled at me, and then they took off the wires and packed up their bag. A few seconds passed, where they stood and conversed. They then lifted me, one at either end, and popped me onto a gurney, which they wheeled towards the awaiting ambulance.

  It was bumpy and uncomfortable, especially since I couldn’t move and was moving backward, which always made me sick. I focused on song lyrics and was singing Down and Dirty to myself. It was one of our earlier hits and I knew the words, back and forth. The female climbed into the back with me, as the male moved around to drive the ambulance. Before we could move away, a cop came on board and asked to speak to me for a second.

  “Abby, is it okay if I have a word with Mr. Michaels?” The cop asked in a honey tone and she stepped aside to let him in.

  “Hi, Mr. Michaels. My name is Officer Johns, and I was wondering if you could tell me who hit you. Any description at all, would be helpful, since they fled from the scene.”

  His eyes scanned my face and I wondered if he knew who I was, but he didn’t seem impressed with me at all. In fact, he seemed quite irritated with me.

  “It was a black sedan. I couldn’t really see much off it, but it came out of a side street and raced towards us.”

  “Okay, anything else?” he asked, and the irritation was clear in his voice, but I didn’t remember anything else.

  “Two young, white guys were driving it, but that’s really it.”

  I only remembered the white guys, because I’d gotten a look at them, as the car hit ours, but I couldn’t recall much in the way of details. So, I didn’t pretend to.

  “One was blond and the other had a dark cap on, but that’s all I can remember.”

  “Fine,” the cop muttered, he turned and walked out of the ambulance, slamming the door at his back.

  “Oh dear, I seem to have pissed that cop off.” I muttered in a low voice, as Abby, the EMT giggled.

  “Ah, he’s always like that.”

  Her words comforted me, but then the ambulance started moving and my stomach rolled. I tried my breathing techniques, but it wasn’t working, and my stomach rolled. So, I began to sing Down and Dirty out loud. My voice was rough, but the words came out and Abby paused to look at me, as I sang.

  “We going down and dirty.

  We goin’ out to party.

  We got a line to go.

  And down in the shadows we play.

  Where the ghouls and demons stay.

  We going out to slay.

  Cause we are down.

  And we are dirty.

  And things get mighty flirty.

  As we dig down and dirty…”

  Her eyes widened, and she stared hard at me, before a blush colored her cheeks, and she turned away from me.

  “Are you, uh… the Mason Michaels from Black Mercy?” she asked me in a low voice, as we blazed through the streets.

  “Yeah, I’m him.” I answered, unusually honest with her.

  Her eyes widened as she looked down at me and I could see how pretty she was, even in her work clothes, but I wasn’t really interested. I did however, want to ask her to message Amber for me.

  “Could you do me a favor and send a message for me?” I asked her, when the male EMT, whose name was Vinny, called back, that we’d be at the hospital within a few minutes.

  “Sure, what do you want to say?”

  “Can you message Lucy Adams and tell her that I was in an accident, but that I’m okay and ask her to give me a call, please?”

  She wrote out the message and pressed send, then handed me my cell back, with a shy smile on her face. I wanted to say thanks, but before I got a chance, Vinny was back, and I was being taken into the hospital emergency department.

  I was taken straight into X-ray, and then out to the main department, where I was in a side room on my own. It took a while and there was a nurse in the room with me monitoring me, but she barely spoke to me. I was beginning to lose my temper because there was only one place I wanted to be and the tests were taking forever. Once my results showed that there was no spinal damage, the nurses and doctors unstrapped me and allowed me to get up from the bed.

  My legs wobbled as I paced around the room, wishing I could just leave, but not able to, because the doctor, caring for me, was worried that I could have a concussion. My head was throbbing, but it was because my cell had run out of charge. I couldn’t text Amber, to see if she’d gotten my message and was okay. I wished I could call her, but I hadn’t even gotten her cell phone number, before I left. I was such a fucking dick to her. As soon as they let me out of here, I was going straight, over there, to apologize to her and to beg her to forgive me. It was ridiculous how much I needed to beg Amber for forgiveness.

  You’d think I’d have learned that I didn’t
deserve her, but I couldn’t leave things as they were. I had to say sorry again and try to make her see that I really did fucking love her. I loved her so damn much, it made me crazy and stupid.

  After another hour, the doctor came back to examine me again, and he gave me some painkillers and decreed me fit for release. He told me I had a mild concussion, some contusions to my face, head, and whiplash, which would worsen over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. He told me that it was normal to experience an increase in pain, so not to be too concerned. The nurses came in with information about concussions and to get my insurance details. While I was filling out the form, a crash call went out and everyone took off running. The nurse left me with the paperwork, I filled it in and sat back to wait for her to come back, to get it.

  On her return, she glanced down at my paperwork, frowned at me and then left to go speak to someone else. After a few minutes, this other nurse came back into the room, where I was still sitting, desperately waiting to get released. She gasped as she walked into the room. She was a youngish nurse, in her mid-late twenties, and gave me a wide stare, as I stood impatiently tapping my foot, while she hovered in the doorway.

  “Sorry, Mr. Michaels. There was a bit of a mix up, but we are sorting it now. You are free to go though.”

  She told me and I muttered, ‘finally,’ as I marched past her, towards the door. I moved out into the waiting area and then realized again, that my cell was dead, and I had no cash for a cab. Luckily Joe was standing in the waiting area, stiffly waiting for an update.

  “Joe,” I mumbled, and he spun to face me, chalk white in the face and looking at me like he’d just seen a ghost.

  “Mason?” he asked, and then he gave me a brief hug, before leaning back to stare at me.

  “We thought you were in surgery. What’s going on?” he told me, and I raised my eyebrow at him.

  “I’m fine. I have whiplash and a concussion, but other than that, I’m healthy. How are Donny and Norry?” I asked and I saw his face pale.

  “Donny died at the scene, Mason, and Norry passed away in the theater, when they got here. Carver must be who’s in the theater now. They found your wallet on him and must have just assumed he was you.”

  “Carver had my wallet. How did he even get it? What kind of mess was he in, that they’d think he was me?” I asked Joe in a surprised voice, and he shrugged, then glanced around.

  “Mase, come on. We’re starting to attract attention standing here. Let’s get you back to the hotel. The car is parked in the lot down the street.”

  He led me from the building, and we walked slowly towards it, without speaking for a few moments.

  “I need to send flowers and cards to Norry’s wife and Donny’s girlfriend has a little kid. We gotta make sure they’re alright. It wasn’t their fault.” I mumbled and Joe clapped me on the shoulder.

  “Yeah, I know man. We can sort it out later. Right now, let’s get you back to the hotel, before the press gets wind of this.”

  He opened the door and I climbed into the backseat, leaning back, and closing my eyes. I had to go back to Amber. I had to fix things with us. Whatever it took. I was sorting us out. She was worth it, and I had to prove it to her. Somehow, I had to show her that she was the one for me, because I was a miserable fuck without her. Joe climbed into the car, started it and I sat up, wincing as the pain in my neck worsened.

  “Joe, I’m not going back to the hotel tonight. I’m going back to Amber’s. Can you take me there?” I asked.

  He glared at me in the mirror for a moment, before he mumbled under his breath.

  “Fine. I need the address.”

  I had taken note of the address, while I waited to be picked up, and I was so glad I had, because Donny was dead, and it was all my stupid fault. If I hadn’t called for them to come get me, then they wouldn’t have been hit with that car, and would still be alive.

  “Lower East, sixty-fourth street.” I told him.

  I leaned back and relaxed against the seat, trying to slow my racing heart, as we drove back through the city, a few hours after the accident.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Unexpected Welcome

  Mason

  My heart pounded in my chest, as we got nearer her building and I couldn’t believe how nervous I was to go in and apologize to her. I just hoped she didn’t tell me to fuck off, because her face was the last thing I saw, when that car hit ours.

  I had to make things right with her. I had to someone make her see, that I really did fucking love her and that she was it for me. The thought of losing her and Zach, hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew I’d never forgive myself, if I didn’t get them back. I pressed the button to the elevator with shaking hands and stepped inside, with my legs feeling like jello. As the elevator started to rise, so did my breathing and my heartrate. My legs carried me along the corridor, and I was surprised to see the door to her flat was open.

  “Amber?”

  I called out in a hoarse whisper, as I walked inside and glanced around for her, but I couldn’t hear her.

  Maybe, she’s in her room.

  Just as I began to cross the living room, as the door to her flat opened wider, and she came bustling inside. She took one look at my face and flew into my arms, sobbing. All I could do was pat her head and reassure her that I was okay.

  “Why…” she began in a hoarse whisper, and then she cleared her throat as I moved us to the sofa. “Why did they think Carver was you?”

  I took a breath and glanced down in time, to see a tear roll down her cheek.

  “Because my wallet was beside him. I don’t know how he had it, but it was between us in the backseat.”

  I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, ignoring the ache in my neck, as I did. She tucked her legs over me and sat with her head on my chest for a moment. We both sat in silence, as the events of the day washed over us.

  “Amber, I… I’m sorry I left…” I stuttered out, and she lifted her head and looked into my eyes, as I tried to apologize to her.

  “It’s okay. I was a bit of a bitch,” she told me and I tried to think about how to say, what I wanted to say next.

  “Uh… I’m leaving in a few days, but could I maybe spend, some time with you and Zach?”

  My voice was low, and it wasn’t what I wanted to ask, but it was important too. I wanted to ask her to give me another chance. I wanted to beg her to let me back in, but I was scared if I did, and she said no, that I’d lose them both forever. Now that she was back in my arms, I wanted her to stay there forever.

  “Of course, you can see us. You can come over anytime.”

  She heaved a sigh and sat up. Her eyes met mine and I could see the serious expression on her face.

  “Mason, I know I said I had no place in my life for you, or for us, but I was scared. Those minutes when I thought I’d lost you, were the scariest of my life… because…”

  She stammered over the words, then she sucked in a breath, as she pushed up from my lap and took my hand. Her eyes lifted to mine, and she met my curious expression, with a steady gaze.

  “Mason, that was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced because I still love you. I didn’t ever stop loving you and the thought of not being able to ever tell you that. Or have Zach, Lucca and Sophia grow up without, you broke my heart.”

  Her words rang around my head, I wanted to stand up and scoop her into my arms, before carrying her back to her bed. I needed to show her exactly what she meant to me, but my body was beginning to ache. So, I leaned toward her and held her hand tightly.

  “Amber, when you needed me before, I wasn’t there and I think I’ll regret my actions then, for the rest of my life. I want to make a life with you, Zach, Lucca, and Sophia. Please just tell me how and I’ll do it. I’ll give up my label, my band, my house for you. I’ll do anything for you.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and I watched as they rolled down her cheeks.

 
; “Amber, I’m so in love with you and this isn’t the way I wanted to do this. Or ever pictured doing this, but it doesn’t matter how I envisioned this moment…”

  Her laugh filled the room and I glowered you at her, because I was trying to propose to her, and she was laughing.

  “Mason, you’re rambling,” she told me in amusement, and I smirked at her.

  “Then shut up and listen, please.”

  She smacked me on my shoulder and crawled onto my lap, with her legs at either side of me. My cock apparently hadn’t gotten the memo, that sex was off the table and was beginning to spring to life, as she settled her crotch over me.

  “Amber, the first day I met you in that stupid café, I knew you were trouble for me. That’s why I didn’t want to give you the job, but you have brought me so much joy, heartache, and happiness, all rolled into one.”

  I moved forwards and captured her lips in a kiss. That was filled with sorrow, regret and longing, but also with hope and happiness, because she was back where she belonged.

  “I can promise to be faithful to you and I can promise to always be there for you and the kids. I need you to promise me one thing in return though…”

  She raised her eyebrow as she looked at me and I wondered whether to say the next part, but I had to. I had Sophia and Lucca to think about too.

  “Please don’t ever leave me, or us again. I won’t survive next time. The kids don’t deserve you coming back into their lives and then leaving again. Please stay with us?”

  She gave me a tearful nod and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

  “I won’t, Mase. I’m yours.”

  “Okay then.” I mumbled, then I took a breath and asked her the question, I didn’t think I’d ever want to ask again, but it was her. She was the game changer. She was the one.

  “Amber, will you marry me?”