Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection

by Gianna Gabriela

  The people Dana has been involved with over the last couple years are some of the worst that Warren has seen. They go far past low-life druggies—they deal heroin and cocaine, some levels of the ring are involved in drug smuggling, and they’re even known for prostitution as well. Mark, Dana, and everyone found in the house are behind bars, and will be for a very long time. They’re fucking lucky I didn’t get my hands on any of them or they’d be six fucking feet under right now. Rest assured.

  Emmy was found in the basement, tied to a piece-of-shit metal bed, and she’d been beaten several times. We’ve been prepared for what we’ll seen when we’re let into the room, and while I sit here in the waiting room with my parents, I’m trying to find some way to be ready to see her. From what Warren said, she looks bad, barely recognizable. The only silver lining is her rape kit came back negative. She’s been through fucking hell, and I just need to see for myself she’s alive. That she’s breathing. That she’s really here and mine.

  My leg bounces up and down with anxiety as I wait for Elliot and Callie to leave her room. They’ve been in there for almost an hour. Looking at my watch, I see it’s now almost ten in the morning. When we got the news that she’d been found, we had to wait until they had her at the hospital before we could come here. Lily is home with Cade and Sydney, not even aware that Emmy is okay. Telling her that she gets to see Emmy is going to be emotional, but I’m so happy that we get to instead of planning her funeral.

  Emmy has several bruised ribs, a concussion, and several lacerations. They said her upper body is littered in bruises, and her wrists and ankles are torn up and swollen. My blood is boiling just thinking about someone putting their hands on her. I’ve never in my life felt rage like I do right now. Those fuckers should be glad they’re fucking locked up.

  Hearing a door open, I look up to see Emmy’s parents leaving her room, both of them crying and holding on to each other. Biting on my bottom lip, I stand to meet them and Callie instantly comes to hug me. We break apart after a moment and she looks at me with a smile.

  “She’s asking for you.”

  “She’s awake?”

  “Barely. They’re giving her more medicine soon, but she wants you first. Go see her.”

  My chest is tight as I swallow past the lump in my throat. With heavy feet, I walk the few feet to her room and after counting to three, I carefully push her door open and step inside, closing it behind me with a click. The room is dark, and as I walk to her bed, my hands tremble and my legs are barely holding me up.

  Fuck. Yeah, nothing could have prepared me for this.

  Emmy’s entire face is black and blue. Her lips are split open, and I can see a chunk of her hair missing near the back of her ear. Her wrists are a deep purple, and several of her fingers are bruised. I don’t miss the dried blood in her hair, and my eyes well up.

  “Jesus,” I whisper hoarsely. Sitting on the chair next to the bed, I close my eyes tightly, trying to force down the tears.

  She needs me strong, damn it.

  Opening my eyes, I tip my head back and look at the ceiling.

  “I’m so fucking sorry, Emmy. God, baby. I’m so sorry.”

  “Levi?”

  Her raspy and quiet voice breaks through to me and I snap my head over to her. One of her eyes is swollen shut, but the other is open and trained right on me.

  “Hey, sweetheart. Yeah, it’s me, I’m here.”

  Gently, I reach out to brush some hair from her forehead, hand shaking. She tries to wet her lips, but I can see the struggle. Noticing a cup of water with a straw, I grab it and bring the straw to her mouth. She takes a sip, and after a second I place it back down.

  “Levi,” she begins.

  “Shh, Em. We don’t need to talk, okay. I’m just so glad you’re here with me. I’ve missed you so much. Now we just need to focus on getting you better.”

  Tears fill her good eye, and it breaks my heart when they slide down her swollen cheek. As carefully as I can manage, I lean over and kiss them away, relishing the fact that she’s alive.

  “Where is she?” she whispers in my ear.

  Pulling back, I raise an eyebrow at her.

  “Where is who?”

  “Our little girl. Where is Lily? Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, baby. You saved her. She’s with our parents.”

  My head drops to my chest and I don’t bother to hold it in anymore. Tears are rapidly falling down my cheeks, and I cry harder when her hand moves to cup my cheek. My heart has never hurt this badly before and with her finally safe next to me, I let go. I lean forward and rest my head on the bed next to her hip, tears soaking into the blankets. Three days of thinking she was dead, that I’d lost her forever. My chest burns with the sobs I release as she runs her hand up and down my back.

  “It’s okay, Levi,” she whispers.

  Shaking my head, I refuse to accept that. This isn’t okay. None of this is okay.

  “I almost lost you,” I sob. “I saw him hit you, Emmy. I saw him take you. I found Lily crying for you in a closet, and I saw your blood on my floor. I’ve been so scared, baby.”

  “Shh.”

  “I love you so much. I can’t be in this world without you. Please don’t ever leave me, Emmy. I won’t survive it. Please, baby.”

  “I love you, Levi.”

  “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” My body shakes with every cry, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop. It feels like she’s going to be ripped away from me and this is the only chance I get with her.

  “It’s not your fault, Levi. I fought for you and Lily.”

  “I love you. I love you so much, Emmy. I’m so sorry.”

  “I love you, Levi.”

  One of her hands moves to my head, fingers gently running through my hair. Turning my head, I rest my cheek on the bed and grip her hand, bringing her bruised fingers to my lips.

  “My Emmy.” Through my tears, I see her own cheeks wet with tears and I close my eyes. We came so close to losing everything.

  Her life.

  Our future.

  Lily’s future.

  Our love.

  But by the grace of God, she’s still alive, and she’s still mine. And I’ll see to it that no matter how much it takes, no matter what it takes, we will get it all back. Everything they tried to take from us will never falter, and I’ll show her that I was worth fighting for.

  I wake to someone touching my shoulder, gently stirring me from sleep. Blinking my eyes open, I sit up to find Elliott standing next to me. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I turn to Em, who’s still asleep.

  “Son, why don’t you go get something to eat? It’s been four hours, and they think it’ll be a while before she wakes up again.”

  “I can’t leave her,” I murmur, leaning over to place a gentle kiss to the back of her hand.

  “Levi….”

  “Okay.” Reluctantly, I stand, bending over to kiss Emmy’s forehead, whispering to her for a moment before I go to leave.

  “I’m not kicking you out, Levi. Cal and I are so grateful for you, for everything you’ve done for our little girl. But I just need a moment with her.”

  “Understood, sir. I’ll be back in a couple hours, okay? Call me right away if there’s any change, please?”

  “You know I will, son.”

  Giving him a quick hug, I take one final look at my girl before turning around and leaving them alone. I walk the several feet to the waiting area, finding my parents sitting there still. Mom jumps up when she sees me, rushing over to pull me into her arms.

  “How is she?” she whispers, voice thick with emotion.

  “She looks terrible,” I mutter, clinging to my mom. Dad comes over and puts his arms around us, giving us both the comfort we need. I keep my emotions in check, pulling away after a few minutes.

  “Elliott is gonna sit with her a while, so I’m gonna go home, see Lily. I need my daughter right now,” I say.

  Mom nods and they follow me from the hospit
al. We all drove over together in Dad’s SUV, so he drives us back to their house. When we pull in the driveway, I take a deep breath and we head inside.

  Sydney and Caden are sitting at the kitchen table with Lily, eating peanut butter sandwiches and coloring pictures. Lily laughs when she sees me, and I bend down next to where she’s sitting and pull her small body into my arms.

  “Hey, Lily bug,” I say, pulling back to give her a kiss.

  “Hi Daddy. Where did you go?”

  I take another deep breath and blow it out.

  “I went to see Emmy, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes get huge and I watch them fill with tears, her smile wide and bright.

  “You sawed Emmy? Where, Daddy? I want to go!”

  “She’s in the hospital where the doctors are taking good care of her, okay? You can see her when she comes home.”

  “When, Daddy? I want to see her! I miss her so so so much.”

  “I know, baby. I’ve missed her too. But she needs medicine and sleep, so when she comes home she’s feeling better, okay?”

  “Okay, Daddy.” Kissing me on the cheek, Lily climbs into her chair, going back to her food and drawing.

  Sydney comes to give me a fierce hug and wipes a few stray tears.

  “I’m so happy she’s okay, Levi.”

  “I don’t know about okay, but she’s alive, Syd.”

  “You guys will get through this.”

  “I hope so.”

  Emmy is alive, yes. She’s safe. I just hope my sister is right.

  I hope she’s okay.

  22

  EMERSON

  Waking slowly, the first thing that registers is the light. It’s so bright. And my head feels like it weighs twenty pounds. Blinking until everything comes into focus, I look around the room, realizing I’m in a hospital. Glancing down, I see the wires in my arm and the monitors next to me, quietly beeping. I’m looking toward the windows when I turn my head and find my father sitting next to me, staring down at my hand he has between his.

  “Daddy?” I rasp, trying to clear the frog in my throat. His head whips up and I watch tears silently track down his cheeks.

  “Hey, honey. Oh, you have no idea how good it is to see you.” Standing up, he wipes away the tears and kisses my forehead.

  “How long?” I ask, head hurting with every word.

  “How long what, Emmy girl?”

  “Since they came,” I whisper, finding it easier to get the words out.

  Dad taps at his phone for a second and then sits again, taking my hand.

  “You were gone three days, and you’ve been here for around ten hours. You’ve been asleep most of that time. Are you hurting? Do you need anything?”

  I carefully shake my head as best as I can manage, then motion to the water pitcher. My mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton, and when he puts the straw between my lips, I taste the most heavenly cold water imaginable. After a couple sips, he takes it away, slowing me down.

  “Where is Levi?” I manage to get out. My throat hurts so bad.

  “He went home to see Lily, get some food. He’s been here the whole time. I just texted him and he’s already on his way back here. Soon, Emmy. I promise.”

  “Is he okay?”

  Dad shakes his head, emotion crossing his face. “No. He’s been an absolute wreck, Emmy. I hope you know how much that man loves you.”

  “I love him too.”

  Smiling, Dad leans back in his chair, telling me to rest. I do as he says and close my eyes, falling back to sleep.

  I have no idea how long I slept for, but this time when I wake up, I find the most beautiful blue eyes looking back at me. I’m immediately overcome with emotion. Levi stands from the chair and sits on the bed next to me, his smile not quite meeting his eyes.

  “Levi,” I whisper, fighting against the tears threatening to spill.

  “Fuck, it’s so good to hear you say my name, Em.” Gently, he cups my face in his rough hands, softly stroking his thumbs over my cheeks.

  “I love you,” I say, needing him to know. Nothing else matters to me.

  “I love you too, baby.”

  Nodding, I look down at my hands, needing to compose myself.

  “How is Lily?” I ask.

  “She’s okay. She’s safe, thanks to you. I found her, Em.”

  Biting my bottom lip, I nod again and the flood of emotions rises, pulling me under. Dropping my head, I begin to sob, my chest on fire. Levi pulls me into his arms as carefully as he can and I tuck my face into his neck, fisting his shirt in my battered hands, not caring how much it hurts the bruises on my face.

  “Shh, baby. It’s okay. You’re okay. I have you, Em. You’re safe.”

  Rocking me back and forth on the hospital bed, Levi allows me to fall completely apart. Lily is okay. As painful as this has been, and as much as I’m hurting, it was all worth it. It meant something.

  I kept Lily safe.

  “Thank you,” he whispers, kissing me gently on the forehead. I give him a tiny smile and then pull away from him, completely exhausted.

  “I love you,” I say softly, his thumb running down the side of my face.

  “I think you mentioned that,” he jokes, lightening the mood.

  “Yeah, I know. But I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to tell you again, so I’m going to repeat it forever, okay?”

  “Okay,” he mumbles, placing the softest kiss possible to my lips. “And for the record? I love you just as much, okay. Maybe even more after what you did for my daughter.”

  “Our daughter,” I say, my eyes closing against my will. My next scheduled dose of medicine must have kicked in, and as much as I don’t want to, I fall asleep, Levi whispering to me the entire time. And for the first time since this ordeal began, I sleep peacefully.

  “So, you may still have a lingering headache for the next few days, but that’s to be expected with such a severe concussion. Your ribs will be sore for a few weeks and it’ll take time for the bruises to fade, but overall, you’re a very lucky woman. I’ll send you home with prescriptions for pain medication, but if you think you can get away with just ibuprofen, that’s what you should take first. Any questions?”

  Two days later, the doctor is giving me my discharge papers and orders. Levi is standing next to the bed with a wheelchair, all ready to go. I was finally able to get showered this morning, and even though he wanted to help me, I asked him to leave. When I realized the magnitude of my injuries, I couldn’t let him anywhere near me.

  I’m sickened by how I look. Especially the hand-sized bruises on my inner thighs. They told me my rape kit came back negative, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t try. Memories have been rushing back at me in chunks, and the doctor doesn’t have to tell me how lucky I am. There is zero doubt in my mind that if they hadn’t fucked up and Dana hadn’t opened her mouth, I’d be dead right now. And no matter how hard I try, that’s the worst thing for me.

  I shake the doctor’s hand, taking the papers he hands me. Dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and leggings, I carefully get up from the bed and settle myself into the wheelchair.

  Levi runs his hands up and down my arms before kissing my head.

  “Ready to get home, baby?”

  “Yeah.”

  Making our way down, I close my eyes and tell myself just to breathe. I’m so glad that we aren’t at the local hospital; I don’t think I could bear my coworkers seeing me like this. My anxiety is starting to rise about going back to the place this all started, but I’m ready to see our families, get Lily in my arms. I have missed that girl something fierce.

  When we reach the hospital entrance, Levi leaves me at the sidewalk, going to grab his truck. In just a short few minutes, he’s pulling up in front of me. Getting out, he jogs around the hood and helps me inside, taking extra precautions to make sure I’m okay. When he climbs back in, he buckles up and then turns to look at me.

  “What?” I ask, buckling my own seat belt.

  “I jus
t can’t believe you’re with me.”

  “Levi.”

  “You have no idea what this has been like for me, for your family. Hell, my family. Em, it’s been an absolute fucking nightmare, babe. Every day was a struggle, and I had to force myself to keep going on, not knowing where you were, if you were okay. If you needed me….”

  Breaking off, he turns to look out the other window, his throat working furiously.

  “Hey, I’m right here, Levi. I’m okay.”

  Undoing my buckle, I push the arm rest back so the third seat is exposed and slide over, resting my head on his shoulder, linking my arm with his. He doesn’t say anything, just rest a hand on my upper thigh.

  “I might need you to remind me that for a while, okay?”

  “As long as you need it,” I whisper, picking up the hand on my leg and kissing the back of it. We sit in silence for another minute more, and then he puts his truck into gear, pulling onto the road. I never move back to my seat, and he never asks me to.

  As we pull into the driveway, my palms are sweaty and I’m a bucket of nerves. There are “welcome home” posters all over the deck, and my eyes fill with tears. Levi shuts off the truck and then turns to look down at me.

  “Welcome home, baby,” he murmurs, taking my lips in a soft kiss.

  “You guys did all this for me?”

  “Why don’t you come see, Em?”

  Carefully getting down, I take his hand as he guides me inside. Stepping into the front hallway, I shut my eyes, memories threatening to drag me down.

  “Breathe, Em. It’s just us. Nobody but us, baby. You’re safe.”

  Draping his arm over my shoulders, Levi takes us into the kitchen. Turning toward the dining room, I’m overcome with happiness. His parents, my parents, and his siblings are standing in front of the table, Lily in front of them with a sign that says “Welcome Home, Emmy.”

  Brushing a stray tear away, I give them the biggest smile I can imagine.