That is, until I realize it's my cell ringing in the other room, and it's going to wake the babies if I don't answer it.
I jump out of bed, Kara's shirt falling to the floor in my hurry to get to my phone.
"Hello?" I answer, out of breath and still a tad sleep bewildered.
"Will, you need to get to the hospital now. I'm pulling into your driveway now. Get dressed." The line goes dead, and I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure I heard right, but the screen flashes to black and Abbi's name disappears.
I look down at my sleep wrinkled clothes and decide against wasting time to change and rush down the stairs to grab my tennis shoes.
"Jesus ... you look rough." Abbi jerks the monitor from my waistband and pushes me toward the door. It's then that I notice she's wearing her pajamas and her hair looks as if the hounds of hell woke her from a dead sleep.
"Abbi, what the hell is going on? Is Kara all right?" I ask, my voice coming out panicked as I rush through the kitchen and toward the mudroom to grab my keys.
"Take mine. It's still running in the driveway. Every minute counts."
"W-w ...”
"Just go, Will. I'll explain on the phone once you're on your way."
I nod and take her keys and run out the front door to her waiting car. The tires squeal as I peel out of the driveway like a bat out of hell and rush toward the hospital.
My phone rings, and I click it on speaker to take Abbi's call.
"What the hell is going on?" I ask.
"Her father is there. The hospital director tried calling you. He's trying to disconnect the life support, Will."
"What?" The air feels like it's being sucked from the vehicle and everything begins to close in around me. "He can't. I have power of attorney." I’d had my father pull some strings to make it happen, but it would definitely hold up in a court of law against her next of kin's wishes. The police tried to locate him for weeks, and he never returned the first call. I was finally granted POA and given the authority to oversee her medical care and make the necessary decisions in regards to her life support.
"You know as well as I do that they'll only be able to delay him until a judge hears his case, which won't take long. But you need to get there. They said he was causing a scene and her heart rate went out of control. They're afraid she's going to code if they're not able to stabilize her blood pressure and heart rate."
"I'll take care of it." I end the call and press the accelerator to the floor.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Kara
All around me, I hear screaming. Screaming. The sound of bodies thrashing around.
I try to open my eyes, but they're too heavy, and I'm so tired. So very, very tired.
Will. I need to see Will.
But I can't open my eyes to see him, and before I can summon the strength, the darkness consumes me again.
Will
"What's the meaning of this?" I demand.
A man who looks to be in his early sixties and seen better days approaches me. His disheveled hair hangs in oily strings over his eyes, and he is constantly pushing them aside as he addresses me. "I'm Krista Bradford's father. I came here to check on her and was told she's on life support. Krista would never have wanted this. Living the life of a human vegetable." He shakes his hair, dislodging his wild strands, and they fall back over his eyes.
"You have no right coming in here after all this time and demanding to make decisions that you're obviously not in the right frame of mind to make." Judging by the smell of alcohol on him, he's not far removed from the bottle.
"I have every right. I'm her father," he sputters out, his words lilted with a drunken slur.
I step forward, pushing my chest against his and looking down my nose at him. "You. Have. No. Right." Without a show of physical force, I back him down with words. He takes a couple of shaky steps backward, putting some distance between us. "Her name is no longer Krista. It's Kara. She had it legally changed. You would know that if you had any contact whatsoever with her, which you haven't. And thankfully so. By the looks of you, it wouldn't have mattered any way." I cast him a look of disgust.
How dare this man come back into Kara's life and threaten to take away the woman I love?
"She's not brain dead. She'll heal; she just needs time, and I'm not going to allow you or anyone else to take that away from her. It would be best if you left now before I do something I'm going to regret later."
He eyes me up and down, taking in my expensive watch and BMW key clutched in my hand with the emblem sticking out, and his eyes widen as he comes to some sort of conclusion. "You'll do what? Kick my ass? Wouldn't be the first time, rich boy. My daughter done up and got herself hooked to a rich man. Is that it? Now she thinks she's better than the rest of us?"
My face contorts into an expression of rage. "You'll not speak of her in that light. Kara deserves better." I look over at the security guard and raise my chin for him to come here. "Take this man to the hospital entrance and kindly escort him into the back seat of a taxi. He's not to be on the same floor as her. Understood?" I raise a brow in question, and he nods his head before grabbing her father and dragging him down the hall to the elevators.
"You won't get away with this. She's my daughter. My daughter," he yells.
I shake my head and turn my back to him as his screams grow fainter until the elevator doors close and I can't hear him anymore.
My eyes flick to the charge nurse. "What's her condition?"
"Heart rate and BP were elevated. Gave her an IV injection of Ativan. It's starting to take effect. Heart rate has lowered from one fifty to one twenty-six. BP is slowly decreasing as well. We'll continue to monitor and make sure we get her heart rate below one hundred." She gives a brisk nod and carries on with her rounds.
I look through the glass door at the woman beyond who holds the key to my future and my heart. I know it's going to be a long road, but she's a fighter, and I'll stand beside her through it all.
Everyone needs someone in their corner no matter the circumstances. I'm going to be that man for her.
With that thought in mind, I push through the doors and make my way over to the chair next to her bedside.
"Good morning, beautiful." I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. "I'm here, baby. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," I whisper to her and then take my seat. Reaching forward as soon as I'm seated to take her hand in mine.
"You gave everyone a scare." I look over at the monitor and notice that her heart rate has dropped even lower, now sitting at one hundred and eight BPM. I release a worried breath and shuffle the chair as close as I can to the bed, never letting go of her hand in the process.
"Kara, squeeze my hand if you can hear me, baby. I need to know you're still with me. That somewhere in there is the woman I love and that she's fighting to come back to me. Move your finger ... anything." I look down to her hand in mine and watch for any sign of movement.
Nothing.
After a few minutes of watching, I give her hand a gentle squeeze. "It's all right. You just rest. I'll take care of everything to make sure you get the time you need to come back to me and the girls. They're getting so big. They won't sleep unless they're touching each other. It's the cutest thing. I have to lay them down facing each other with their hands and legs touching."
I pause. Watching her face to see if her expression shifts when I discuss them.
"They almost sleep throughout the night. Only waking up once to feed, and then they're back to sleeping. They're such good babies. I know we haven't really discussed this, but I want you to stay with me and help me raise the girls." I move to the edge of my seat so I can be closer to her.
"I want you to be their mother and my wife. Do you hear me, Kara? You have a family waiting for you to get better and come home to. The girls need you, and so do I. We can't do this without you, baby. Please don't quit fighting. I know you're tired, but I need you to keep fighting. It's not your time yet. You
hear me? You have to stay here with me and our girls." I plead with her, knowing she might not be able to hear me but hoping that maybe my words will sink into her subconscious, and on some level, give her the strength to fight.
I sit like that until the sun rises over the horizon, and I'm forced to leave while the nurses bathe her and change her bedsheets.
I call Abbi to check in. "Is everything okay?" she asks, sounding worn out.
"Fine. They were able to get her heart rate and BP down last night, and as of an hour ago, everything was well within normal ranges."
She heaves a relieved breath that I can practically feel through the phone. "Thank god! I was so worried. I barely slept a wink after I put the girls back down this morning." She yawns. "You really should look into getting a nanny until Kara comes home to help you with the girls. When you go back to work, it's going to be more than you can handle on your own."
"I know. I've already looked into an agency, and they're going to send over some recommendations."
"That's good." She yawns again. I chuckle.
"I called Mom, and she's coming over to take over baby duty so you can get some rest. I have to meet with my attorney to make sure Kara's father can't overturn my POA. I have to ensure I'm able to protect her from him. He was drunk off his ass last night and in no shape to be making life or death decisions for anyone."
"Good. Don't worry about the girls. Mom and I will look after them until you get everything situated."
"Thanks, Sis."
"Love ya."
I smile to myself. "Love you too."
Chapter Forty
Kara
Light pierces through the slits of my eyes, and I try to blink to ease the ache it causes.
Blink. Blink.
I will myself to blink, and eventually, my eyelids flutter closed and then open again. I repeat the process, willing my body to obey my commands.
Blink. Blink.
Slowly, so slowly, I take my first blinks and ease my eyes open further with each blink.
A shadow looms in the corner of my right eye. Moving around but not noticing me. I blink a few more times to clear the haze from my vision.
At first, I don't understand who she is or where I'm at, and then I get a suffocating feeling and my hands itch to pull something from my neck. It's wrapped so tight.
Oh god. I'm being strangled. I can't breathe.
I panic. My arms feeling like wet noodles, I slowly raise them to pull at whatever is strapped to my neck.
"Oh, no. Don't pull on that honey." My hands are forced down to my sides and a fresh wave of panic sets in as I try to fight whoever is holding me down.
I'm choking. I can't breathe.
My eyes glance from the lady to the others flooding into the room. Everyone looking so panicked that my fear ratchets up another notch.
"Call Dr. Scott right away," one of them calls out.
"Easy there, honey. Just calm down. You have a breathing tube in your neck. It’s inserted right here.” She points to the base of her neck. “You’re still hooked up to the ventilator and this is helping you breathe. Try and relax. Everything is going to be all right."
I nod and begin to calm down as I realize that I'm breathing fine, and that the tube isn't choking me, it's just uncomfortable. My eyes move from one person to the next as they all rally around my bed, taking vitals and replacing bags of IV medicine.
Will
I'm walking toward Kara's room when I see a swarm of nurses flying in and out, doctors rushing in behind them at an alarming rate.
My heart kicks up speed as adrenaline rushes through my veins, and I take off at a dead sprint into her room.
I stop as soon as I pass through the doors.
Her eyes ... they're open.
She's looking around, and the nurses are working very slowly and talking in calming tones so as not to alarm her.
"I'm going to put some medicine in your IV that’s going to help rouse you a little, okay?" the nurse says as the other puts a suction catheter into her mouth to remove any fluid.
"Good job, now just lie back and relax." The nurse finishes adjusting the trach tube and then begins to clean around her feeding tube before checking her urine output.
The look of pain and discomfort that crosses her face wrenches at my heart as if it were my own experience. She hasn't noticed me yet, and I don't want to startle her while they’re working on her, so I wait until all the lines have been cleaned and secured and meds kick in, pulling her into a more conscious state of mind. The doctor steps forward and checks all her vitals and then takes out his stethoscope to listen to her heart and lungs.
After a few tense moments, he smiles and loops his stethoscope over the back of his neck. "Everything sounds good." He pulls a penlight from his lab coat. "Follow this light with your eyes. I don't want you to move your head, just follow it with your eyes only. Okay?" She gives a weak nod and proceeds to follow the movements of the light with her eyes.
"Perfect." He clicks the light off and places it back into his pocket. “I'll let you get settled now, but I'll be back to check on you and run a few more tests later on this afternoon. Okay?" She nods again.
The nurses finish cleaning her up, and when they've all slowly cleared out, I step forward into the light where she can see me.
Her eyes latch onto mine as if I were a life raft in a tumultuous sea, and I rush toward the bed and take my place by her side. Taking her hand in mine and moving to kiss her on her forehead before I can think better of it.
"I'm here. Everything is all right. Just relax. Nice and easy. Don't get too excited or you'll overdo it." I run my hand over her hair and try to soothe her. My lips kissing trails over her forehead. "Good morning, beautiful."
She coughs a little, and I step back to assess her. Tears are running down her cheeks. I brush them away with the backs of my fingers and settle her head back in place on her pillow before pulling the seat up next to the side of her bed.
"I can't believe it. You're really awake." The words come out in a rush, and I'm too overwhelmed with emotion to contain them. "I knew you'd come back to me."
She nods and gives my hand a weak squeeze. "Don't try to talk. We’ll have to wait for that when the trach tube is removed. The doctors will have to wean you from the ventilator. But don’t worry about any of that right now. We’ll have all the time in the world to talk. Just ... be here with me. That's all I need." I lean forward and kiss her forehead again.
She gives me a small smile, and I can't take it anymore. I push the chair away with the backs of my legs and lower the rail on her bed so that I can climb in beside her. When I'm situated next to her, her head resting against my shoulder, I release a heavy sigh and with it the weight of what feels like the world lifts from my body. She's alive, and she's with me again.
"I love you."
She nods against my shoulder, and I smile at the gesture.
"You already knew that, though, didn't you?" She nods again.
I chuckle lightly and then draw her closer to me. I can't get close enough to her right now. I need to feel every inch of her lined up against every inch of me. Too much is still not enough.
Kara
I never thought I'd hear those words pass over his lips. But for some reason, it doesn’t feel as if it's the first time he's said them to me. Flashes of memories assail my mind. Words heard throughout my time spent in the darkness of my mind. Beautiful. My love. Be my wife. Mother of my girls. It all flashes through my mind at a dizzying speed.
I flinch at the headache I feel coming on as I try to muddle through the haze and confusion cloaking my mind like wet cotton over a field of seedlings trying to emerge from the ground beneath its heaviness.
"Don't overdo it, Kara. Everything will come back to you in time. You have to be patient and allow your body to work its way slowly back to where you want to be. For now, just rest. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise."
That wasn't the first time he'd said those words to
me either. I remembered. I heard him. Not every time. But I still heard him some of the time. I fought to get back to him. I fought my way through the shadows and back into the light to stand at his side as he bathed me in rays of love and affection.
I have never loved a man like I love Will Scott. He is all that is good in this world, and even though he has his flaws, he's perfect for me. I'm too tired to contemplate what the future might hold for us, but I'll take what the present is offering me ... the warmth of his embrace and the assurance of his love when I awake.
Good. Enough. For. Me.
Chapter Forty-One
Kara
It's been three weeks since I woke up from a three-month coma. Will has been by my side every day. He only leaves to go home and spend the night with the babies and comes back after their morning feeding when they've laid back down to take a nap.
His dedication to the twins and me is heartwarming and makes me ache for something more between us than the arrangement we've had up until this point. I want a relationship with goals and a bright future to look forward to spending with one another. I want love and affection, which he seems to be willing to give in spades.
The Will Scott sitting on my hospital bed trying to spoon feed me Jell-O is not the same Will Scott I met over a year ago. He's changed––we both have. And it's definitely for the better.
Better being ... happier.
Within a few days I was off the ventilator, breathing on my own. Then last week, they finally pulled the tracheostomy tube out. I’m slowly learning how to talk and perform the basic functions again. It’s been a long and rough road, but with intense rehabilitation, I’m making excellent progress. My doctors have agreed to allow me to go home next week. I’ll have to take it easy and attend rehab daily to help build my muscles back up and increase my dexterity, but otherwise, I'm alive ... and that’s really all that matters.
A Whisper Of Solace Page 18