Pinky Promises (The Promises #1)

by Ciara Shayee

  It only took a few minutes, and a quick trip down two floors in the elevator, much to Marley’s delight, to get to their destination. Reagan had told her what they were doing on the way to the hospital, so she was beyond excited. She’d even brought the children’s camera Peter had bought her for the zoo, and as they arrived at the door Indie had become very familiar with over the past fortnight, Marley declared that she was ‘gonna take loads of pictures, Pawpaw!’

  The nurse at the station smiled and nodded when Indie caught her eye before entering, waving her ahead. She, too, had become familiar; after all, Indie visited the ward every day.

  “Hey, Laker,” Marley sang, hopping neatly onto the chair beside his bed.

  A small part of Indie expected to hear him chime his typical ‘hey, Little Sweet,’ but of course, it didn’t come. He didn’t make any noise at all. Apart from Marley’s chatter about the zoo, baby Bodhi, and how she got to walk Josie’s dog, Bonnie, with Mark and Clarke, and the gentle whoosh of a ventilator, the room was silent.

  “Mummy, can I stick up my new pictures for Laker?”

  Indie nodded with a sad smile, wincing slightly as she sank into the chair her daughter had vacated. “Of course, baby girl. He’ll love them.” She watched as Marley stretched onto her toes to stick her latest masterpieces to the windows. She was starting to run out of room.

  “I’ll go talk to Maggie, see what’s going on today. You all right here?” Reagan asked softly, giving his daughter’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before leaving. Indie brushed tears from her eyes, leaning over to hold Laker’s hand. It was slightly cool so she tucked it beneath his blankets, unable to look at the snow-white dressing covering a large portion of his right side. Staring at him through tear-blurred eyes, Indie swallowed hard. Gratefulness battled with annoyance. The first because he saved her life; the second because he was already injured before he even got there. He should never have been so stupid, risking his life for hers.

  “It’s me again, Laker.” There were no signs he’d heard her, no movement in his fingers when she squeezed them.

  He was pale, too quiet, and too still. Laker was never completely quiet. He always had a hand playing a tune on his thighs, or some kind of sweet to crunch on.

  “Show him baby Bodhi, Mummy. Show Laker baby Bodhi!” Marley appeared at her mother’s side, leaning down to poke at her sleeping brother before pouting up at Indie. “Why’s he sleeping again?”

  “Babies sleep a lot, baby girl. Remember we talked about it? When you were little, you slept lots, too, like Bodhi.”

  Marley huffed. “All right. Can we show Laker?”

  Indie hesitated. It was a bad idea to wake a sleeping baby, she knew that.

  Still, when Reagan quietly entered the room a few minutes later, she was carefully lifting Bodhi into her arms, wincing as he began to fuss. “Shh, shh, you’re okay, baby boy.”

  “He okay?”

  Catching Reagan’s eye, she nodded. “He’s fine. Cranky because I woke him, that’s all. What did the doctor say?”

  Reagan’s eyes shifted to Laker. “They stopped his sedation; late last night he had his last dose. They’re pleased with his wound, and there’s no sign of infection.”

  “Wait…” Indie frowned, stroking Bodhi’s forehead before gently tapping his binky until he accepted it. “If he doesn’t have the sedation anymore, why’s he still asleep?”

  “Just a matter of waiting for it to wear off now. He’s had a rough time. They reckon it’ll be later today, or early tomorrow.”

  Sighing, Indie sat heavily on the chair beside Laker’s bed. “Why won’t you wake up?” she whispered.

  “C’mon, Mummy, baby Bodhi wants a snuggle with Laker. Don’t you, baby Bodhi? Don’t you?” Marley cooed over her brother, peppering his head with kisses.

  “All right, impatient pants. Out of the way, please.”

  Marley scooted down, carefully taking a seat by Laker’s knees as Indie gently moved Laker’s arm with one hand, cradling Bodhi with the other. When she’d made a small, nest-shaped space between Laker’s arm and torso, she settled Bodhi in the gap and took a step back, exhaling a long, shaky breath.

  When the doctors told Indie, two days previous, that she’d be able to take Bodhi home today as long as he had no setbacks, she’d been unable to imagine taking Bodhi home without this pit stop.

  Without letting him meet the man who’d saved his life.

  Seeing him there, tucked into Laker’s side, Indie’s heart began to race. It was such a bittersweet sight.

  She heard Reagan taking photos, and Marley chattering about wanting to be in them, but it was another sound she focused on. Frowning, she hastily brushed tears from her face and looked towards the heart monitor in the corner.

  Laker’s heartbeat was getting faster. Bodhi squirmed and fussed a little, finally getting comfortable. He settled with his head turned slightly towards Laker, contentedly sucking on his binky with one tiny hand resting on Laker’s muscular forearm. As the baby calmed and quieted, so did the monitor.

  A nurse let herself in a few seconds later, having seen the readings on the screen in the nurses’ station. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, Wendy. His heart rate…it went up. Did you see that? I put Bodhi beside him and his heart rate increased. That’s got to mean something, right?”

  Wendy smiled sadly, shrugging. “It may just be his body responding to the lack of sedation. Sorry, I know you want him to wake up. We all do.”

  Even as she watched Wendy check Laker’s readings before leaving, Indie had a feeling in her gut that they were close. Laker’s eyelids flickered every time Bodhi wriggled or made a sound in his sleep. His heart rate increased again when Bodhi whimpered to be fed an hour later, and again when he needed his nappy changing a little while after his bottle.

  Laker was coming back to them, Indie knew it.

  If only he could do it faster.

  ~ oOo ~

  Two days went by with minimal improvement in Laker’s condition.

  Two whole days of waiting, watching, and hoping for a sign of life.

  Laker’s grandparents arrived and immediately fell in love with Indie, Marley, and Bodhi. Enrico and Contessa were two of the loveliest people Indie had ever met; she cried when Marley called Contessa ‘Nonna’ the first time. Carl-Roman had adopted her as his Nonna, and after hearing him refer to her as such, Marley picked it up and ran with it.

  They proved unwavering in their support of Indie, accepting her into their family when they saw the way she fussed over their grandson and heard about their relationship from her family and friends. Antonio, Laker’s father, was much the same, having met both Indie and Grace when they were little. His wife was more standoffish, though Contessa told her that Amy McKinley was the same with everybody. Besides, Indie had more important things to worry about than the fact that Laker’s mother wasn’t warm and fuzzy like her son.

  A routine quickly developed.

  Each morning, before the sun was up, Indie fed Bodhi his first bottle of the day and rose with him, making breakfast for the army of friends and family rallying round.

  Reagan’s brother and his wife travelled down from Kent to help out. Theodore and Jenna pitched in with carpools and keeping the two homes tidy while their occupants were otherwise occupied.

  As soon as Grace’s flu had completely cleared, she insisted on helping Indie in the kitchen between pitching in to help entertain the children.

  Reagan and Peter alternated days at work, deciding that for now at least, one of them staying home while the other was onsite would suffice.

  With Kristen still working hard, Archie took a leave of absence from work and became chief babysitter, often taking care of Carl-Roman, Chase, Marley, and Bodhi while the others travelled between the hospital and their homes. He managed to hide his frustration at his fiancée’s actions, but it became more and more obvious as the days went by and the family saw less and less of her.

  Andrew—or Andy, as he p
referred to be called—and Sarah became frequent visitors and babysitters. Indie found a lot of comfort in Sarah’s arms on numerous occasions, and the kids adored them both. Within a week, the children had all adopted them as ‘Auntie Sarah’ and ‘Uncle Andy’.

  On the third day of Laker’s self-imposed coma, Indie was sitting beside his bed, Bodhi fast asleep in his car seat on the floor. Not for the first time, she was grateful she’d listened to her dad and bought the very expensive, but incredibly lifesaving, reclining car seat. Her tiny boy was always comfortable in it. He could stay tucked into his car seat, but lay back and sleep in a safer position than scrunched up. Considering the amount of time Indie spent traveling between the hospital and home, and sitting in Laker’s hospital room, the reclining seat function had proven to be a godsend. That said, she always brought the bassinet with her and transferred him into it as soon as possible. The idea of him being in there for too long made her uncomfortable.

  Holding Laker’s hand in one of hers, Indie rested the sports pages from the newspaper on the edge of the bed and read to him. He’d mentioned being an avid American football fan, so she made sure to find out the results of all games, including the ones played at various colleges so she could relay them to him. By the time they were out of the way, Bodhi wanted his next bottle, so she settled into the chair next to Laker, humming a quiet tune as Bodhi eagerly chugged his lunch.

  Her eyes meandered around the room, finally landing on the homemade frame next to Laker’s head. It contained the drawing he’d said he wanted moments before he fell unconscious in the warehouse. Reagan had been all-too-willing to bring it, as well as the frame Marley made, to the hospital, so it took a place of pride at his bedside. Keeping it company was a picture of him with Marley, Carl-Roman, and Chase. It was taken the day before Archie’s birthday, when they’d made his cake together in Reagan’s kitchen.

  It was as she sighed and gazed at Laker’s face, at his laughter-flushed cheeks, that she felt it.

  He squeezed her hand.

  “Laker?” she gasped, awe and hope battling one another for dominance. “Laker, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can.”

  The excited squeal that flew from her lips when she felt gentle pressure around her fingers startled Bodhi; he let out a surprised grunt, staring up at his mother in bewilderment. It also drew Archie’s attention, as he’d been standing just outside the room talking to a nurse. He threw the door open, taking in the excited look on his sister’s face as she declared that Laker was waking up.

  A few minutes later, the pair stood out in the hall, each with an arm around the other’s waist, as doctors and nurses swarmed Laker’s body. After an hour of running tests, they allowed Indie back in.

  With renewed hope and a full-to-bursting heart, she took her place at his side, left hand clasped with his right as she drew a pair of bright green eyes with her free hand, Bodhi content in a sling on her chest while Marley went to get snacks with Archie.

  Peering at Laker’s fluttering eyelids, Indie let out a long breath and found herself drawing around the happy tears falling from her eyes.

  Soon, Laker. You’ll see me soon.

  ~ oOo ~

  One week later

  A hum of excitement spread through the house as Reagan announced it was time.

  Indie hurried around, issuing soft orders like a mother hen with her baby son strapped to her chest in a sling. Everyone knew not to argue with her, but none of them were inclined to in the first place.

  Hustling the last of the guests into the kitchen for one final check of all the details, Indie felt the first stirrings of nerves infiltrating the perpetually sunny mood she’d woken up in.

  When Heidi pointed out that it looked as though it may rain, ruining the plan for a barbecue, Archie knew it was time to leave.

  “All right, squirt,” he chuckled, looping an arm around Indie’s shoulders to lead her towards the front door. “Let’s go get the guest of honour and leave the party-pooping to the others, yeah?”

  She huffed and nodded, but her smile was firmly back in place by the time she, Archie, and Bodhi reached the car. Nothing and no-one was going to destroy her good mood.

  Laker was finally coming home.

  It had been over three weeks since the shooting, since her kidnapping and Bodhi’s birth, and today was finally the day Laker would come home to her. The plan was for him to return to Reagan’s house, where he could rest and recuperate. Archie had brought over the futon from his house for Laker to sleep on; it had been placed in the boys’ bedroom. His aunt and uncle, Sarah and Andy, had offered up their house, but with their hectic work schedules, Indie had argued it made more sense for him to stay at Reagan’s for the time being. She’d be there to watch over him, as would Grace and whoever was home with them. Besides, Sarah and Andy spent more time at Reagan’s house than their own, anyway. Marley had nicknamed them ‘Mimi’—nobody quite knew where ‘Mimi’ came from, but it had stuck—and ‘Unca And’, so they often spent the majority of their evenings or days off in the Ashby house at the request of the demanding little five-year-old.

  The journey to the hospital was a short one, but it felt like years to Indie, who’d been anxiously awaiting this day for weeks. Every day since Laker woke up, she’d been envisioning this journey. To know it was finally happening, that he was finally coming home, had her more than a little excited.

  In fact, she was almost bouncing in her seat as Archie turned the car into the car park with a grin on his face. “You ready to bust him outta here, squirt?”

  “Hurry up, Arch! He’s waiting, you know.”

  Before he’d even unclipped his belt, she was out of the car and lifting Bodhi from the back seat, still in his carrier. Her nerves in crowds or around strangers were as strong as ever, so she allowed Archie to tuck her into his side as they made their way across the car park and through the seemingly endless corridors.

  Just as she’d said, Laker was indeed waiting. And impatiently, at that. The nurses tasked with looking after him were incredibly amused, his roguish charm and devilish, dimpled grin setting many hearts aflutter. Not that he was interested in the state of anybody’s heart but the one belonging to a certain young woman..

  When Indie and Archie reached him, Laker was sitting up in bed tugging at his grey hoodie strings, fidgeting with the zipper, and tapping annoying rhythms on the rails on either side of the bed.

  “Argh, about time, too,” he huffed in faux reproach as Indie, Archie, and Bodhi appeared in the entrance to his room. “Can I go now, Mary-Beth, please?” Jutting his lower lip out and harnessing the full power of his minty green eyes, Laker pleaded with the nurse trailing in behind his friends.

  She rolled her eyes at his antics with a smile, but she was a little saddened to see him go. She’d looked forward to his smile each morning. “Oh, I suppose we can spare you, Laker. Now, you listened carefully to everything I said about changing your dressings and making sure to—”

  “Yes, yes, I heard it all. Please, can I go home now? I swear I’ll do everything they tell me, scout’s honour.” He gestured at Indie and Archie laughing in the doorway, before using his right index finger to draw a cross over his heart.

  Mary-Beth snorted while she helped Laker stand, handing him off to Archie when he hurried over to help. “Okay, well as long as you promise.” She tossed a wink at Indie, making her giggle. Mary-Beth and Indie had already exchanged numbers, having bonded over the duration of Laker’s stay. “All right, Mister, let’s get you out of here.”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to do for days,” he teased, delighting in the quiet peal of laughter it drew from Indie.

  God, I’ve missed that sound.

  Mary-Beth and Indie followed Archie, carrying Laker’s holdall and supporting him, into the corridor.

  As she watched the two men dog each other over the wheelchair Laker sank into, replaying the beautiful moment of teasing between Indie and Laker from moments beforehand, Mary-Beth mused that it likely
wouldn’t be long before they admitted what everybody else already knew—they were made for each other.

  Nurses popped out to say ‘goodbye,’ Indie and Archie laughing when he blushed at all the rosy cheeks and sparkly eyes left in his wake when they finally moved down the hall towards the exit. Eager to get moving, Laker gestured for Archie to go faster. At Indie’s sharp glare and tap on the shoulder, he attempted to appear repentant and failed miserably, his pout morphing into a bone-melting, lopsided, double-dimpled grin the nurses could only imagine, because there was only one person who garnered such a smile and that was Indie.

  Not soon enough in Laker’s opinion, they reached Archie’s car. The men argued briefly—Archie wanting to help his friend into the car, while he insisted he could do it himself—until Indie stepped in to point out that the longer they spent in the car park the longer it would take to get home. Laker eventually clambered in with Archie hovering over him. Indie secured Bodhi before climbing into the back with him, her smile a mile wide.

  Laker’s gaze flicked from the front windshield to the rear-view mirror where he caught her watching him and tossed her a playful wink just as Archie returned from dropping the wheelchair back at reception. She flushed lightly, putting a broad, self-satisfied smile on his face as they left the car park.

  Unable to help himself, Laker’s eyes quickly returned to Indie; her attention had shifted to the sketch pad she pulled from Bodhi’s changing bag. He watched her hand fly effortlessly across the page. He took in the way her chocolate curls tumbled artfully over one shoulder. Long eyelashes unhindered by make-up and left their natural blonde shadowed radiant, blue-green eyes.

  Aware of the party gathered at Reagan’s house, Laker couldn’t help but wish he was going home to a quiet house with just Indie, Marley, and Bodhi for company.

  Sometimes it was hard, especially in the past few days, to remember why he’d decided to keep his feelings to himself. However, he was also very aware that any too-fast move could squash any chance of their friendship ever turning into more.