Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6)

by Parker, J. E.

  I instantly felt like shit.

  It didn’t matter that I was wading through Hell.

  Maddie didn’t deserve my venom.

  She hadn’t two decades ago and she sure as shit didn’t now.

  “Sorry, Mad—”

  She held up her hand, cutting me off. “It’s fine. We’re all strung a little tight. Just don’t fuss at Ashley when she gets here. She’s barely hanging on by—”

  “I won’t,” I said, truthfully.

  Nearing the end of her rope, Grandmama huffed out an agitated breath and spun around to face off with the nurse who sat behind a desk less than ten feet away. “Excuse me, young lady, but can you tell us when the dadgum doctor will deign to grace us with his presence?”

  “Ma’am, I’m not sure—”

  The nurse snapped her mouth shut when a well-dressed man wearing a white lab coat strolled through a pair of double doors to my left. “Are you the family of Heidi Johnson?” he asked, an arrogant expression on his wrinkle-free face.

  I instantly disliked him.

  Turning, I faced him head on. “I’m her fiancé,” I answered, without thinking twice. I half expected Hendrix to smack me upside the head, but he didn’t. In fact, no one blinked at my response, much less said a single word. “Names Ty Jacobs.”

  The doctor seemed to look straight through me.

  What’s this assholes problem?

  “Are any of you her immediate family, meaning that you are related to her via blood or marriage?”

  Carissa raised a shaky hand. “I’m her sister.”

  The doctor focused his attention on her and nodded. “My name is Dr. Montgomery, and I’m the attending physician.”

  C silently waited for him to continue.

  A few seconds later, he finally did. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  For what felt like the hundredth time that night, my world fell apart.

  Thirty-Eight

  Ty

  I couldn’t breathe.

  Heart pounding, I stood outside the ER doors, my hands on my knees as I fought to suck in a single breath. The words that Dr. Montgomery had spoken moments before pinged around my head, repeating over and over, spiraling out of control.

  Skull fracture.

  Cerebral edema.

  Fractured ribs.

  Trimalleolar ankle fracture.

  Lumbar spinal cord injury.

  Life-threatening injuries.

  Surgery required.

  Full recovery not expected.

  “Ty,” Cap said, placing a hand in the middle of my back. “Breathe for me, kid.” Couldn’t he see that’s what I was trying like hell to do? “Everything is going to be fine.”

  My anger skyrocketed.

  “How can you say that?” I yelled, standing straight. “Did you not just hear what the doctor said? Her brain is swelling, Cap! She’s not going to be okay!”

  Grandmama, who stood next to Cap, shot me a glare that would’ve made most people wilt on the spot.

  I didn’t.

  I was too damn mad, too fucking hurt…

  “Yes, she will,” Cap said, giving me a hard look. “Heidi is strong and—”

  “She’s going to fucking die!” I screamed, losing the hold that I still had on my fraying temper. “She’s going to goddamn die, and none of us can do a thing to stop it!”

  Whack!

  As soon as the final word left my mouth, Grandmama lifted her hand and smacked me right across the face. Hard. I reared back, my cheek stinging from the hit.

  “You listen to me, Ty Xavier Jacobs!” she hollered, drawing the attention of a trio of nurses exiting the building. “I don’t give a good dadgum how grim things look right now, you do not, and I mean you do not ever give up on that girl! You may not believe she’s strong enough to hold on, but I sure as hell-fire do!”

  Shame built in my chest.

  I’d never give up on Heidi. Ever. But I couldn’t process what was happening. Dr. Montgomery gave her less than a ten percent chance of surviving and even brought up organ donation.

  I can’t fucking deal!

  “Grandmama, I—”

  “No,” she interrupted, cutting me off before I could get more than two words in. “I know everyone thinks I’m a crazy old woman who’s done gone and lost her mind but hear me when I say this, Ty…”

  Puffing out her chest, she placed her hands on her hips.

  “The moment you stop believing that our Bug is gonna make it, then you might as well sign her dadgum death certificate yourself. The only thing,” she said, pointing back toward the ER entrance, “keeping her breathing is us. If we turn our back on her, she ain’t gonna have a thing to fight for no more.”

  “She’s right,” Cap said, agreeing with her. “I know you’re hurting, but the last thing you want to do is give up on the woman you love; the woman you need more than your next breath.”

  There was something in Cap’s eyes that told me he knew exactly what he was talking about.

  “I won’t give up on her.” And I wouldn’t. I may have lost my shit because of the weight bearing down on my shoulders like a freight train, but I’d never lose faith in Heidi, just like I knew she’d never lose faith in me.

  My woman was strong.

  Mighty.

  And she was going to wake up.

  Period.

  “Good,” Grandmama said, tossing one last icy glare my way. “Cause I’d hate to pull out my dadgum flyswatter considering the circumstances, but a butt-whooping is needed when a butt-whooping is needed.”

  A half-hearted smile tipped the corner of my lips. “No need for all—”

  “Mr. Jacobs?”

  My spine snapped straight at the sound of a familiar voice.

  Thinning my lips into a straight line, I turned, coming face to face with Police Chief Andrews, my father’s dim-witted boss. “Don’t know what you want, Chief, but now is not the time.”

  I started to turn back toward Grandmama but stopped short when he cupped my shoulder, halting me. “Son,” he said, “I know this isn’t a good time for you, but I need to speak with you about your father.”

  He was the last person I wanted to talk about.

  “Chief, no offense, but fuck off. I have more important things to worry about than that lowlife, piece of—”

  “Your father is dead, Ty.”

  “What?” I asked, disbelief evident in my tone. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  The Chief hesitated.

  Then, “He was killed in a multiple-vehicle collision a few hours ago.” He paused, letting me absorb the words he’d just spoken. “He was pronounced dead at the scene.”

  My gut twisted.

  My heart ceased beating.

  My world stopped turning.

  “What scene?” I needed to know, needed to hear him say it.

  “The same one your station, along with one other, responded to just a few hours ago.”

  My hands fisted at my sides.

  How none of my crew had known my father was at the scene—and dead, I might add—was something I didn’t understand.

  Not that it mattered.

  “He was fucking drunk, wasn’t he?”

  “We’ll have to wait on toxicology reports to confirm, but yes, that seems to be the case. After conducting a preliminary investigation, we believe he was speeding in addition to being under the influence and crossed the yellow line, hitting Ms. Johnson almost head-on.”

  Something inside of me broke.

  Completely snapped.

  Unable to stomach hearing anymore, I held up my hands and started to back up, my heart twisting in my chest.

  My father had ruined my childhood, broken my spirit, and planted an army of demons inside me. Because of him, I’d spent years terrorizing others, further spreading hate that he’d taught me.

  Then, when I finally escaped him as a teen, he’d tried to make my life hell in other ways. More than once he’d tried to take Chase away from me. Not
because he wanted him, but because he knew I loved him.

  And he’d done the same thing with my Angel.

  He didn’t want her…

  But he’d almost taken her from me regardless.

  For that alone, I hoped he was burning in hell.

  Thirty-Nine

  Heidi

  Everything hurts.

  It was the first thought that popped in my head when I woke.

  Flat on my back, arms by my sides, I fought to open my eyes.

  It was a task that I found to be much harder than it should’ve been.

  Pulling in a small breath, I attempted to turn my head but was stopped short. Something—what exactly it was, I didn’t know—was wrapped around my neck, squeezing me tight.

  I felt trapped.

  Panic rising, I curled my fingers, digging my blunt nails into the stiff sheets I laid on. I tried to move my arms, but they were heavy, as if weighed down by bricks.

  Terror unfurled in my chest, and I began to pant, my chest rising and falling rapidly from the force of my breaths.

  Tears welled behind my still-closed lids, and though I couldn’t hear a single thing around me, I croaked out the one person’s name that I knew would rescue me from whatever hell I found myself trapped in.

  “Ty…”

  My voice was silent to my own ears.

  I wasn’t even sure I’d spoken.

  So, I did the only thing I could.

  I tried again.

  “Ty,” I whispered, my throat dryer than the Sahara. “Please—”

  Soft hands suddenly cupped my cheeks, giving me the strength to pry my eyes open.

  Ocean blue eyes met mine.

  My tears began to fall faster upon seeing my sister. “Carissa, where am—”

  Her own tears fell as she pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me. “Shh, it’s okay,” she said, mouthing the words slowly, allowing me to read her lips. “You’re in the hospital.”

  My lungs seized.

  Her hands shook against me, and even through half-closed eyes, I could see how hard it was for her to speak as she looked close to falling to pieces.

  “You were in an accident, a bad one, but you’re okay now.” Lifting her hand, she brushed a stray lock of hair from my face. “Everything is going to be fine now because you’re finally awake.”

  Like magic, everything came rushing back.

  The rain, the headlights, impact.

  “Ty,” I cried, or at least attempted to. “I…”

  The words refused to come.

  Thankfully, Carissa knew exactly who I wanted.

  Or rather, who I needed.

  “Kyle is getting him,” she said, keeping her lips in my line of sight. “Just hold on for me, okay?” More of her tears fell. “Please, my sweet Bug, hold on.”

  I swallowed as another memory, this one more painful, slid to the forefront of my clouded mind. Clutching onto every bit of inner strength I possessed, I whispered another name. “Ashley…”

  Carissa nodded in understanding. “I’ll get her up here. Daddy just took her and Chase down to the cafeteria.” A sad smile graced her pretty face. “None of them has left for more than an hour at a time since you were admitted.”

  “How long?” The more I spoke, the easier it became.

  Carissa’s eyes slid closed for a brief moment. “Nine days,” she said, opening them once more. “We’ve waited to see your pretty blues again for nine gut-wrenching days.”

  “C, I—”

  Carissa’s head suddenly jerked up, and relief swam in her tear-filled eyes. I could see her speaking to someone, but without having a direct view of her lips, I wasn’t sure who it was or what she was saying.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  Carissa smiled down at me once more before stepping out of the way.

  When Ty appeared a second later, I tried my best to suck in a ragged breath, despite the pain beginning to work its way up my side and around to my back.

  “Fuck, Angel,” he said, cupping my face much like Carissa had done. Leaning in close, he made sure to keep enough space between us so that I could read his lips. “You’re awake.”

  I smiled through the pain. “You’re here.”

  His brows drew together. “Where else would I be?” He wasn’t being a smartass; it was a genuine question. “Did you forget that you’re my entire life?”

  I tried to shake my head to no avail.

  Frustrated, I cried out, my vulnerability on full display. “It hurts.” My voice became even stronger. Whether it was from my desperation or something else, who knows. “It all hurts.”

  Agony filled his eyes.

  Turning his head, he said something to someone I couldn’t see. Carissa, maybe? But once more, I was unable to read the words being spoken.

  He turned my way again; our gazes locked. “Tuck is getting the nurse. Just hold on for me, baby.”

  “Y’all keep saying that,” I said, my tears still falling.

  He dipped his head, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, my heart cracked right down the center. “I almost lost you,” he said, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “I’ve been through some shit in my life, Angel, but thinking that I’d never get to hold you in my arms again?” Jaw clenched, he shook his head. “That about did me in.”

  “Ty—”

  “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

  Wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on mine, I tried to push myself up and onto my elbows.

  I failed.

  “Stay still,” he said, running his hands down the sides of my covered neck and to my shoulders. “You can’t move much. You need to stay stabilized, so you don’t—”

  “What’s wrong with me?” I asked, feeling that all too familiar suffocating mixture of anxiety and panic return ten-fold. “Am I broken?”

  A tear slipped down Ty’s cheek. “No, Angel, you’re not broken.”

  Working myself into a frenzy, I tried my best to move my hips, my legs, my feet, and my toes. Nothing worked. “Why can’t I move my legs?”

  More tears fell. “Fuck,” he cursed before turning his head away and taking a deep breath. When our eyes met again, there was no mistaking the regret that swirled in his pretty blue depths. “Heidi…”

  “Tell me,” I snapped, needing to read the words I already knew to be the truth. I needed him to confirm, needed him to force them into my head. “Please, just tell me.”

  Leaning down, he pressed a single kiss to my forehead before pulling back.

  My heart raced as I waited for him to speak.

  Please let me be wrong…

  “The impact of the crash damaged your spinal cord.”

  The parts of my body that I could still feel went numb; ice slid through my veins. “I’m paralyzed?” He said nothing, answering my question with silence. “Will I ever walk again?”

  “No.”

  The sob that broke free of my chest nearly rendered me in two. “You’re wrong,” I cried, gripping the sheets with every bit of waning strength I possessed. “You’re wrong, Ty Jacobs.” I was falling apart, splitting open at the seams. “You watch, I’ll walk…”

  “Angel,” he said, holding my face tight. “I need you to calm down for me.”

  I couldn’t calm down.

  Not when so many dreams I’d ever had were just shattered in the space of a single heartbeat.

  “Lily Ann,” I choked out around a sob. “I’ll never get to chase her.”

  Carissa walked over to the side of the bed opposite Ty and placed a hand on my chest. “Bug, calm down. You have a head injury, and can’t be getting worked up. “

  Her sobs were more forceful than mine.

  “I’ll never get to dance with you again,” I said to her, remembering the night that Ty had first seen me.

  Ty pinched my chin, a sign that he wanted my eyes on him instead of my sister. Doing as he wanted, I gave him my attention. “You will dance again,” he said, determina
tion blazing in his pupils. “You will chase Lily Ann around the yard, and baby, I swear on my fucking life that you will chase our kids too.”

  Our kids…

  “How?”

  Standing tall, he shoved a hand into what I assumed was his pocket. Since I couldn’t move my head the least little bit, I couldn’t see what he was doing, or what he seemed to be searching for.

  Insecurity danced across his face when he lifted his gaze. “Because I’m going to carry you,” he stated with finality. “Doesn’t matter if you want to chase down one of our kids or the setting sun, you will do it, and you’ll do it in my arms, where I can keep you safe, while holding you close to my heart.”

  My chest screamed in agony as I fought to pull in enough breaths to satisfy my starving lungs.

  “You once told me that I could propose to you as soon as I asked your father for permission.” He raked his tongue over his bottom lip, making my heart flutter. “I haven’t asked him.”

  My stomach dropped.

  His words cracked me open further.

  “And I haven’t asked him, because I’m not asking you either.”

  I didn’t understand what he meant, and before I could ask him, he gently lifted my arm, placing my left hand in my field of view. Using his free hand, he slipped a ring on my finger before I had the chance to register what he was doing.

  “We’re getting married,” he said, securing the shiny solitaire diamond ring in place. The band was white gold, the simple stone the perfect size. It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever laid eyes on. “You’re going to be my wife.”

  Oh God…

  “And I’m going to spend the rest of my life carrying you in my arms and loving you with every fiber of my once-broken heart.”

  My pain disappeared.

  My fear vanished.

  My soul is battered…

  But eternity with him will fix it.

  “The road ahead of us won’t be easy, but nothing in our lives ever has been. I don’t give a fuck how bad everything seems right now, Angel, you woke up. You fought to stay with me, and you came back. You kept your promises, and that’s all that matters.”

  “What happens…”

  He rested a hand on my cheek, his palm resting over my pulse point. “What happens now is that we get married. I know you won’t be ready for a while, but I’ll wait until you are.” Pausing, he pulled in a breath. “This is the start of our forever.”