“Some of our friends were following us, when a red car sped through an intersection without stopping.” The tears started to run down his face. “I tried to stop, but the roads were still wet and I lost control of the car. We spun out and the passenger side slammed into a telephone pole.” He paused trying to get control of his emotions. “Lily wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.”
Oh my God, no! Caleb put his head on my lap and I felt his shoulders begin to shake.
“My ribs were messed up from the center console, but I crawled out of the car and ran to her. I’d always told her to wear a seatbelt, but she never listened,” he cried.
As the tears stung my eyes, I ran my hand through his hair for support.
“She was lying in the street covered in blood. I will never forget the look in her eyes when she told me she was sorry. I begged her to stay with me, and told her help would be on the way soon.” He continued to speak through the sobs. “Our friends pulled over and surrounded me as I watched Lily close her eyes for the last time.” His sobs increased. “I had never…felt so alone…I thought everything…with her would be…forever.”
He shoulders continued to shake with his cries. I just sat there and held him until he quieted down. “Lily’s dad worked for the prosecutor’s office…he thought that someone needed to pay for the death of his daughter. A few days later I was arrested for vehicular manslaughter.” How could they even think the accident was his fault?
“They were claiming that I had been drinking, but I hadn’t. Because I was in front, no one else saw the car race through the intersection. I didn’t care if they put me in jail forever—everyone thought I was guilty, including me.” His head was still down, almost as if he couldn’t look at me, afraid of my response. Didn’t he realize that I knew none of this would change my mind about him. “My parents hired a lawyer who was able to get me off, but that didn’t change anyone’s opinion. Lily’s brother, Bryan, was no different, and he always promised I would get what was coming to me.” He lifted his head from the bed, but quickly turned to face the windows. “All of the Division I schools withdrew their offers after the arrest, so when Ithaca called I said yes. I just needed to get away. I spent the next year and a half playing football and, for the most part, keeping to myself. Most of the team knew where my lines were and they never crossed them.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “Then I was assigned as your partner.”
Slowly he lifted his tear-streaked face to mine. “Part of the reason I pushed you away in the beginning was the fact that you and Lily have the exact same eyes. I’d never seen them before or since…until I met you.”
I gasped. This time he squeezed my hand for reassurance. I didn’t know what to say—my heart hurt to think of him in so much pain for so long. I kept quiet and let him finish.
“I tried to push you away, but that didn’t work. Finally I gave up and let you in and for once things were going well. Then on Sunday at the park, Bryan called and it reminded me of everything I was guilty of, or so I thought. I figured he would just keep calling and I didn’t want to see the look in your eyes when you found out that I killed her.”
He looked away from me then, like he was ashamed. Tears running down my face, I put my hand on his cheek and turned his face back to me. “You didn’t kill her,” I said softly but emphatically.
He nodded and continued. “Josh didn’t know what had happened, until a few nights ago. I know that’s why he convinced you to come over that night.”
I heard his voice choke up again. “It was my fault that you were there that night. It’s my fault you’re here now because Bryan was there for me.”
His voice shook, but he kept going. “You see I realized that night that you were right. I had to learn to forgive myself. It didn’t matter what others thought because I knew in my heart of hearts that it was an accident and nothing I could have done would have stopped it.”
He squeezed my hand. “You made me realize that and I thank you for that.”
I tilted my head. “You said there was more than one reason you pushed me away at first.”
He smiled slightly at that, “Yes I did. The other reason I pushed you away was that I thought I would never let anyone in again. I didn’t think I deserved it. I knew pretty quickly that if I let you in, I would love you.” He looked me in the eyes and I could see the love shining in them. “And I do.” He paused and his smiled dawned like sunshine. “I love you Angie.”
He swept in to kiss me, softly at first, then more demanding. I moved slightly to deepen the kiss and gasped when I felt a shooting pain up my side. Caleb pulled out of the kiss quickly and leaned his forehead against mine. I knew I still loved this man more than anything, and while we still had a lot to figure out, I knew we could.
“Angie, I know I hurt you, but I thought I was protecting you. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me one more time, I will never hurt you again,” he said solemnly.
I pulled back and cupped his face between my hands, “Caleb, I love you more than anything. Of course I forgive you.” How could he think that I wouldn’t?
He let out the breath he was holding. “You won’t regret giving me another chance.”
I wanted to lighten the mood, “Well if I do, I could always send Em after you.”
“Oh shit! Please don’t do that,” he laughed.
“Don’t give me a reason to,” I giggled with him.
“I won’t,” he said, leaning in for another kiss. He kissed me lightly, pulling away before I could deepen the kiss.
He shook his head at me. “None of that right now, not until you’re healed.”
I was so happy to have him back in my life that I actually whined. “Caleb.”
He stroked my cheek. “I don’t want to hurt you.” I gave him a fake pout.
He laughed. “My parents stayed at the hotel last night. My mom wanted me to let them know the minute you woke up again. Is it okay, if I call and tell them to come over?”
I nodded. I’d never felt so loved and cared for. I felt a tear slide slowly down my cheek. Caleb brushed it away. “Why the tears?”
“Because no one has ever cared about me the way you do. The fact that your family cares just as much,” I took a deep breath. “It’s just more than I’m used to. Don’t worry…these are happy tears.”
He smiled, “As long as they are happy tears.”
He pulled his phone out and dialed. “Hey Mom…yeah she’s awake…it’s okay, Mom.” He rolled his eyes. “Please don’t cry…don’t worry, I’ll tell her…okay…alright…see ya in a bit.” He sounded exasperated.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“I’m starting to think my mother loves you more than me,” he pouted, but I could see the amusement in his eyes. I couldn’t help but laugh.
I noticed Caleb’s arm again, and reached out my fingers to touch the bandage. I watched his face flinch and looked at him curiously. “I thought you said it was just a scratch.”
“It is,” he said without looking me in the eye.
“Caleb, don’t lie to me. Stop trying to protect me, and tell me what is under that bandage,” I demanded.
He sighed. “Bryan’s knife caught me and I needed a few stitches.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How many is a few?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Twenty-six.”
“Twenty-six is not a few.” I frowned.
He sat next to me on the bed. “I know, but I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about you.”
Dr. Peterson entered the room, interrupting our conversation. I turned back to Caleb and smiled. “I know.”
“Good morning, I hear you have already been up and about this morning,” he said with a smile. “How are we feeling?”
“Better than last night, but still a little sore,” I answered.
“Well it’s a step in the right direction. Right now, I’ve reduced your pain medication, and that should alleviate any grogginess you might be experiencing,
” he informed me.
Dr. Peterson listened to my heart and examined the sutures again. He didn’t even try and get Caleb to leave this time. “Everything is healing nicely. You’ll be good as new soon enough.”
Caleb had moved out of the way while the doctor examined me, but returned swiftly to my side as soon as the doctor was done. “Dr. Peterson, when can I take Angie home?” he asked.
“Well, I would like to keep her for a few days to rule out infection, so I would say maybe Friday or Saturday. Right now I have her on an IV antibiotic, that should help avoid any infections,” he replied.
Caleb nodded and extended his hand. “Thank you for everything.”
Dr. Peterson smiled, taking Caleb’s hand. “You’re very welcome, Caleb.” With that he left the room.
A few minutes later the door opened again and in walked Caleb’s parents, followed by Emily.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Emily cheered.
“Morning, Em,” I giggled because she knew I hated mornings.
Claire walked over and placed a kiss on my cheek. “How are you feeling?”
I felt like I’d answered this question a hundred times already. “Much better.”
Eric examined my chart. “Dr. Peterson reduced your pain meds. That’s a good sign. Means you may get to go home sooner rather than later.”
“I’m going to fall so far behind,” I groaned.
“No worries, I’m going to contact all of your professors today and Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs have already contacted the school. Everything will be fine,” Emily reassured me. She sat down in one of the chairs next to my bed.
I looked over at Caleb’s parents. “Thank you for that.”
Claire cupped my face in her hands, “You’re most welcome, Angel.”
I smiled at that, at least until my stomach growled. So much had happened in the last few hours, that I’d forgotten I hadn’t eaten in ages—and even then it hadn’t been much.
“Angie, why didn’t you tell me you were hungry?” Caleb scolded.
I blushed. “Actually, I kind of forgot about it until now.”
“We need to feed you. What do you want? I’ll run and get it,” he asked.
I shrugged, “I don’t know…surprise me.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” He looked over to Emily. “You’re staying, right? I don’t want her to be alone.”
Emily nodded. “I’ll be here.”
“Okay.” He seemed satisfied with that, still looking at Emily he asked, “Do you want anything?”
“Sure, get me whatever you get Angie.” She smiled. Huh? Since when were these two so nice to each other? I would find out later what happened, for now I just wanted to enjoy the peace between the two of them.
I smiled. “Hold on Caleb,” Claire said. “We’ll come with you. I think we could all use some coffee, and something to eat.”
Caleb nodded and he left followed by his parents.
When I looked back to Emily, her eyes were filled with tears again. “Em, what’s wrong?” I frowned.
She sniffed. “When Caleb called last night, I thought I would never see you again.”
I reached out for her hand, “I’m fine.” She looked skeptical. “Really, I promise, I’m fine. Actually, forgetting the pain in my side, things are better than fine.”
She wiped away her tears, working to get her emotions under control. “He really cares about you. After what he did to you the other night, I was completely convinced that he was a total asshole. I know I never say this but…I was wrong.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. Emily wasn’t kidding when she never admitted to being wrong—normally she just argued harder and louder. I was starting to understand now.
She smiled. “He wouldn’t leave you. They had to force him to go get the stitches in his arm because he was afraid if he left he might miss any news about your condition. I will say that I was right in the beginning though…you two really are perfect for each other.”
I laughed—only Emily could admit she was wrong and yet still find a way to turn it around to her being right.
I shook my head. “Em, what would I ever do without you.”
I felt like the weight of a thousand bricks had been lifted off my chest, and I could breathe again. When Angie woke up this morning, I knew I’d have to tell her everything. But instead of running like I expected her to, she tried to comfort me. I loved her with everything in me and I was never going to let her go. I was just glad that everything was out in the open now, and we could work on helping each other heal.
My parents came with me to pick up something for Angie to eat. I knew the hospital would bring her something, but that shit sucked, and Angie deserved better. We decided to grab breakfast sandwiches from the local bagel shop. I knew Angie loved eggs for breakfast, but she was usually too lazy to make them. We sat at a table waiting while they finished making our order.
Mom touched her hand to my sleeve. I looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes. “Caleb, did you talk to Angie about what happened?”
I took a deep breath. “I did. I explained everything about what happened to Lily, why I pushed her away, and why Bryan was there that night.”
She was shocked, but it was my dad who spoke next. “You told her everything?” He put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m so proud of you for facing your demons.”
I nodded. “I couldn’t have done it without Angie. She taught me that I had to forgive myself to move on, like she did with her father. I know the truth about that night, and that is the only thing that matters.”
My mother’s eyes filled with tears. “I knew the moment I met her, that she was something special. Hold onto that, and to her.”
I smiled. “I will,” I said solemnly.
Our number was called, so we grabbed the food and headed back to the hospital. When we walked into the room, Jillian and Heather were there, talking about how they were going to take turns helping Angie for the next few weeks.
“If you think that I am letting you out of my sight for one minute, then you are sadly mistaken,” I said walking over to Angie to hand her the sandwich.
“Caleb, I can’t stay with you for the next six weeks,” she argued.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Well it’s either I stay with you or you stay with me. So unless your roommates want a guy moving into their apartment, I think it’s safer if you stay with me.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I should’ve known you’d get all over protective of me.”
“You’re damn right,” I said emphatically. “Now stop arguing and eat your sandwich.”
She gave Emily a pointed look before turning her attention to the sandwich on her tray. “Yum, egg sandwich,” she smiled.
We sat eating and talking about school when there was a knock on the door. Who would be knocking on the door? The door opened slowly and two police officers walked in.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, my name is Officer Simons and this is my partner Officer Thomas. I was the officer that took the statement about your father. We just need to ask you a few questions, Angelina,” he said politely.
I could see the fear in Angie’s eyes—the last time she talked to the police they told her they were letting her father out of jail. Jillian and Heather looked confused, and I guessed they still had no idea what happened over spring break. That was another thing we had to deal with, his possible court date. I reached over to place my hand on hers. “I’ll be here with you the entire time. I’ve already talked to them, it will be fine,” I tried to reassure her.
“Why don’t we step out for a minute,” Dad suggested.
“Okay, come on ladies. We’ll be right outside if you need us,” Emily said.
The girls followed my parents out of the room. The officer looked over at me. “Are you staying?” he asked.
I felt Angie’s hand twitch in mine. “Please let him stay,” she pleaded with the cops.
“It’s fine
with me as long as it’s fine with you,” Officer Simons replied. Angie nodded. “First, we need to ask you for your version of the events last night.”
Angie took a deep breath before starting, explaining the whole story from the moment I broke up with her, Josh convincing her to come over, to the scene when she walked into the apartment.
“He had a knife to Caleb’s throat,” she sniffed. “I…I called 911 right away and I…I was going to stay out of the way until the police arrived, but then…but then Bryan had Caleb pinned underneath him.”
She took a deep breath before continuing. “I was so afraid that I would never get to see him again if this guy killed him, so I ran over and jumped on his back, pulling him to the side so that Caleb could get up.”
Her whole body started to shake. “When I tried to get away from him, he…he…he stabbed me with the knife.” Her body was wracked with sobs. I carefully pulled her into my side to offer the only support I could, and she turned her face into my shoulder. It tore me up inside to hear her tell the story, and I felt tears spring to my eyes. It was because of me all of this happened, and yet here she was in my arms, willing to forgive me. I still wasn’t sure that I deserved someone as wonderful as Angie, but there wasn’t anything in this world that was going to make me push her away again. I loved her and for some unknown reason, she loved me just as much.
I felt Angie slowly get control of her emotions, although the look on Officer Simons face told me that he had something else to say and he knew it was going to upset her. He actually started to shift on his feet—no man liked watching a woman cry, especially someone as sweet as Angie.
“Thank you, Angelina,” he said. “We’ll put your statement in the file. Bryan was medically cleared last night and has been taken into custody. It looks like he’ll be pleading guilty to all the charges.”
Angie pulled her face away from my shoulder. “Thank you, Officer Simons,” she said, sounding relieved. She looked up at me, as I waited for the other shoe to drop.
“Angelina, I need to discuss something else with you,” Officer Simons started to say, but he realized Angie wasn’t paying attention when she didn’t turn around.
Forgiven (Forgiven Series) Page 24