by S. K. Lessly
So here I was, sitting next to the man I love, praying for a miracle. I had an awful feeling that something bad was going to happen. The threat in Mr. Logan's eyes was real and imminent, I just knew it. Their fears blinded them, and mine strengthened me.
Dr. Goldbloom had said that the swelling in Paul's brain had gone down. Just hearing that news should have encouraged his family to give him a chance. Why couldn’t they see how hard Paul was fighting? My time was running out. I had run out of options. All I could do now was hope for a miracle.
Just then, the door opened and in walked my worst nightmare. Mr. Logan stepped inside the room with determination in his eyes, and a frown on his lips.
“Remove this woman from my son’s room.”
I looked at him stunned wondering who he was speaking to until I caught sight of a behemoth of a man at his back.
I stood and looked from the huge burly man to Mr. Logan. “You can’t do that.” I backed up slightly.
“Oh yes, I can. I have a restraining order against you, preventing you from getting within fifty feet of my son.”
“But what about the order—"
“What order? I spoke to the court. That so-called order wasn’t filed, and they have no record of such order, now Dawson, get her out of here.”
Panic surged through my body as I continued to put space between this man and Paul’s dad. I looked to Paul willing for him to wake, but there wasn’t a peep from him.
I caught movement to my right, and I looked up to find Dawson getting closer.
“Don’t you touch me,” I warned, but the large menacing man continued to come close to me. When he reached out to me, my flight or fight reflexes kicked in, and you could probably imagine what I did next.
Yup, you guessed it. I kicked that motherfucker in his nuts.
The man cried out and went to one knee, and I made a run for the door. Unfortunately, I didn’t move far enough because the next thing I knew my body hit the ground hard and my face was on fire.
Well, I think at this point you know me well enough to know I’m not taking that lying down.
I heard Mr. Logan yelling at Dawson, but I couldn’t hear what I was saying. There was ringing in one ear and my blood rushing in the other. I felt nothing but rage flowing through me. I heard someone come into the room and they started yelling too. This was my moment. I scrambled to my feet and kicked Dawson in his nuts again, and this time I gave it everything I had. The big man went down on both his knees this time. I then grabbed him by his hair and brought his face to my knee, hearing the satisfying crunch of his nose, which was music to my ears.
“Oh shit!” I heard a male voice cry out from behind me. Strong arms wrapped around me and picked me up. I began fighting against my captive’s hold, kicking, screaming and cussing. I was trying my best to get at Dawson who was now rising to his feet and heading in my direction. I told whoever had me to let me go, but he didn’t. He shifted his back to the giant and carried me outside at the same time hospital guards were entering the room.
“Calm down, okay? I don’t want to hurt you,” the man who held me begged.
“What’s going on here, Jerome? Let her go.” Nurse Madeline came from nowhere and directed.
Jerome did what he was told, and just as he let me go, I took off, heading for the elevators and out of the hospital.
Paul
It was an extremely beautiful day. The sun was bright, and the sky was free of clouds. The breeze blew softly, delicately caressing his face. This was a perfect moment, a perfect day. He looked out at the crowd and smiled. His family and hers, along with their friends, all smiled back at him. This day couldn’t be more perfect.
The music started, and he looked down the aisle for the love of his life. She was there, dressed in a long white silk gown that took his breath away. Her hair was up revealing her beautiful neckline and shoulders. He smiled and inhaled as she headed in his direction. Finally, he was marrying the woman of his dreams, in paradise surrounded by the people they both loved and cared for.
He made eye contact with her as she walked toward him. She smiled at him, and his heart soared into the heavens. He couldn’t wait to get her in his arms. He couldn’t wait for her to be his wife.
When she finally got to him, he reached out for her hand. She placed her hand in his, and he squeezed.
“You look beautiful,” he told her.
“Thank you.” She smiled shyly up at him.
They faced the minister, and the ceremony began. Paul glanced at this woman and couldn’t believe they finally got here. He couldn’t believe she said yes. He couldn’t believe—
At that moment, a man came up from behind Lauren and grabbed her by her hair. He jumped back surprised, but he snapped out of it and lunged at the man. Horror gripped him as he saw a knife come from behind the stranger's back.
“She belongs to me!” the stranger growled and, in that instance, he cut Lauren’s throat.
“No!”
I opened my eyes, and it immediately felt like I had pins sticking through my eyeballs.
Fuck me.
Pain surged through my eyes, my head, making my skull throb uncontrollably. I closed them quickly and started to let the darkness take me under when I heard a very familiar woman’s scream. Was I still dreaming? I opened my eyes slowly just in time to see my father’s arms flailing about as he yelled at some large man standing in his room. Blood was gushing from the man's nose.
I tried to ask my father what the hell was happening, but I couldn’t get a sound out of my throat. Something was lodged there, preventing me from speaking. Just then, I saw my mother walk in the room. She was fussing at her husband, as usual, making a lot of noise. I closed my eyes falling back into darkness.
* * *
The room was quiet, except for this incessant beeping noise, the next time I tried to open my eyes. Was I dreaming before? Where was she? I knew I heard her scream. Was she okay? I never got the answers I needed. My heavy eyelids closed against my will and darkness overtook me once again.
* * *
I woke for a second time and this time I heard voices close to me. I opened my eyes and immediately reached for whatever was preventing me from speaking.
A choking sound erupted from my burning throat. I heard a scream followed by a hand on top of my mine preventing me from pulling whatever I was choking on.
“Hey, calm down, bro,” my brother told me as his face came into view. “The doctor’s coming. Just hold on.” Kenneth then looked behind him. “Don't just stand there go get the doctor!”
My brother looked back at me and smiled that half grin he favors so much. “It’s good to see your ugly mug.”
I blinked at him, fighting the urge to struggle. There was crying in the room, who was crying I couldn’t tell. I felt a hand on my arm, and I looked over to my right, no left and found my parents staring down at me, tears in their eyes.
Who I didn’t see was the one face I needed. I closed my eyes hoping that the next time I open them, it would be her face instead of my brother's.
* * *
Voices…
My father is talking to someone, better yet yelling at someone. A response to the yelling.
A female voice…
A soft hand holding mine…
“Lauren?” I whispered harshly through a throat that felt like I had swallowed glass.
“Why hasn’t he opened his eyes again? You people said he would be fine!”
My father’s voice grated on my nerves; the shrieking was making my head hurt.
I concentrated on my next words knowing it would hurt like a son of a bitch if whispering did.
“Stop yelling,” I called out, and that got everyone's attention. However, the loud talking only got worse. Suddenly everyone was talking at once.
I cringed at the sound and looked around the room looking for the one person that mattered. She wasn’t here.
I tried to speak again, to ask about her when I started to cough up a l
ung. A man in a white coat approached my bed, along with a nurse with kind eyes.
“Mr. Logan, it’s good to see you’re awake. Take it easy. Nurse Madeline will give you some water. That’s it. Take your time. Don’t drink too much. There's plenty where that came from.” He smiled pleasantly enough. I did as instructed and took a few more sips before I released the straw. “Better?” he asked. I nodded. “Good, my name is Dr. Goldbloom. “I’m going to run a battery of tests to check your brain function and movement. Let me know if anything is uncomfortable or hurts alright?”
I nodded again and sat patiently while he examined me. I could feel every poke and pinch in my extremities, which pleased the doctor, and myself if was being honest.
He asked me a series of questions; my full name, date of birth, current occupation, etc. He asked me if I remembered the accident and I said no. I recalled going into a burning building, my usual, but I didn’t know how I ended up here.
“That’s normal in this kind of situation. I'm not too alarmed.” He shined a light in my eyes, that I was not happy about, and had me seeing spots. Nevertheless, he was satisfied with his preliminary tests.
“So far, everything looks good,” he announced. “We will schedule an MRI to make sure everything is functioning internally.”
“What happened to me?” I rasped.
The doctor didn’t hesitate and broke everything down to me, the brain injury I sustained, the coma, the heart failures and bringing me back to life. I wanted to reach up and kiss him for saving me. It felt as if I had been run over by a Mack truck, but I was thankful.
“You’ll have to go through physical therapy to get your muscles working again. Expect to be here at least until the end of next week. We'll check your progress and evaluate from there. This is Nurse Madeline. If you need anything, pain meds, etc., let her know. I’ll be back later to check on you.”
I whispered thanks and winced as I tried to move.
“Here let me help you.” Nurse Madeline handed me the remote to control my bed, and my frowned deepened as pain and discomfort racked my body and my head. “Now, now, take it easy. Your body has been through a lot. Give it time to heal properly, okay?” she instructed, her sweet southern twang making me breathe out and relax. “I just gave you a little something to help with the pain. It should be working soon. I’ll be back to check on you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, and she smiled at me before she too made her leave.
Once the nurse shut my door, I took in the room and the people in it. What in the hell was Sabrina doing here and where the fuck is Lauren?
I cleared my throat and said one word. “Lauren.” My voice came out gritty, but the look in everyone's eyes told me they heard me.
No one spoke. They looked at each other, then at my father. My father stepped up to my bed and grinned down at me.
“Son, we are so glad you’re awake. You gave us such a scare. You're going to be fine.” My father patted my arm. “We’re going to make sure you receive the best care, and the best physical therapist money can buy.”
My mother strolled up next to my father and squeezed my hand. She was beaming ear to ear with tears in her eyes.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re awake. We’ve been praying and praying for you. Haven’t we everyone?”
I then felt someone grab my other hand and I turned slowly to find Sabrina smiling down at me. She bent down and kissed my forehead.
“That’s all we've been doing, and our prayers have been answered. We’ve missed you, Paul.” She caressed my face, something that made my skin crawl.
I narrowed my eyes at her, swallowed and asked, “Where’s Lauren?”
Her smile dropped, and she looked over at my father. My eyes went back to my father, and I could see guilt evident in his calculating eyes. I started to ask them again, no demand they produce my wife… my… hell, what did she give me?
* * *
Before I knew it, I woke startled, my sheets and gown stuck to my dampened skin. I had another dream where Lauren was packing her bags and leaving me. I had asked her multiple times, begged for her to talk to me, to tell me why she was leaving. No matter what I said or did, she didn’t say a word to me. She left out the house, climbed into the passenger side of a black car and rode away.
Completely awake now, I stretched slowly, working my limbs, making sure everything was working. Satisfied that I could move my arms, legs, fingers, and toes, I checked the second most important area. I closed my eyes relief washing over me. The boys were still there.
I heard a chuckle to my left, and I turned to find my father sitting in a chair next to me, my mother by his side.
“It’s all still there, son.” He grinned at me. I didn’t return his smile.
“Dad, where’s Lauren?” I said simply. My voice still sounded a bit off, but it was getting better.
My father leaned close to me. He touched my hand and squeezed reassuringly. “I don’t know, son.”
“Call her,” I rasped out.
“Son, why don’t you get some more rest? It’s two in the morning.” he tapped my hand passively. “We can worry—” My father started to instruct, but I got agitated and cut him off.
“Call her!” I growled as loud as I could then went into a bout of hacking coughs.
“For heavens’ sake, Charles, call her!” my mother exclaimed and stood bringing a glass of water to my lips. I placed the straw into my mouth and drank eagerly.
“Okay, okay. I will.” I heard my father say before he left the room, his phone in his hand.
28
Lauren
I have officially lost my mind. I’ve tried to get information on Paul, but I’ve had no success. I’ve called the hospital, but they have a gag order, so I didn’t know if he passed away or if he was still living. This was driving me crazy, and I was at my wit's end.
There was a knock at my door, and I ran to it to find Samson standing at the threshold. I looked at him strangely and held my breath. The last time he was here, he told me about Paul’s accident. Panic struck, and I could barely breathe. I started hyperventilating and stepped back.
Samson’s eyes grew, and he reached for me, but this time I hit the floor before he got to me.
“No, no, he’s not dead. Shit, Lauren, I’m sorry,” he told me in a rush. He reached out his hand and pulled me to my feet. He tried to smile, but when he saw my face, he frowned.
“Who the hell hit you?”
He went to touch my face, but I leaned back, moving away from him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him, cautiously. I stepped back, putting space between us.
Samson ignored my question, closed my door behind him and glared at me. “I asked you a question, Lauren. Who did that to your face?”
I sighed heavily. “It doesn’t matter. You should see the other guy.”
Samson shook his head. “Melissa sent me over here to check on you. She’s worried sick, we all are. And it seems for good reason.”
“I’m fine. Really.” I tried to sound more convincing than I felt but the look on his face told me I failed
“Lauren,” he chided softly and sat down on my couch.
I looked at him then plopped on the chair across from him. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. I mumbled, “I’m going crazy, Samson.” I looked over at him, tears falling from my tired eyes. “I miss him so much and all this not knowing is really tearing me to pieces. I can’t eat because I feel sick all the time. I can’t sleep. All I dream about is Paul and most of the dreams are of me finding out he passed away days ago, and I never knew.”
“What’s going on with his family?” Samson prodded. “Why don’t you just call them and ask?”
His question was very logical, but it also told me he hadn’t spoken to them either. I sighed and told him what happened. I told him everything that happened, except for me being pregnant. When I was finished, he’d brought two beers out from the fridge and handed me one. I shook my head and w
atched as he downed one and started sipping on the other.
“So, you’re telling me that Paul’s father had a goon pretty much assault you?” He looked at me questioningly.
I shrugged.
“I’m sure he didn’t hire him to assault me, no. Plus, I’m no delicate flower here. He didn’t lay a hand on me until after I put my foot in his balls.” Samson looked as if he wanted to murder someone. He had a death grip on the bottle in his hand, and I watched, waiting for the thing to shatter in his tight grip.
“Look,” I began, trying to ease the tension in his body, “I’m sure if I quietly left, he wouldn’t have hit me. However, I couldn’t do that. It wasn’t fair what he was doing. I belonged there. I’ve been by his side for weeks now, and I just wanted to give him a chance, you know. I wouldn’t have kept having the doctor resuscitate him over and over again. It was just…” I scooted closer to Samson, my eyes wet with desperation, hoping he could see my point of view. I needed him too.
I probably seemed crazed just by the look in Samson’s eyes, but I continued. “Samson, he woke up! He looked me directly in my eyes, squeezed my hand, and smiled. Don’t you see? He made eye contact with me and focused. Then his heart stopped, but I couldn’t let him go, not when he looked into my eyes with such clarity. I asked the doctors to resuscitate him. After the doctor did, Mr. Logan and his family walked in.”
“Lauren,” he started softly, and I could hear the sympathy in his voice, and I hated it. I fell back against my chair and looked away from him, not wanting to hear the rest. “That doesn’t mean he was waking up. It’s possible he could’ve been saying goodbye.”
I stood. “No! You’re wrong. Paul woke up. I know it! That moment wasn’t him saying goodbye to me okay?”
Samson put his hands up in surrender as he saw me getting upset. “Whoa, okay, Lauren.”