“When is the last time you slept?”
“I have a feeling I’ll be able to sleep like a baby tonight. You had us all worried.”
Her eyes closed. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He cupped the side of her face and watched her slip back into slumber. He pressed his lips to her forehead once again. “I love you, Becca.”
Randy cleared his throat and walked quietly to the door, taking one last glance back before leaving the room. There was lightness in his step, the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. He’d been so worried about how she’d react to him. Even with the amount of drugs they pumped into her, he caught a glimpse of the Becca he’d come to love.
But now was not the time to tell her.
With her fingertips, Becca’s feathered the bandages covering her head. Her beautiful purple wisteria tattoo peeked above the gauze wrapped around her arm. What will my tattoos look like once my burns heal?
Her leg rested in a suspended sling, the extent of her burns still a mystery behind the dressing. She couldn’t even venture a guess as her pain was controlled by drugs. A line from an old Pink Floyd song played over and over in her mind. ‘I have become comfortably numb.’
“Good morning, Becca.” Dr.Swanson breezed into the room. “How’s my favourite patient doing today?”
“How would I know? You’ve got enough juice pumping into me to keep a whole football team high for a week.”
He chuckled and jotted something down on her chart. “I can definitely decrease the dosage, but I warn you, you’re going to feel like you’ve been hit by a truck and barbequed.”
“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine today.”
“Why don’t we take a look under those bandages before making any changes, okay?”
Becca nodded rendered speechless at the mere thought of seeing her burns. Her eyes filled with tears.
Dr. Swanson called for a nurse to assist and then sat at the edge of Becca’s bed. “Before we do this, I want you to remember it won’t look this way forever.” He squeezed her hand. “I give you my word.”
She smiled weakly, afraid to speak for fear of losing the last thread of her composure. Tiny scissors snipped away at the gauze. The sensation of air against her burns brought bumps to her skin.
“There we go.” The doctor stepped back and stroked his jaw. “It’s going to heal quite nicely, Becca.”
“Can I see?” Nurse Debbie stood on the other side of her bed and passed a long-handled mirror to her. The doctor covered her hand with his.
“Remember, it needs time to heal and won’t look like this forever.”
Becca swallowed hard before lifting the mirror. She clamped her hand over her mouth as she tried to process the image looking back at her. Angry welts covered her scalp, where long red hair once grew.
Becca let her gaze travel from the doctor to the nurse and back to her reflection. Through a veil of tears she stared in disbelief, not knowing what to say or how to react.
“Cover it up.” She spoke softly.
“Now, Becca, remember....”
She held a hand out to halt his words. “Please, can you just do it?”
The nurse worked quickly to redress her scalp.
“Now let’s take a look at that arm.”
Her head snapped up and she glared at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who do you think I am, Super Woman?” She turned to face the window. “I can’t. Not now.”
“Try to get some rest. I’ll come back in the morning to change the dressings on your arm and leg.”
It wasn’t until they were gone she allowed her tears free rein. Her hand trembled as she smoothed it over her clean bandages. She never considered herself a vain woman, but what she’d just saw....
A profound sadness enveloped her. She pressed the button to lower the bed and settled into her pillow, pulling the covers up over her face. She cried like she’d never wept before. Tears flowed for her burns and the lives lost that horrendous day. She cried for Randy and what could have been a beautiful thing between them. Finally, her eyelids drooped.
Maybe when I wake up, everything will be back to normal....
Chapter Thirty-One
Randy wandered aimlessly about the shopping mall with no idea what to get Becca. Flowers were definitely not an option. Will we ever come to appreciate the beauty in them again?
A flash of color caught his attention and he turned to look into a novelty shop of sorts. A smile played on his lips as he walked toward the perfect gift sure to bring a smile to her face.
He carried Becca’s present through the mall aware of people’s stares and giggles behind their hands. It wasn’t until he stepped outside that he realized he’d ridden his motorcycle. Randy looked at the item and then at his bike.
How in the hell am I going to pull this off?
After a few minutes and a couple of bungee cords, he managed to strap it to the backrest. He carried on like nothing was out of the ordinary and rode through town to laughter and even applause from the sidewalks. He pictured what he must look like and had to snicker as well.
He finally reached the hospital, and strolled inside to the elevator where everyone chuckled at him but not one person asked him about the present he carried.
The hospital was abuzz with visitors. His pulse quickened the closer he came to her room. He paused just outside the door and drew in a steadying breath before going in.
“Becca?” She reclined with her back to him. “It’s Randy, are you awake? Becca?”
“Go away!”
He set her present in an empty chair and rushed to her bedside. “Becca? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Just go. I want to be left alone.” She pulled the sheet up to hide her face.
“Don’t ask me to leave you like this.” He pulled up a chair to sit at her level. “I love you, Becca. If something’s wrong I want to try and help.”
“Argh!” Becca threw her sheets back and sat upright, clawing at her head bandages until she was able to tear them away from her blistered scalp. “Can you fix this?”
Randy’s jaw dropped and he fell back in his chair. Her sudden outburst rendered him speechless. Seeing her burns for the first time brought tears to his eyes for the pain she must be in.
“What? Nothing to say?” Her chest heaved and angry tears streaked her face. “Why don’t you just leave, the freak show is over!”
Becca’s nursed ran into the room and glared at Randy. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I...I don’t know what happened?” He searched the nurse’s face.
Becca buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
“You need to leave now, Detective.”
Utterly dumbfounded, he made his way to the door. The nurse now had her fingers on Becca’s wrist and rubbed her back with her free hand.
Randy paused at the door. “Becca?”
The nurse scowled at him and pointed to the door. “You were warned about upsetting her. As of now, visiting rights are revoked—”
“But—”
“Indefinitely.”
Becca stared at the three-foot-tall pink, stuffed pig through a veil of tears. Almost three weeks had passed since sending Randy away, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of the leather-adorned Miss Piggy.
She’d healed considerably over time. It looked like her scars would be hidden, but the new hair was nothing like her thick tresses before the fire. It was now strawberry blonde. Dr. Swanson couldn’t predict how it would grow in for good.
For the first couple of weeks she barely noticed the lack of visitors being all drugged up, but now the days grew longer and all she could think about was Randy.
A light rap on the door interrupted her thoughts. Nurse Debbie stood in the doorway.
“Hi, Becca.” She clasped her hands and smiled sweetly. “I know you asked for no visitors, but there’s someone waiting who I think you’re going
to want to see. He’s also a patient here.”
Becca arched a brow, her curiosity piqued. She straightened her sheets and made sure her head scarf was in place before nodding.
“Okay.”
Becca actually held her breath. She saw the wheelchair before the patient. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes widening, and tears spilled down her cheeks as she gaped in disbelief. Jeffery pushed the wheelchair where Jacob smiled awkwardly at her. It looked like someone had taken a permanent marker and evenly dotted his top and bottom lips to match.
“Jacob?” Her voice cracked. “Oh, my God, I thought you were....”
He raised a hand. “Did you really think you’d get rid of me that easily?” He sniffled.
Jeffery crossed the distance between them and gathered her in his arms. “I am so happy to see that you’re okay.”
Sobs racked Becca as she clung to him. “I can’t...how did...”
“Okay, enough tears. You’re looking pretty good, Becca. How are you really?” Jacob wiped a tear from his cheek.
“Wait a minute. How did you possibly survive the gunshot...and the fire?”
“I think a guardian angel watched over him. By all rights he should be dead.” Jeffery wheeled his lover to the bedside where Jacob took her hand in his.
“I don’t know how I survived,” Jacob explained. The last thing I remember is you climbing out that window, and then I’m waking up in the hospital looking like a human pin cushion.”
Becca shuddered with the memory of Danny on top of him sewing his mouth shut. She forced the image away.
“Let’s not go there right now. All that really matters is that we both made it.” He smiled. “Randy must be over the moon.”
Tears welled up, and she looked away, her bottom lip wobbling.
“What is it? He’s happy, isn’t he?”
Over the next half hour or so Becca tried to explain why she sent Randy away and stopped accepting visitors. He sat quietly, not saying a word.
“Well, if you’re done feeling sorry for yourself, pick up that phone and tell him to come and see you.”
Becca sniffled and narrowed her gaze at him. “Just like that?”
He nodded. “Just like that.”
Chief sat behind his cluttered desk, an open file in front of him. Randy went straight for the coffee.
“Good morning, Chief.” He put the mug under his nose and inhaled the rich aroma. “Mmm, if God made anything better than coffee, He kept it for Himself.”
“Do you want me to leave the two of you alone?” The chief peered over the rim of his reading glasses.
“Ha ha.” He smirked and sat across the desk from his boss. The coffee tasted even better than it smelled. “So what’s on the agenda today?”
Chief nodded toward a pile of files. “Paperwork, unless something comes up.”
“Oh, goodie.” His phone chimed. Randy reached into his front pocket and flipped it open. His breath hitched. The number for the hospital flashed on his screen.
His boss removed his glasses. “Who is it?”
“The hospital.”
“Well, maybe you should answer it?”
Randy noticed a slight tremor of his hand when he pushed the button. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Randy?”
“Yes, um, who is this?”
“It’s Jacob. I think it would be a good idea for you to come and visit Becca soon.”
His jaw dropped. Had he heard him correctly? “Why do you think that? She didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat last time I was there.”
“She’s making remarkable progress. You might be interested in knowing Becca was asking about you and she feels really bad about how she treated you.”
“That is welcome news. Thank you. I’ll stop by and see you soon.” Randy flicked his cell closed. He sat staring at it, trying to figure out if her wanting to see him was a good or bad thing.
“Is Becca okay?” Chief took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “That was the hospital, right?”
“Yes. I, um...” Randy shook his head. “Yes, it was Jacob. He wanted me to know Becca feels bad about how she treated me. He thinks it would be a good idea for me to pay her a visit.”
“What are you doing here? Don’t you think you should get over to the hospital right away?”
Randy shrugged and took another sip of coffee. “I don’t know what to think. Do you have any idea what it did to me when she said she didn’t want me around last time I saw her? I don’t ever want to feel that kind of pain again.”
“You aren’t seriously going to hold that against her, are you? For God’s sake, look at all the poor girl woke up to. Wouldn’t you be a little messed up if it were you?”
“Don't you think I know that? It broke my heart to see her like that.”
Chief pushed his chair away from the desk and stood. He hiked up his pants that somehow slid past his belly whenever he sat. “Let’s go, then.”
“You’re coming, too?” Randy straightened in his chair.
“Why not? I’ll go visit with Jacob while you see Becca. Once I’m through, I’ll come and see her, too.” He frowned. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you want to see her?”
“Yes and no.” Randy heaved a sigh. “Jacob wouldn’t have called if she didn’t say something to encourage him, don’t you agree?”
His boss laughed and grabbed his arm, helping him to his feet. “How in the hell would I know? I can tell you this much, you aren’t going to find out sitting there playing twenty questions.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Good morning, Becca. How do you feel about a change of scenery today?” Nurse Debbie bustled into the room carrying a neatly folded selection of clothes, topped with stark-white runners.
“You’re letting me go home?” Becca’s pulse quickened and her palms grew sweaty. “I don’t understand?”
“No, you’re making remarkable progress, but it’s a little too soon for you to be leaving us.” She pulled the curtain around the bed. “However, Dr. Swanson thinks some fresh air will do you a world of good.”
Becca dressed in black yoga pants and a long-sleeved white t-shirt, while her nurse paid special attention to ensure her bandages were completely covered. Socks and runners felt foreign after being barefoot for so many weeks.
“I don’t even know how long I’ve been here. What day is it?”
Her nurse taped the last pad of gauze in place. “We want to be extra careful you don’t get an infection.” She took the chart from the end of her bed. “Let’s see, not including today, you’ve been here six weeks.”
“I never would have guessed that long. Time sure flies when you’re having fun.”
Nurse Debbie stepped out into the hall and returned pushing a wheelchair. “You’re chariot awaits, my dear.”
Becca offered a weak smile, not exactly thrilled with having to use one of those contraptions. She’d only been allowed to put weight on her leg a few days ago. Resignedly and with the aid of her nurse, she shuffled alongside her bed and plunked herself down in the seat. The simple task left her breathless.
Her nurse laughed light-heartedly. “Don’t you worry. You’ll be starting physical therapy soon and will be good as new in no time at all.”
Becca took slow, measured breaths on the way down the barren hallway. Nurse Debbie took the elevator down to the main floor and followed an arrow marked: Courtyard.
She shielded her eyes from the sun as they crossed the threshold to the outdoors. The sweet aroma of freshly cut grass and rose bushes in full bloom filled her senses. She tilted her head back and revelled in the sun’s warmth on her face. “This was an excellent idea.”
“I think so, too.”
Becca’s eyes flew open. Her chair was spun around to face Randy, who kneeled down to her level. His lips twisted in the same lopsided grin that had first attracted her to him.
“Randy.” She choked on his name and cleared her throat noisily in a futile attempt to mask her emotions. “I d
on’t.... I mean, I’m sorry.”
Randy pressed a finger to her lips. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you, and how happy I am Jacob called me this morning.
Emotion clouded his expressive brown eyes.
She couldn’t have stopped the tears if she tried. “I’m very happy you came.”
He gathered her in his arms. “I’ve missed you, Becca.” He nuzzled her neck, sending tiny impulses across her skin.
She manoeuvred awkwardly from the wheelchair. Randy, always so perceptive, lifted her from the chair and onto his lap. She laid her head against his chest, happy to feel the connection between them renewed.
Randy was first to pull away. “I have something I want to show you.”
Becca noted the devilish glint in his eyes and narrowed her gaze suspiciously. “What are you up to?”
He stood with her cradled in his arms and set her back down in the wheelchair so gently she wondered if he thought she might break. He guided her through the courtyard and around the side of the building.
Her jaw dropped as the sight unfolded before her. Sunshine glinted off the chrome of a midnight blue trike, the passenger bench padded in leather. “Is this for real?”
He smiled and nodded. “Yup, Doc gave me permission to take you on a short ride as long as we are careful to keep your burns covered. He scooped her out of the chair and set her on the warm leather seat. “That is, if you’re up to it.”
She smiled lovingly at him. “I don’t know why you’re doing this for me. Not after the way I treated you.”
Randy put a finger under her chin and raised it so she had to look into his eyes. “I love you, Becca. No matter how hard you try to push me away, I’m going to be here for you.” He pressed his lips to hers in a long, drugging kiss.
He let her go, leaving her breathless. “Are you going to take me for a ride or do you just want to make out right here?”
“That’s pretty tempting, but I don’t want to get on your doc’s bad side. He picked up a helmet from behind her and handed it over. His hung from the handlebars. Randy retrieved a blanket from beside her and laid it across her lap.
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