by E. L. Todd
“When I got there, Scarlet was leaning against the wall. Her shoulder is broken and so is her wrist. She was shot in the arm. Her stomach looked okay, but she was wearing a shirt…she has a nasty cut on her head so she’s lost a lot of blood.”
I fell to the ground and leaned against the wall. “Please be a nightmare…please be a nightmare.”
Mike sat beside me, silently comforting me.
“She’s everything to me…I can’t lose her.”
“I know.” Mike swallowed the lump in his throat. “I love her too. But she’ll pull through this. If there’s anything I know about Scarlet, she’s a fighter. She won’t give up.”
“I know…”
He rested his hand on my shoulder. “She’ll be okay, Sean.”
“I hope so…if she doesn’t make it…I’ll—”
“It won’t come to that.”
Without Scarlet, there was nothing for me to live for. I’d put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. I couldn’t lose my wife and my baby…I’d rather die.
“Let’s get some coffee while we wait. The doctor said it will be a while.”
“I’m not leaving,” I barked. “I’m staying right here.”
“Okay,” he said gently. “Can I get you something?”
“No.” More tears fell down my face. “Do you believe in prayer?”
“Honestly, no.”
“Neither do I.”
He stared at me for a long time. “Do you want to pray? I’ll do it with you.”
“I’m desperate.” I grabbed his hand, and together, I prayed that my wife and daughter would be okay.
Mike kept his hand in mine until I pulled away. Silently, he sat beside me. Nurses and doctors passed us, oblivious to us. Hours went by without any news or information. When Ryan, Cortland, and Flynn arrived, I knew I’d been waiting for five hours.
Ryan was a mess. He was just as upset as I was. He openly cried, collapsing beside me. “I’m so sorry…I should have told you.”
Being wrong or right wouldn’t change what happened.
Ryan rested his face in his hands, unable to hold onto his emotions. “This can’t be happening…”
Cortland’s eyes welled up with tears. They were red and shiny with moisture. “Any news?” he whispered.
“No.” My voice croaked.
We all sat in the chairs while everyone else arrived. Monnique ran to Cortland and held him close. Janice consoled Ryan, crying alongside him, and Hazel came to Flynn’s side, rubbing his back.
Cassandra came with Trinity in her arms. Mike didn’t get up to greet her. He stayed beside me, never leaving my side. Cassandra hovered in the corner, wiping her tears away every few minutes.
Hours later, my parents arrived. They were both upset. My dad didn’t cry, but he was on the verge of collapsing. My mother wept and sobbed. When my dad reached me, he pulled me into his arms and held me.
I cried like I used to when I was a little boy. “I failed her…I didn’t protect her like I promised.”
“Shh.” He rubbed my back. “It wasn’t your fault, Sean.”
“Yes, it was.” I choked on my own words.
He continued to hold me. “They’ll be okay, Sean. Have faith.”
“I can’t live without her…”
“I know. I know.”
My father didn’t pull away from me. I needed him just like I did when I was young. But even he couldn’t make the pain go away, not this time.
When another three hours passed, I realized I’d been there for twelve hours. “Everyone can leave and get some sleep. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.” “We’re not going anywhere,” Ryan said immediately.
“Yeah,” Cortland said, his eyes red.
We all stayed in the room, waiting for news.
Finally, hours later, the doctor walked in.
I jumped so fast that I tripped and Mike caught me. I got back to my feet and stood in front of him, waiting to hear the news.
Please tell me she’s okay. Please.
“Yeah?” I tried not to cry but my eyes were welling up.
“Are you Mrs. Preston’s husband?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “Is she okay?”
“The surgery was successful. An artery was damaged from the shot, but we were able to repair it. She lost a lot of blood so we had to give her a transfusion. Her shoulder has been repaired but it will take physical therapy to correct it and make those muscles strong again.”
Am I hearing this right? “So…she’ll be okay? My wife, she’s going to be fine?”
“Yes. She’ll live.”
I burst into tears again. “Thank you. God, thank you.” I wiped my tears away and steadied my emotion. “Skye, is she okay? My baby girl?”
“There was no damage to her stomach. It’s pretty clear your wife did whatever she could to take the damage to every other part of her body in replacement.”
“Thank you.” I released the air from my lungs. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course.”
‘When can I see her?”
“She’ll be returned shortly, but she’s been sedated. She’ll probably be out for another twelve hours.”
“Okay. Thank you.” I said that a million times but I kept saying it. “Thank you.”
“Of course, Mr. Preston. Your wife is a fighter.”
“I know…”
He left and shut the door.
I fell into a chair and sobbed again, just because. She was going to be okay and so was my baby. Everything was alright. We were still a family. I didn’t have to live without her. She’d survive and come home with me. The hardest part was over. I could do this. I could get through this.
15
Scarlet
Thoughts started to form, and they began to be distinguished from dream and conscious thought. A lot had happened to me, I knew that. But where was I now? What happened? I was confused.
The lucid dream finally ended and I was awake. I just couldn’t open my eyes.
Why couldn’t I open my eyes? I tried again but nothing happened.
I didn’t know where I was. The last thing I remember was deciding if I should kill my mom. The rest of it was a blur. Was I still at home?
Wherever I was, I knew one person would be there. “Sean?”
“Baby, I’m here.” He squeezed my hand. “I’m right here.”
Tears formed under my eyes and leaked down my cheeks. I felt the heat of the moisture as it reabsorbed into my skin. “I…I can’t open my eyes.”
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “That’s normal. You will eventually.”
“Am I blind?”
“No.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. When my hand touched his chin, I felt his matching tears. His face was soaked.
“What happened?” I asked, feeling tired.
“You were shot.” His words came out cold. “Mike got you to the hospital. You had surgery and they fixed the artery and repaired your shoulder and wrist. You’re going to be okay. Everything is fine.”
There was only one person I cared about. “What about my baby girl…?” The fight must have been too much. I must have taken a blow and not realized it. God, no.
“She’s okay. Skye is going to be fine.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and more tears fell. “Thank god.”
He placed his hand on my stomach. “You did an incredible job protecting her. She’ll be here in a few months.”
“I wasn’t going to let that bitch hurt our baby.” The venom seeped out.
“I know.” He pressed his lips against mine and kissed me. My mouth felt fuzzy from not brushing my teeth for so long, but Sean didn’t care. He cupped my face and continued the kiss. The electricity that coursed through my body caused my eyes to pop open.
One look at his face told me how scared he was. He looked like he’d been through worse. I sniffed then pressed my head against his.
“I was so scared, Scarlet…”
“I kno
w…I was too.”
“I shouldn’t have left you. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t do that,” I said quickly. “You had no idea that would happen. I still don’t even know what happened. She just came into the house and demanded that I transfer your funds to her account.”
“Did you do it?” he asked. “Not that I care.”
“No, I didn’t know how. I offered to give her my own money, but she didn’t want that. So…she went after Skye to get me to cooperate.” I hated thinking about it. Tears stained my skin as I relived it.
“She can’t hurt you anymore, baby. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
“Okay.”
He kissed my forehead then rested his face against mine. “Thank you for protecting our girl.”
“I would never let anything happen to her. She may not be born, but she’s in our lives. I feel her every day. I already know her.”
He rubbed my hand. “I hate to think how scared you were. When I spoke to you on the phone…I knew.”
“How?”
He took a deep breath. “At the lake house, your brother told me your mom had been bugging him for a while. He never brought it up because he didn’t think it would affect you. He never anticipated she would bug you for money again. He was clearly wrong…”
I processed his words for a moment. I was surprised my brother didn’t tell me, but then again, I wasn’t. I knew he was just trying to protect me. My mom was a selfish bitch who used to be abusive, but neither one of us suspected she would try to shoot someone down.
I saw the anger on Sean’s face. It filled his eyes and made his lips press together. “Sean, don’t blame my brother.”
“Don’t?” He didn’t raise his voice but the hatred was evident. “If your brother had confided this to me, I would have stayed behind and protected you. I had a right to know. Maybe he didn’t need to tell you, but he certainly should have told me.”
I squeezed his hand. “I know my brother really well. If he thought I was in danger, he would have said something. Don’t hold this against him.”
“Obviously, he didn’t do it intentionally, but it was still a case of poor judgment.”
“Sean, let’s not point fingers.”
“I’m not,” he snapped.
“There’s only one person responsible for this, Sean. And she’s not here.”
He looked like he was going to break down in tears. “I wouldn’t have gone on if you didn’t make it.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to keep the emotion back. “I almost lost my family. I should have protected you and I didn’t. God, I feel like shit.”
I rubbed his arm. “Everything is okay. We’re both fine. It’s alright.”
“You’re comforting me and I should be comforting you…” He came closer to me then ran his hand up and down my arm. “I’ll never let anything happen to you again. I promise.”
“I know.”
He kissed my forehead and his lips lingered. Tears fell and seeped onto my skin.
“What happened to her?” I asked.
“The cops have her. She’ll be in jail for a long time. No one touches my wife and gets away with it.”
Jail was too good for her.
“You should have killed her, Scarlet.”
“When I was holding the gun…I couldn’t do it. I’m not a killer even though I wish I were. I couldn’t take someone’s life and go on.”
He locked his eyes onto mine. “How did you, such a wonderful and perfect person, come from such a horrible place?” He shook his head, unable to process it. “It just…amazes me.”
“Because I’ve had incredible people love me along the way.”
He smiled slightly then rubbed his nose against mine. “How are you feeling? Is the pain okay?”
“I feel a little…sore. But other than that, I’m fine.” When I looked at my right shoulder, it was wrapped up in a cast.
“They don’t want you to move it for a while. When it’s better, we’ll go to physical therapy.”
“Will I be able to use it the same?” I hated thinking I’d only have use of one arm for the rest of my life.
“Yes. It’s as good as new.” He placed a kiss over the cast then came back to me.
My wrist was also bandage up. I knew I must look hideous. “How long have I been here?”
“A few days. You woke up a few times but you clearly don’t remember it.”
“No… Have you been here the whole time?”
“Can you tell?” He sniffed his armpit. “I’m getting pretty ripe.”
I chuckled. “Go home and get some sleep.”
“No.” His face turned serious. “I’ll go home when you go home.”
“Sean, I’ll be—”
He looked at me like he might kill me.
“Nevermind. When can I leave?”
“The doctor said he wants to watch you for a few days, make sure everything is good before you leave.”
“Okay.” I hated hospitals but I wouldn’t complain. I could have died. This place saved my life.
Sean stared at me like he’d never seen me before. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
He kissed each knuckle then took a deep breath, his eyes closed. “My girls…”
“Your girls are fine.”
“And they’ll stay that way.”
“I’m sure we will,” I said gently.
He released his grip. “Everyone is standing outside waiting for you to wake up. I didn’t want to stress you out by having everyone in the room as soon as you opened your eyes, but they are really anxious to see you.”
“Send them in.”
“Are you sure? You can rest.”
“No, I want to see my family. And they need to see that I’m okay.”
“Okay.” He kissed my forehead again then opened the door.
Mike stepped into the doorway first, but Ryan pushed past him and came to my bedside. This must have been the first time he’s seen me, because his eyes were wide, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.
My brother and I had a connection no other two people shared. I could read his mind as clearly as my own. I knew he was pained, in agony, over what he was seeing. When he blinked, a coat of moisture formed over his eyes. They started to redden because he couldn’t control his feelings. My brother didn’t get choked up very often. It took a tragedy to make him blink an eye. But he was totally distraught at the sight of me.
He came to the bedside and extended his arms to hug me, but then he stopped, noticing my shoulder and wrist. He looked at all the tubes going into my skin then a tear fell. “I’m so sorry…”
“It’s not your fault, Ryan.”
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought…I didn’t know if you were going to make it.”
I hated seeing how upset he was. I tried to stay calm for him. “And forfeit my position as your bratty and annoying sister? No way.” I gave him a big smile, hoping to cheer him up.
It didn’t make a difference.
“I love you,” he blurted. “This shouldn’t have happened to you. I wish it were me.”
My lungs were starting to sting from breathing. “I love you too, Ryan.”
“I’m sorry I pick on you all the time. The truth is, I love you so damn much and I can’t be myself without you to balance me. Without Scarlet, there is no Ryan. Without Ryan, there is no Scarlet. You complete me in a sick, twisted way.”
“I think everyone thinks it’s sick and twisted,” I teased.
He stared at me, eyes still wet. “I let you down. I should have told you.”
“Ryan, don’t do that.”
“And then if it weren’t for my bachelor party, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“No,” I said firmly. “She would have just come some other time when Sean wasn’t around. And you had no idea she would stoop this low. Blaming yourself doesn’t change anything. It happened and I survived.
It’s time to move on.”
“How can you be so calm about this?”
“Because I have too much love in my life to fall down because of a little hate.” I rubbed his shoulder. “I’m okay and Skye is okay. Nothing else matters. Besides, I got a watchdog husband that won’t let anyone come near me ever again.”
“Damn right,” Sean said from the corner.
I stared at Ryan’s face, seeing that he felt a little better. “Now hug me.”
He eyed my shoulder. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
I sat up then wrapped my left arm around him. His hand moved around my waist, letting me lean against his chest. Ryan took a deep breath then released it. His hand gripped my waist, never wanting to let me go.
“You’re the most amazing sister in the world,” he whispered.
“I know. Why else would you make me your best man?” I pulled away and smiled at him.
A slight grin moved into his face. “Because I couldn’t decide amongst my friends. Picking you was the easiest solution.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t believe that. You picked me because you love me.”
He chuckled. “Let’s not get carried away…”
Seeing my brother in a better mood made me feel better. Whenever people felt sad or down, it automatically made me feel the same way. I wanted everyone to be happy. There was no reason to be upset. A horrible thing happened, but I survived and so did my daughter.
Mike pulled Ryan away. “My turn.” He sat on the bed then kissed my forehead. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you for saving me.”
He smirked. “I didn’t save you.”
“You’ve saved me twice, actually.”
“You kicked her ass all on your own, which is pretty damn impressive since she had a gun.”
“Well, don’t mess with a mama bear,” I said with a laugh. “I’ll always win.”
“Yeah,” he said with a light laugh. “I’m sorry I didn’t get there sooner. I went as fast as I could.”
“Don’t apologize.” I ran my fingers over his knuckles. “Everything worked out fine.”
“Do you need anything? I can get you some ice cream. How about a burger and fries?”
“I have absolutely no appetite,” I said with a sigh. “But thank you.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”