by T. K. Leigh
“He’s in the trauma unit at Tampa General Hospital. I don’t know the status of either his or Eli’s condition, but I’ve been in contact with Alexander and he’s informed his mother and wife what’s going on. You’ll be heading to Florida with them to meet up with Mr. Burnham. Everything’s been arranged. I just need you to pack a bag, then I’ll take you to the airport.”
He ushered me inside my condo as I remained in a relative daze, still not truly comprehending what I just learned. All I knew was it sounded like Tyler was still alive… I hoped.
The entire drive to the airport was filled with thousands of scenarios of what really happened. I absently heard Martin on the phone, obviously irate with whomever he was speaking with, still unable to get any concrete answers about what was going on. This made me even more unsettled about what would greet me when I stepped off that plane in Florida.
I remained in a trance as Martin helped me onto the jet. The pilots and flight attendants introduced themselves to me, but their words went in one ear and out the other. Within minutes, both Colleen and Olivia climbed onto the plane, Melanie in tow. Olivia attempted to hide her emotions by keeping little Melanie occupied, constantly assuring her that her Uncle Tyler would be fine. Colleen was struggling to hold it together, her usual vibrant eyes full of the same emotion I was feeling…confusion, unease, dread.
I walked over to her and sat as we taxied toward the runway. Without saying a word, I took her hand in mine and we sat in heavy silence during the short flight to Florida.
Trying to fight back my tears, I feared I wouldn’t make it in time to tell Tyler what I should have said to him the last time I saw him. I vowed to never say goodbye to him again without uttering those three words that too many people took for granted… I love you.
Mackenzie
“HOW COULD THAT EVEN be possible?” a familiar voice bellowed through the lobby of the flight operations base in Tampa. I trailed behind Colleen and Olivia, little Melanie clutching her mother’s hand, while someone dealt with all of our bags. We all stopped dead in our tracks as Alexander paced the comfortable lobby, other passengers who were getting ready to take off in their own private planes staring at him in awe.
Melanie looked back at me and grinned. “Daddy’s working. That’s his work voice.”
I smiled for the first time all day, thankful for the break in the tension that had permeated the flight across the Gulf of Mexico.
“Hush, Melanie,” Olivia said. “Daddy’s just trying to figure out what’s going on. That’s all.”
“What happened, Mama?” she asked.
Olivia looked down at Melanie, then at me, then back at her daughter once more. Her little green eyes were alive with eagerness as she stared at her mother, waiting. “I don’t know, sweet pea,” Olivia finally said, caressing her daughter’s face in such a caring and doting manner. I instinctively placed my hand over my stomach, hoping I’d have that same bond with my son…and that Tyler would, as well. “But Uncle Tyler is hurt and we’re all here to make sure he gets better.”
“Like when I scraped my knee?” she asked.
“Exactly. Remember how Daddy kissed your boo-boo and made it all better after you had to get those stitches?”
She nodded.
“Well, that’s why we’re here.”
“Olivia, love,” Alexander’s voice cut through, but it wasn’t the same demanding, irate voice that was bellowing through the lobby just minutes ago. It was calm and serene, as if her presence was the only thing that could assuage his anxiety about what had happened to his brother.
“Alex…” She sighed into his embrace. I couldn’t help but feel a hint of jealousy at their exchange. He placed an affectionate kiss on her lips before turning his attention to Melanie. He swooped her up in his arms and spun her around, her infectious giggles lightening the mood.
“Did you miss me?” Melanie asked through her laughs.
“What kind of silly question is that? Is the sky blue?”
“Yes!”
“Then I missed you more than words can say, peanut.” He lowered her back to the ground, kissing her head in a loving manner.
“I’m going to kiss Uncle Tyler’s boo-boo to make it all better.”
Alexander’s solemn expression immediately returned, causing a rush of nerves to course through me. Despite everything I thought about who he was as a person, that one look conveyed his love for his brother, how distraught he was over the fact he was lying in a hospital bed with severe injuries.
“I’ve called the hospital,” he said in a firm voice, addressing all of us. “They wouldn’t give me details regarding his condition.”
“Is he conscious?” Colleen asked quickly, desperate for any sort of news that her son was okay.
“They wouldn’t say. Our best bet is to go over there and make someone give us some answers. There are two SUVs out front to escort us to the hospital.” He turned to Olivia. “Why don’t you and Ma take one. I’ll go in the other with Miss Delano.”
I immediately tensed up and shot my eyes to Colleen, silently begging her to volunteer to ride with me. I didn’t know how far the hospital was from where we were, but the idea of being alone with a man who, just months ago, did everything he could to keep Tyler away from me made me edgy.
“I think Mackenzie may be able to help me figure out what happened to Tyler.” He turned to me, his green eyes imploring. Those green eyes that were so similar to Tyler’s. “I know I’m probably the last person you want to sit in a car with…,” he said quietly as Colleen and Olivia began heading toward the front doors.
“You’ve got that right,” I hissed, my voice barely audible.
“But I think if I tell you what I know, you may be able to fill in the blanks.”
“I don’t know anything. All I know is he was supposed to be at my baby shower today and he never showed. I assumed it was because of the fight we had yesterday, then Martin told me…” I bit my lip, trying to hide my tears from Alexander at the thought that the last words I would ever say to Tyler were during a fight.
“It’s okay. Let’s talk.” He placed his hand on my back and escorted me to an idling SUV. After helping me in, he ran around to the other side and got in beside me.
The driver pulled the car out of the parking lot and onto the road. I kept my eyes glued outside, watching as streetlights zoomed by. My back remained straight, my posture taut as to not show weakness.
“I guess I should start by apologizing,” Alexander finally said.
I shot my eyes to him, somewhat surprised. I didn’t know what I expected him to say to me, but it certainly wasn’t that.
“I thought I was doing what was best for Tyler by keeping him out of the country,” he continued. “You have to look at things from where I’m sitting. Tyler’s my brother and all this shit kept happening. I didn’t know what to think, and until I knew what was going on, I needed to do everything I could to make sure nothing happened to him.”
“But he’s an adult!” I shot back. “You took advantage of the way he looks up to and admires you, and used that against him! Not to mention you tried to fuck with my memory! Do you have any idea how horrible it is to wake up every morning and question your own reality? To wonder if something finally snapped in your mind and you made everything up?”
“I can only imagine…”
“And you did that to me! You! And why? To make me think I never met Tyler? What could you possibly gain from that?”
“Sometimes in the field, no matter how much training you have, you make bad tactical decisions, particularly where a loved one is concerned. I’m sorry you were the collateral damage of that. I’ll be the first to admit I never considered anything from your perspective. If I could rewind the clock, I would handle everything differently, but I don’t have that luxury. What I do have is the present, and I hope you’ll find it in your heart to give me the opportunity to start over with you. You’re one of the most important people in Tyler’s life, and that makes
you one of the most important people in my life.”
“You two are pretty close, aren’t you?” I asked, shifting gears. I wasn’t sure I could forgive Alexander for everything he did to me, but I could at least try to get to know him as a person and the brother of the man with whom I was in love.
He sighed, a troubled look crossing his brow. “We were. While he was going to college, we used to get together at least once a week for a drink. Then…” He sighed. “Then it was awkward between us. He left to join the navy, and I had a family of my own, so we kind of grew apart. When he came back and started to work at the security company, things were still tense between us. It wasn’t until he came back from Sudan a few months ago that we finally started to talk again. He was absolutely livid at me over what I had done. He even got a few punches in.”
I gasped, giggling a little. “He did?”
Alexander nodded, caressing his jaw. “Yeah. So I actually have you to thank. If he never met you, I don’t know if we’d be back to having the normal relationship we did all those years ago. Granted, now he’s a few thousand miles away so that makes being able to go grab a drink together a bit cumbersome…”
I bowed my head, starting to realize why moving back to Boston was so important to Tyler. He had been away from home for so long, and not just because of this assignment. Even when he was home, it didn’t seem like home, not if his relationship with his family was strained. But now that it was back to normal, according to Alexander, I could understand his desire to return there and have that connection once more. I regretted being so selfish as to not even consider his side.
“So,” I said, clearing the air a bit. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
Alexander shrugged. “Actually, that was it. I just wanted to get you alone so I could properly apologize to you.”
“So you don’t know anything about Tyler? You sounded quite upset on the phone when we landed.”
“Well, yes, but I’m not sure you have any answers that will help us.”
“Try me,” I said, leaning against the window of the car. “You never know. Maybe I know someone who can give us some insight about what happened.” I raised my eyebrows at him, hoping he’d take the bait. I was desperate to know what he knew about Tyler’s condition and would promise him anything, regardless of how empty those promises were.
“You know Tyler was looking into who could have set up your father, correct?”
I nodded. “Yeah. The last time I met with my father, I asked if he’d speak with Tyler and give him his side. Tyler hoped maybe there was something he was missing and my dad would have that missing piece.”
“He mentioned that,” Alexander said. “Tyler had some of his guys digging into your father’s past…his time in the Rangers, then Counterintelligence, all of it…hoping to see if they could uncover something that would tell us who was behind everything. Two of Tyler’s team members uncovered a classified mission your father led in Bosnia.”
An unsettled feeling formed in the pit of my stomach at his words. My father didn’t speak much of his time on deployment, but he did talk about all the places he had been. He had never mentioned Bosnia, and I knew something must have happened there that he’d rather leave forgotten and buried. I just prayed it wasn’t something that would paint him as a monster.
“There was no record of it anywhere,” he continued, “apart from your father filing a report that two of his team members had died. It could have been nothing, but they decided to check it out.”
Sighing, he ran his hand over his face, his unease returning. “Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that only two members of your father’s team are still alive. Everyone else is dead or missing. So Benson and Maxwell, two of Tyler’s team members, went to go question one of them. Tyler and Eli went to question the other. When Benson and Maxwell got to the guy’s house, it was in flames. The door was wired to trigger an explosion when it was opened. The subject in question was not in the house at the time, but his housekeeper triggered the explosion and died. Subsequently, his body was found in his car at a casino parking lot in Oklahoma, the cause of death an apparent heart attack.”
“And Tyler…?” I asked with a quiver in my voice.
“Well, Benson said he spoke with Tyler to apprise him of the situation. He and Maxwell decided to stay in Oklahoma to follow-up on any information they may find. It wasn’t until Martin touched base with them earlier today that they grew concerned something was wrong. They called around and found that Tyler and Eli were discovered unconscious on the beach below a stilt house that was engulfed in flames. As you would have guessed, the individual they were sent to question was found in the parking lot of a bar, having also died of an apparent heart attack.”
“It’s suspicious though, isn’t it?” I said softly.
He nodded. “Someone must have known Tyler’s team was looking into your father and wanted to put a stop to it.”
“But how? Who else knew about what they were doing?”
“Well, that’s the million dollar question. One I intend to get to the bottom of.”
Mackenzie
I SAT IN A sterile white waiting room on an uncomfortable chair, doctors and nurses rushing past us every few minutes. The sound of various monitors and the automatic doors surrounded me. It wasn’t until now that the reality sank in. Even after Martin told me there was an accident, it didn’t seem real. Now, as I waited for some news, my hand clutched in Colleen’s, the truth was impossible to ignore.
“Mrs. Burnham,” a gentle voice said and we all shot our heads up to see a short, blonde doctor dressed in scrubs standing with a clipboard.
“Yes?” Colleen replied as we all eagerly awaited news.
“I’m Doctor Pell. I’ve been in charge of your son’s treatment over the past twenty-four hours.”
“No one would tell us anything,” Colleen began. “How is he?”
“He’s in a lot of pain,” she explained. “He’s suffered some burns on his arms, but they’re relatively minor and will fully heal in time. He must have taken a pretty nasty fall, which resulted in three cracked ribs.”
“Can we see him?” I asked, desperate to see his chest rise and fall so I knew he was still alive.
“Yes, but we’ve been keeping him relatively sedated to ease the pain a bit. I’m hopeful he’ll make a full recovery, but he has a few weeks until he’ll be able to walk out of here.”
“I still need to see him,” I insisted, raising myself from my chair and placing my hand over my stomach.
The doctor surveyed me and her lips turned into a gentle smile. “Of course. Follow me.”
I started out of the waiting room, then glanced over my shoulder to see Colleen, Alexander, Olivia, and Melanie remaining behind. “Aren’t you coming?” I asked.
Colleen shook her head. “No, you go ahead. Now that we know he’s okay, in a manner of speaking, we’ll go check into the hotel and give you some time alone with him. Just call one of us when you’re ready to leave and we’ll send the car to come get you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, dear,” she replied in a reassuring manner. “Now, go see my baby.”
Smiling appreciatively, I turned and followed the doctor down several corridors toward the recovery suites. She paused outside one of the doors and slowly pushed it open, allowing me to enter, then left me alone.
The sound of monitors surrounded me, the decibel level seeming to get increasingly louder and higher as I put one foot in front of the other. With each step, Tyler’s tall, built body, drained of all color, came more into focus. Bruises covered his face, stitches stretching across his chin and brow. His arms were covered in bandages, as was his midsection. Everything made him look frail, as if he were teetering on the brink of living and dying. Seeing Tyler in this state, confirming with my own eyes that he had narrowly escaped death, brought forward all the emotions I had been suppressing all evening.
I fell to the chair beside him and grabbed hi
s hand in mine. Burying my face against him, I shivered as a chill flew through me. “I’m so sorry, Tyler,” I sobbed into his chest. “I was so stubborn the other day. You just want to share your life with me and, being who I am, I completely blew it out of proportion. I get it now. I promise I’ll stop being a pain in the ass. I want a new beginning with you. I want to start over again where we can watch our son play in the leaves and make snow angels. I want my new start with you…in Boston.”
I glanced up to see his eyes still closed, his breathing light and even. I soaked in his face, memorizing everything about it. My tears continued to fall as I thought how different tonight could have gone, how it was a possibility I could have been sitting in a morgue instead of next to Tyler’s unconscious body. Life was fragile, and I vowed to never take it for granted again.
Lowering my lips to his, I kissed him, his mouth unmoving against mine. “I love you, Tyler Burnham.” I rested my head on his chest and listened to the drumming of his heart, the rhythm soothing me.
“So is that all it takes to get you to agree to move in with me?” a husky voice commented. My eyes widening, I pulled back and gazed into a pair of tired green eyes. “Surviving an explosion and a two-story fall?”
“Tyler!” I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around him. I was breathless, a tingling spreading through me.
He yelped softly and I immediately drew back.
“Sorry.” I bit my lip. “I got carried away.”
“You’re worth the pain,” he replied, clutching my hand in his.
“I thought I lost you,” I choked out as he closed his eyes once more, obviously trying to fight off the drugs.
“Impossible, Serafina,” he crooned. “You think a small little fire can keep me from you? It’ll take a lot more than a few burns and some cracked ribs.”
I laughed at how nonchalant he was over nearly dying, allowing the warmth of his presence and heart to surround me as I rested my head next to his.