“Hey, hey, baby. It’s ok. I promise that I am not leaving you. I need to check on Shane and Frank’s progress on getting our butts up and out of here, ok?” I gently crooned to her as I caressed her face.
She relaxed her hold on me then, but I could still see the panic in her eyes.
“Trust me, baby. Have a little faith in me, ok? I’ve got you now and I will not let you go,” I swore to her with an oath.
Kissing her one more time, I gently got up and scaled up the side of the embankment to see how Shane and Frank were coming along. It was a bitch of a climb in the mud, but the gravel helped just enough. But, that was just me. Getting Ally up was would be tricky without injuring her further.
As soon as Frank saw me, he yelled, “Stats, SEAL!”
It figured, the old man would try and take charge of things. They had been busy. The men had fashioned a nearly perfect litter from their belts, a few branches they had scavenged from the debris on the highway and an old blanket. I couldn’t have done a better job myself, as I checked it thoroughly. Frank’s angry insulted gaze drilled into my back as I checked it, but I didn’t give a fuck. This was about my girl, dammit. I turned around and faced them, just as Frank bellowed again.
“Fucking Stats, SEAL. Now!”
“Frank, calm the fuck down. Ally is going to be ok. The biggest threat to her right now is exposure. We need to get her up here, now. Shane, go put the seats down in my car and blast the heat,” I ordered as I threw him my keys.
As Shane, did as he was told, I decided to work this out with Frank. It was clear how much he loved Ally.
“Frank, you and I will be the anchor and pulley, as we are the strongest.” I raised my hand to stop Shane from objecting.
“Shane, you are extremely agile from all of your rock climbing. You will be her guide up and help to keep her from panicking or going into shock.” That seemed to smooth his feathers and make sense.
“I am going back down to talk to her and let her know what is happening. I will be back in a few,” I stated as I started to scale back down.
When I had made it about half way down, I heard Ally crying and mumbling to herself. My heart twisted as I listened intently to her words.
“Please God, help me. Help Sam. I don’t want to die. I’m scared. I’m scared he finally found us. Why now? We have everything that was taken from us, back. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Is it really him? Did you finally answer our prayers?”
She sobbed uncontrollably and shock may have started to set in. I turned myself at an angle again and slid down. I looked up at Frank and Shane and signaled them to get going now.
She hadn’t even realized I was right next to her. She continued to pray and talk out loud, like she needed this release. To let go of whatever burdened her. So, I let her keep going for a minute or two more.
“Please God, let me be strong enough to do what I need to do. We should leave, even if I don’t want to. I must keep Sam safe from my mistakes. I want to trust him. My heart calls to him. My very soul calls to him. Is that it God? Is that my sign and I just didn’t realize it?” she finished with a watery cough and hiccup.
I got up on my knees and forearms, climbing back on top of her in the flick of an eye. And I said one word to her, “Yes!”
My sudden appearance startled her and she shrieked but calmed down when she realized it was me. Looking up at me with her tear-stained, muddy face, she grabbed me and pulled me down to her mouth. Surprised by her assertiveness, desire hit me right in the gut. Her lips latched onto me like a woman drowning and needing air. She opened her mouth and licked my bottom lip, causing a shock to run up my spine as I felt her tongue gently explore, then devour my mouth. I gave in to her need, hell, to my own need and gave as good as I got. Our tongues clashed in a fury so strong we were both breathless when I pulled back to stare into those green eyes. As we both absorbed her surrender, I marked this as the moment our lives would change forever. Shane landed right next to us with the fluid grace of a panther on the hunt.
“Well, looky at what we have here. I hate to break up the kissing fest but I think our girl needs to get up from here and to the hospital, wouldn’t you say, brother? But, hey if you want to smooch some more, go ahead and I will go grab some popcorn and watch the show of a lifetime.”
As Shane finished the last of his cheeky statement, I reached over and landed a backhand upside his head.
“Oww! Damn it, Jonah you never could enjoy my sense of humor. You really need to learn to lighten up man,” he said to me almost pouting.
Then I heard something beautiful. Ally started giggling, but was trying to hold it back. She let out a whoop of laughter and snorted while looking between Shane and me. I’ll be damned. She liked Shane, The Asshole. Right then she commented, “He’s right, Jonah, you do need to laugh more. It’s beautiful when you do,” she said still laughing and looked over at Shane. “If I didn’t already have a thing for your big brother, I would totally take you in a heartbeat,” she stated matter-of-factly with a big smile.
Well, shit. That wasn’t going to do anything good for Shane’s ego.
Shane smiled widely enough to see his dimples, bowed his head and said, “Oh, my fair lady, I am saddened to learn that you have fallen for that boring lump of meat. But I shall wait in the wings for you, if you change your mind. Then I will whisk you off to an island far, far away and have my way with you.” The. Fucking. Nerve.
This time I shoved his face in the mud and held it there. All they could do was laugh more when I let him go. They were deranged. I shook my head at the realization and got things moving to get her out of here.
“Ally baby, once you are done flirting with my baby brother, we are going to get you up and out of here. Shane will stay with you and talk to you all the way up. We need to get you into the litter that Frank and Shane made to pull you up. I am going to gently roll you to one side while Shane slides it under you.” I kept my voice calm and controlled as I talked to her.
She turned to me and asked, “Frank’s here, too? I love him so much.” Then she began to cry again. I hugged her for a few seconds and then told her it was time. I rolled her toward me, as Shane swiftly tucked the litter under her and went around the edges to make sure she was secure.
“We’re set, Boss Man.” He saluted me, the little fucker.
I growled at him. “About time, bubby.” I received a growl in return and we both laughed.
My girl laughed out loud again and said, “Boy you two sure know how to cheer a girl up. I needed that. Thank you.”
We beamed at her like we were her champions from Camelot. What the hell? Did I just really think that?
Thankfully the rain had finally stopped and we got her up the incline with little trouble. Frank got to her first with his coat, which he had kept dry in his Ford F250 truck and gently reached to wrap it around her.
“There ’ya go, Bright Eyes. Snug as a bug,” Frank said as he tucked her in like she was the most precious thing in the world.
He leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek. Ally turned her head and kissed his cheek too as she started to sob again. We loaded her into the back of my Suburban. Shane drove and we headed for Wordly General Hospital.
Chapter Fifteen
Ally
I barely remembered the ride to the hospital the day I was rescued at mile marker eighty-six while I was walking to work and got caught in a horrific Midwestern storm. I just remembered how gently Jonah held me and how the feeling of being safe for the first time in years had temporarily hushed my fears. I went to sleep nestled against his chest. When I woke, it was in the emergency room at Wordly General Hospital. People were rushing around, barking orders for this and that, and I could smell that awful antiseptic aroma that was standard at all hospitals. It made me feel like puking. And oh god, the lights. The ceiling was filled with lights that were too bright and too white, thanks to my headache. I had to keep my eyes closed.
One thing stayed with me though. During
the chaos of tests, IV’s and orders, there was a calming presence with me the entire time. At first, I couldn’t place what would cause me to feel secure in the manic frenzy, until I felt the squeeze to my hand and the reassuring words to my ears. Jonah never left my side for a minute. Not a single second.
In the end, I was lucky and only suffered a minor concussion, a badly sprained ankle and eighteen stitches to my palm. There were many tiny cuts, scrapes and bruises but the exposure paired with the concussion, sealed my fate – two long, never-ending days in the hospital.
The plus side? Pain medicine was freaking awesome. I just wanted to sleep, but the damn nagging nurses kept waking me the first day to check my pupils. By the midday on day two, I was released and ready to go home.
But that news incited a huge argument amongst my friends, giving me a new headache. Everyone, from Frannie, Frank, Jonah and even Bella, demanded that I go home to recuperate with them. Of course, they all had specific reasons and wanted me to hear them all out before I decided. I knew I was loved now. Sam and I had family. I wouldn’t have exchanged this rowdy bunch for anything in the world. I did consider all their points but informed them that Sam would be making the decision along with me, since it may mean uprooting him from his home and bed. I asked them all to leave us for a bit so we could talk it out.
“Hey buddy, come sit with me on the bed, so we can talk about everyone fighting over us,” I asked with my arms outstretched to him.
He said, “Mom, I don’t want to hurt you so maybe I should sit over here.” He looked sincere, but a little sad as he quirked his head to the side pondering his own statement.
“Oh baby, I’m ok, promise. Come sit with me and let’s talk about what we are going to do. I need help for at least a few weeks.” I hushed him with two fingertips from my good hand and continued, “Honey, I know you will help me with anything and everything. But you must go to school and then I would be all alone. That won’t work right now. I am sore all over and don’t think I could even stand long enough to cook for us. We need help. What do you think would be the best solution?”
I removed my fingers from his mouth. He sat there for a few minutes thinking about it. Sam was wiser than a boy should be at his age and I wanted to hear his thoughts and feelings about this. Sam jumped up suddenly and started to pace back and forth in the bleak, colorless, tiny hospital room.
“Ok, Grandpa Frank would be totally awesome to stay with but I think he works too much, Mom. He wouldn’t be home with you when I was at school. So, Grandpa Frank is out,” he stated plainly.
He continued, “Bella lives with a friend so that wouldn’t work, right?” I shook my head as he commented feeling proud that he was using logic and reason at the age of seven, soon to be eight.
“Grandma Frannie’s would be good Mom. I think we should go there,” he said with confidence.
He paused in his musings, “But, Jonah said he would come stay with us so we could sleep in our own beds. That sounds good to me. I like my bed and all of my stuff is there.” Finishing with a shrug he said, “I don’t know, it’s gotta be Grandma Frannie or Jonah. And with his superpowers, he can carry you everywhere, Mom!”
I couldn’t hold it in and grabbed him when he got close and squeezed him and laughed.
“You are right on the mark with Grandpa Frank. He does work long hours. He means well but we will have to pass on him. Bella was sweet to offer but she does have a roommate which would not leave room for us. Grandma Frannie would have been a great option except she works part-time and her bathroom is on the second floor along with the bedrooms.” I finished and he nodded his head in agreement.
“That leaves us with Jonah. We would both get to sleep in our own beds. The bathroom is right there along with the tiny kitchen. This is one time our tiny abode will come in handy.” We both chuckled.
“But where would he sleep? That is the problem.” I wondered thinking out loud.
Jonah must have been listening at the door, because he came in and said two words and I could have sworn his chest was puffed up like a peacock strutting his stuff, “The floor.”
“You cannot be serious Jonah? The floor is concrete with only a layer of carpet on it,” I blurted in amazement.
“Baby, I was in the Navy for twenty years and have slept in trees, holes dug in the ground, on a raft in the middle of the ocean, even. Sleeping on your floor is a walk in the park and besides, I will bring my blankie and pillow to make me all comfy,” he said with a smirk on his face.
I bellowed at the blankie and pillow comment. Did he just make a joke? I just sat there in my peekaboo hospital gown grinning like a fool at him. Sam thought it was the funniest thing ever and practically rolled on the floor with laughter.
“Are you sure you want to do this Jonah? Be sure and think about it. You would be helping take care of Sam too, not just me. That is a lot to ask of one person and what will you do about work? Damn! You must go to work. I guess we will stay with Frannie. It’s the best option for now,” I said shyly and turned my head away in embarrassment.
“Like hell, you will woman!” He walked around the ancient hospital bed so he would be standing directly in front of me and said, “I can work from your place without a problem. I have my laptop, Wi-Fi and phone for everything. You know, there are perks to being the owner of your own business and my partner can handle anything that would be need to be done in person.”
By that time, I could see Sam jumping up and down with his hands on his mouth just bursting with excitement. Laughing at the silly sight, I said to him, “Spill it mister!”
“Seriously! Mom! Our hero is moving in with us! The Flash! Boom, babeeee!” His fist pumped in the air. Sam proceeded to bop around the room like a crazy person. Jonah and I just laughed with him.
“Well, I guess that settles that. I have no idea exactly when they will discharge me. I have not been able to get a straight answer all morning. So, we get to sit here watching the paint dry on the colorless walls. Hey, Sam why don’t you and Jonah go inform everyone what the decision was please.” Laying back in the bed I sighed and continued to wait to go home.
After what seemed like endless hours of waiting, I finally signed the papers granting me my freedom. After being wheeled out to the entrance, we waited out front for Jonah and Sam, who went with him to get the Suburban, to pull up. The nurse said she forgot my prescription and would be right back. I sat there and took in the breeze blowing at my messy hair. God what I wouldn’t give for a hot shower and to shampoo the filth from my hair. The nurses had done their best to clean me up, but my hair was left a mess.
They had given me a comb for the mess of hair I had. Once it had gotten wet in the rain, of course my curls and frizz came back. Thankfully, one of the nurses gave me a rubber band she had in her pocket so I could at least pull it up into a messy bun. Everyone had now seen my naturally curly hair and exclaimed about how much they thought it suited me.
Just then the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. As I scanned my surroundings, there were people milling all about visiting friends or relatives, employees going on break and then I saw him. He was just sitting in that dark van staring at me with that fucking sneer of his. Who the fuck was he? I looked around again, this time trying to spot Jonah. My heart was beating a mile a minute but then I finally saw them heading my way. I looked to where the van had been and it was still there. Fuck. What should I do? Tell Jonah now? No. Not right now. But soon.
Jonah and Sam pulled up. They both hopped out of the car at the exact moment the nurse came back and handed me my prescription for pain meds. Jonah took it and when he did he noticed my hand shaking and looked at my face. I looked to where he had been parked and the son of a bitch was gone. Jonah had noticed me looking over and had walked to that side surveying the land. He turned his head and I shook my head silently and glanced at Sam. He gave a slight nod in understanding.
“Let’s go, Ally. Time to get you home where you belong,” he said as he came stalking toward me
with a mischievous grin that made me tilt my head, wondering what he was up to. In mere seconds, Jonah picked me up with all of the gentleness one reserved for a newborn baby and set me in the backseat with Sam. I was floored. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and I certainly was not a small woman. I felt my face heating in embarrassment. I looked over at Sam, who gently lifted my leg with the sprained ankle and set it on a pillow on his lap. My baby had a fierce but gentle soul and some woman in the future would have one hell of a husband.
As we rounded the corner to our tiny duplex, I saw Frank and Frannie standing outside waiting for us. My heart swelled at the sight of them. I gripped the door handle on my side when Jonah stopped and parked in my driveway. Frank and Frannie came up to me right away, taking turns telling me all they had done to get things ready for us. Frannie had made a trip to the grocery store, while Frank had prepared several meals for us so that Jonah would only have to heat everything up. He had even brought over an old cot for Jonah so he wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor.
Jonah reached in to lift me again and I firmly told him no. I was not about to let him get a hernia by picking up my chunky body. I swore to myself that I would find that gym as soon as I could walk again.
“Please get my crutches from the back, Jonah. I want to walk into my own home.” He looked a little spurned, but did as I asked. Thank God. I scooted to the edge of the seat with Sam’s help and then looked down at the ground.
I moaned out loud and Sam was right there asking, “Mom? Are you ok?”
“I’m fine, buddy, but this darn Suburban was made for giants not short people like me,” I said reluctantly looking at Jonah, blushing as I asked, “Would you mind helping me down off this mountain, please?” He and everyone else chuckled at me, which just made me blush more. So much for getting going on my own. Ugh.
Once he put me down gently on the ground, he kept his hands around my waist to steady me as Frank held up each of my crutches for me. Taking each one, I put them securely under both arms, and realized how much I would need to use my hand with the eighteen stitches in it. Smart thinking, idiot I thought to myself as I realized I was not going to be able to do this. I looked up and everyone just stared at me. Crap.
TRUE HERO: A Romantic Suspense Novel (True Hearts Series Book 1) Page 9