Earning Her Love

by Hazel Gower

“Police please.”

  “One moment please.”

  “Hello, Blacktown police department.”

  “Hello, my car has broken down on Seventh Street in the overtaking lane at the lights before the Juniper left turn. I’ll be calling a tow truck, but since I have my four-year-old son in the car I thought I’d call just to be safe.”

  “You did the right thing, ma’am. That is a very busy road. I’ll send someone to help right away.”

  “Thank you.” Mia hung up, then called Grant’s Garage. Grant had a tow truck, and she asked him to come and get her. Grant was a friend of her parents, or he used to be. He didn’t agree with how her family treated her when she fell pregnant with Zane, and he helped her out from time to time.

  Gazing around at the cars speeding by, Mia thought it best she and Zane get out of the car. Turning, she smiled at Zane. “Mummy’s car is broken. I’m getting out, then I’ll get you.”

  Zane nodded. “Okays, Mummy.”

  She undid her seat belt and turned and smiled at her son just as a car sped toward them.

  Mia heard the brakes screeching, and she prayed they would be okay. That was the last thing she thought before she felt herself fly through the air.

  * * * *

  Alex had ten minutes left and he was done with his shift. He’d worked thirteen hours and was exhausted. He couldn’t wait to get home and go to bed. Tomorrow was swimming, and he intended to ask Mia out.

  A call came over his radio, and he knew he should ignore it, but he was just two streets away. Alex answered the call, telling them he’d deal with it. As he came around the corner he saw a poo-colored bomb sitting in the overtaking lane. He furrowed his brows, the car was familiar. It looked just liked Mia’s wreck of a car. He put his lights on just as a red car came flying around the corner and right into the bomb of a car. The windscreen shattered as a female body flew from it and landed on the ground.

  Calling dispatch, he told them as quickly as he could what had happened, so he could get more help and they could send an ambulance. A sickening feeling settled into his bones as he parked and set up a perimeter, making sure it was safe before he went over to the woman. He tried to think positive thoughts and deny his edgy feeling. Blood gushed from her head, and her body was covered in deep cuts that oozed more blood. She was damn lucky to be alive.

  She groaned and her eyes fluttered. “Zane. My baby. Please make sure he’s okay.”

  As the beautiful dark brown eyes opened Alex’s heart sank. Mia, his Mia, was hurt. Glancing over at the car, he debated whether he should leave her and go check on Zane or stay with her. He heard sirens in the distance.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Alex was surprised that Mia was even alive, let alone conscious enough to talk. He wanted to touch her, but he was scared, terrified that he could hurt her further. All he could do was nod and do what she wanted. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  He walked to the car to see a screaming Zane. The back of the car was crumpled, but Alex could see the other car was in worse condition. It was a cheap plastic one. Thanks to Mia’s car being really old it was metal. The passenger door wouldn’t open so he tried the front and it clicked open.

  Zane instantly stopped crying when he saw him. “I knows yous. You’re Olivia’s uncles.”

  Alex tried to slow his speeding heart. Zane seemed fine. Kids were resilient. He gazed back in Mia’s direction, and for the first time in many years, he prayed. He was grateful she was young, because hopefully it would help her recover. He worried though. She wasn’t tall, he would guess her lucky to be five-two. He hoped her shapely body with its cushioning helped her fall.

  Alex regretted not asking her out sooner. Not spending time to get to know her. He’d been a fool. He’d been attracted to her and was going to ask her out, so he looked into her. When he found out her age he stayed away. He was a just over a month from his fortieth birthday, and Mia was all of twenty-one...barely. Alex thought she looked young, but she had a four year old, so he thought she must be older. Once he found out her age he knew she was way too young and he needed to stay away.

  The problem was he couldn’t stop thinking about the strawberry blonde haired beauty. His dad, and even his younger brother Chad, said over and over that when you found the one you just knew. She was the person you couldn’t stop thinking about, she was the one who got your heart racing every time you saw her. Alex was close to his family. He usually spoke to Owen, but Alex had mentioned to Chad that he liked Mia, and since then Chad had been on his case, telling him that if Mia was the one, he wouldn’t let age be a problem. Chad told him not to stuff things up, like he already had wasting time he could spend with her. Now he regretted not listening to Chad. Alex was almost forty and hadn’t found anyone, but as his heart felt like it was about to break at what was happening around him, he thought he could be wrong. He’d finally decided to ask her out and this happened.

  Looking at the cute blond haired boy, he forced a smile. “Yes, I’m Olivia’s Uncle Alex. I take her swimming.”

  Zane nodded his head. “Ahah, I likes Olivia. I’m bigger than her, iza just turned four.”

  His niece Olivia was three. Her swimming skills were super advanced, and she had been placed in a higher age group. Alex adored Olivia.

  The paramedics came over and Alex turned to them, noticing out of the corner of his eye another set of paramedics with Mia. “Hi, I was the first on scene. I saw it happen. Mia was thrown from her seat as the car behind hit her vehicle. This is Zane, her four-year-old son. The passenger door doesn’t open.” Alex knew the paramedic, John, he’d worked with him before.

  “Do you know the victims?” John asked.

  Opening his mouth, he closed it as an old, short guy in a mechanics uniform ran over to him. “Oh God, they won’t let me over to Mia. Is Zane okay?”

  Alex eased out of the car and stared at the balding man. Alex knew he wasn’t Mia’s father. From the information he had gathered, Mia’s father was a very powerful businessman, who was known all throughout the building industry. Alex’s brother Owen dealt with him on occasion. “You are associated with Miss Lexington how?”

  “Um…sorry. I’m her mechanic Grant, but I’m a friend too.”

  Alex raised his eyebrow at the last. “A friend?”

  The man turned red. “Well…er…yes. I am…argh…was a friend of her parents.” He looked around and lowered his voice. “They disowned her when she got pregnant at sixteen. She was almost seventeen, but that didn’t sound any better they thought. I didn’t agree with how they cut her off.” The old man sighed. “I’m all she’s got, besides that boy in there and a couple of girlfriends.”

  Shit! Alex didn’t need to know that. Not now when his heart was already shattering. He knew she didn’t have anything to do with her parents, but he had hoped she had other people. People who helped her and that she could rely on. Glancing at the boy who the medics were talking to as they carefully lifted him out of his seat, his heart skipped. Alex knew he had to help. If Mia had no one, Zane would go into foster care with strangers while she was in the hospital. He knew with the injuries she had she might not survive, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t, let himself think of that happening.

  “She has me. I’m Alex. I’ve been seeing Mia.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Alex had seen Mia every Monday and Friday morning. He’d also been to MacDonald’s with her once.

  This time it was Grant who raised his eyebrow. “Really? She hasn’t mentioned you.”

  He shrugged. “It’s new.” Yeah, like a couple of minutes.

  Grant crossed his arms over his chest and glared at him. John came and stood next to him with Zane in his arms. “He seems fine. The child car seat saved him from any harm, but we’ll take him to the hospital to get him checked out just in case.”

  “Sure. I—” Alex didn’t get to finish.

  “Alex.” Zane threw himself into his arms. “I wants my Mummy.”

  Cuddling the little guy close, Alex look
ed over to see Mia on a gurney being put into the ambulance. He turned to John. “I’ll go with you. I can’t be on this case as I’m involved with the victim. I’ll go tell officer Dirk what I saw and about my relationship to Mia.”

  John tried to take Zane back from him, but the little boy wouldn’t let Alex go. In the end, Alex just took Zane with him. Officer Daniel Dirk was talking to the two men who’d been in the red car. Seeing Alex, Daniel excused himself and came over to him.

  “I’ve been told you were the first on the scene,” Daniel said.

  “Yes. I can’t be involved in it because the victim, Mia Lexington...I’m involved with her. This is her son Zane.”

  Daniel’s eyes flashed, showing his surprise before he quickly hid it. “Well, from what I hear she is a very lucky woman. They have her stable I’ve been told.” Daniel glanced at Zane and looked back to Alex. “Would you like me to contact the station and tell them your situation? Will you need to leave?”

  Alex was friends with Daniel, but they weren’t close. Alex looked down at Zane, who seemed to be taking everything in, unsure of what to say and do. Grant had told him Mia had no one. Alex knew from his own info that she was a single mother. He should really stay out of everything, but as his eyes locked with big, innocent, brown ones he knew he had to help. “Yeah, I’d appreciate that. I’ll call when I get a chance. I’ll come in to give my statement as soon as I can get my parents to look after Zane and I know Mia is doing okay.”

  “Sure. Look after your girl…argh, woman, and I’ll be waiting when you’re ready.”

  Smothering his groan at Daniel’s comment about Mia being a girl, Alex walked over to John and sat Zane down in the back of the ambulance. “Buddy, I need you to go with John. I don’t have a seat in the patrol car for you.” Zane looked terrified, and Alex moaned, he knew he couldn’t leave him. “Fine. Let me go give my keys to the other officer and call work. I’ll be right back.” Zane gave a shy smile, and he wandered back over to Daniel.

  * * * *

  Zane was asleep on his lap as he waited for information on Mia. Alex had called his brother Owen to pick his car up and drop it off at the hospital with Olivia’s car seat in it. He had then called his parents, who told him they would be there as soon as they could. That was over two hours ago. When Zane had fallen asleep on him he’d called his work, asking for leave and telling them he would be in to give his statement when he could get a babysitter.

  Grant, the mechanic, came in. “Hi. Have you heard anything?”

  “Not much. I know she went into surgery for swelling in her brain, and she has a broken leg.”

  Grant plonked down on the chair across from him. Grant ran his fingers over his balding head. “I called her parents. They wouldn’t even give me the chance to tell them anything. As soon as I said her name they hung up on me.”

  “Arseholes,” Alex hissed and clenched his fists.

  Grant nodded. “Yeah, I knew her father in high school. I never would have expected this from him.”

  Alex sighed. In his profession he’d seen and heard about a lot of things people didn’t think others would do. They sat for another twenty minutes before his mother and father came.

  “Alex, I’m sorry it took us so long. Have you heard anything?” His mum rushed to him, sitting on the seat next to him and cuddling him as best she could. “Oh, this must be her son, Zane. Right?”

  “Yeah.” Alex brushed Zane’s hair off his face. “Could you or Dad take him for a while? I have some friends in here that owe me some favors. I’m going to see if they can help me find out some information.”

  “Sure. Go. We’re fine,” his dad said as he came and gently lifted the sleeping boy from his lap. When Alex stood his father sat down in his chair.

  “That’s Grant. He’s a friend of Mia’s.” Alex pointed to Grant.

  His mother smiled at Grant. “Hi, I’m Catharine, and this is my husband Charles. I’m sorry we’re meeting on these terms.”

  Alex left them to talk while he went to find Kim. She was the head nurse in the emergency department. He got a nurse at the triage station to call for her. Kim rushed to where he was and smiled as soon as she saw him.

  “Alex, what can I do for you?”

  “I need information. A young woman named Mia Lexington came in almost three hours ago. I want info on how she’s doing?”

  Kim’s eyes studied him. He was still in his uniform. “Are you on the clock?”

  Alex debated for a moment if he should tell her he was still working or not, but he didn’t want any more lies that could come back and bite him and hurt his career. “No. Mia, is…my…” Did he call her his girlfriend, or just say she was a friend? He intended, if she was okay, to try the first one if she was willing. “Friend.”

  “Argh, I get it. Wait here. I’ll go see what I can find out.” Kim rushed off, and he stood at the triage waiting for her, praying she came back with some good news. Fifteen minutes later Kim returned. “She is one lucky girl.” Alex cringed at the girl comment. “She’s in recovery. They stopped the swelling in her brain, but that’s something they will keep an eye on, and the next twenty-four hours are crucial. They fixed several breaks in her left leg. She’s badly bruised and has quite a few stitches on various part of her body from deep cuts. From what I gathered, she landed on her left side. I have put you on her visitor list. The only way you can get information is if I put you down as her next of kin, her fiancé.”

  He sighed in relief, only to wince as he realized what she’d said, but he supposed that worked for what he had to tell her next. “She has a four year old son.”

  “Well, it’s good she’ll pull through. Does she have parents or the father to look after the child? She will likely be in here for a while, and when she does go home she’ll need help as her left side, right up to her hip, is all cast.”

  Alex shook his head. “No, she doesn’t have those. I’ll be helping her out, and I’m sure my parents will too.”

  Kim eyed him up and down. “Are you sure? It’s a lot of work.”

  Did Kim think he couldn’t handle the sick woman and a kid? “I’m sure I can handle it.”

  With a shrug, she turned and walked off. “Good luck,” she said over her shoulder.

  Great, he just became a temporary father and a fiancé.

  * * * *

  Everything hurt. Mia tried to swim through the fog that seemed to be clogging her brain. She couldn’t open her eyes, and her body wouldn’t move. She could hear quiet voices talking and knew they were talking about her. One voice she vaguely knew. It was a voice that had been in quite a few of her fantasies, but surely Alex wouldn’t be here right now when she was in so much pain.

  Cracking an eye slowly open, the blinding, flashing florescent light came into view. Agonizing pain stabbed against her head, and she closed her eyes again on a groan. Crap, what had happened to her? Taking a deep breath, she winced when even that caused her pain. She opened her eyes and gazed about the best she could. A white room, with two boxes of flowers and get well cards. A drip and machines sat at one side, and that’s when it became clear—she was in the hospital. Zane. Where was her baby? Was he okay?

  “Zane,” she croaked out. Clearing her dry throat, she repeated it as loud as she could. “Zane. My baby, is he okay?”

  Alex’s face came into view. “He’s fine. Actually, he’s more than fine. My parents have bought him a whole new wardrobe and a bunch of toys. He’s with my mother and father now. I thought it would be better than him being with me here. I think Mum and Dad have Olivia also, so he’s having a ball.”

  Mia stared stunned at Alex. He placed a glass of water with a straw before her mouth, and she took a soothing sip. Her throat felt instantly better. How did her son have all that he said? Why wasn’t he close by screaming for her, and why was Alex here? “What happened? How long have I been here?”

  “You were in a car accident. You’ve been here for four days. This morning they woke you from an induced coma.” He pr
essed a button on a small call monitor. “I just called the nurse to tell them you’re awake.”

  Okay, everything he’d said made sense now. “Um…why are you here?”

  “I’m your fiancé.”

  “What?” She clutched her head as her shout rebounded.

  He ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m your next of kin. I had to tell them that, otherwise I couldn’t care for Zane, or help you.”

  Again, he made sense. She knew he wouldn’t be able to be in there without a family connection, or if he wasn’t on her next of kin list. Mia didn’t know much about Alex, besides him being a cop and, from what she saw, a wonderful uncle. She knew with him being a cop he should be safe for her child. She had her best friend Beth and a couple of other girlfriends she could ask to help, but no one she could ask to look after Zane for a long time.

  “Thanks. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay your kindness. I can’t wait to meet your parents and tell them the same thing.” Tears fell from her eyes as she realized what he and his family were doing for her.

  Leaning over, he gently brushed her tears away. “You don’t need to repay me. You getting better will make me happy and will be repayment enough.”

  The nurse came in as Mia started bawling, with gut-wrenching sobs.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Douglas. She’s overwhelmed. Go take a walk, and when you come back I’m sure she’ll be feeling better,” the nurse said.

  Alex glanced at her, and guilt swamped her as she remembered her behavior at the café a couple of weeks ago. He nodded and walked out of her vision. Turning her gaze to the nurse, she watched as she smiled at her and put things into her drip.

  “He has been so worried about you. When he hasn’t been with your little one, he’s been right here beside you. You’re a lucky girl to have snagged Alex. There are quite a few of us here who are envious of you.”

  The excruciating pain she was feeling seemed to float away from her the more the nurse spoke. Her eyes grew heavy, and she couldn’t keep them open. Giving up the fight, she flew away with the pain, closing her eyes and letting slumber take her.