by Shandi Boyes
“Noah, he made the lawyers draft that you get every, single, cent!” she states with disgust.
I watch as her face morphs from the nice middle aged doctor’s receptionist to a cold and heartless bitch in an instant.
“When I turned up at the hospital after the accident requesting information, I ran into Jacob at the reception desk. He told me that Noah made sure everything went to you. Is it true?” she questions.
I am shocked that I don’t know how to reply. Jacob had never mentioned to me that she had been at the hospital. If she went all the way to the hospital, why didn’t she visit Noah while she was there?
“Is it true?” she questions again, as her eyes narrow at me.
I nod my head, acknowledging that what Jacob had told her was true. Cormack had told me Noah had specifically stated that his mother wasn’t to get a cent out of his estate in the event of his death.
“That spiteful bastard” she spits out venomously.
I can feel my anger surging as I lunge at her to slap her hard across her face. Her face morphs into shock, before her hands move towards her cheek.
“Don’t you every talk about Noah like that again. You stay away from him; do you understand me?” I reply angrily as tears start to spring into my eyes.
Her eyebrows pull together, clearly confused.
“Is he still alive?” she questions shocked.
I look towards her dark brown eyes that seemed puzzled. She had thought Noah was dead? I watch as her face morphs into a smile, but it wasn’t a smile showing that she was happy her only son was still alive, it a smile that conveys a person who was planning an act of revenge, it was conniving and dangerous.
“Say hello to my boy won’t you” she requests sarcastically as she walks past me, barging my shoulder on the way past.
I stand frozen at the entrance of the hallway, wondering why she would have ever believed Noah was dead, while also trying to work out what scheming con was she currently planning.
“Emily McIntosh” calls a nurse in the waiting room.
I turn my worried gaze towards her and when she notices my gaze, she walks over towards me.
“Emily?” she questions. I nod my head, still to shocked by the exchange that had just happened with Noah’s mom to form words.
The nurse walks me into Dr Morgan’s consulting room, before handing me a blue gown to change into. Once I change, I sit down on the dark blue patient bed waiting for Dr Morgan to arrive. Right now, the baby needs to be my number one priority and I will handle Noah’s mom after I have ensured everything is okay with our unborn baby.
“Hi Emily” greets Dr Morgan as he walks into the room.
Dr Morgan would have to be in his mid-fifties, if not sixties. His hair is fully silver and he has a small silver moustache above his lip. I noticed when I was here with Jenni that his cheeks were rosy in color and I was wondering if it was from the heat, but today they are just as rosy, making me realise it is his skins natural hue.
“In your file it states that you are bleeding, but you don’t know how far along you are?” he questions as he looks up from his file to seek my gaze.
“I haven’t had a period in approximately four to five months” I advise.
“Uh huh and did you do a pregnancy test?” he questions, as his eyebrows pull together slightly, causing me to quickly shake my head.
“My fiancé was in a serious accident and I haven’t had the chance” I reply.
Dr Morgan’s face changes from apprehensive to sympathetic.
“I’m sorry to hear that sweetheart” He replies, as he moves closer to the bed and sits down on the spinning stool that is next to it.
“Because you are bleeding I do not recommend doing an internal examination, but I think we should do an ultrasound. Because you have not had your period in such a long time it is highly possible that you are pregnant, but there is also a possibility that due to the stress you are under you may have skipped your period” he advises
I don’t know why, but I truly believe that I am carrying Noah’s baby. I just know I am pregnant with his child.
“So if you could lay down for me and we will take a little peek at what is going on inside of this body of yours” Dr Morgan advises whilst smiling caringly.
I quickly scoot up the bed and place my head down on the pillow. Dr Morgan pulls his ultrasound equipment over closer, before he gently opens my gown. He places a large sheet of white material just above my panty line and tucks it into my underwear, before he shakes a bottle of blue gel like liquid that gets squirted onto my rounded belly. The gel feels warm against the coolness of my skin. He gives me a quick reassuring smile, before he places the grey wand against my stomach. Because the monitor is facing Dr Morgan I can’t see what he is looking at, but I do notice when his eyebrows pull together, before he starts clicking buttons on the machines keyboard.
“Okay” he breathes out heavily, causing my heart to start rapidly beating.
“We have a bit of a problem” he states while his gaze turns towards me.
Chapter 32
Noah
There she is, standing at the end of the hall. She is as beautiful as I remembered. Today she isn’t wearing her normal jeans and vintage rock shirt that I was used to seeing her in, but she has on black stretch pants and a white loose one shoulder flowing top. She is smiling softly, as her face looks down at something in her hands. Her dark beautiful locks flowing freely down her back. She turns towards me and her face morphs into shock, before she quickly starts running to me. I can smell her vanilla scent filling my nostrils more with every step she takes. My heart soaring as she quickly moves towards me. I am finally going home, back to Emily, the only place I have ever belonged.
“Hello beautiful” I greet, as I brace myself for her to throw herself into my arms, like she does every time she greets me.
I close my eyes wanting to enhance my sense of smell so I can enjoy her delicious scent. I am braced, waiting for that final leap, when suddenly a gush of air rushes past me. I quickly pop open my eyes, noticing that Emily is no longer running towards me.
My head turns, seeking where she went, but the hallway is completely empty. Where did she go? The only audible noise that can be heard is the code blue siren being blasted over the speakers above my head. Looking up, I notice a blue light above the doorway I had just exited. When my gaze lowers, that is when I see Emily standing inside the room, grasping my hand tightly, begging for me to hold on.
“Jacob?” I question confused, when I notice him swiftly moving towards Emily, pulling her away from my withered body by her petite waist.
What the fuck is going on? I rush towards them, confused and dazed.
“Let her go Jacob” I yell, but he doesn’t even flinch at my words, he seems to look straight through me.
“Noah!” Emily screams, as the tears stream down her face.
“Please Noah fight!” she yells again as her face constricts with such sadness.
I move near her in an attempt to caress her beautiful face in my hands.
“It’s okay Emily, I’m here” I advise her, while staring into her beautiful light brown eyes.
“Charging, fully charged, stand back, clear!” is murmured behind me.
I watch as the doctors and nurses frantically try to save me, before a surge of electricity courses through my body causing me to drop down onto my knees. Emily also collapses at the same time, but into Jacob’s arms.
“Still no cardiac output” a nurse advises while staring at the monitors on the side of my bed “charge again” instructs at Doctor to the nurse.
The room is suddenly illuminated with a bright light that comes streaming into the room. It is so bright I need to shelter my face with my arm. Adjusting my eyes, I notice two shadowed figures standing at the entrance of the hall. The figures in sync take one step closer to me and that is when I recognize the inquisitive brown eyes staring back at me.
“Michael?” I question. He is older now than he w
as when he had passed. He looks like a boy now, but you can’t miss his unique inquisitive brown eyes. He looks at me with a sad smile on his face, before he gently nods his head.
I am so confused and I can’t work out what is going on. My gaze darts around everyone in the room. The doctors are working on my body, Jacob is cradling a grief stricken Emily in his chest, everyone is frantic and in panic. I turn back towards my brother standing in the door, then it suddenly dawns on me. My memories of the past several months start to rewind. The rehab with Dr Miller, the paparazzi attack, the concert tour, Emily’s wake and her funeral. It all continues to rewind in flashback until I am back walking outside of Emily’s dormitory into the waiting taxi.
Jumping into the back seat of the taxi, I gently placed my J-45 Guitar on the floor, leaning it against my knees. I never went anywhere without taking my pride and joy with me, it also meant I carried a piece of Emily with me everywhere I went.
“Where to?” questions the taxi driver, as he throws the remains of his cigarette out of the window.
I was glad I had decided to quit smoking two years ago. After I had met Emily I wanted to be the man she deserved, so the first thing I did was quit smoking. I don’t miss smoking, but when I catch the scent of a freshly lit cigarette in the air it does give me fond memories.
“To the airport” I reply, as I quickly fasten my seatbelt into place.
As I peer up towards Emily’s dorm room window, I smile, remembering how peaceful and beautiful she looked while sleeping. When glancing at the dashboard the screen illuminated that it was 4.55am. I had to get to the airport and on a plane in just over an hour, the trip to the airport normally takes forty-five minutes.
“If you can get me there in thirty-five minutes I will tip you two hundred dollars” I advise the taxi driver.
His gaze seeks mine in the revision mirror, his eyebrow cocked, assuming that I won’t be able to keep my word. I smirk towards him, before grabbing my wallet out of my back pocket. I throw a Benjamin Franklin over the seat for him. When he notices the one-hundred-dollar bill, I feel the taxi surge forward from his immediate compression on the accelerator.
“I will get you there is thirty” he states cockily as he begins pulling out of the college carpark.
The traffic today hasn’t reached peak hour yet, so the roads are not as busy as normal. I grab my phone out of pocket and start scrolling through Facebook to occupy my time, the driver doesn’t seem like the talkative type and that suits me just fine.
I notice that Jacob is in a few photos with the guys in the band. What the fuck was he doing in Los Angeles… on a Monday? I scroll through Slater’s photos and the guys look they like had hit a couple of strip clubs last night. I am glad that I had decided to visit Emily as there was no way I was going to let them drag me out to a place like that. Strippers on tap, no thanks! Who would want a cheap and nasty chop when you have a premium steak at home.
Jacob looks like he is enjoying himself in a few of the photos, he is smiling brightly as he tucks dollar bills into the topless strippers sparkling panties. I can’t help but chuckle when I tag Jacob in Slater’s photos. Let’s see if he is still going to be smiling when Lola’s sees them. To be honest I don’t even know what the fuck their relationship is. I have tried to ask Jacob, but I think he is in the dark just as much as I am. Lola certainly is a feisty little temptress; I don’t think anyone would ever be able to tame her, let alone sweet little old Jacob. He tries to act like he is a big angry bear, but he doesn’t fool anyone. We all know he is a giant stuffed teddy bear, all fucking squishy on the inside.
“What is your guitar?” questions the taxi driver, in a deep and heavy accent as his gaze seeks mine in the revision mirror.
“It’s a 1957 J-45 Gibson” I reply proudly while lifting the guitar from the ground to allow the driver a better look.
“That is nice guitar” he replies. I can’t help but smile at his description of my guitar. It is more than fucking nice, it is a masterpiece.
“Yeah it’s a nice…” I start to reply before I notice the blinding lights that are heading straight towards us.
“Watch out!” I scream in panic, as I see the large silver grill of a truck. The rumbling of its horn sounding through the silence of the early winter morning. My first thoughts go to Emily.
The taxi driver was distracted looking at my guitar that he has veered into the lane of the oncoming traffic. I brace myself for impact, cradling my guitar close my chest. The sound of metal crunching was deafening, as particles of glass filtered into the taxi. My body was lurched forward until my head smashes hard against the doorframe. Then all I can see is blackness.
The pain is crippling; it feels I am being torn in two. Blood splatters on the head rest in front of me as I wheeze and cough, trying to get my lungs to fill with air. As I attempt to move my legs, I notice that I am stuck, my legs are crushed behind the driver’s seat. I then notice a small female paramedic leaning through the window of the taxi.
“He’s gone” she advises, after she checks the taxi drivers pulse. In an instant, his life is over without any warning, his poor family. She then starts climbing over the shards of glass towards me as two male paramedics hold her feet, ensuring they could quickly pull her out of the cabin if the taxi starts to move.
I try to speak, but I am gargling on my own blood that no words will come out. She quickly places her small and cold fingers against my neck.
“He has a pulse, its faint, but it’s there” she advises the paramedics outside.
The male paramedic hands her a neck brace and she gently places it around my neck.
“Just hold on ok, keep fighting, help is coming” she encourages while staring directly into my eyes. I blink to acknowledge that I had heard her, but she doesn’t seem to notice my blinking.
She throws a blanket over my body and I can hear machines cutting and crunching through the metal body of the taxi. There is the sound of several voices straining, before the blanket is removed from my head.
“arrrgghh” I yell out in pain as they start to try and pull me out of the taxi. My leg is still stuck under the front seat. As I peer down at my left leg, I notice the bone is sticking out of my thigh, no wonder why the pain is so fucking intense.
They use the jaws of life to practically cut the taxi in half, before slowly moving my body out of the taxi onto a backboard. My gaze turns back towards the crumbled taxi and I notice it is perched precariously on its side, looking like it could topple over at any moment.
Once they have successfully removed me from the wreckage, they gently place me down on the ground. My left leg is throbbing in an intense amount of pain and half of my vision is blocked by a sheet of blood. The paramedics quickly start rushing around me, they seem to be removing something out of my grasp. I feel woozy and sick and my head is thumping that much it feels like my brain is about to explode.
“Emily” I try to advise the paramedic. I need Emily with me. She will help to take away my pain.
The bright morning sunlight is blocked by a shadowed figure. Blinking my eyes to adjust my vision, I notice Ryan standing over me. He has tears in his eyes; I have never seen Ryan cry in all the years I have known him.
“Oh Noah” he whispers painfully while looking down at me, before a single tear drips down his face.
“You need to move him now, the taxi isn’t going to hold much longer” yells someone in the distance, before I am quickly lifted from the road surface and moved over to the grass shoulder.
When they lifted my body the pain is that immense my stomach lurched in protest. I feel the prick of a needle being jabbed into my arm, making the pain slowly fade away. I lay on the ground, looking at the clouds floating in the sky, as the sun slowly continues to rise. I think about Emily and her beautiful face. I can’t leave her; I need to fight. She needs me, as much as I need her.
“Noah” I hear Emily yell in the distance. I try to move, I want to go to her, but I can’t move, my body is to badly damaged
.
“Noah” Emily yells again but this time I hear that she is closer, before she suddenly drops on her knees in front of me.
“Emily” I breathe harshly, as she grabs a hold of my hand in a tight grip.
“I am here baby; I am here” she declares as tears stream down her face. I knew she would come to me; she always knows when I need her.
Arrrgghhh, the pain behind my eyes is crippling, my head is pounding. I can feel my body thrashing against the hardness of the ground. I turn my gaze back to Emily, wanting to stare into her beautiful eyes to help ease my pain, but Ryan is pulling her away from me.
“No Ryan” I attempt to yell, but nothing comes out. I try to outstretch my hand to grab her, to comfort her since her eyes look so scared, as she screams and fights against Ryan’s hold.