Deep Blue Forever (Deep Blue Series)

by Nichols, Amie

  "Troy, go get the doctor, he's awake!" She yells over her shoulder. I see Troy is lying on a small couch in the room. Everything about this feels all wrong.

  "Hey brother," Troy says beaming at me before he steps out of the room.

  "Where's Aubrey?" I am able to get out again, but Chelsea ignores me. She starts rambling on about how she knew the sound of her voice would get through to me. It feels like it takes every ounce of strength I have to lift my arm, but I do it. I reach out with the intention of pushing Chelsea away, but she grabs my hand like I was trying to touch her. I can't figure out why I am so weak, why I can't sit up. I need to find my girl.

  "Ian, this Dr. Bergstrom." Troy is back in the room, and is followed by a middle aged man in a white coat.

  "Mr. Brady," he says and I see a bright light first in one eye and then another. "You are a very lucky man, Mr. Brady," he says putting his pen light back in his pocket. "I have never seen a bullet so close to an artery that someone has survived from." He has a very heavy British accent. "I would say that you had something very special to live for, because you're a fighter." He is now pushing on my stomach feeling around for I don't know what, but he hits a spot that shoots pain through my whole body.

  "Sorry about that," he says, "that's where the bullet was. You will be sore there for quite awhile."

  I pull my hand away from Chelsea's tight grip. It is like it was in a vice grip for the amount of strength it took to get away from her.

  "Where's Aubrey?" I turn my attention to Troy now, and he looks up at Chelsea. "Please tell me?" I beg him with my eyes as the doctor starts moving my legs around and giving me different commands. Like wiggle your toes and stupid shit I don't give a crap about right now.

  "I don't know where she is right now." Troy answers. "I think she is still in New York." He acts like he is wondering why I even care where she is, but she's a alive and I have the most warm feeling of relief wash over me.

  "The baby?"

  "It's OK, Ian, you don't have to worry about that now. It's not yours," Chelsea says leaning into me. The pain I had a few minutes ago when the doctor pushed on my stomach was nothing compared to what her words just did to me.

  "You need to concentrate on getting your strength back. You've been lying in a hospital bed for three months," Troy says and the doctor is writing something on a chart. Three fucking months, what the fuck? The baby's not mine? Holy hell my heart feels like it's shriveling into the size of a raison. It can't be true, I have to see her. I have to hear it from her.

  "We're going to get you up and started on physical therapy right away. You still have good muscle tone so your strength should be back in no time," Dr. Bergstrom says, completely oblivious that I have tears running out of my eyes.

  "I need to see her." I tell Troy trying to sit up, but am pushed back down by Chelsea.

  "You need to slow down, baby," she says to me touching my chest, and rubbing a small circle with her hand.

  "Troy, please get her out of here." I try to swat away Chelsea's hand. Her touch is like venom that is stinging my skin. I can't believe I had to hear from her that the baby is not mine. It can't be true, it can't be. I have to see her.

  Troy looks shocked by my statement and looks up at Chelsea. I see a look of horror on her face.

  "Please, Troy, I need to see Aubrey now. Please get her here. I need you to, please." There's a look on Troy's face that tells me he has been played, and Chelsea excuses herself from the room rather quickly.

  "Yeah, buddy! I'll get her here." He assures me with a pat on the shoulder. "You rest, and when you wake up she will be here," he says in an almost apologetic tone. I don't know what the hell has happened in the last three months, and I don't care right now. I need to see my girl.

  Chapter 17

  Aubrey

  The first couple of days after being kicked out of the room all I could do was lie in bed and cry. I felt so hopeless and helpless. I didn't have the strength to move. Dr. Henry gave me something to help calm my nerves which helped a little, but I don't think there was anything in the world strong enough to fix my broken heart.

  We were staying in the hotel right next to the hospital. There was no way in hell I was leaving. I stayed in the distance allowed by the damn restraining order.

  "Baby girl." I lift my head off the pillow to see Rex coming in the room. As he sits on the edge of the bed, I wrap my arms around his neck. I sob and sob into his chest. He says nothing, just holds me. "You need to try and stay calm for the baby," he whispers finally. I look up at him and grab a tissue from the side table to blow my nose.

  "You look like shit." He teases, trying to get me to laugh.

  "Thanks," I mumble.

  "Even on your worst day, baby girl, you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He smiles lifting my chin to meet his gaze. "It'll all be OK. You know that, right?" I lay back on the pillow and chuckle, because it's all I can do except cry some more. I'm not sure if I have any tears left. "When's the last time you took a shower?" He asks me looking around the room.

  "Are you saying I stink?"

  "No, but that rat's nest on your head looks like it needs tamed." He laughs. "Do you want me to help you?" He asks, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "I could go tell Ian that I was going to help you shower, that'll wake him right up."

  That's when I really start laughing. I laugh so hard I almost pee myself. Running into the bathroom, I hear Rex still chuckling. "It will be alright, baby girl, I swear!" He yells through the door.

  After a shower, I feel better. Coming into the room wrapped in my bathrobe, I try to get a comb through my hair. Rex is sitting in one of the big overstuffed chairs.

  "Come here, let me help you," he says motioning to the spot in front of him on the floor. I sit on the floor handing him the comb and he gently tries to get through the tangles.

  "I thought you had a big Hollywood party to go to with Heidi Dean?" I ask Rex. He and Heidi have been hot and heavy and all over the press as the new power couple. I knew her new movie was opening tonight, and as her boyfriend he would be expected to be there.

  "I've been calling you for two days, you haven't answered. So I called Sam and he told me what was happening. No one is keeping me away from you when you need me, baby girl," he says leaning down to whisper in my ear.

  "Shit, she has to absolutely hate me by now." Although I don't want him ruining a relationship that seems to be working, I am glad he is here. The distraction is just what I needed.

  "She knows everything, I told her a few weeks ago," he says and I turn to him shocked by his confession. "She was very understanding and knew not to even try and stop me."

  "So, Rex Olsen found the one?"

  "I think so, maybe. It was so easy to tell her....I mean not easy.....but...."

  "I understand, Rex, I totally understand." I pat his leg. "I'm happy for you, you deserve it."

  "You will always be my baby girl, and I will always come running when you need me." He struggles with a knot in my hair as he says the comment so nonchalant, like it is just a fact.

  My lawyer had been working his ass off the past month to have the restraining order lifted. Unfortunately, Amy Brady's dad is a stupid supreme court judge.

  A restraining order put in place by the Supreme Court is very hard to fight. Even with the team of lawyers I have. The problem being that this kind of thing is not ever done by a Supreme Court judge. There's no precedent in place for it to be over turned.

  We couldn't prove anything, and my doctor said it was too risky to do an amniocentesis to find out the paternity. I would never do anything to put my baby at risk. I knew Ian was still alive, but that's about it. I knew this because I had hired a team of private investigators to follow Troy, Amy and Chelsea's every move and they were still here.

  Troy and Chelsea mainly stayed at the hospital during the day. Chelsea spent the night at the hospital, which let me tell you was a hard pill to swallow. I couldn't even imagine what her sick twisted mind
was doing to comatose Ian. She had built a fantasy in her head and I truly think she believed that Ian loved her.

  Sam was traveling back and forth from North Carolina to take care of business. He'd stay a few days then would come back. Sam found out from a mutual friend that once Chelsea told Amy the lie about Ian calling her, Amy went on a mission to get me out of the way. It was a little fantasy the two of them had since they were kids, that they would marry brothers one day. Troy and Ian were close enough to being brothers I guess. Sick and fucking twisted.

  Miry and Rex, God love them, never left my side. They both kept me from committing murder a couple times, but I can't promise that if I ever get my hands on either of those psycho bitches that I won't be going to jail.

  Maggie was still in London, but came back shortly after the shooting to make sure I was okay. She had to go back to help with her family since her father was still sick. He was finishing up chemo and had a good prognosis. She called me everyday like clockwork just to hear my voice.

  The only good thing about all of this was that after the shooting the case was closed in the murder of Jim Olsen. Michelle was dead and she confessed to us about killing Jim and framing me. Tandi and Matt were arrested for accessory to murder and aiding Michelle in access to the house. They both were expected to do at least two years minimum in prison. The tape was destroyed after some hard work from my lawyer.

  I was lying down when Miry walked in with Rex on her heals. They looked very excited about something. I sat up, which was getting harder to do with my ever growing belly. "What?"

  "Tim, the PI that has been set up in the hospital, said there was some buzz outside of Ian's room," Rex says sitting next to me on the edge of the bed. I feel panic at first hoping it was not........ "No not that," Rex says immediately seeing my face.

  "Like buzz like he's awake," Miry says jumping up and down clapping her hands.

  Tears start to run down my face as I stand up. I make a beeline for the door without saying a single word. No words can express what I'm feeling right now. All I know is I have to see those beautiful deep blues, and no one is going to stop me.

  "Baby girl," Rex says following behind me as I make my way to the elevator. Miry and him barely make it in before the doors close.

  "We need to wait," Rex says taking my shoulders in his hands, staring straight into my eyes. "They can still have you arrested for breaking the restraining order." He leans down to catch my gaze. I try to avoid his eyes. I don't care. I am going to go see my man, let them arrest me. It will be worth it to see him awake even for a second.

  "Rex, don't try to stop me. I'm going in there, and I don't care."

  "Aubrey, we are behind you all the way, sweetie," Miry says wrapping her arm around my waist squeezing me.

  "Fine, but I can't be held responsible for my actions if anyone tries to put a hand on you," Rex says as he leans up against the elevator door crossing his arms in true brooding Rex fashion.

  Walking with a purpose into the hospital and up to Ian's floor is surreal. I'm nervously anxious, my heart is racing, and palms are sweaty. As if the little one could sense something, it was doing somersaults in my belly.

  "We're going to see daddy." I whisper softly rubbing my hands over my baby bump. As the elevator doors open I freeze. I can't move. I don't know why, but what if it isn't true? What if he isn't awake? What if the PI is wrong? I didn't care about the restraining order or Troy or Chelsea.

  The past couple of days I have been a nervous wreck. The three month deadline Troy had put on Ian's life was here. What if he isn't awake and the buzz is they are preparing to take him off life support?

  "Baby girl," Rex says softly next to me as they wait for me to move. I step out of the elevator and am greeted with a crying Chelsea sitting in a chair outside Ian's room. She is sobbing and talking on the phone.

  "Amy, he kicked me out." She said into the phone, her head down with her hair falling over her face so she didn't know we were there. "I don't know why, but Troy is really mad." She sniffed into the phone. "Ian just keeps saying her name over and over."

  I feel like I am going faint. Rex and Miry flank me holding me steady as I walk toward the room. Chelsea looks up finally noticing us. She stands up and races to Ian's door.

  "You can't be here, I'll call the cops!" She rambles shaking her head as her little fantasy falls apart around her. The heat raises up through my body, and I feel my face burn red. Without even thinking, I swing. My fist lands straight even with her nose. Instantly, bright red blood gushes from her face. She grabs her face, the blood oozing through her fingers. She is screaming obscenities in pain as she holds her nose.

  "Get the fuck out of my way, bitch!" I yell. The look on her face is fucking priceless as she hunches away, crying in defeat.

  The first thing I see when I open the door is Ian sitting, his legs over the side of the bed. His back is to me, but almost like he knew I was there he turns. There they are, those deep blues I have so longed to see. The same eyes I have seen in my dreams every night.

  "Aubrey," Ian whispers as he tries to get off the bed. I rush to him not wanting him to try and fall. Standing in front of him, I stare at his handsome face as he studies mine.

  I reach up to touch his face, but he grabs my hand. It shocks me at first, not knowing why he would stop me from touching him. He looks down at my belly, his face softening when he sees my baby bump.

  "I don't know if it is true or not, but I want you to know I don't care," he says, his voice deep and scratchy, still as sexy as I remember.

  "If what is true?" I ask very confused, but he doesn't say anything. He turns my hand over and kisses my palm before he places it on his face. His facial hair was long, almost a beard. I had shaved him every morning before the restraining order. I'm actually happy to see that it is long, because that means that Chelsea wasn't doing this. Something about it seems so intimate, that the thought of her taking care of him that way sent waves of jealousy through me.

  His other hand reaches out. Grabbing my shirt, he pulls me to him. Settling me between his legs, he rests his forehead on my chest just above my breasts. I hear him inhaling deeply before I feel him move, his long stubble scratching my neck. I run my fingers through his hair pressing my face against him. No words were being spoken. We stay there holding each other, pressed up against each other.

  I melt into him. The sensation of being wrapped in his arms is overwhelming. The tears start to fall as all of the anxiety of the past three months comes rushing over me. The sense of relief I'm feeling right now is so great and so wonderful.

  "If what's true?" I ask again after what seems like an hour of holding each other.

  "The baby, if it's not mine I don't care. I love you, and I want to be with you the rest of my life." He whispers against my neck, his hot breath sending chills through me.

  "What?" I lean back to look him in the eyes. They are sleepy, and I can tell he is fighting very hard to stay awake.

  "They said the baby wasn't mine," he murmurs, pulling me to him again and resting his head on my shoulder.

  "Ian, baby," a small laugh escapes my lips, "you're the only guy I've slept with for almost two years. If this baby isn't yours, then we have a huge problem."

  "I love you so much. I knew it wasn't true," he says and I feel a small smile against my neck. He leans back on the bed taking me with him. I snuggle in next to him, his arms wrapping around me so tight that I couldn't get up if I tried. He is exhausted and is sleeping soundly within seconds. I lay my head on his chest listening to his glorious breathing and the sound of his heart drumming softly under my ear.

  Chapter 18

  Ian

  I awake in a panic just having a nightmare of Michelle with her gun pointed at Aubrey. My heart is racing with fear when I realize I'm still in the hospital bed. Aubrey is snuggled in next to me. She's lying on her side with her face buried in my neck. I feel her slow even breaths against my neck as she sleeps. I wrap my arm around her tighter. She has he
r hand protectively resting on her belly. I move my head and place my lips on her forehead. I don't know what has happened the past few months or why she wasn't here when I woke up and Chelsea was, but I am going to find out. Something tells me my girl has been through hell, and that really pisses me off.

  I hear the heart monitor start to speed up as my mind starts wondering about what has been going on. Calm down Ian, she's here and she is safe now. I steady my breathing to make the monitor shut up. I don't want her to wake up, so I focus on my baby. Aubrey's still as gorgeous as ever. Still too skinny, but her baby bump is there which means the baby is growing. That makes me relax enough that I fall back to sleep.

  This time when I awake, Aubrey is not in the bed. I sit up frantic searching the room. It's empty, and I feel like it has all been a dream.

  "Aubrey," I yell, anxious to hear her voice. She steps out of the bathroom combing her hair.

  "I'm here, baby," she says putting her brush down and coming to me. I pull her onto my lap taking her lips in mine. Her lips are so soft and she tastes amazing as I explore her mouth with my tongue. "Good morning!" She smiles after I release her lower lip.

  "How are you feeling?" I ask her, rubbing my hand over her baby bump. It is surprisingly firm, almost hard like there is a basketball just under her skin.

  "I should be asking you that." She laughs, which makes my insides warm. It's the sweetest sound in the world.

  "I'm fine. I feel ten times better than I did yesterday. What I want to know is, how is our little peanut? How are you, and what in the hell has been happening?" I shoot a line of questions at her and she sits up next to me on the bed.

  "Well, our little peanut is now a grapefruit." She giggles looking down at her bump. "It's been stressful, but Dr. Henry has been keeping a close eye on me." Her smile fades. "Ian, I thought I was going to lose you." Tears are now streaming down her face.