by J. L. Perry
We walked into the room and we were shocked by what we saw. He had dozens of wires and tubes coming out of him and he was connected to a lot of machines. He was lying flat on his back and appeared to be asleep.
I stood by the door as Logan made his way over to the bed. When Logan grabbed his hand, John opened his eyes. “Logan,” he said weakly, “I am glad you are here.”
“How are you feeling, Uncle John?”
“I’m sore, but I’m actually not feeling too bad.” I could tell he was weak, and my heart was torn in two. I didn’t know how to feel about this man.
I heard John ask, “How is Brooke doing?”
Logan looked over at me and smiled. “You can see for yourself.” Logan then gestured for me to come closer.
I noticed John smiling as I walked over to bed. “Hi,” I said, and John reached out to grab my hand.
“I am sorry I put you in danger yesterday. If I had known, I would never have let you leave,” he whispered. “I am also sorry for everything I put you and your mum through.” I felt the tears running down my face, but I didn’t know what to say.
“I know you are angry at me, Brooke, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day. I have missed twenty-six years of your life, and I would like to get to know you if you will let me.”
I just stood there, saying nothing. I know it was rude and I probably should say something, but I didn’t know how to respond. I had so many mixed feelings towards him. There was a part of me that wanted to hug him, and part of me that wanted to run from him again.
Logan put his arms around me, looking down at his uncle. “She just needs time,” he said.
I eventually managed to get out, “Thank you for saving my life.” There was so much I wanted to say to him but, for now, that’s all he was getting.
“It was the least I could do for you, sweetheart,” he replied. “I know I haven’t been much of a father to you, but there was no way I was going to let him hurt my little girl any more than he already had.”
The nurse came into the room and told us that we needed to leave because he needed rest. We both said goodbye to John, and Logan told him that he would come visit him tomorrow. He smiled as we left the room.
Logan’s mum told us that she was going to hang around the hospital for a while, so we kissed her goodbye and headed towards the exit.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Logan
I had such a heavy heart for Brooke because this whole situation was so hard for her. Taking her home so I could care of her was all I wanted to do.
We hopped into a cab when we left the hospital. Chris would have come and gotten us if I called him, but I just wanted to get Brooke home. Once we arrived back at the penthouse, Jill started to cry and threw her arms around Brooke.
“I was so worried about you, sweetie. Thank goodness you’re okay. Is there anything I can get either of you?”
“Thanks, Jill, but I just want to go to bed right now.”
“We’ll come down and have some lunch later. We both need some rest after everything,” I said, sighing.
She smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I will make you both something special later then,” she said with a nod, walking back into the kitchen.
As soon as we were in the bedroom, I wrapped my arms around Brooke. “I am going to run you a bath,” I said. She just nodded. She was emotionally drained and I was worried about her. She was very quiet and withdrawn so after her a bath and some sleep, I planned on having a talk with her.
She came into the bathroom and I kissed her softly. “I’ll be in the bedroom if you need anything.”
“Can you stay with me?” she asked in a quiet voice. “I don’t want to be alone.” The uncertainty in her eyes made my chest hurt. I helped her get undressed, put her hair up in a clip, then lifted her into the bath. Once I was settled behind her, I put my arms around her waist, and she rested her head back on my chest.
We just sat there in silence for a while. I picked up the body wash and squeezed some into my hands. As I started to wash her, I noticed how tense she was so I massaged her shoulders. I smiled to myself when I felt her muscles relax.
As I moved my hands off her shoulders, I saw a large bruise on her upper arm. You could see the finger marks. There was also a bruise on her opposite shoulder, which she probably got when she fell. The bruise on the other side of her face where Jake had hit her was darker, and bruises had also formed on both her wrists from where they had been bound.
I had so many emotions running through me as I looked over her body. There was rage because of everything Jake had done to her; guilt that I hadn’t been here to protect her; sadness for everything she had gone through; and fear for how she was going to cope mentally after everything. But most of all, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of love that I felt for her. I was so thankful to have her back home with me.
After I had washed her, I lifted her out of the bath and carried her to the shower. “There is dried blood in your hair, baby,” I said softly, turning on the water. “Let me wash your hair for you so I can get it all out. Put your hand over the bandage so that we don’t get your stitches wet.”
I lifted the hose off the wall and carefully wet her hair. As I watched the water around our feet turn red, I felt tears rise in my eyes. After hanging the hose back on the wall, I gently washed her hair. Once I’d rinsed out the shampoo, I did the same with the conditioner.
When we were out of the shower, I wrapped her in a towel and sat her down on the chair. Once I had finished blow drying her hair, I carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed. I climbed in beside her and held her tightly in my arms.
“Make love to me?” she asked so softly that I barely heard her. As much as I wanted to have that connection with her, I didn’t think it was a good idea.
“The doctor told you to rest,” I replied.
“Please, Logan. I need this.”
I couldn’t resist her. The truth was that after nearly losing her last night, I needed it, too.
I carefully moved on top of her and kissed her gently. We didn’t say anything to each other because no words were needed. We just gazed into each other’s eyes as I moved in and out of her as gently as I could. I had never felt as close to anybody in my life as I did with her at that moment.
Brooke
I was so overwhelmed with the amount of love I had for Logan. Since arriving back home, he has done nothing but care for me. He was extremely gentle as he washed my body in the bath, and as he washed my hair in the shower. It actually brought tears to my eyes, but I didn’t let him see them.
I was so in love with this man, but I also felt guilty. Since I’ve been living here, I have caused nothing but worry and heartache for him. I didn’t deserve his kindness.
The reason I asked him to make love to me was because I needed him inside me. I wanted to be as close to this beautiful man as I could possibly get. The amount of love I felt for him was consuming me, and after everything we have been through together, we had an unbreakable bond. I felt closer to him now. Logan was my life, my heart, and my soul, and I knew that I wanted to be with him forever.
Exhaustion took over after we made love, and we fell asleep in each other’s arms. I woke some time later after having a nightmare. When I sat up in bed, I noticed my whole body was trembling. Logan was still asleep beside me. I was scared to go back to sleep in case I started dreaming again, so I got up and put on my dressing gown. I didn’t want to go downstairs because Jill was down there. I needed to be alone so I walked out onto the balcony to get some fresh air.
As I was sitting out on the balcony, I tried not to think about everything that had happened. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t upset Jake had killed himself. No matter what mistakes people made in their lives, and Jake had made plenty, nobody deserves to die like that.
Only a year ago, he was my entire life and, deep down, I knew that he really wasn’t the monster he had become. The drugs ch
anged him and messed with his head. I suppose he was desperate, and desperate people do desperate things. I am not denying that his actions haven’t hurt a lot of people because they have. A small part of me hated him for that, but there was also a part of me that mourned the man he once was.
Part of me wondered that if I had stayed in Melbourne and got him some help, instead of running like I did, maybe none of this would have happened. I could feel my emotions starting to overtake my body again so I put my head in my hands and started to sob.
Logan
As I woke from a deep sleep, I reached for Brooke, but she was gone. I started to panic as I sat up in bed and looked around the room. The door to the balcony was open so I quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed my pants off the chair, and pulled them on.
As I walked over toward the door, I could hear her crying. I quickly made my way outside and fell to my knees in front of her, wrapping her in my arms.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I asked, but she didn’t answer. Instead, she just wrapped her arms around me and continued to cry.
Seeing Brooke like this was hard. It tore at my very soul. She had been through so much and I was worried that she wasn’t coping very well.
“Talk to me, baby,” I pleaded. “I am worried about you. I hate seeing you like this. It’s killing me, Brooke.”
She lifted her head up and looked at me. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t want you to see me cry. That is why I came out here.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m fine.”
Brooke was the strongest and bravest person I’ve ever met. She had been through a lot in her short life, but you would never know. With grace and dignity, she had accepted all the cards that life had cruelly dealt her. I have never once heard her whinge or seen her feeling sorry for herself. Brooke just held her head high and continued on with life as best she could. Unfortunately, though, everyone had a breaking point, and I was worried that she had possibly reached hers.
“Tell me why you were crying, Brooke,” I said again, gently stroking her hair. “What you went through yesterday was traumatising and, together, we can get through it, but I can only help you if you are honest with me. You can’t tell me that you’re fine when it is quite obvious that you’re not.”
“I am not sure you’ll want to hear the real reason I was crying,” she replied in a soft voice.
“Baby, there is nothing you can say that would hurt me more than seeing you sitting here and crying.”
When Brooke told me she was crying because of what had happened to Jake, I have to admit that I was a little surprised, but I also knew the kind of person she was. She was kind and caring with a huge heart. Personally, I hated the fucker for what he’d done to her, but I also had to understand that he was her husband and all the family she had not too long ago.
Brooke
Logan was quiet and I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. He probably didn’t understand why I was crying for Jake so I explained, “The Jake you knew was totally different than the Jake I married. I loved him once, Logan. I’m not saying I love him now because I don’t. I am just sad for the old Jake, that’s all. I feel partly responsible for his death. If I didn’t walk out on him, there is a chance I could have gotten him the help he needed.”
Logan held me tighter. “I understand what you are saying, Brooke, but you need to understand that you left him because he hurt you. If you would have stayed in Melbourne, he may have killed you eventually.”
I knew what he was saying was true. If I didn’t leave that night, there is no telling what he would have done to me the next day. That was the only reason I fled Melbourne that day. I feared for my life.
“There was nothing you could have done, Brooke. None of this is your fault, okay?” I knew that he was right. I was glad I had told him the truth because, otherwise, I would carry that guilt around inside me.
I asked him if he thought I should go to Jake’s funeral. “Honestly, Brooke, if that’s what you need to do, I am fine with it. But how do you think his family will feel after everything that has happened?” Again, he was right. It wasn’t a good idea under the circumstances.
Logan was so amazing. He wasn’t just my lover. He was my best friend, and I was the luckiest girl in the world to have him. “Thank you for understanding,” I said. “I’m glad I told you the truth because I don’t want us to keep secrets from each other. I’m also grateful you cared enough to ask.”
“Oh, baby,” he said. “I don’t want things to change between us—ever. I always want you to be honest with me, and I promise you I will be honest with you.”
I turned my head and planted a big kiss on his lips. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
He laughed. “I love you more.”
When I was feeling better, we went back in and got dressed. Neither of us had eaten since yesterday, and we needed to go have some lunch. Before we walked down the stairs, I put my arms around Logan’s waist. “Thank you for loving me and taking such good care of me. I am so lucky to have you,” I said, then brushed his lips with a soft kiss.
Logan
When Brooke thanked me for loving and caring for her, saying she was lucky to have me, I felt a lump form in my throat. I felt like the lucky one, but it was nice to hear her say it. “I am the lucky one,” I replied, pulling her in tight against me and kissing the top of her head. “You complete me, Brooke, and I don’t ever want to lose what we have.”
Jill had made a lovely roast lunch for us, and I didn’t realise just how hungry I really was until I smelled it. She informed us that a detective had called while we were asleep and that he was coming over around at 2:00 p.m. to take our statement.
After lunch, I said, “Brooke, you should really go and lay down.”
She pouted. “I don’t want to.”
I smiled. “The doctor told you that you needed to rest.”
“How about I lay on the lounge and listen to my iPod or watch some television?”
Jill got Brooke a pillow and blanket out of the hall cupboard, while I picked her up and carried her over to the lounge. She rolled her eyes at me and I could tell she wasn’t happy about us fussing over her, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I liked taking care of her.
After I had covered her up and turned on the television, I said, “I need to make a few calls. I will come and lie with you when I am done.” I kissed her nose before walking away. I only made it a few steps before she went to sit up. I made her lie back down, and she rolled her eyes at me again.
“I was just going to go up to the bedroom to get my iPod because I want to listen to some music.”
“Lay back down. I’ll get it for you.”
Once I had retrieved her iPod and she was settled, I bent down and kissed her on the lips. “I’ll be back soon.” I walked into the office and closed the door.
As I sat down at my desk, I pulled out my phone because I wanted to call Mike and thank him again for everything. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if we would have found Brooke in time. When he sends me his bill, I planned on giving him a big bonus. No amount of money would cover the debt I will hold to this man for the rest of my life but, for now, it was all I could do.
Mike was happy to hear we were both doing well, and said he was going over to the hospital later today to visit my uncle. He had never met my uncle before last night, but I suppose you form some kind of common bond when you go through what the four of us did.
When he told me that he was going to drop off my car on the way to the hospital, I asked him to come upstairs when he did. “I’m sure Brooke would love to meet you. I will go with you to the hospital after that, if you like.”
The next call I made was to Claire because I wanted her to reschedule all my appointments for the rest of the week. There was no way I was going to leave Brooke’s side. She needed me to be with her for the next few days and, honestly, I needed to be with her.
After I made all the calls I needed, I went back into the lounge room to l
ay down with my girl. She was lying on the longue with her ear buds in. Her eyes were closed so I just stood there for a minute, looking at her.
Brooke must have sensed me watching her because she opened her eyes and smiled at me. “Move over, baby,” I said. Even though she couldn’t hear me, she must have read my lips because she lifted back the blanket and made room for me.
When I lay down beside her, she lifted her head so I could put my arm underneath her neck. Then she snuggled up close to me, pulling one of the ear buds out of her ear and putting it into mine. She was so cute! After giving me a quick smile, she closed her eyes again. It was nice just lying here, listening to the music together. It helped to clear my mind for a while.
We laid there holding each other for a few hours. Being together like this was nice. The detective came over just after 2:00 p.m. to take our statements. Going over everything again was hard for both of us. I noticed Brooke wipe her eyes a few times as she listened to me recount what had happened whilst she was unconscious. I hadn’t told her the whole story in detail so this was the first time she was hearing it.
Mike came over later that day to drop off my car, and I introduced him to Brooke. She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered. He wasn’t one to show emotion, but he smiled. I even noticed a tear in his eye.
We had a drink together while we talked. About an hour later, Mike said he was going to head over to the hospital to visit my uncle so I asked Brooke if she minded if I went with him.
“My god!” she said. “You don’t have to ask my permission. Go!” I didn’t want to leave her, but I knew she wasn’t ready to see my uncle again just yet. I asked Jill to keep an eye on her while I was gone.
Brooke
After Logan left, I sat in the kitchen talking to Jill because she always knew the right things to say to make me feel better. Personality-wise, she reminded me a lot of my mother. She had a real softness about her, and I was becoming very fond of her.