Saving Our Hearts

by Velvet Reed

  Dressing in my room while Olivia handles the washing, the doorbell rings. “I’ll get it,” Olivia announces.

  I have no idea who it could possibly be since it's 8:15 in the morning, so I quicken my pace and finish getting ready. I pull my hair up in a high ponytail, check my light makeup and pop in some earrings before grabbing my crutches and heading out to the living room. I approach the room cautiously but don’t hear any voices. Strange. The sound of water running in the kitchen has me heading that way instead.

  When I enter the kitchen, it’s to find Olivia wrestling with an enormous bouquet of roses. “Well, my son certainly inherited his romantic side from his father; that’s for sure. There're two dozen of these beautiful blooms here. I think we’re going to need a few vases to handle them. Do you know where Cole keeps them?”

  I haven’t moved from where I’m standing at the kitchen entrance. I’m stunned at the sight before me. There’s no doubt the flowers are beautiful, but there’s one problem. “Oh, yeah, the vases are in the top right cabinet.” I pause a few seconds thinking. “They’re from Cole?” I ask.

  Olivia stops her arranging and gives me a weird look, her eyebrows rising. She then picks up the small envelope and reaches it out for me to take. “Do you normally get flowers from someone else?” She smirks.

  I take the offered card and smile. “Of course not.” When I look down at the envelope, the name of the florist isn’t Flaunting My Flowers. “I’m just surprised he didn’t order them through Ashley.”

  Olivia proceeds to get two vases out of the cabinet “Oh, well, who knows what goes through a man’s mind. What does it say?”

  I look down at the envelope and open it, snagging the side of my finger in the process. “Ouch, damn paper cut,” I mutter and then suck on the blood that oozes from my skin. Pulling the card out of the envelope with more care, I read the handwritten note.

  Today is only the beginning.

  Our love is eternal.

  You will always be mine.

  Hmmm, not Cole’s handwriting and it’s not signed with his name. “What’s that look for?” Olivia questions, drawing my attention back to her and the roses. “What did he write?”

  I look again down to the card and recite the words written there.

  “Yep, he’s a keeper. His mother must be one fine woman to have raised such a loving man.” Olivia winks at me.

  Today’s the beginning of what? Have I missed or forgotten something? It’s not an anniversary or birthday. I don’t understand.

  “Honey, you’re thinking awfully hard over there. What’s wrong?”

  I move to the counter and rest my crutches against them. Picking up a single rose, I bring it to my nose and inhale its sweet scent. “I just think it’s weird Cole didn’t use Ashley, and it’s not his writing on the card.”

  Olivia looks up slightly perplexed. “Show me the card,” she says, reaching out and taking it from where I placed it on the counter. She studies the envelope and the writing. “Oh, well, that explains it,” she declares triumphantly. “That’s the name of the florist in the hospital lobby. He’s been missing you a lot, Gracie; I can just see him running about the ER and making a quick flower order in between patients.”

  I smile then because I can see him doing that as well. The man is so sweet and thoughtful, and he would have wanted me to receive the roses before I left for the hospital. “He loves me,” I tell Olivia, and can’t help the beaming smile that overcomes my face.

  Olivia smiles back just as big. “He certainly does. You two were made for each other.”

  I raise the rose to my nose one more time and close my eyes, relishing the complete feeling of love that Cole affords me. He’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of, and while I’m positive I haven’t missed something important, I realize that today is the beginning. I’ve already decided that if Cole were to ask me to marry him again, I would say yes in a heartbeat and without any hesitation at all. If the accident and my brush with death have taught me anything, it’s that life’s too short. You have to grab everyday with both hands and live it to its fullest. You have to let the ones you love know exactly what they mean to you and hold them close to your heart. Yes, today is the beginning. The beginning of a life full of love, laughter and happiness, with Cole and Cooper by my side.

  I open my eyes as Olivia arranges the last of the flowers. As I hand her the final rose I am holding, a thorn snags the same finger that I procured the paper cut on. “Shit!” I yelp and drop the rose to the counter and pull my hand away from the culprit.

  “Goodness, you’re in the wars this morning,” Olivia chuckles.

  I look down just in time to see a single drop of bright-red blood drip from my finger onto the counter. Funny how my blood is almost the exact same shade as the roses Cole sent me. I guess that’s why they call them blood red.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say these flowers had it in for you.” Olivia chuckles again as she leaves the kitchen with the vase and heads for the living room. I give a small chuckle too because the roses have inflicted two wounds on me in a matter of minutes, the evil little bastards, so it does seem that they don’t like me.

  Then in the back of my mind it occurs to me that in the whole time we’ve been together, Cole has only ever sent me yellow roses because he knows they’re my favorite, never red ones. With a little huff and a shrug, I whisper to myself, “I guess the hospital florist doesn’t stock yellow ones like Ashley does.”

  “Are you ready to go, Gracie? We’ll be late for your therapy session if we don’t leave now,” Olivia calls from the foyer.

  “Yeah, I’m coming.”

  With one last glimpse at the flowers, I grab my crutches and head for the door. My man is certainly going to get lucky today.

  Kevin, my therapist, tells me I’m doing great. My leg and arm are getting stronger every day. Apparently, I’m his star patient. It’s hard work, and I’m generally quite tired when we’re done, but it’s worth it. I know having extra sessions is helping me, and I have both Kevin and John to thank for making it happen. I can’t wait for the day to arrive when I can give back these crutches.

  John joined Olivia and me in the cafeteria for a quick coffee before we came up to see Cooper. Honestly, I couldn’t love Cole’s parents any more than if they were my own. I know it has a lot to do with my current physical state, but they dote on me like I’m their own child, exactly like they do for Cole and April. It was nice to sit with them by myself and talk about my session, how I’m settling in at home, Cooper and, of course, the party Olivia is organizing for Cooper’s homecoming. When I watch Olivia and John together, it’s clear that they are still deeply in love with each other. I can imagine that my parents would be the same if my mom was alive, and I can only hope and pray that Cole and I will feel exactly the same way when we’re their age.

  We’ve been in the NICU with Cooper for a little while now. It’s become a kind of social spot as we’ve got to know the other parents and the nurses so well, especially Julia. It takes a special type of person to be an NICU nurse, and I can guarantee that Julia Walters was put on this earth for that sole purpose.

  I’m chatting with Julia about Cooper still having to use the feeding tube to finish his feeds when I feel his presence. I don’t even have to turn around to know Cole has entered the room. Every fiber of my being is tuned into him and instinctively knows when he’s near; it’s an incredible feeling to be so in tune with the person you love like that. It also means that the moment I feel him, my body produces a low thrum of electricity that reaches every part of me, wanting and needing him near.

  “Hey, baby,” he greets me and pulls me in for a kiss that’s not entirely appropriate for our current location of onlookers. He rests his forehead against mine after he pulls back and sighs. “God, I needed that. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

  Of course, his declaration has me returning his smile and placing another quick but soft kiss on his lips. “I’ve missed you too.”


  The clearing of a throat behind us gains our attention. “You’ve only been at work about five hours, Cole. It hardly requires a reunion like that,” Olivia says mockingly, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

  Julia laughs at Olivia’s comment but doesn’t seem concerned with Cole’s PDA. “Good morning, Doctor Tierney. We’ll talk again later, Gracie,” she says and heads across the room.

  “Good morning, Julia, and I’ve told you repeatedly to call me Cole,” he laughs.

  Julia shakes her head. “And I’ve told you that when we’re both on duty, I’ll stick to the formalities. Doctor Tierney.” She says his name with emphasis and narrows her eyes in a mock challenge of his request.

  Cole moves to Olivia and kisses her cheek. “Good morning, Mother dearest. You do look lovely today.”

  Olivia shakes her head, stands and taps his cheek with an open palm. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Son, but right now, I’ll leave you two to have a few minutes with my grandson. I’ll be back shortly.”

  Cole watches his mother leave, and you can see the adoration and love in his eyes. When he turns back, he asks, “So how’s my little man doing this morning?”

  I’m shocked he has to ask because he told me he always came to see Cooper before his shift. “Is this the first time you’ve seen him today?”

  He looks up at me as he puts his little finger in Cooper’s palm, allowing him to hold on. “No, I came in before I started, but that was hours ago.”

  I internally chuckle. Just as I thought.

  “How did your session with Kevin go?”

  “It was great. I’m getting stronger every day, and I walked a little further without the crutches.”

  Cole let's go of Cooper's hand and pulls me closer to him. “That’s fantastic, baby. I’m so proud of you and the progress you’re making. I wish I could be at your sessions.”

  “I do, too, but life goes on, and we have to get back to normal at some point.”

  Before he can say anything else, his pager goes off. With a roll of his eyes, he looks at it and says, “Well, that was a short break.” He gives me a peck on the nose. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you later, Sweet Cheeks. Bye, little man.”

  As he heads for the door, I remember the roses. “Cole.” He spins back to face me. “Thanks for the flowers this morning. They were gorgeous.”

  Confusion furrows his brow. “What flowers?”

  Now I’m confused. “The two dozen roses you sent to the house this morning.”

  His pager going off again captures his attention. “I didn’t send you any flowers, Gracie. Tell me about it later. It’s a 911 page. I really have to go.” And he’s out the door in a flash.

  A sense of foreboding settles in my stomach. Something doesn’t feel right at all.

  An hour or so passes, during which I hold my beautiful baby boy and sing him nursery rhymes. It’s just after midday when Olivia and I decide to go and get some lunch. Just as we’re about to leave the NICU, Julia and two other nurses come through the door, their body language tight with tension and their faces shrouded in anxiety. “Can I have everyone’s attention please?” Julia says, causing Olivia and I to stop in our tracks and wait for her to continue.

  Julia gazes around the room before her eye's land on me. “I don’t want you to be alarmed, but from this moment on you will all need to stay here in the NICU. The hospital has been put on lock down, which means no one is allowed in or out.”

  Olivia is the first to ask, “What’s going on, Julia? Have you been given any information other than that?”

  The way Julia looks at Olivia and then at me again tells me she has, but she denies knowing anything more. I make my way back over to Cooper and take a seat at his side. Call it intuition, but I know deep down in my soul, where fear is uncurling its dark claws and spreading its way through my psyche, this is bad. I know something is seriously wrong and when the other nurses attend to the rest of the family members and Julia makes her way over to Olivia and me, she confirms my fears.

  “I’m not going to tell the others, but if it was me, I’d want to know,” she says.

  “Know what, Julia?” Olivia demands. “What’s going on?”

  Julia looks at the ground and takes a breath. “All I’ve been told is that there’s a possible hostage situation in the ER. I think the person has a gun and the police have arrived. We’ve been put on lock down.”

  I think I hear Olivia gasp, and I’m sure she has hold of my hand, but my brain isn’t taking in the details surrounding me right now. Like firecrackers exploding in sky, details explode through my mind. The flowers weren’t from Cole. Today is the beginning. You will always be mine. The brakes were cut. The threatening notes. Cole’s the target. Oh, holy shit! It’s Cole. I know with everything I am that Cole, the love of my life, the father of my child, is in danger. And it’s all because this psycho wants me.

  Julia hurries away to answer the phone, while Olivia squeezes my hand repeatedly. “It’s all right. Everything will be okay,” she chants, and I’m sure it’s because she knows it’s Cole too.

  Movement at the door has both our heads snapping up and when John comes into view, his face ashen and creased in worry, any doubt that Cole isn’t involved in the ER situation flies out the door, taking my heart with it.

  Chapter 18

  Cole...

  Heading down to the ER in the elevator, my pager goes off again. Damn, they’re persistent. I’m only half way through my shift, yet I can’t wait for it to be over. It’s hard to readjust to being away from Gracie after so many weeks by her side, but like she said in the NICU, things need to get back to normal.

  As I exit the elevator and walk through the bustling corridors of the ER, Allison pokes her head out the door of one of the exam rooms. “Cole, I need you in here.” Her tone of voice tight and demanding.

  “I got a 911 page, Allison; I can’t stop at the moment,” I tell her, but before I can move on, she speaks again.

  “I paged you, Cole. I really need you in here, right now.”

  Her eyes widen marginally, and I’m confused by the pleading look about them. She isn’t displaying her usual calm demeanor and when she mouths what I think is the gun, alarm bells start going off in my head. The way she only has her head in view, her body hidden behind the door, the desperate pleading in her eyes and the fact that she called me Cole and not Doctor Tierney, tells me she’s in trouble.

  I notice the blinds in the windows of the room are closed tightly not allowing anyone to see in or out, so I tell Allison I’ll be just a minute and watch as she disappears back into the room closing the door behind her.

  Another exam door swings open and Hamish walks out; he's about to talk me, but I put my finger to my mouth indicating to him to remain quiet. I quickly grab the chart out of his hand. “Did you take the patient in exam room three for their x-ray yet?” I ask him as I quickly write on the chart.

  Hamish hesitates "No. I'm not covering exam room three,” he replies, clearly confused by my question.

  “Well, find out which nurse is and get it done. We’ve got other patients to see for God’s sake,” I snap.

  “Look, Doctor Tierney, that’s not my responsibility. I have my own patients to look after,” Hamish snaps back, but when I point to the chart, he looks up at me in shock after reading the words I’ve written there.

  Possible gun in exam room six. Allison’s in there.

  Alert triage nurse.

  “Just get it done, now!” I demand and walk to the door that Allison’s behind.

  “Right away, Doctor Tierney,” Hamish replies and hurries away.

  I stand at the door for a second and gather myself. I need to go in there calm, levelheaded and ready for anything. With a deep breath, I push the door open and step inside. “What have we got, Allison?” I ask, trying to give the impression that everything is normal, and I’m about to see a new patient.

  Allison’s whispered words, ‘I’m sorry’ barely register
before I hear, “Welcome to the party, cock sucker." And I’m crippled with blinding pain at the back of my head before everything goes black.

  God, the pain. I scrunch my eyes as I raise my hand and rub the back of my head; the massive lump I feel explains the intense pounding there. What the hell happened?

  “Wakey, wakey, asshole."

  The voice that exudes hatred is familiar, but I can’t place it. I open my eyes a fraction. Harsh light makes the throbbing pain worse and I slowly get into a sitting position on the floor. Awareness of my surroundings becomes clear, and I look around to find Allison only to meet the sinister glare of Troy. I fucking knew it. I ignore him and look around again for Allison, finally seeing her behind me sitting on the floor in the corner of the room.

  My concern for her safety, the tears streaming down her face and the fear in her eyes have me asking a ridiculous but necessary question. “Are you okay?”

  “Did I say you could talk, fucker?” Troy booms. His loud steps close the short distance between us before I feel cold steel flush against my temple.

  Allison whimpers and draws her legs in tighter to her body trying to make herself as small as possible.

  “You talk when I say you can talk. You got me?”

  He pushes what I know is the point of a gun against my head, causing it to jolt forward and sending piercing pain through me again.

  “You think you’re so damn smart. You think you can have what’s mine, but you’re fucking wrong!” his voice is menacing, the anger palpable as he continues to spew his hateful words. “Gracie was mine long before you came along, and she’ll be mine again after today. It should have been you in the fucking car, not her. I cut the brakes hoping you’d die but not only did you put your fucking kid in her, but you almost killed her as well.”

  Jesus, he’s just confessed to trying to kill me.

  He continues ranting but starts moving around the room. “I don’t know what the fuck you’ve done to brainwash her, but deep down, she loves me. When I’m finished here today, she’ll come home with me because she’ll realize what a cocksucker you are, and that it’s me she really loves.”