Come for Me

by Ford, Mia

  “Oh, thank you, darling, that’s just so kind of you. You might have to eat it for me though, so it doesn’t melt, do you think you might be able to do that for me? Keep it safe in your tummy?”

  “Yes, Mommy, I will. And I’ll see you soon. I love you too.”

  He hops down and walks towards Pippa and Tommy. They reach out and take his hand to take him from the room. I smile and nod, indicating that it’s okay for them to go, I don’t mind being left alone with Jayden. It isn’t until they go that I start to feel that cold, empty sadness once more. This happy ending isn’t quite complete.

  “Oh, Jayden,” I sigh wearily. “You have no idea of everything that you’ve done for me. You’ve absolutely saved me. My boy too. You were the only one who listened to me, who heard what I had to say, who believed me enough to follow through on my theory, to find my son. The way that Bryan was, how desperate he was becoming, I honestly don’t know what would have happened had we left it any longer.” I shudder, hating that thought. “You saved us all and you endangered yourself in the process. I never wanted that, I didn’t want you to end up in trouble.” I sigh and glance down. “I never wanted anything bad to happen to you, it makes me think that I shouldn’t ever have called you. I do feel bad about dragging you into this.”

  I move into a standing position and pace the room as my feelings flow free. I haven’t spoken much to Jayden over the past few days, but now it’s all coming out.

  “I just knew that you were someone I could believe in, I understood that you would help me. I could believe in you. And you came through. Boy, did you come through! You made everything all okay again. I just wish that you hadn’t gotten hurt in the process so we could continue to pick up where we left off ten years ago, when things were perfect. Everything between me and you has made me the happiest that I’ve ever been.”

  I turn to face him and I feel compelled to go and sit by his side once more. I grab his hand and look at him, letting all the love inside of me out. There’s no point in keeping it back any longer because I might not get a chance to say it again. I hate to think it, but as the days pass it becomes increasingly clear that he might not live.

  “Oh, Jayden, I love you so much. I don’t want to let you go. Don’t make me let you go.”

  I feel a flicker. I don’t even know where it comes from really, it just jolts somewhere inside of me. A new flower of hope builds, I’m not even sure where from, but I cling to it. If there’s one thing that all of this has taught me it’s that hope can get me through more than anything else. I need to hold onto it forever.

  “Jayden?” My voice is bubbling with nerves now, I can’t help it. “Are you in there? Jayden?”

  Something so miraculous happens I’m sure I must be imagining it. An intense warm happiness floods my body completely as I see the gorgeous sight of his wonderful eyes open once more.

  “Oh my God, Jayden. You’re still alive! Oh, thank goodness!”

  I wrap my arms around him, engulfing him in a hug. I don’t hear the words I love you too from him, he’s too sick for that, but I can feel it. I can feel that future Pippa suggested coming once more.

  30

  Jayden

  “You look like shit.”

  I let out a laugh, surprisingly appreciative of his bluntness. “Thanks, Tommy, I needed that.”

  “Oh, I know it isn’t the best thing for me to say since you’re in a hospital bed and all that, but you do.”

  “Well, I don’t know how you expect me to look when I’ve just been shot, but shit just about covers how I feel too.” I cough a little, really meaning what I say. “At least we did it, right? At least we solved it all.”

  “We sure did, buddy.” He pats my hand. “I didn’t think we would a lot of times but we did it.”

  I turn my head to really look at him. “How come you’re so well? You were beaten too?”

  “I wasn’t so much beaten as I had my head smashed against the wall and it knocked me out. Bryan wasn’t a strong fighter, just a clever one. I think he must have had some professional training.” He offers me a one shouldered shrug, trying to play down the whole mess. “But I only had surface wounds anyway. Nothing to worry about. They cleaned me up four days ago when we were first bought in here.”

  Four days should feel like such a long time but it doesn’t. It whizzed past for me because I was out of it. It doesn’t really feel like any time has passed at all. I could almost think I’m still in the warehouse if I wanted to. But I don’t want to ever be back there at all. Ever. The hospital is much better, even if I don’t like it either.

  “And Bryan is locked up? I know that Savanah said he is, but I want to be sure…”

  “He is.” Tommy nods. “They all are. We don’t have to worry at all. Until the trial.”

  “You think he’ll plead ‘not guilty’? What with all the evidence stacked up against him? That’d be crazy.”

  “Oh, for sure. Bryan Janssen is the type of man who will fight it until the bitter end.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to let this go. He will want to get up in the witness box and pour out his story of woe. I’m sure he’ll have lots of people on his side too.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that for now. We have plenty of other things to think about first. That will come, but it’ll take time. So will the police statement, but for now you just need to get better.”

  “Tell me about what happened afterwards. Savannah was a little blurry.”

  “Yeah, I’m not surprised. She fell apart. She collapsed and caved. I don’t think she’ll ever remember it. I wasn’t there for all of it either, but as far as I know, the cops burst in and they took out Bryan just after he shot you. They got an ambulance to sort everyone out, and yeah… that’s about it really. Peter was already out of the building, Savannah had found a way to sneak him through the window…”

  “Of course she did. She would have done anything to save him.”

  “Yeah, so he was outside with Pippa. Everyone was fine. Everyone is fine apart from you.” He gives me a bright smile. “But you were too busy being the hero, so I suppose that’s to be expected.”

  “I was just trying to end it. I wasn’t thinking about being any sort of hero, you know that.”

  “Well, you certainly did that.” He leans back in his chair. “So, now there’s something else I need to ask you.”

  “There is? Do I need to sit up straighter for this?”

  Tommy laughs. “I don’t know about that, it’s just about you and Savannah.”

  “Me and Savannah? Yeah, okay.” I do sit up straighter. “Sure, what do you want to know?”

  “You love her, right? I mean, you really love her? More than anything.”

  “I do.” I can’t keep the smile from my face. “I love her so much. I haven’t ever stopped.”

  “You know, I’ve put a downer on love ever since… well, you know all the drama with my ex, but there’s something about you and Savannah that makes me see things differently. Now, I’m not about to turn into a gross soppy asshole who wants to get married at the first opportunity or anything like that, but I might be less closed off. I might… I don’t know, I might try and be a bit more open to other people.”

  “Wow. I am genuinely shocked. I never thought that day would come.”

  “No, me neither, but then I didn’t think I would ever come here to help you with the woman who broke your heart ten years ago either, but here we are. A lot of things have changed, but for the better.”

  “Things with Savannah are going to be good now,” I reassure him. “I promise you, she won’t hurt me again. Everything is so much different this time around. We’re real. What we share is genuine.”

  “Yeah, I can see this. I was wrong. But what does this mean for you and your career? Are things going to change?” Tommy suddenly realizes that he’s gone too far. “Sorry, I know that’s another thing that can come later. I’m sorry, I’m just… getting carr
ied away here that’s all. You know what I’m like.”

  “As soon as I have any answers for you, I’ll let you know. Right now, I just want to get out of the hospital sooner rather than later. I’ve only just woken up and I’m already sick of being here.”

  “Yeah, I bet, I have to admit that it doesn’t suit you. But I’m sure it won’t be long. As far as I know the doctors are sick of you being here too. They want the bed freed up so they can get someone nice in it.”

  “Oh, ha ha,” I shoot back sarcastically. “You are a comedy genius, Tommy.”

  Before either of us can say anything else, the door swings open and I find myself with a very surprising visitor on the other side of the door. Mr. Donald who looks in a real state of guilt.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says awkwardly as he sees me and Tommy sitting together. “I just heard the good news that you’re awake, Jayden, and I wanted to have a word with you.”

  “Erm, yeah sure.” I give Tommy a look, indicating that it’s okay for him to leave. “Come in.”

  Tommy doesn’t look certain but he pulls away and moves from the room anyway. He gives me a half wave and scoots out, leaving me and Mr. Donald completely alone. I feel oddly nervous at the prospect.

  “How are you feeling?” he asks quietly. “I know that must have been quite a shock for you.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m okay. Physically, the doctor said I wouldn’t have any trouble recovering.”

  “That’s good news.” He slips himself onto the seat. “I really didn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

  “No, well aside from getting shot I’m doing okay, thank you very much.”

  “I know, I’m so sorry about that. You were so brave and you protected my daughter.” His head falls into his hands. “You did what I couldn’t and I can’t express my gratitude for that. You’re a wonderful man.”

  I feel uncomfortable under the wave of compliments from the last person in the world I expected to get them from. Even after everything that happened I never would have thought that Mr. Donald would be like this.

  “Erm, right… okay…” I don’t know what to say to that, it all feels a bit too much. “Yeah, it’s okay.”

  “No, it really isn’t. Everything that I did isn’t okay and I feel horrible for it. Now that I’ve lost everything I fought for, I can see how frivolous that all was. I focused on the wrong things and that allowed me to get trampled over by a horrible manipulative man. A mistake I will never make again.”

  “Have you spoken to Savannah about all of this?”

  “I have tried, but she’s not ready yet. I can only hope that you being awake cures that. I have to hope something changes her view on me.” He shakes his head. “I don’t know, I can only hope, I suppose.”

  I don’t know what to say. I can’t be sure of anything when it comes to Savannah’s feelings. She might never make the choice to ever speak to her father again and I won’t be able to blame her. He did start off a wave of events that almost got everyone killed, including her son.

  “Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for everything I did to you too. Pippa has told me everything, I now know that you two were something of an item in college before I ruined that.”

  I don’t correct him by letting him know that it was just a kiss. I want him to feel what could have been, all the years that we missed out on because of his poor decisions. I simply nod and let him stew.

  “Right, well I’m sorry. I spent so long trying to make things right for other people that I ended up making it wrong for many other people. I certainly wasn’t noble. I just made a big old mess of things.”

  He’s feeling sorry for himself, which isn’t right, but I don’t think having words with him will help now. I can’t punish him any more than he is himself. “You know, there is time now to make things right.”

  “Yes, I know. And that’s what I intend to do. I came here first to say sorry to you. I want to make things right with you. I want you to know that I am sorry and I’ll do what I can to make it up to you.”

  I nod slowly. “Sure, I appreciate that, but I honestly think what you need to do is focus on Savannah.”

  “I will. I am. I’m just waiting for her to be ready for me.” We pause for a moment, there’s a thick silence which clings to the air before he speaks again. “I know that you love Savannah. I know it. And if she loves you too, I know that you’ll be happy together. I would be happy for you to be together.”

  “Thank you very much. But I think we have a lot to do before we get to that point. You know, there will be a lot of police stuff and the trial to go through. I don’t think we’ll be worrying about that…”

  Mr. Donald smiles at me and stands. “Right, well I have taken up enough of your time. I’m sure Tommy will want to come back in here in a moment so I’ll leave you alone. But thank you again. You’re an amazing person.”

  I nod and watch him leave, confusion flooding through me. That was really something else. My life has been a big ball of confusion ever since I first woke up, nothing is what it once was, all the pieces are scattered everywhere. I don’t know how I’m going to pick it all back up again. But it’s good. It’s all good. Because whatever comes next it has to be better than what I had before. Savannah will be in it.

  I feel really positive about the future, especially when it comes to my love life. I genuinely think that everything might get back on the path it’s supposed to be on.

  I lean my head back on the pillow and I think about my potential future. I really feel like it’s going to be amazing and I cannot wait for it. I can’t wait for Savannah to come back in the morning so we can talk some more and plan. We have so much waiting for us, all of it good.

  31

  Savannah

  I glance my eyes around the room, feeling like I’m in trouble just for being in a police station. I’m sure my flushed red cheeks must be making me look guilty, but I haven’t even done anything. I’m the victim here, for help not to be interrogated. I’ve done everything relating to the statement anyway so I’ve done everything that needs to be worried about. This is purely a meeting for the police to catch up with me.

  “So, Savannah, how are you feeling?” Officer Turner asks me with a smile. “Are you better now?”

  “I’m doing well, thank you. Everyone is doing much better these days. It’s good news all round actually.”

  “And Jayden is doing well? I know that he was struggling to walk for a while? Is he improving yet?”

  “He’s still on his crutches.” I smile to myself knowing how much he hates those things, probably because they make him seem weak. In his mind anyway. To me, he will always be a hero, and to my son too. “But he’s doing much better every single day. He’ll be back on his feet properly in no time. He’s strong. Inside, and that’s coming out now. With Tommy encouraging him in his own special way, he’s becoming himself again.”

  I don’t know what that means for me and him to be honest, when he does get better and he returns to the army. I presume since we’re so much in love that we’ll find a way to make it work, but I can’t be positive. I guess that’s a bridge we’ll cross when we get to it. After everything that we’ve been through, I’m trying to live in the moment.

  “Well, that’s just wonderful. I’m very happy to hear it. I know that you’ve all been through a very traumatic experience so it’s good to see you all getting back on your feet. Have you thought about any more about therapy?”

  “Therapy?” I narrow my eyes, knowing that I don’t need it There’s no way that I’ll be able to talk to anyone again after what happened last time. My period in the facility has traumatized me. When it comes to therapy anyway. “I actually don’t think that will benefit me. I don’t want to talk about what happened again, I just want to focus on moving forwards.” I smile serenely at Officer Turner. “I’m actually thinking about getting back to college soon, to finish off what I started a decade ago. I want to finally get that English qualification.”

 
; “Oh, I think that would be really great for you. A positive start again. Of course, you do know that you’re going to have to go over everything again when it comes to trial? Considering who the defendant is, we’re going to need all the evidence possible. That will require you to be on top form. You’ll have to remember everything.”

  “Oh, trust me. I might be wanting to move past this but I won’t ever forget any of it. I’ve been through hell with Bryan. Not only did I have this traumatic kidnapping thing with him, I had all the lies when it came to Peter, he told me that my child was dead and forced me into a mental health facility. Then there were the years of fear and cheating beforehand. Every single bit of that is lodged permanently into my brain. Ready for the day when I can be heard in front of a jury and I can let my story be known. I’m more than ready for it.”

  Determination floods me. I do go through waves of fear. I panic that people might fall for Bryan’s charm even in the witness box. Especially if he has a lot of character witnesses supporting him, but I need to forget about him in that moment and see it as my chance. It’s my time to get it all out. Like a purge, get some closure finally.

  “Yeah, I can imagine so. And to be perfectly honest with you, even with the ‘not guilty’ plea, it’s going to be a very strong case. With all the evidence provided by everyone, especially with everything that your father has given us, it’s going to be quite straight forward. Let’s just hope we get a good jury on the day.”

  I nod thinking about my father. I haven’t had anything to do with him ever since the incident. He’s around, he sees Peter a lot, but I haven’t given him a chance to speak to me. I’m sure he knows that I’ll let him eventually which is why he isn’t pushing it too hard, but I haven’t been ready so far. Today is different, today I might.

  “Yeah, well that’s good news,” I mutter idly while twiddling my thumbs. “Everything will help.”