by Mia Michelle
“Sebastian,” Skylar whispers in her sleep. She never opens her eyes, just moves her head, and mumbles.
“Shh… sleep baby. Sleep. Everything is going to be all right now.”
The buzzing of my phone in my pocket jolts me awake. Immediately, I wince in pain at the catch in my neck from the position I’d been laying across the bed. Digging out the relentless vibration from my pocket, I see Harrison’s name appear.
“Where the hell is Drake? Is he with you?”
“No, sir. I can’t get up with him on the phone. Were you able to get Mrs. Thorne out safely?”
“We’re at the hospital now. We had a close call with the baby and we don’t know if we are out of the woods yet. She’s resting at the moment.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I just wish we could have reached her sooner. Do you need me to do anything?”
“Just find him!”
“Yes, sir.”
Hanging up, I check my phone once more, but there are no missed calls or messages. Knowing how Lucas feels about Skylar, nothing would stop him from checking on her. Something just isn’t right and my gut tells me that it isn’t good.
Harrison calls again just as I’m pouring another disgusting cup of coffee from the visitors’ station.
“Mr. Thorne, I’m sending you pictures to your phone. You need to see this.”
My phone shakes from the incoming texts. Downloading the attachment, I slide through picture after picture of a burned smoldering warehouse. Putting the phone back up to my ear, I continue our conversation.
“He burned it?”
“I don’t know, sir. I can’t get up with him, and since he’s not made contact with you or anyone else, I’m concerned he didn’t get out of the building in time. I have a contact in the fire department, and he’s supposed to let me know what they find.”
“Very good. In the meantime, keep trying to get Drake on the phone. Call me the moment you hear anything.”
“I will, sir.”
Looking back through the pictures, I can’t help but worry that maybe he didn’t make it out of the warehouse. If that is the case, then the news will devastate Skylar. So I will make the decision that until I know something for sure, I’m certainly not going to mention anything to her. Settling back in the chair beside her, I take my wife’s hand into mine, close my eyes, and listen to the soothing sounds of heartbeats filling the room.
Skylar
Blinking my eyes open, I see Sebastian sitting beside me asleep in the chair, his hand holding mine. Panic fills me as the hazy feeling in my head begins subsiding.
My baby.
Throwing back the covers, I pull up my hospital gown, revealing the fetal monitor firmly wrapped around my body. Purple and black marks peek out from the elastic belt, reminding me of Brandon’s vicious attack. The rapid sounds of her heartbeat are the sweetest song I’ll ever hear. Closing my eyes, I bring my other hand up to my stomach.
My baby. She’s safe.
It hurts so much to move, and when I do, my head feels so funny. The room is so hot and I’m dying for a drink of water. Squeezing his hand, Sebastian immediately jumps to his feet and by my side, looking so relieved.
“I’m so happy to see those eyes. How are you feeling, sweetheart?” he asks, touching my face.
“The baby. How is the baby?”
“Shh. Our daughter is doing just fine right now.” He smiles.
“You promise? She’s okay?”
“I promise she’s doing great. They are watching her closely.”
“Thank God!” Relieved, I lay my head back on the pillow.
“Did the kicking hurt her?”
“No, it didn’t, but it did cause you to go into preterm labor. The doctors here were able to stop it with medicine. They took you off it a few hours ago and so far, the contractions haven’t returned. They want you to be very careful for a while. So no arguments, I’m taking care of my girls.” He beams.
“You’re proud of yourself. Aren’t you?” I say and he laughs.
“I told you, I’ve felt it from the beginning. I never knew I could wish anything more in existence, and yet I had.”
“What if the contractions come back?”
“Then they’ll try some different medicine, whatever it takes. We are going to think about happy things, positive things. Everything is finally going to be all right.”
“What about Brandon? Did they arrest him? Please tell me he is in jail.”
“He’s dead, Skylar. He won’t ever bother us or anyone ever again.” Sebastian leans in and presses his forehead against mine.
“I am so sorry I couldn’t stop him, baby.” I feel his warm tears on my skin.
“Hey. It’s over now. You couldn’t have stopped him. You and I both know he would’ve killed me if you hadn’t backed down.”
“That son of a bitch tried to cut the baby out of you, Skylar. I won’t ever forgive myself for that. If Lucas hadn’t stopped him, I don’t know what I’d have done.”
“Lucas? He was there, too?”
“Yeah, he came in to back me up. He had to sneak in to take him out.”
“So Lucas killed him?”
“Yes.”
“Where is he? I want to thank him.”
“He’s not here right now, Skylar.”
“Don’t tell me you two can’t get along after all of this. I know what he did was wrong, but he saved me.”
“Baby, I know that. He’ll be here soon. Why don’t you rest a bit and I’ll give him a call.”
“Okay,” I say through my yawn. Kissing me gently on the lips, I catch a glimpse of something in his eye.
Worry.
“Wow! It looks like we have a floral shop in here.” Dr. Lewis smiles as she enters my room.
“Yeah, my husband tends to go overboard with these things.” Looking around the room at all of the pink flowers and bows, I can’t help but shake my head and laugh. Yep, he’s gone really overboard, but he’s just excited about his daughter.
“How are we feeling today?” Dr. Lewis asks as she checks me over.
“Just sore, but so thankful. Thank you so much for saving my baby.”
“That’s my job. Just like it’s your job to take care of yourself. The contractions have stayed gone for 24 hours now, but I’d still like to keep you here for a couple more days just in case.”
Frowning at her words, I want nothing more than to sleep in my own bed. But when it comes to this baby, her safety comes first. I’ll stay as long as I need to in order to carry her to term. Sebastian comes in the door carrying a huge bouquet of pink lilies and a big pink bear.
Dr. Lewis smiles and pats me on the arm. “You’re a lucky girl, Mrs. Thorne. In more ways than one.”
“I know,” I whisper.
“I’ll be back in to check on you when I make my rounds. Be sure to take care of her, Dad.”
“Dad. That’s got a nice ring to it,” he says, winking.
“I got these for you,” he says, moving in to kiss me. He’s been home to shower and change, and God, does he ever smell good.
“They are beautiful, but you really are going to have to stop with all of this.”
Walking over, he looks for an open place to sit the flowers and bear.
“Hmm. Maybe they can move you into a bigger room.”
Laughing, I hold the pillow to my stomach to ease the pain.
“You are too much, Mr. Thorne.” The way he looks at me always takes my breath away. But the way he’s looking at me now just levels me with its purity. There is no doubt the depth of his love for me. Never.
Coming over to the bed, he drags the chair closer and takes my hand.
“I know you aren’t used to this, but you are going to have to get used to me doing it. When it comes to you, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t give you or do for you. You own me. Every part of me. I need you to understand that. Maybe being in a hospital room makes it seem less romantic, but I don’t care. I want you to know that I will love you fore
ver and I will lavish you as much as I want for the rest of our lives together. And this little girl and all of her brothers and sisters to come can expect the same. I do it because I want to, not because I can.”
The gates have opened and my face is flooded with my own tears, happy tears.
“I love you so much Sebastian. So. So. Much.”
Touching my face, his dark amber eyes lock onto mine, “Not as much as I love you, Skylar.”
Sebastian
Two days after the attack, Lucas’ name finally pops up on my caller ID.
“Where the fuck are you?” I shout into the phone, prepared to give him a fucking piece of my mind. Skylar asks about him every freaking hour and I’ve run out of excuses and diversions. Harrison’s contact had confirmed that only one body had been recovered in the fire. Although there has not been an official announcement, the contact had said that it’s definitely Brandon. Knowing that, I am fucking pissed Lucas has waited this long to contact me.
“Is this Sebastian Thorne?” A female voice comes over the line.
Confused, I look back down at the phone to make sure I hadn’t seen that wrong. When I see that it is indeed Lucas’ number, I grow anxious. Why is she using Lucas’ phone?
“Yes, I’m Sebastian Thorne. Who is this?”
“I’m calling from Seton Medical Center.”
“Seton Medical Center? I’m here now with my wife. Why are you calling from Lucas Drake’s phone? Is he looking for us?”
“No, Mr. Thorne, we have a male patient that was brought into our critical care unit the day before yesterday. He had no ID on him and the emergency workers managed to retrieve this phone from the accident. You were the last number on it and we were hoping you could help identify him so we can notify his family. You say his name is Lucas Drake?”
“Yes, well, I mean this phone number belongs to Lucas, but unless I was to see him, I wouldn’t be able to say for certain. I’ve been expecting to hear from him since the day before yesterday and haven’t been able to reach him. You said he was in an accident. Do you know what happened?”
“I’m afraid he was involved in a severe automobile accident. That is all I know. Would you be willing to see if you can confirm his identity?”
“Yes, of course. You say he’s in critical care. How is he doing?” I ask, making my way to the elevator.
“I’m afraid Mr. Thorne that, unless you’re family, I can’t speak to you about his condition.”
“What floor are you on? I’m on my way to the elevator now.”
“Critical care is on the ninth floor. If you come to the front desk, I will meet you there. My name is Katie.”
“I’m on my way up now,” I say, hanging up the phone and pressing the 9 button on the inside panel.
Critical care? This really doesn’t sound good.
I see a short brown haired girl with glasses at the desk, so I make my way to her.
“Katie?” I ask and she nods.
“I’m Mr. Thorne.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you for agreeing to do this, follow me, Mr. Thorne. We need to confirm the patient’s identity immediately.”
“You say he’s been here for two days now?”
“Yes, sir. The authorities tried tracing the registration of the car he was driving, but they came up empty handed. Since he had no ID on him when they brought him in, we have had no way of knowing who he was or how to contact his family.”
Swiping her badge, the doors open and we enter the critical care unit. Katie walks us to a nurses’ station where several men in white coats are standing, looking over some sort of chart.
“Dr. Morris, this is Mr. Thorne. He’s the name on the phone we retrieved for the man in Room 108. Hopefully he can help us identify the patient.”
“Hello, Mr. Thorne. We were just discussing the patient in question. Come with me, he’s in the last room down the hall. I’ll take you there myself.”
Nodding, I follow him back down the hall past several glass rooms where patients are currently occupying. When we reach Room 108, he opens the door and waves me inside. The chilly room is so dimly lit that I can barely see. However, as I move closer, I catch a glimpse of his upper face, and immediately, I know it’s Lucas.
Draping over the bed are tubes of all shapes and size, all of which attach his body to a machine. The large white accordion breathing tube covers most of his lower face. Stunned, I listen to the loud beep, and then the quiet swoosh of air being forced into his chest.
Dear Lord, this is bad.
“Mr. Thorne?” The doctor’s voice brings me out of my trance.
“Um, Yes. I’m sorry. This is all just a shock. I thought I’d be more prepared.”
“So it is your friend, then?”
Friend? I wouldn’t go that far. I owe him, though. He’d saved her and I will always be in debt to him for that.
“That’s definitely Lucas Drake. I can have my secretary send you a list of his family to contact if you like. I know they’ll want to know.”
“Certainly. I’m sure they will be thankful for that. You can just give Katie the information and she will contact them,” he says, ushering me out.
“Can I have just a minute with him alone?” I ask.
The doctor hesitates for a minute, but then nods.
“Yes, of course, but just for a minute. I’ll be just outside the door.”
I wait for him to leave before I make my way closer to Lucas. Flashbacks of seeing Skylar like this before sicken me.
How can so much horror have occurred to all of us?
I wait for the right words to come, but I don’t know what to say. Regardless of whether or not he can hear me, I need to thank him.
“Lucas, I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but I need to thank you for what you’ve done. You saved my family, and I can’t ever thank you enough for that. If you hadn’t been there… I’d have lost everything,” I say, choking up.
“Skylar and the baby are all right, but she won’t be able to handle it if she loses someone else she cares about. You have to fight through this for her, because she will never forgive herself if she didn’t get to thank you for what you’ve done.”
Turning to leave, I look back to him.
“Thank you, Lucas. Now fight.”
Exiting the room, I follow the doctor out of the unit. Before I leave to check on Skylar, I put them in touch with Sara to get the rest of the info on his family. I just wish I could do more to help, especially after everything he’s done.
Approaching her room, I stop and look at the people staring into the nursery. Dads smile, grandparents hug, and friends congratulate one another. I just hope and pray everything goes all right and that we’ll get this opportunity. I worry about keeping this from her. She’ll be so angry and I promised I’d never do it again. I just also know Dr. Lewis had said she didn’t need to be upset unnecessarily. It’s one reason the police haven’t been back to question her yet.
Her beaming smile greets me as I enter the room, but her smile quickly fades when she sees my face. It’s no use trying to hide this. This woman knows me all too well. She sees right through me.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Lucas.”
“What? He doesn’t want to come see me?” she asks.
“No, baby. We’ve been trying to contact him since that day. He’s been in the ICU upstairs. They didn’t have an ID on him until just a little bit ago when I confirmed it. They’re trying to contact his family now.”
“What happened?” she says, covering her mouth in shock.
“Car accident. That’s all I know right now.”
“I have to go see him,” she says, throwing off the covers. “His mother will be beside herself.”
“No, not yet, Skylar. I can’t risk you getting upset and the contractions returning. I debated on telling you anything in the first place, but I know you need to know.”
“What if he doesn’t make it? After everything he did for me… for us, he can
’t die. Why does everyone I care about get hurt because of me?”
“You know that isn’t true. Nothing that has happened has been your fault. You know Lucas would tell you the same thing,” I say, pulling her into my arms.
“I just want everything to be okay.”
“I know baby, me too. Me too.”
Skylar
It’s been four days now and finally they are discharging me to go home. The baby looks and sounds great on the ultrasound we had this morning. Sebastian couldn’t take his eyes off the screen the entire time. He even joked and said he wanted to buy a sonogram machine for our house. Or at least I think he had been joking. That’s just it, with him you never know.
He’d even bought us frames from the gift shop downstairs to put the ultrasound pictures in. The same gift shop he has damn near bought out in the past four days. Since I had so many beautiful flowers, I had them share them with patients on the cancer floor in hopes that it brightens someone’s day.
Sebastian had been in close contact with Lucas’ family about his condition. His mother, Rebecca is staying here at the hospital with him. She’d told Sebastian that they were able to take him off the ventilator and move him into a regular room. His doctors are optimistic that once some of the swelling in his brain subsides that he will wake up. I pray that happens soon because I need to thank him for saving me.
Sebastian walks into my room pushing a wheelchair, just as the nurse is removing the last of my IV needles in my arm.
“Who wants to break out of here?” he teases, pulling the chair next to the bed where I’m sitting.
“There you go, Mrs. Thorne. You are ready to go,” the nurse says, handing me my official discharge slip.
“Dr. Lewis will see you next week for your follow up. Oh, and a reminder,” she pauses, looking at Sebastian and then turning back to me, “no sexual intercourse until the doctor clears you.”
Sebastian extends his arm to help me in the chair.
“Hear that, babe? You have to control yourself around me. No more tying me up and spanking me for a while.”
“SEBASTIAN!” I say, slapping his chest. The nurse just laughs and leaves us alone. Turning the chair around to face him, he places his hands firmly on the armrests and inches forward to kiss me.