Say You Love Me (Welcome To Redemption #9)

by Donna Marie Rogers

  “I do,” Maddie said as she moved closer to the bed. She leaned in until she was only a hairsbreadth away from Noah’s face, and placed her little fingers against his cheek. “Noah?” she said in an absurdly loud whisper. “Please, you have to wake up. If you don’t, your snake will be sad cause you didn’t pick him up and take him home, like I did Delilah.”

  The tears finally fell from his mother’s lashes as she gripped her granddaughter’s shoulders. “Maddie’s right, Noah. That slithery little guy was super excited after you left the shop. As if he knew he was going to a good home. I even have all his things ready for you.”

  Bernie sniffled and swiped at her eyes.

  He leaned in and said to her in a low tone, “Would you like to step out of here for a few minutes? Get a cup of water or something?”

  She cleared her throat and gave her head a definitive shake. “No. I can’t leave his side until he regains consciousness. I…can’t.”

  “It’s okay, I understand. You just look as if you should maybe sit down.” He gave her upper arm a brisk rub, hating the tension hanging in the room. Though his mother was one of the kindest souls he knew, it worried him that she could very well hold a grudge against Bernie for keeping Noah from them.

  Much to Mike’s pleasant surprise, she pulled one of the chairs up next to the bed and touched his daughter’s arm. “Would you like to sit next to him? You’re welcome to keep talking to him. The doctor believes he can hear us.”

  He watched his mother’s expression over Bernie’s kind gesture, and felt a whoosh of relief as her gaze softened just the tiniest bit when she gave a slight nod of approval to Maddie.

  The little peanut hopped up and started chattering away about whatever television show they’d watched the other night. Mike pulled a second chair up beside Maddie’s for his mother, then guided Bernie to a third on the other side of the bed. She sat without question, which was a nice change, and he stood beside her as they all waited with heavy hearts for Noah to open his eyes.

  A good hour passed before her mother and Dale walked into the room. Rosemary’s hand flew to her face in shock at the sight of her grandson. She looked frantically around until her gaze found her daughter.

  Bernie glanced up and jumped from the chair as soon as she saw her mother. “Oh, mom,” she sobbed as she flew into her arms. “He’s still unconscious. I’m so worried…what if he never wakes up?”

  Rosemary cupped the back of her daughter’s head as they embraced. “Did you get the results of the CT scan yet?”

  Bernie pulled back, tucked a reddish-brown wisp of hair behind her ear, and crossed her arms across her chest. Mike decided to step forward at that point and offer a hesitant smile.

  “It was clean, thank God. Nothing but an ugly goose egg. But he hasn’t woken up yet, and it’s starting to scare me. If nothing is wrong, why won’t he wake up?”

  The last was said in a tearful whisper. Mike gripped her shoulder and pulled her against his side.

  Rosemary watched them with curiosity, but didn’t comment on the gesture. Instead, she took another look at Noah, then met his mother’s enigmatic gaze.

  “Hello, Beverly.”

  “Rosemary,” his mother replied in a clipped tone.

  Oh, boy.

  Rosemary started forward, pausing a few feet from the bed—and his mother. She gave her head a shake, probably over her grandson’s colorful appearance, though he couldn’t be sure since he couldn’t see her expression.

  His mom stood, and Mike’s pulse picked up. If a conversation was going to happen, he’d better try and herd everyone out into the waiting room.

  As if he’d willed them there, The nurse and Dr. Bowman stepped back into Noah’s room.

  His mom grasped Maddie’s hand and they slid the chairs back out of the way, while Rosemary stepped back and returned to her husband’s side.

  The nurse gently slipped a blood pressure cuff around his arm, while the doctor lifted Noah’s eyelids and flashed a little light into it and did a few other tests while they all watched in silence. When they were through, Dr. Bowman turned to Bernie. “His vitals are all normal, and his blood pressure’s holding steady, which is good.”

  “So why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Bernie asked, and though she kept her tone low, Mike knew she was getting dangerously close to losing it.

  “I wish I had an answer for you,” he said. “Sometimes it takes a few minutes, sometimes a few hours, and sometimes…longer. But the signs are all good, so all we can do is be patient and give him some more time to come around.” He smiled and walked out, the nurse right behind him.

  As soon as they were gone, Maddie pulled her chair back and resumed guard at Noah’s bedside. He smiled as she reached out and gave his cheek a soft slap, as if checking to see if he was faking.

  Mike grasped Bernie’s hand. “This might be a good time for all of us to talk. Maybe Dale could stay here with Maddie and Noah?”

  The older gentleman smiled. “I would be happy to.” He gave Rosemary’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading over and pulling a chair up to the bed, opposite of where Maddie sat. “Well, hello, young lady.”

  “Hi. My name is Maddie.”

  He chuckled. “I remember. You spent last weekend at my house.”

  Her face grew animated. “Oh, yeah! Noah said you had the nicest boats he’s ever seen. They were really nice. Can I go for a ride again next time?”

  “You bet. And we’ll roast marshmallows since we didn’t get a chance to last time.”

  As Dale continued his conversation with Maddie, Mike led a reluctant Bernie, and their mothers into the waiting room, which was thankfully still empty. He waited until they were all seated before speaking.

  “Today has been…a very hard day for all of us. But I hope we can clear the air before Noah regains consciousness. He’s our main focus right now.” He gestured between himself and Bernie. “I don’t want him waking up to a roomful of bickering people.”

  “Fine,” his mother began, directing her gaze at Rosemary. “I would like to know one thing. How could you allow your daughter to lie about losing the baby? That is simply…inconceivable to me.”

  “Do you mean the baby your son told her to murder?”

  “That is not what he said, and you know it.”

  “What exactly do you think an abortion is, Beverly?” Rosemary demanded. “He told her to abort the baby—Noah—as if he were something that needed to be exterminated.”

  “Mom,” Bernie broke in grasping her mother’s arm. “Mike and I have talked about this, and you know that. You said you didn’t hold a grudge.”

  Her mom cast Mike a quick, almost apologetic glance. “I didn’t. I don’t. It’s just… I felt attacked. This whole situation was put into motion when you demanded she abort the baby. Yes, I know you were young, and scared. But so was Bernie. And she already loved the little person growing inside her. Abortion wasn’t an option, so we made the best decision we could—for everyone.”

  “I didn’t mean to attack anyone,” his mom replied, the hostility gone from her tone. “It’s just…she never gave Michael a chance to make things right. Once he told his father and I, he rushed over to talk to her. But she told him she’d had a miscarriage and slammed the door in his face. And then—”

  “Mom,” Mike interrupted. “Like Bernie said, we’ve talked about this. We both handled the situation poorly and we’re both equally to blame.”

  Bernie grasped his hand as if needing emotional support.

  “Our only concern right now is our son,” he continued. “We can’t change the past, we know that. But we can move forward—together—and try to build the family we were always meant to have.” He lifted her hand and kissed it before meeting Rosemary’s gaze. “I love her. Always have. All I’ve ever wanted was a second chance, and she’s giving it to me.”

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Noah,” Bernie added as she met his mom’s gaze. “He may never forgive me for lying to him hi
s entire life. But from the moment I saw them together, I just wanted to bring father and son together, make things right. I think dad would understand,” she added with a glance at her mother.

  “He would, honey. I know he would. Natalie, too.”

  Mike looked up in surprise as Dale strode into the waiting room. He had a smile from ear to ear.

  “Noah’s awake!”

  Chapter 21

  “Oh, thank you, God,” Bernie cried as she clasped her hands and shot to her feet. Her son was going to be okay. Nothing else mattered.

  “It was the darndest thing,” Dale continued as they all hurried back to the ICU. “Maddie gave him another slap, and he grabbed her hand and said, “Quit hitting me, Red. My head’s killing me.”

  A nurse was already in the room checking Noah’s vitals when they spilled through the door.

  As soon as Bernie saw him, she burst into tears and rushed to his side. “You have no idea how happy I am to see those gorgeous brown eyes.”

  He cast her a quick glance before moving his gaze around the room as everyone piled in behind her. Maddie was sitting on the bed beside him, opposite the side of his broken arm.

  Beverly stepped up to the bed and touched her shoulder. “Sweetie, maybe you should get off the bed. You wouldn’t want to accidentally bump Noah’s arm.”

  “It’s fine,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse. “I told her she could lay next to me.”

  She nodded, an unsure smile hovering on her lips.

  Mike stepped up to the bed and tucked his hands into his front pockets. “You had us all pretty worried. How are you feeling?”

  Noah’s gaze wasn’t exactly hostile, but neither was it friendly. “Like a car ran me over.”

  “You were very lucky,” Bernie told him.

  “I guess.”

  The nurse smiled at Noah as she slid the blood pressure cuff back into the drawer. “I’ll be right back with the doctor.”

  Everyone was quiet for a moment, and Bernie wasn’t sure if they should just get everything out in the open, or wait until he was feeling better. He seemed more hesitant than hostile, which she took as a good sign.

  “So,” he said, running his gaze around the room again. “Has everyone but daddy dearest known all along? Was I the last one to know my whole life has been a lie?”

  Okay, so he hadn’t exactly let his anger go. Bernie sighed softly as she tried to decide exactly how to begin the conversation. He was right; he’d been lied to his whole life and deserved to know why.

  “I didn’t know,” Beverly said as she met Bernie’s gaze across the bed. “Maddie still doesn’t.”

  “What don’t I know?” Mike’s daughter asked.

  “You’re my sister, Red. My half-sister.”

  Her eyes grew round. “Are you my brother?”

  He actually chuckled, the sound giving Bernie a small bit of hope.

  “Well, yeah. That’s how it works.”

  She clapped her hands and looked at her dad. “Daddy, Noah’s my half-brother!”

  “I know, honey. That’s because he’s my son. Mine and Bernie’s.” He met her gaze and the love shining in his eyes gave her renewed strength, and faith that maybe, just maybe, everything would be all right after all.

  Maddie’s little brow furrowed as she looked back at Noah. “But I thought she was your sister, too.”

  “Yeah, so did I.”

  She seemed to consider that. “Well, I’ll share my daddy with you, if you share your Bernie with me.”

  Noah cast Bernie a quick glance, as if unsure what to think of her, and how to respond to Maddie. Suddenly, he winced and squeezed his eyes shut with a soft groan.

  “Are you okay,” Bernie asked, running a concerned gaze over him from head to toe.

  “My ribs are killing me.”

  “No surprise there, three of ’em are broken,” Mike explained.

  Bernie was about to go see what was taking the doctor so long when he stepped into the room.

  “I see you finally decided to wake from your nap,” he teased as he approached the bed. “Hello, Noah, I’m Dr. Bowman. How are you feeling?”

  “Like a car ran him over,” Maddie answered for him, echoing Noah’s response to Mike. A chorus of soft chuckles filled the room.

  After the doctor was done with his examination, he glanced around the room before speaking to her and Mike. “His vitals are all good, and though he’s going to start to look even more colorful thanks to those cuts and contusions, I expect Noah will make a full recovery.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Bowman. How long will he need to stay in the hospital?”

  “We’ll move him to a private room tonight, and we’ll need to keep him at least one more night for observation. I suspect he’ll be ready to head home by Friday.”

  “Thanks, Doc,” Mike said.

  “The bad news is visiting hours are over.” He turned back to Noah. “So only your mom and dad can stay once we have you settled in your own room.”

  As soon as he left, Beverly stood and grasped Maddie’s hand. “Well, young lady, since you have school in the morning, we should probably get going.”

  “But I wanna stay with Noah,” she said, pouting.

  “It’s okay, Red, I’ll see you tomorrow. Besides, I’m really tired. And Delilah’s probably going nuts wondering where you are.”

  Her mouth twisted with indecision. “I s’pose.” She slipped off the bed and grasped her grandmother’s hand. “Maybe we’ll bring you ice cream tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Noah, you take care of yourself,” Bev said, giving him a gentle pat on the leg.

  “You won’t sell my snake to anyone else, right?” he asked.

  “Not a chance. He’ll be waiting for you as soon as you’re ready to take him home.”

  “Cool, thanks.”

  She gave him a smile, and though it appeared as if she wanted to say more, she nodded and turned to Mike. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Maddie gets off to school in the morning. You just stay here and take care of your son.” She met Bernie’s gaze and a small, almost apologetic smile curved the older woman’s lips, before she led Maddie from the room.

  Her mom approached the bed. She smiled at her grandson. “I am so very grateful that you’re all right.”

  “Thanks.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence as neither of them knew what else to say.

  Her mom turned to her and asked, “Can Dale and I stay at your place tonight? I’d like to come back and visit in the morning, if that’s all right?”

  “Of course. But I hope you have your key with you since…crap. I just realized, my front door is probably wide open.”

  “Then we’d better get going,” Dale said giving Bernie a quick kiss and hug. “Noah, we’ll see you in the morning.”

  After a hug and a kiss from her mom, Dale escorted her out of the room.

  And that left just the three of them.

  Surprisingly, Noah was the first to speak. “You guys can leave, too. I mean…I’m fine.”

  “There isn’t a chance in hell I’m leaving your side,” Bernie told him as she approached the bed. “I realize I’m the last person you want to talk to, and that’s fine. But there’s no way I’m leaving you.”

  He finally met her gaze, “Why not? Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “You’re old enough to know there was a lot more to it than that,” Mike said before Bernie could respond. “Let her explain.”

  Noah turned his head away from them and muttered, “I don’t want to talk about it. Can’t you guys just…go?”

  Bernie reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. Ignoring the sharp pain in her heart, she spoke, fighting through her emotions. “Noah, I am so sorry I lied to you.” She looked up and met Mike’s gaze. “And you, Mike. I’m so sorry I lied to both of you.”

  Mike smiled and gave a small nod, letting her know he forgave her, lending her moral support.

  She returned her gaze
to her son. “I just need you to understand something. The only reason I agreed to let Dad and Natalie adopt you is because I would get to be a part of your life. I was barely old enough to take care of myself, let alone take care of a baby. I was so scared; I’d never even held one before. My parents both worked full-time, so I would’ve had to quit school, which I would have done in a heartbeat, but…what kind of a life could I have given you at fifteen?

  “And Natalie had been trying for years to get pregnant; she wanted a baby so bad. The hope shining in her eyes when Dad suggested they adopt you…it just seemed like fate or something, you know? I would get to have you in my life, and Natalie would get the baby the doctor’s told her she’d probably never have on her own.”

  Tears stung her eyes and slipped down her cheeks, and Mike strode over to take her in his arms.

  “Noah,” Mike said as she wiped the tears from her face. “You have every right and reason to hate me, I get that. I’m the one who screwed up our lives. I was so afraid my dad would send me away when he found out, that I…I said something so awful I still have nightmares about it. I’ve lived with the fear that my words caused your mother to miscarry. To discover the truth after all these years, that I had a son, was a major shock—but also the best news of my life. So, if you never want to speak to me again, I have no choice but to live with that. But please don’t hate your mother. She made the best decision she could under the circumstances, and she loves you more than anything.”

  The silence that followed was so palpable it was if time stood still. She was just starting to think he wouldn’t respond when he turned to face them.

  “I don’t hate…her. Or you. Not really. It’s myself I hate. I’m the reason my parents are dead. This is all just…more than I can handle right now.”

  Stunned, Bernie sat on the edge of his bed, though she didn’t touch him. “Why in the world would you think such a thing? Noah, you had nothing to do with their accident.”

  “The only fault lies with the young woman who was driving too fast for conditions,” Mike concurred. “You did nothing wrong, kid, I promise.”