Excitement filled me as I put Francesca at arm’s length. “He’s coming back to you.”
Francesca’s face lit up like the day I saw her for the first time with Carson. “I can’t wait to have him in my arms.”
Me, either. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I watched Francesca race to put her shoes on. In less than a minute we were headed to the door when Trent walked into the suite. “Andre is waiting out front to drive you guys back.”
There was all of this wasted food. “Trent, Francesca and I ordered this. Please see if your men want any of it.”
“I will.”
Not a moment to spare, we hurried down the hall at almost a jog. Thank you, Carson. Thank you for fighting. The ride down the elevator took forever.
Andre stood outside the driver’s door. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Afternoon, Andre.”
Gabe sat in the front seat next to Andre wile Francesca sat next to me. She grabbed my hand. “I hope today is the day.”
“Me, too.”
It had been a long two weeks. I was on pins and needles waiting to have Carson back with us. At the hospital we were out of the car before Andre put it in park. At the door, a security team member greeted us to escort us upstairs. Gabe was close behind.
There were a couple of times this last week when I wondered if we would be having a moment like this. We were almost at a jog when we exited the elevator on Carson’s floor. A nurse was checking Carson’s vitals. When we stepped around her, I saw his beautiful blue irises staring back at me.
I gasped as I covered my mouth, choking an ecstatic sob. I had missed this face being full of life. Francesca was at his side in an instance as I stayed rooted in place giving them their moment. She was sobbing. Carson’s hand came up and touched the back of her head. The movement weak and shaky. The tubes had been removed after the respiratory doctor and anesthesiologist gave the clear. He was stronger than I would have thought.
“Shh… it’s okay, baby. It’s okay,” Carson said in a voice hoarse from being intubated for two weeks.
Reaching back for Gabe, he wasn’t there. Frantically, I turned around and then saw him standing in the doorway. Carson. He had no idea.
Bennett came up to me. “He came to right after we called. We told him about Gabe. The cliff note’s version at least. I figured when you two talk you could give him the full one. He knows you and the baby are okay.”
“Thanks, Bennett.” I hugged him. “We have him back.”
“Yes we do, Willow. Yes we do.”
I walked to the end of the bed and touched Carson’s covered foot. He gave me his beautiful smile. Never again would I take that smile for granted.
“You gave us quite the scare.” My voice was thick.
Carson looked me over. “You sure you’re okay?” He sounded tired.
“Promise. We’ll catch up in a bit.”
His eyes squinted and I reached for the light switch dial on the side of the bed. “The light hurts the first day. You’ll adjust.”
For a second, Carson closed his eyes then reopened them to focus on me. “I kept hearing you tell me to fight and yelling at me like the time I competed in that triathlon.”
“It’s my job to be your pain in the ass.” Carson had busted his leg and refused to quit the race. When we saw him from the distance, I screamed the entire way, telling him to fight.
“Yes it is.” Carson looked around. “Is Gabe here?”
“He is. We weren’t aware you knew, so he stayed in the hall. Gabe thought it would be a good idea for us to tell you first.” I was rambling, a little worried what Carson might think.
Confidently, Gabe came to my side and slid his arm around my waist. “It’s good to see you awake, Carson.”
“Well, fuck me. It’s uncanny.”
Not sure how to take his words, I froze as Carson scrutinized Gabe, who remained silent.
“Welcome back, Gabe. I’m glad I wasn’t wrong about you initially.”
“Me, too.”
Carson coughed and Francesca fussed over him.
Marie stepped in. “It’s the tube he had in his throat. Doctor said it was normal.”
Taking a sip from the sponge Francesca put in front of his mouth, Carson closed his eyes. “I’m going to rest for just a second.”
Squeezing his foot again, I said, “Rest up. We’ll be here when you wake up.” I remembered how exhausting those first few days were when I came around, I slept more than anything.
Drifting off, Carson looked peaceful. I kept checking the monitors to make sure they were still tracking his heart rate.
“What did the doctor say?” I asked Bennett.
“Things look good. Responses are normal. Carson remembered it all. His first words were asking about the baby, Francesca, and you. Until you got here, we were going to leave the part about Gabe out. Somehow he knew we were holding back. So we told him. I’m sorry. I know it wasn’t our place.”
I held my hand up. “Bennett. It’s fine. I’m glad he knows. Carson knows if you knew about Gabe then I was fine. The last thing he needs is additional stress.”
Bennett grabbed my shoulders. “I have my boy back. We have him back!”
“Yes, we do!” The mood was lighter. With Carson back, things felt normal as if the dark looming ahead wasn’t as formidable.
Gabe placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to take Willow to the cafeteria to get some food. They were about to eat when we got the call. Do you want me to get Francesca anything?”
Bennett checked his watch. “No, I’ll have something delivered. Thanks for telling me. I’ll call you if he wakes up again.”
Walking out of the hospital room, I let out a deep breath. “I’m so relieved.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
Needing to be in the moment, I threw my arms around Gabe even as nurses walked around. “He’s going to be okay. He’s going to be here. He’s going to see his baby grow up.”
“Yes, he is.”
Just hearing Gabe’s confirmation made it all real. I held him and he kept me close until I was able to gather myself. My stomach growled.
“Let’s get the three of you fed. My children are hungry.”
A carefree laugh left me. “We are. Those nachos looked so good back at the hotel.”
We entered the cafeteria and I scanned the board for what I wanted. Nachos. Score! I was in luck as I had craved those back at the hotel. The server fixed me a plate and handed it to me while Gabe paid. The cheesy goodness was like ambrosia. I had to refrain from licking the plate clean.
Gabe watched me with delight. “It’s good to see you eating.”
“I was so hungry. It’s like a switch was flipped. I’m so full now.” I made a mental note to eat something healthier for dinner.
I sat back in my chair. Now, I would be able to go home and not worry as much about Carson.
“What are you thinking about?”
I finished my water before I said, “Talking to Carson and heading home.” Trent’s men would have to be in two spots. “Wait. How will that work? Won’t that spread Trent’s men too thin?”
Gabe shook his head. “No. Some guys I knew from the force are joining the team at the house. Trent’s vetting them to make sure he approves. They left the force within the last three years and haven’t found the right job yet. If it works out, we’ll have more people I know I can trust and Trent will have some damn fine men.”
“Are people going to stay with the Whitmores?”
“Yes, but not as many. We’ll have—”
The ringing of my phone cut off Gabe. It was from Apple Blossom. I connected the call after showing him the screen. “Hello?”
“Ms. Russo. It’s Lisa Simpson at Apple Blossom.”
“Hey, Lisa. It’s good to hear from you. And please, call me Willow.”
A delighted older woman gave a quasi-squeal of delight. “I’m glad you’re feeling much better. I know it’s short notice, but we wanted to se
e if you were available to come tomorrow. The teacher we had got sick. You and the two assistants have been cleared. I know it’s soon, but I thought I would check just in case. Otherwise, it looks like we have an opening in about six weeks.”
Six Weeks? No, I wanted to get this over.
Whew, Gabe’s background check came back clear. That made the decision easier to go ahead with teaching. “That works great. Thanks for letting me come. I loved teaching while in college.”
“Perfect, I’ll see you tomorrow. If you could come an hour before class, that would be great. Andrea will be there.”
“We’ll be there. Thank you.”
I ended the call and stowed the phone away.
Gabe raised an eyebrow. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes, you’re cleared to go. I’m a guest teacher from eight to noon tomorrow.”
Gabe sent off a text after we threw away our trash and walked out of the cafeteria. He received an immediate reply. “Trent’s confirmed he can make tomorrow work.”
Since coming back into my life, Gabe hadn’t been far from me. “How are you going to deal with Alex Junior not recognizing you?”
I received a wink in response. “You’ll see.”
As we passed a closed door, Gabe yanked me in and closed the door. It was dark like it had been the first time I met Tack. His nose traced down across mine and I arched my chest into his.
“This is torment,” I murmured.
“In five days, I think we need to add closet sex to a very long, list of places to fuck.”
Oh, to feel him inside me was going to be the sweetest torture.
Only five more days.
I knocked on the doorjamb of Carson’s room.
“Hey, angel.” Carson had been awake for a bit. Earlier when he woke, he had spent time with Francesca. This time he had asked for me. They had moved him from ICU not too long ago. I was glad to be out of that part of the hospital.
“It’s so good to have you back. You’re looking better,” I said, sitting in the chair beside the bed.
“It’s good to be back. I feel better. Tired, but better.”
I took it all in. Carson was here. Awake. I had prayed so many times for this to come to fruition.
“Thank you, Willow.”
I wasn’t sure why he was thanking me. Carson must have read the confusion on my face.
“You were there for Francesca when you had a shit storm to deal with. She told me all about it.”
“Carson—”
He cut me off. “You were there for her and my baby. She said it was because of you she was able to make it.”
I squeezed his hand. “Of course I would be.”
Carson shifted. “They are going to get me walking tomorrow. I can’t wait to get out of this damn bed. The doctors have scheduled some OT and PT to help with the muscle loss.”
“I was worried. Really worried.” My throat tightened. “I thought I’d lost my best friend. I—we—”
He laid his hand on mine. “It’s okay, angel. I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”
With jerky movements, I nodded my head and willed the tears away. If I was upset, Carson would be stressed.
Carson took a sip of water before he cleared his throat. “I hated hearing you worried. I remember hearing your voice. You kept telling me to fight when all I wanted to do was sleep.”
“I’m glad you fought. But we are talking about that clause in your Will. Carson, you’d better change it.”
He coughed and took another sip. “I’m changing it. Francesca’s already read me the riot act.”
“Good.” That had been easier than I expected.
“How are you, Willow? No bullshitting.”
It was time. I filled Carson in on everything except being pregnant with twins. I wanted Gabe to be around when we told people and to experience this part of having a family since he had none. Reliving the highs and lows was exhausting. I laughed, cried, and felt joy. It was the spread.
Through the entire retelling of events, Carson lay there with rapt attention. I knew he was cataloguing all the events while making a list of questions. Squeezing the bridge of my nose, I leaned back in my chair. “I think that about sums it up.”
“And you’re okay with what Gabe did?”
Of course, Gabe was the first topic he wanted to discuss. I needed to share all my feelings. “I’m pissed he deceived me, but he thought he was protecting me. We all make mistakes. I know he loves me and I love him.”
“Are you happy?”
The question had my lips turning up on their own accord. “Unequivocally.” There was no denying the surety in my voice.
“That’s all that matters, Willow. I want you to be happy.” Carson still sounded a little unsure, which was to be expected. When the accident happened, everything had been different, and Alex had been my nightmare.
There was another knock. “Come in,” I called.
Gabe stuck his head in. “Mind if I join you?”
Carson narrowed his eyes on Gabe, scrutinizing him like a big brother. His voice was friendly, but I knew Carson was not done making sure I was okay. “Come on in. I was making sure you were treating my best friend right.”
The smile on Gabe’s face lacked its normal luster. He had worry lines on his face. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Has something happened?”
Needing to feel Gabe, I stood and walked to him. He took my hand. “There’s been a development. I’ve debated whether to tell Carson. But, if it was me, it wouldn’t matter what hell I’d been through… I’d want to know.”
This wasn’t good. Carson shifted a little straighter in bed. “What happened? Tell me.”
“David, one of Trent’s men, was admitted to the hospital for severe stomach cramps this afternoon. It was serious. He had blue cohosh in his system. A lot of it. It’s been traced back to the food that was delivered to Willow and Francesca this afternoon at the hotel. Cohosh induces labor. It would have killed the baby.”
My hand clutched my stomach. The nachos. If I had taken a bite. Or Francesca. I just… we would have… I shook my head. “Why? Hardly anyone knows I’m pregnant. How did they know?”
I almost… we about… it was hard to finish the thought. My lip trembled. Even though I hadn’t met my babies, I loved them unconditionally.
Gabe brushed him thumb across my cheek. “It wasn’t on what you ordered, sweetheart. It was in everything Francesca ordered, including the appetizers.”
On the phone we had taken turns ordering our food. The blood drained from my face and I held on to Gabe.
“Motherfucker!” Carson’s stare was hard as stone. “What else do you know?”
I was shaking as Gabe held up his hand to signal just a second. If I had taken a bite, I could have lost them.
Someone was after Carson and Francesca. Was Alex involved in all this? Or was it a separate issue all together? This was all too much, and I took deep breaths to calm down. I said another silent prayer of thanks.
Gabe gave me a bottle of water. “Small sips. Do you want to stay, sweetheart?”
“I almost took a bite of the nachos, I almost lost—”
Gabe knelt before me. “You’re fine. Their fine.”
I took another sip. The cool crisp water helped. I said, “What else do you know?”
Gabe stood, but kept my hand in his while rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on my wrist. “We’re pulling hotel feeds. Someone messed with the ones in the kitchen. Trent had some extra cameras installed on a different circuit. We’re checking those as well. Carson, I need to know if you have any enemies Trent isn’t aware of? We’re trying to see if we’re dealing with three issues now—Alex, the accident, and now the poisoning.”
Running his hands through his blond hair, Carson looked devastated. He watched me with apologetic eyes before focusing on Gabe. “Hell, I’ve brokered business deals where people were pissed. Some employees that were fired for not doing their job. But nothing so far as to warrant someone tryi
ng to kill my baby.”
Someone had tried to poison Carson’s baby. I almost ate the food. Regardless of all the precautions, we were still vulnerable. The safety we believed we had was a delusion.
Gabe gently squeezed my wrist. “Drink some more water.”
Like a robot, I did as I was told.
Leaning forward, Carson looked formidable as he switched into protector mode. “Do my parents or Francesca know?”
“No. I don’t think Francesca can handle it. She’s been near her breaking point all week.”
It was true, but I was shocked at how blunt Gabe was with Carson. Relief flooded Carson’s face and I was glad she wasn’t aware.
He nodded and said, “That was the right call. I want to keep it from them. I need to get out of this fucking hospital.”
Carson’s heart monitor spiked and the sister side of me came out in me. “You need to stay calm or they’re going to sedate you. That won’t do any of us any good. You’ve been on life support until two days ago.”
Carson’s vitals returned to normal and his monitors quieted.
Gabe continued, “The hotel isn’t safe. I’m taking Willow back to her house tomorrow. I would suggest keeping Francesca here. It’ll be easy for us to move forward without her knowledge. When you get out, we can move you to Willow’s for a bit. After working with Trent, we have the place secured. We can start on your place next.”
For a few seconds, Carson thought through his options. “I’ll get her to stay here while I’m in the hospital. Are you okay with us invading your house, Willow?”
“Of course. Stay as long as you need to.”
Tapping his fingers on the bedrail, Carson thought for another few seconds. “Let’s make the plan to move to Willow’s after I’m released. I’d rather us focus the resources on finding the fuckers after Willow and now Francesca. Do you think they’re coming after me because of Alex?”
I hoped not. The last thing I ever wanted was to bring my friends in on this.
“I don’t think so,” Gabe said.
This was news to me as I whipped my head to Gabe.
“Why?” Carson and I asked at the same time.
Taking the empty blue chair next to Carson’s bed, Gabe sat and motioned for me to pull my chair next to him. “You know about the two notes. I think the finger came from my brother and was meant for me as a way to draw me out into the open.”
Black Truth (A Twisted Fate Series Book 2) Page 11