Happily Never After

by Bess George

  The big man lurched, then fell sideways as his knees gave out. The gun he held fell harmless to the ground.

  Shawn dropped to his brother’s side. “Are you okay?”

  He grunted and sat up to open his shirt. “It hurts like hell, but the Kevlar stopped it.” He unfastened the Velcro and yanked the vest off. Shawn helped him get up.

  Bode staggered to where Steve knelt next to Glade. The man’s sightless eyes held a faraway expression. His lips had curved in a slight smile. Whatever he’d seen at the moment of his death must have brought him peace.

  His attention turned toward the cliff edge. Searching the rushing waters below, he dropped his weapons on the ground and made a giant leap out into the air. The others came up behind him, yelling for him to wait.

  The impact hurt like hell and overwhelmed his senses. He used brute force to muscle his way up from the bottom. He’d landed too near the shore and was being pummeled on the rocks. He maneuvered himself into the open water in the middle.

  The last glimpse of Kelsey had showed her to be on the far side of the river. His body protested as he fought against the current trying to take him in a direction he didn’t want to go.

  His survival training kicked in, and he moved his feet in front of him. Now he could use his boots to propel himself around obstacles and boulders. The waterproof backpack helped to keep him from going under the waves. He knew he had moments before succumbing to the frigid water.

  He worked his arms to move through the water faster, hoping to gain ground and find Kelsey. She was nowhere in sight, and it took all his energy to maneuver the currents. The freezing temperature numbed the pain when he banged into hidden obstacles.

  When he spotted a submerged tree ahead, he scanned the dark outline. He almost missed the spot of color mixed in with the limbs.

  Using his last bit of strength, he swam toward the tree. He would get one attempt to grab it and hang on. If the swift-moving river snatched him lose, he’d never get back in time to help her.

  He slammed into the tree, and his arms stung from being scraped along the rough wood. Rushing water tried to pull him under, but his frozen hands clawed to hold on. Branches tore at him as he rested a moment to catch his breath.

  Precious time ticked by while he inched toward where he’d last seen her. The current rushed over and under the tree and tried to rip him loose to send him farther downstream.

  Kelsey was visible now. She held on to a limb but had started to slide down. If she slid into the water, she’d be gone forever. He couldn’t let that happen. His body strained forward until he could put one arm around her.

  “I’m here, baby. I’ve got you.” He crooned in her ear, hoping for a response.

  He lifted her higher and used his body to hold her in place. They would both succumb to the low temperature if he didn’t get them out of the freezing water.

  With numb hands, he tilted her toward him and his throat closed at the sight of her battered face. Her lids had shut, and her skin had a slight blue cast to it.

  “Kelsey, wake up. Are you hurt?” The roar of the river swept his words away, so he tried again.

  “Okay, honey, open those baby blues of yours. We have to get out of this water.”

  Safety was about five feet away. He could do this. He would do this. With Kelsey in his grasp, he moved them along the tree, never taking his focus off the shoreline. It seemed like an eternity, but he finally got them both onto land.

  His exhausted body collapsed against hers. Panting, he tried to clear his foggy mind. Getting out was far from being free of the danger. The cold weather could finish them off just as quick.

  “Kelsey . . . w . . . we need t . . . to keep moving.”

  He forced his rigid fingers to reach into the waterproof backpack and grab a bivy sack. Shivers racked his body, and it took several tries before he could unfold the lightweight survival bag.

  As quick as his frozen limbs were able, he removed her wet clothing and placed her rigid body inside the bag. Knit caps to hold in body heat went on next. After wrapping her in a thin blanket, he crawled into the bag with her.

  She hadn’t uttered a word, and he tamped down fear that he’d reached her too late. He refused to lose her.

  The constant moving had helped clear his mind. They needed to get their body heat back up. He added his last insulated space blanket over them both and activated two packs of instant-heat.

  Gentle snowflakes swirled around them, as beautiful as they were deadly. He prayed hypothermia wouldn’t set in before help arrived. Someone would be here soon. Nothing would keep Shawn and Steve from finding the quickest path down.

  His nerves were shot, and he calmed himself by concentrating on Kelsey. Her breaths were too shallow, and relief swamped him when she began to shiver. Shivering was the body’s way of increasing heat production.

  He bent his head down to hers, using the term of endearment that always guaranteed a biting comeback. “Princess, wake up and look at me.” No reaction. Her face had a bit more color now, and that reassured him that she was holding on.

  The heavy lashes that shadowed her cheeks flew up as her back arched. He held her hair out of the way as she choked and leaned out of the bag to spit bile. When her stomach stopped heaving, she lay back down.

  Afraid for her lids to shut, he leaned over and gave her a gentle shake. “Stay with me, honey.”

  “Bode?” Her voice was a mere wisp of sound.

  Groaning, he gathered her up even tighter against him. She was going to be okay. He wasn’t aware of the wetness on his cheeks until she reached up to wipe away the tears with a trembling hand.

  “Is it o-over?” she asked between teeth that chattered so hard it moved her whole body.

  He feathered kisses across her face until he could speak again. “It’s over, honey. He’s gone. He can’t ever harm us again.”

  “Hu-urts.” She cried out as frozen nerve endings began to thaw.

  “I know, baby. The feeling is coming back.” He rubbed her arms to help with the stabbing sensation he knew she was experiencing. When blood flow started up again, it hurt like a bitch.

  He gazed down at the woman who held his heart. Emotion threatened to finish him off. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you sooner.”

  She reached up with one palm and cupped his jaw. Her voice sounded raw. “Bode, its o-okay. I'm all right, and you’re with me. That’s what I’m going to focus on.”

  His head lowered to rest on her shoulder. “This was because of me. I killed Glade’s wife, and he knew hurting you would be the best way for him to hurt me.”

  “At first he wanted re-revenge but I think he started to believe we were going to have a life together. He didn’t rape me. I didn’t think you’d find me. You were searching for Miles Robbins and not J-John Glade. You saved me.”

  He shook his head in wonder. “You did a pretty good job of saving yourself.”

  One corner of her mouth kicked up in amusement. “I kept hearing your voice in my head.”

  “What did I say?”

  “Princess, it’s now or never. Get up off your behind and save yourself.” She gave a weak laugh.

  He arched his brow. “I said the word behind?”

  “Your imaginary self decided that it needed to clean up your language in anticipation of our future children.”

  His eyes went soft. “Are you ready to marry me and have those beautiful babies?”

  “What about your job?”

  “I’m hoping I can have both. But I want you to know something. The job isn’t my life. You are. If I have to choose, then you’re going to win, hands down.” He stared down at the woman who had saved him. “I love you, Kelsey.”

  Peering at his face, she must have found what she wanted to see. “Are you sure this isn’
t just the adrenaline talking?”

  His hearty laughter rang out. “The first time you called me a jerk, I knew I was in trouble. You’re irresistible when you’re all worked up. I was just too stubborn to admit defeat, I suppose. Think you can handle me?”

  “If I’m tough enough to survive a hit and run, a car crash, a crazy maniac, and a freezing river trying to kill me, handling a jerk cop should be a breeze.” Her mouth curved into an unconscious smile.

  “Honey, you’re the toughest person around.” He ran his fingers across her cold skin needing to maintain contact with her.

  “Scary stuff, huh?” she asked.

  “Real scary stuff.” He stared down at her, memorizing every detail. It would take a lifetime before he got over this scare. But if he had his way, he would spend what time he had left on earth making sure this beautiful woman knew how much he loved her.

  They’d both learned a valuable lesson. A job is simply what you do to earn money. Real living is finding the one person that makes your life complete.

  Voices sounded in the distance, and his body sagged with relief. They’d hung on long enough. People were here to get her to the hospital. With the bluest eyes in the world looking up at him, he smiled down at the woman who held his future.

  “It’s time to go home, Princess. Let’s go make our family.”