Carolina Breeze, #1

by Tamika Brown

  “It’s okay, Mom. Don’t cry. The doctor said we’re going to be fine.” Shayla tried to sit up but winced in pain, and Rose remembered the doctor said she had some bruising.

  “What on Earth happened? How in the world did you fall down the stairs?” she demanded.

  “I was trying to get downstairs because I heard Calen in the driveway. I guess I wasn’t paying attention and tripped on a bump in the rug at the top of the stairs. Next thing I know, I woke up in the back of Calen’s rental on the way to the hospital,” she explained with tears threatening to fall once more.

  Rose grabbed some tissues for both of them as she sat closer to her daughter.

  “It’s entirely my fault, Mom. I was so wrapped up in Calen I almost killed my baby.” She was on the verge of hysterics now, everything coming out in a harsh whisper.

  “Now, calm down. You don’t need any added stress. The baby is fine, and you heard Dr. Radford, you’re going be fine, too. So just dry your tears.”

  Rose noticed she said my baby and not our baby. Did Shayla blame Calen as well for what happened? She rushed the accusation out of her head and reached to get Shayla another tissue as Calen and her husband, Charles, walked into Shayla’s room.

  Charles immediately rushed to his daughter’s side when he noticed she was awake.

  Calen walked around and backed into a far corner to get out of the way of the family reunion.

  “He’s beautiful. The nurses say he’s doing great on the machine. They’re going to try to take him off of it for a little while tomorrow,” Charles said, gently stroking Shayla’s temple.

  Rose moved toward Calen to allow her husband some time with his daughter. She could tell Calen was struggling not to interrupt the reunion. His posture was tense, and his jaw worked as he held back his words.

  “So, how is she?” he asked Rose, not taking his eyes off Shayla and her father.

  “She’s doing well.” She sighed. “She blames herself for what happened, though.”

  The comment dragged his attention away from Shayla. He looked Rose square in her eyes, questions formulating behind his own.

  “Why would she blame herself? She didn’t fall on purpose,” he said, a little frustrated. “If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine. I shouldn’t have gotten her so excited. She was so focused on me she wasn’t careful.”

  “So, you blame yourself as well.” More of an observation than a question directed at him.

  “Wait. What are you saying? She said her fall was my fault?”

  “No. She didn’t come right out and say she blames you. Something she said earlier made me question somewhere deep down she does. She blames both of you equally.” She gazed into his eyes making sure she had his full attention. “You know this will be a test of your love. A test to reveal how strong your relationship actually is. I know you love her, but you’re going to have to give her some time to get over the shock of her fall and almost losing the baby.”

  CALEN

  Calen didn’t answer Shayla’s mother. He just nodded as he watched the exchange of endearment between father and daughter. He’d thought the exact same thing Rose Blackwell voiced to him. He would give Shayla time to gather her thoughts and calm down about what happened to her and the baby.

  “What did the doctor say about Shayla?” he asked, redirecting the subject.

  “She’ll be fine now that she’s had the blood transfusion. Her body was breaking down her red blood cells. It’s called HELLP Syndrome. But, as I said, she’ll be fine.”

  Calen cleared his throat to gain the attention of everyone else. “Do you guys mind if I speak to Shayla for a bit? It won’t take long.”

  Both her parents nodded in agreement and headed for the door, Rose placing a hand on his arm before she left.

  Calen moved to the chair placed by Shayla’s bed, undoubtedly by Rose as she waited for her daughter to awaken.

  Unshed tears filled Shayla’s eyes. As he sat, he scooped up her hand and held it in his. She tried to speak, but he waved whatever she had to say off.

  He wanted to clear the air. “I know you blame me for what happened.” When she tried to interrupt, he kept speaking. “Truth is, Shay, I blame myself. I shouldn’t have gotten you so worked up. If not for me, you would have been focused on where and what you were doing.” He took a deep breath, trying to stave off the tears threatening to fall. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for the trauma you and our baby went through. I promise you will never go through something like this again. I’ll take care of both of you, forever. Shay, will you marry me?”

  He reached into his pocket, pulled out a black velvet box, and held it open for her. Her eyes grew wide as she gawked at the beautiful ring laid out before her. It was a beautiful diamond, sapphire, and amethyst ring. The focal point of the ring was an oval amethyst surrounded by pink sapphires and white diamonds.

  She reached out to grasp the box, but his hands were already pulling the ring free of its grip and placing it on her left ring finger.

  She never uttered the words, but to them, it was implied. They embraced each other, and the tears they both refused to shed earlier dropped.

  33

  Shayla

  Four days later, Shayla, Little Robert, and Calen pulled into the driveway of her house. The ride home was pleasant. The baby slept all the way home, so it gave her a chance to finally call Tela.

  Shayla waited until Calen came around to open her door. She moved to the door to unlock it for her new family while Calen got the baby out of the car. She wasn’t completely sure Tela would even answer her call. At first, it was hard to keep the news from Tela about what happened to her. She knew her situation with the birth would be added stress for Tela. Shayla wanted to be sure she gave Tela a proper chance to update her on Bryce’s condition, but she plunged into what happened to her.

  As far as the doctors could tell, there was no real reason why Bryce was still in a coma. All the tests they ran had a positive outlook. The only thing Tela could do was continue to talk to him. She would tell him how she spent her day before she arrived at the hospital. She also talked to him about their future.

  Shayla was surprised. It was so unlike her friend to talk about a future with a man. She didn’t know how to take it. She wanted to be happy for Tela, but, at the same time, was skeptical, hoping Tela’s new outlook on relationships wasn’t because of Bryce’s injuries. Shayla didn’t voice her concerns, though. She knew better. She just took the news for what it was and let it go.

  Once Tela filled her in on everything happening with Bryce, she let the news go about the baby. “Te, I’ve got some updates to tell you. Now, before I tell you, I want you to know everything is fine, and I’m all right.”

  “What… what happened? Is it the baby?” she anxiously asked.

  “The baby’s fine. And I’m fine, now.” She began to relay the story to her best friend. “When Calen came to visit me, I had an accident. I tripped on that rug at the top of the stairs. You know, the one I always have to straighten. And fell down them.”

  Through the phone, she overheard a gasp that escaped her friend.

  She continued with the story. “Calen took me to the hospital. I was bleeding pretty badly. They did emergency surgery. A C-section because the baby was in distress.”

  “Why didn’t someone call me? I could’ve been there for you.”

  “No, it was fine. Calen and my parents were there. Everything turned out well. The baby had to stay a few days in the NICU, and I had to have a blood transfusion,” she nonchalantly said.

  “Oh, my God, Shay. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I should’ve been there.”

  “Tela, I told you not to worry about it. I wouldn’t dare ask you to leave Bryce. Besides, you wouldn’t have gotten here in time, anyway. It was just one more thing for you to worry about. And you didn’t need that on your plate. But I’ve got more news,” she said with even more excitement in her voice. “Calen asked me to marry him. And guess what? He went to Jared’s!” sh
e said as laughter erupted from both women. “I swear, I couldn’t resist.”

  “Shay, that’s so great. So, when’s the wedding? Where are you gonna live?” The questions kept coming so fast Shayla didn’t have time to answer them.

  To tell the truth, they hadn’t talked about what was going to happen with their careers or where they were going to live.

  “Slow down, slow down. Some of this stuff we haven’t talked about, but I’ll tell you there will be no wedding without Bryce.” She locked eyes with Calen, who stood nearby rocking the baby, and he nodded. They were both in agreement. “Make sure you keep us in the loop with what’s happening with Bryce. I’ll talk to you later. I love you, Te.”

  “I will, and congratulations again. I love you, too,” she said, and the two friends disconnected.

  As she replaced the receiver on the battery pack, Calen handed her the baby to feed him. As they climbed the stairs to the baby’s room, Calen inquired, “Is Bryce okay? Has anything changed?”

  “According to Tela, he still hasn’t awakened, but all of his tests are on the positive side. I believe they’re right about it being shock and trauma that’s keeping him asleep.”

  Calen opened the door to the nursery for her. She settled the baby down for a nap. Shayla loved this nursery. Calen and her dad worked tirelessly to get in together, and when Calen wasn’t there, her mom pitched in. The walls were gray all around. On the wall the crib sat against, there was a depiction of three black mountains with the tallest peak containing a white snowcap. Written with decals in between the two of the mountain peaks were the words: Let him sleep. For when he wakes, he will move mountains. That part was a surprise for her in which her mother insisted on. She was definitely glad Rose was stubborn.

  RJ’s crib was white, with a blanket and bumpers in sea green, white, brown and gray. Included in the patchwork of the blanket, which she covered RJ with, there were white dots and stags on the gray section. Beside the window adorned with white curtains stood a white bookcase. Above the white bookcase, hanging on the wall was a white, wooden “R” about a foot and a half in height. White carpets ran throughout the room, and a rug with the same colors as the cribs bedding was laid gently on the floor in front of the gray with white trim rocking chair she would sit in to feed, rock, talk, and read to her baby boy or just put her feet up on the sea-green ottoman to watch him sleep. The changing table stood on the opposite wall, boasting the same colors as the crib. Shayla was grateful to see her mother stocked it with diapers and wipes. As well as, baby wash clothes and towels.

  She and Calen stood before the crib in the baby’s room and hugged each other, both realizing how lucky they were to have both of them here.

  34

  Calen

  Four Months Later…

  While on base, Calen got a phone call from Dr. Soto at two p.m. He listened intently as the doctor relayed the news to him.

  When he disconnected, he immediately called his team in, along with Russell. He pushed to the back of his mind the fact Tela wasn’t the one who called him with the news as he began to relay the information he received from Bryce’s doctor.

  “Everyone, I’ve got some really good news. I just received a call from Dr. Soto, who you all know is Bryce’s doctor at Landstuhl. He tells me Bryce is awake and trying like hell to get home already.”

  A cheer rang out through the conference room, so loud Calen was sure it was heard all the way out the Bragg Boulevard. It did his heart good to know that his best friend was finally conscious.

  He turned to Russell. “Sir, do I have permission to go to Germany?”

  It was out of the ordinary for him to ask, but this was Bryce. It had been four months. In addition, he had to admit he was a little curious as to what happened to Tela. Why hadn’t she called him?

  “Yes, I’ll grant the leave. It’s been hard on you with him being in Germany and you here. I know how close you two are.”

  “We are.” Calen pushed down the lump in his throat. “Thank you, sir. I’ll leave as soon as I can.” He headed out to pack and book a flight.

  Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany

  It was almost a week before Calen was able to get leave again to see Shayla and the baby. They were still trying to work out being on opposite sides of the country. He was pretty sure Shayla was coming over to his side, her and the baby moving to North Carolina. After all, it’s where they met.

  How fitting it would be for them to live out the rest of their lives there?

  Every time they were together or when they talked with each other, the baby and then the living situation dominated the conversation. It was the only argument they had, but they had not compromised… yet.

  Shayla promised she would take time out to visit some of the bigger cities in the state. He didn’t believe she liked Fayetteville all much because it was a military town and small compared to the place she was raised. Nevertheless, he would wait for her decision; he was really hoping for a move, and soon. He missed them.

  Calen stepped off the elevator onto the fourth-floor with his visitor pass in hand. He felt nervous and didn’t know why. He was thankful Bryce was awake. Four months was a long time to get used to not having your best friend around.

  Before he continued to room 445, he stopped by the nurse’s station. His old friend, Judith, was there. She was his nurse when he was a patient at Landstuhl. She smiled at him as he approached, reassuring him she remembered him from his stint at their hospital.

  “Hello, Judith. How’ve you been?” he asked, flashing his white teeth.

  “I’m fine, Calen. You?”

  “I’m doing wonderful. I’ve got a new baby, I’m getting married, and my best friend is finally awake.”

  “Well, you do have something to smile about, don’t you? Congratulations.”

  “Yeah, thanks a lot. Listen, can you tell me where Bryce’s wife is? We agreed to meet in the main lobby, but I didn’t see her,” he explained.

  He searched around the fourth-floor lobby and didn’t spot Tela there, either. He was not quite sure what to make of it. He knew she had stayed here in the hospital with him for the duration, only leaving occasionally on Thursdays or Fridays to replenish her clothing and check in with her company.

  Disappointment along with sadness washed over Judith’s face as she discussed Tela’s sudden departure. “She left when Mr. Bryce came to. We believed it kind of peculiar. She didn’t want to be here when her husband woke up, but she said she had to get things ready for his homecoming and just left.”

  Calen didn’t comment on what she divulged to him. He nodded. “Thanks, Judith. It was good seeing you again.”

  “You, too, hun. Take care and congrats again.”

  Calen waved goodbye and headed for Bryce’s room.

  He took a deep breath before he turned the knob and entered the room. The door crept open, and Calen stepped in only to be met by Bryce’s nurse, Tammy. She checked Bryce’s burns and bandages. Bryce glanced up and smiled at him as Tammy finished wrapping up his leg.

  “Everything appears to be good, Mr. Bryce. I’ll bring you some more water and something for your pain in a minute,” she said as she whisked past him.

  Calen moved over to the chair placed next to the bed. He sat down, smiling at his friend as they gave each other dap and a quick hug.

  “What’s up, man? I’m glad to see you awake.”

  “What’s up with you, man, but I’m glad I’m awake, too. I’ve been out of the loop,” Bryce weakly smiled.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke. You know how it is trying to get leave. Especially when there are missions,” he explained.

  “Don’t worry about it. Word is, I had some company every day, anyway.” Bryce turned toward the window as if he expected someone to come crawling through it at any minute.

  Uncomfortable, Calen cleared his throat to bring Bryce back to Earth. “How’d you find out Tela was here? Judith told me she left as soon as you started stirring.”<
br />
  Bryce sat up in the bed, and Calen rose to give him a hand. He swung his legs around, so his back was to Calen and his feet touched the floor.

  Calen shifted to the opposite side of the bed to move closer to Bryce in case he needed his help. “Is it safe for you to get up?”

  “Yeah, it’s all good. In fact, Dr. Soto is encouraging it.” He walked over to the window and peered out of it again.

  Calen knew Bryce’s mind was on Tela. He decided to let him take his time. If he wanted to talk about her, he would.

  Bryce slowly turned from the window and regarded Calen. He took a deep breath before he began talking. “Tammy kept asking me about my wife. At first, I didn’t know what in the world she was talking about. I asked her to describe the woman she was talking about. She gave me this confused look, and rightfully so. How can you not know what your wife looks like, right?” He chuckled. “But once she gave me the description, I knew exactly who she was referring to.”

  “I’m just glad she didn’t get caught. She played your wife well.” Calen smiled at his friend.

  Bryce walked away from the window, pacing the room. Calen assumed trying to figure out what Tela being here all this time meant for the two of them.

  He stopped pacing and turned to Calen. “How so? What did she do?”

  Calen started to laugh, warranting a puzzled look from his best friend. “Man, you should have seen her the first day she arrived. Apparently, she stepped off the elevator and headed straight to the nurse’s desk like a madwoman, crying hysterically. All she had to do was ask for your room, not to mention show a ten-thousand-dollar ring on her finger.”

  He laughed again at Bryce’s reaction to his news.

  “Dude, are you kidding me? She actually flashed a ring?” Bryce laughed. “That chick never ceases to amaze me.”