by LK Shaw
I lifted my head to peer up at him and shrugged in despair. “From my understanding, sir, there was a breach. Evan had someone working on the inside of the security firm. I don’t know how the man made it past our background check, but he did. I will forever live with the regret that Grace is dead. I can offer nothing but my deepest sympathies to you and Martha.”
Thomas finally moved to sit on the couch next to Martha and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her, and I think, himself a little. We all sat in silent grief. Eventually, I swallowed hard and broached the topic I’d been dreading since I wasn’t sure how they’d take it.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I was hoping you’d be able to keep Hailey for a little while. I’ll take care of all the arrangements for Grace so you won’t have to worry about it.” Soon after that, with the assurances that all arrangements would be taken care of, I drove the long hours back home. The minute I walked in the door, I collapsed on my bed without even taking off my clothes and slept for a full twenty four hours.
That had been two weeks ago. Since then, I hadn’t slowed down even after the funeral. I dove full force back into work. I was still slightly numb with grief, but trying to stay strong for Hailey, who I’d seen only a handful of times since that night. I’d known Grace for close to twenty years, we’d had a child together, and now she was gone. I mostly grieved for Hailey, but a small part of me felt a little empty. At one time, I’d loved Grace and wanted to marry her. While that ship had sailed, I still felt heartache at the loss of my friend. Even in my grief, Penny was always on my mind. I needed to get my shit together and get back the woman I loved. I also needed to have another talk with Grace’s parents. I didn’t want to have the conversation over the phone. They deserved better.
I headed to their house and knocked on the door. Martha, with bags under her eyes, answered the door. She directed me to the living room where I took a seat in the chair. She settled on the couch after I declined her offer of something to drink.
“There’s something I need to speak with you and Thomas about. Is he home?” No sooner had I asked the question than Thomas entered the living room. He had aged several years since the night Grace was killed.
“Hello, Marcus,” he greeted as he sat next to Martha, cuddling her close.
“Sir,” I nodded in response. I took a deep breath as I braced myself for their reaction to my next statement. “I know this might not be the most appropriate time to bring this up, but I wanted to let you know that I plan on getting married. That is, if she’ll have me. I cared about Grace, even if I didn’t love her, and she was the mother of my child. I understand you both might need time to adjust. I at least wanted you to know what my plans for the future were.”
Martha finally regarded me. “It’s going to take some time to get used to the idea. I know, though, Grace would have wanted you to be happy. We know you cared about her. We don’t want Hailey to ever forget who her mother was.”
I reached out for her hand, gripping it tightly in mine. “God, Martha, I would never let Hailey forget Grace. She will always be Hailey’s mother, and if you knew Penny, you’d know she’d feel the same. She has the same loving heart Grace had. We’ll make sure Hailey knows everything about her mother. I promise you that.”
I stayed for a while after our conversation and went upstairs to play with my daughter. She cried when it was time for me to leave, but I promised her I’d see her very soon.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Penny
It had been almost two months since Marcus and I had broken things off. Well, since he had broken things off. I was still reeling from the pain. I didn’t understand his reasoning, but what else was I going to do? I’d gotten over the anger. In its place, remained confusion. I swore I wouldn’t be that woman, but I called him a few times still not understanding why he left. His phone went straight to voicemail when I called. When he didn’t return my call after the first two messages I’d left, I stopped leaving them. I’d even spent every weekend at Eden to no avail. He was avoiding me. Even Bridget said she hadn’t seen or heard from him.
I kept waiting for him to deal with whatever he needed to deal with, but I was beginning to lose hope. Maybe he just needed an excuse to break up with me. Immediately, I ruled that out. Marcus was anything but a liar. If he had needed to figure things out alone, then that’s what I had to believe. I kept holding out hope that he’d be back soon though. I never thought I’d fall in love this quickly and this deeply. Marcus fulfilled every fantasy I had and even ones I never knew existed. He met all of my needs and made me feel like I was the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with that man. I didn’t know if that would ever happen now.
I’d been asked to come in and work in the ED today. It was close to the end of my shift, and I was ready to head home and continue to wallow in self-pity. Maybe even continue to sit by the phone and wait for the call that I was beginning to believe would never come. I headed to the locker room to get my purse and jacket before getting to the time clock to punch out. I heard the sounds of an ambulance drawing closer as I walked to my car. I was almost halfway there when I realized I had forgotten my keys on the top shelf of my locker. Kicking myself for my forgetfulness, I headed back inside.
After finding my keys and leaving the locker room for the second time, I made my way toward the exit. I wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening around me, because I was so exhausted. Even in my exhaustion I caught the tail end of the conversation near me. The charge nurse was relaying information from telemetry about an incoming MVA, motor vehicle accident. The victim, a 40-year-old white male, was in critical condition. They rattled off the victim’s vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen, etc., but my mind remained focused on their first statement. Somehow, I knew who was being transported into my hospital.
A sharp pain to my gut had me clutching myself in agony and I ceased to breathe. Dizziness threatened to overcome me and I blinked away the black spots in my field of vision. Gathering my composure, I braced myself for the EMS’s arrival. There was no way I was leaving until I saw for myself that it wasn’t Marcus being wheeled in. I ran back to triage and waited, tapping my foot impatiently. Before I knew what was happening, the EMS raced the stretcher into the closest trauma bay. The trauma team swarmed and I only caught a glimpse of the man. Whether or not it was Marcus was indistinguishable from all the blood.
“Penny, what are you still doing here? I thought your shift ended thirty minutes ago.” I heard from behind me.
I turned toward Rita, the charge nurse working the current shift. “It did. I heard there was an MVA, and I think I know who they just brought in. I needed confirmation before I left. Can you find out for me?”
“Let me go see what I can find out.”
I sat down at the desk while I waited for Rita to confirm what I already knew in my heart to be true. I prayed that no matter how badly injured he was, he was going to be fine. I’d never been so scared in my entire life. No matter that he’d pushed me out of his life for reasons unknown, I was still very much in love with Marcus Allen. I needed him in my life. Time dragged by until Rita finally came back and the expression on her face spoke volumes.
“You know I’m really not supposed to share personal information with anyone, even other employees.”
“I know this Rita. I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important. Please.” I begged.
She sighed in resignation. “His name is Marcus Allen, a forty-year-old…”
“I know how old he is,” I interrupted her. Grief crushed me. “Do you have his status? I know the information I heard said he was in critical condition. Can you give me any more details?”
“He appears to have a head injury, which is what is concerning them the most. It’s possible that his head hit the windshield and they’re worried about internal bleeding. Radiology has been notified and once he’s stabilized, they'll know the extent of the damage. He also h
as a broken leg and some internal injuries. That’s all I have for you, Penny, I’m sorry.”
“Thank you, Rita. I appreciate it more than you know.” I fought the tears building, blinking rapidly to keep them from falling. I needed to be strong right now. Marcus had always been the strong one in our relationship. This time, it was my turn.
Believe it or not, I’d never actually sat in the waiting room of the emergency department. I’d always been on the other side of these walls. After I received confirmation it was Marcus, I called Bridget. Within twenty minutes, she showed up at the hospital.
“Oh my God, honey, are you okay? Has there been any change? What happened?” Bridget peppered me with questions.
“I don’t know how I feel right now. I’m scared and worried and nervous all at once. I know the team that is working on him is doing the best they can. But I’m torn between being glad that he arrived when he did and sad that he didn’t arrive earlier so that I was in there with him.” I sank into the waiting room chair next to Bridget, beyond exhausted.
“Although, it’s probably for the best that I’m not in there. My focus would be elsewhere knowing that Marcus was the patient I was working on. My friend and co-worker, Rita, is updating me as she is able. But this waiting is killing me. I don’t even know if he’d want me here. He pushed me away months ago and hasn’t returned any of my phone calls. I was almost done waiting on him even though I love him and I thought he loved me. But after this length of silence I wondered if I should give up the ghost. If he wanted me in his life he would have contacted me by now.”
Bridget leaned over and hugged me close, “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but I know that Master Marcus loves you and would want you here.”
Resting my head on her shoulder, we continued to sit and wait for any news. I don’t know how long we sat huddled next to each other, but I must have fallen asleep because I was suddenly startled awake by someone shaking my shoulder. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I raised my head up, forgetting for a moment where I was. Well, until I saw Rita. Then it all came rushing back to me. I jerked myself out of Bridget’s arms.
“How long was I asleep? Any change? How’s he doing? Is he going to be okay?” I fired off question after question, barely pausing for breath between each one, as I felt Bridget stirring next to me.
Rita placed both hands up palm facing toward me and huffed out, “Calm down, he’s going to be okay. They placed a few pins to set his leg and his spleen was removed. He will be moved to ICU to monitor his condition to make sure he has no complications like swelling or bleeding. All scans show he is lucky and only has a severe concussion. He’s not awake yet, so I can only let you see him for a few minutes if you want.”
Tears of relief began sliding down my face with the news, and I felt Bridget’s arms around me as the first sob escaped. I covered my face with my hands and began to sob uncontrollably, with Bridget crying as well while trying to comfort and reassure me. After a couple minutes, my sobs slowed to a hiccup or two. I quickly dried my eyes.
“I need to see him,” I sighed, with wetness still shimmering in my eyes and slightly smeared mascara surrounding them. After promising Bridget I’d call her the next day, I followed Rita through the halls until we reached the ICU. She led me to a room, and with a quick “take all the time you need” left me standing there hesitant about entering.
I gathered my courage, opened the door, and walked in. On the bed in front of me lay the love of my life, tubes and lines running everywhere, the beeping and whirring of the monitors the only sound in the room. I stepped up to the bed and reached out to hold Marcus’ hand. It was surprisingly warm to the touch. Even under the gauze wrapped around his head, I noticed they’d shaved off part of his beautiful, dark wavy hair. I almost cried for its loss, which was ridiculous considering everything else. Seeing him like this, I knew he was lucky to be alive. Not wanting to disturb him, I leaned over and gently kissed his forehead and then brushed a soft kiss on his lips. I thought I felt a light squeeze of his hand on mine. I wasn’t sure if it was real or wishful thinking. I took a seat in the chair next to the bed, and settled in for what I expected to be a long and uncomfortable night.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Marcus
I struggled to open my eyes as I slowly started to awaken. I shifted, then winced at the movement when shockwaves of pain shot through my entire body. I took inventory of my aches and pains and didn’t know which hurt worse, my leg or my head. I started to shake my head slightly to get the kinks out and to orient myself. The stabbing pain in my head made me think twice. I blinked a few times to get used to the fluorescent lighting glaring down at me from the ceiling. As the grogginess lifted, I took in all the tubes in my body and the medical equipment lining the walls and realized I lay in a hospital bed. I took a chance against the pain and turned my head to peer at the room around me. Slouched in an awkward position in an extremely uncomfortable looking chair was the love of my life. Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse walked in with a vital signs machine, startled to see me awake.
“I’m sorry if I woke you up,” she apologized.
“No, you’re fine, I was awake. What happened? How did I wind up here?” I cleared my throat, when my voice came out on a croak.
She didn’t say anything at first as she walked over to check the monitors and began writing down what I assumed were the numbers displayed on them. She stepped over to me and took my vital signs. “Are you in any pain?”
“Only when I move,” I groaned.
“Understandable. Do you remember anything?”
Not wanting a repeat of the agony when I tried moving my head, I kept myself still. “I remember driving over to my,” I paused, “girlfriend’s house. After that the rest is blank.”
She offered me a sympathetic smile. “You were in a car accident. You have a concussion and a broken leg. Let me go get the doctor, and he can speak more to you. Press your call light next to the bed if you need anything.”
I nodded absently as she walked out of the room. I laid there for a while trying to stay awake, when I heard rustling from the other side of the room. I eased my head to the left and watched as Penny slowly wakened. She stretched her arms above her head, and I gave a little moan as her shirt pulled taut across her breasts. She jumped, as if startled, and a flash of relief sparked in her eyes. She leapt from her uncomfortable perch and rushed over to kneel beside me as she grabbed my hand. “Marcus, thank God, you’re awake.”
“This certainly isn’t how I expected our next meeting to go.” I chuckled in spite of the pain in my head. “God, everything hurts. It’s like I was hit by a truck.”
Penny gave a watery laugh. “Well, Sir, you kind of were. Do you remember what happened?”
As I began to speak, the nurse and doctor walked in. They examined me and asked me a series of questions, while Penny remained unobtrusive in the background and listened. The doctor recommended I remain in the hospital for a few more days for observation and after their brief conversation both the doctor and the nurse left us alone.
“So, Sir, I mean Marcus, can you tell me what happened?” Penny asked again.
“I like hearing you call me Sir again. Honestly, it’s all a little hazy. I do remember that I was on my way to see you,” I replied, almost sheepishly. I knew I’d shocked her. She hadn’t heard a peep from me for two months and out of the blue, without a phone call or text or notice of any kind, I had been on my way to see her.
“Wh-Why,” she stuttered and pointed at me accusingly. “Why now? I mean, that last time we talked you said all I thought needed to be said. You left me Marcus. YOU left ME. Not the other way around. I thought you loved me and then without warning, you left. You didn’t return my calls, and believe me, I called you more times than was healthy. I went to the club for weeks waiting for you to show up. I didn’t get anything in return except silence. So tell me, Marcus, what makes now different than two months ago?”
“First, let me tell you how sorry I am that I hurt you. In hindsight, I probably should have handled the situation differently.” I held my hand up when she started to interrupt me. “Let me finish, please. There is a lot you don’t understand and that I kept from you. Things about my personal life outside of my relationship with you that I didn’t want you to be involved in.” Seeing the hurt flash across her face, I rushed on to explain further. “It was for your safety, Penny.”
I needed to tell her everything, but exhaustion took over. I tried to control the yawn that threatened to escape. I lost the battle. I needed her to stay until I could make her understand. She took pity on me, because she stopped me from continuing. “Marcus, you don’t have to explain right now. You just woke up and I know you’re exhausted and in pain. Get some sleep and I’ll be back in a day or two.”
I tried to say thank you, but I was asleep again before she’d finished speaking.
The next morning I woke in much less pain than the day before. I had timed it perfectly, because Penny walked in my room fifteen minutes later.
“I’m glad you’re back,” I told her when she entered the room, her hesitancy evident.
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to come back. I realized that I deserved the truth.”
“Yes, you do. Please sit down, this is going to take a while.”
Almost against her will, she moved to the recliner she’d woken from yesterday and sat down, waiting impatiently for the explanation I hoped would grant me her forgiveness for leaving the way I did.