by Darla Lark
Cheyenne giggled. “Yeah. I can’t wait until Michael comes home.”
~
Two weeks later, Michael was back at home. His shoulders were pretty bandaged up and face had a few scratches, but he was doing well overall. Cheyenne was really glad to have him back home. Since neither one of them would be going very many places, it would give them time to plan their wedding.
Cheyenne sat snuggled up to him on the couch. “How are you feeling? Do you need any pain meds?”
“No. I’m good. Just having you here is my pain medicine.”
“Awww… that’s so sweet and so corny.”
“Well,” he said with a slight roll of his shoulder. “I guess I’m just a corny guy.”
Cheyenne leaned over and kissed him. “That’s why I love you so much.”
“Someone has to.”
“I’m glad it’s me. So, would you like to do some more wedding planning?”
“I do.”
“Two words I can’t wait to hear in front of all our family and friends.”
“Me too.” Cheyenne took a deep breath and delved into her thoughts. She really needed to talk with him. Though she wanted to apologize for everything, she didn’t know where to begin.
“Baby? What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“You got that look you always get when something is bothering you.”
“Okay. You got me.” She laughed half-heartedly. “On a serious note, I, well, just wanted to say I’m sorry for everything that has happened. Not us. Just everything else that has happened to you because of me. If it weren’t for me…”
“I’m going to stop you right there. Chey, baby, it’s not your fault. You are NOT responsible for what happened. If you had done those things to me yourself, we wouldn’t be planning a future together. Would we?”
“No. I don’t suppose so, but I still feel somewhat responsible.”
He nibbled on her earlobe and breathlessly whispered, “I love you and I say it’s not your fault.”
She whispered back. “I love you, too.” The heat in her woman parts began to rise.
Cheyenne cuddled up to Michael wondering when Eric was going to show up again. Would he finish what he started? She would always, from here on out, be looking over her shoulder—even though he was in prison. He was capable of escaping if he was capable of eluding the police for years, after all.
Chapter 52
Five and a half months was time enough for me to plan my escape and revenge. I had to get out. She’s getting married in a week and a half. Cheyenne, the love of my life, has to pay. After all, she’s the reason for my imprisonment. Once I’m out, I know exactly how she is going to pay. She had made a big mistake double crossing me the way she did. Oh well. It’s too late. No amount of apologies could make up for her disobedience. By tomorrow night, I’ll be free. It’s a good thing I became friends with the warden and a couple of the officers. If I hadn’t, it would be difficult to escape. Only one more day to get through. Just one more day. Then my plan can be implemented and I am looking forward to it. A wicked smile curled on his lips.
Chapter 53
Six months after Michael’s release from the hospital, they were married. With no word from or sight of Eric, they began to relax and settle into their lives. Cheyenne’s heart was overjoyed and swollen with love as they slow danced.
Michael smiled. “Are you happy?”
Cheyenne stared into his eyes with her arms wrapped around his neck. She grinned from ear to ear and answered. “Yes. Happier than I’ve ever been. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Nor I you.”
Giving each other a few kisses, they held each other. When the song was over, they reluctantly pulled away to mingle with their guests, but kept glancing over at each other.
“Wow. You guys did an amazing job. This is a beautiful reception and the wedding was amazing.”
Cheyenne looked and saw her sister. “Thank you. I’m glad to see you enjoying yourself.”
“And I’m glad to see you so happy. By the way, did you actually invite Tyler and his wife?”
“Yep.” Cheyenne grinned slyly and elbowed Raina. “He looks miserable. It’s too bad.”
“Too bad. He had a great life with you. In the end, it’s one big circle. You know the old adage, what goes around, comes around.”
“Yeah. He got invited so he could see what he missed out on. Though I must admit that it feels good, but at the same time, I actually kind of feel sorry for him. Is that bad after everything he’s done to me?”
“No. It makes you human. Although, it does help to have found someone who’s more suitable for you… and makes you happy.” They turned to find Michael. He was talking with one of the guests. “I’m so glad you and Michael found each other, but don’t you think it’s ironic you married your divorce attorney?”
Cheyenne laughed. “Let’s hope we don’t have to get a divorce, because he’s good. I’ll be screwed.” They both laughed. “However, for the time being, I am very happy with this new life.”
Before Raina could respond, Tyler came up to her. “Chey, you look so amazing. So beautiful. Wow. I remember our wedding day and you are even more stunning than ever.”
“Thanks. I’m surprised you came,” Cheyenne said.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
They stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. “How are you and Elizabeth doing?” Cheyenne asked with actual sincerity.
“Good, actually. Really good. The baby is doing well, too.” He rubbed the back of his neck and Cheyenne noticed him shift uncomfortably and a bead of sweat formed at his temple. “You know, this is the fanciest reception I’ve ever been to. It’s a lot fancier than ours was.”
“Yeah. I feel like Cinderella.”
“You look even better. I guess second times a charm. Huh?”
Ignoring his comment, she continued. “Michael turned this a girlhood dream into a reality for me. But then again,” she looked over at her new husband, “he makes all my dreams come true.”
Tyler forced a smile. “I’m glad for you.”
“Well, I’ve got other guests to greet. Enjoy yourself.” She began to walk away when he called her name.
She turned to face him. “If things didn’t work out with me and Elizabeth and you weren’t with Michael, would you have given us a second chance?”
She stared at him as she pondered how to respond. She sighed and shrugged her right shoulder. “Tyler, I won’t lie. There was a time that I probably would have. But in all honesty, I’m glad we didn’t make it, because I love Michael. I don’t believe we were in love. It was just a friendship kind of love. Nothing more. Maybe we were in love in the beginning. At least, we thought we were.” She started to walk away, but stopped and turned to look at him. “No regrets. Okay?”
He looked sad, but again forced a smile and repeated, “No regrets.”
“Chey, that was so… nice and mature of you. Michael really is good for you.” Raina locked arms with her sister.
“He is Rain. He is. Now, I’m going to say hello my other guests.” She pulled Raina’s arm away.
“I see how it is.”
“Yup.” She grinned and walked away.
“Cheyenne! Oh my dearest daughter!” Mrs. Warner threw her arms around Cheyenne.
“Mrs. Warner. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“More than ever.”
“Good.”
“You and my boy. It took long enough. The two of you are a beautiful couple. The only thing missing is grandchildren.”
“Whoa!” Cheyenne pulled back and put her hand up. “We just got married. Let’s not rush things. One step at a time, please.”
“I’m not rushing you. All I want now is grandchildren. What is it you kids say nowadays, an FYI.”
Cheyenne laughed. “Eventually. I simply want to enjoy being with my new husband first.”
“The sooner the better, my dear. Now, Mr. Warner is motion
ing for me to dance with him.”
Mrs. Warner walked away, Cheyenne shook her head and smiled. This was the best day of her life. If there was any way to be happier, she didn’t know how. Nothing could possibly ruin her day.
Michael slipped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Mom started about having grandchildren, didn’t she?”
She leaned back into him. “Yeah. Can you blame her? She doesn’t have any. All she wants to do is spoil them when she does become a grandma.”
“I guess. Anyway, Mrs. O’Neill, how about going back out on the dance floor?”
“Why not, Mr. O’Neill?”
~
Michael and Cheyenne announced their departure, said goodbye and walked outside toward the limo. Suddenly, there was a loud pop. They jumped. They looked at each other. There were a few people standing outside. No one saw where it had come from.
“What was that?” Michael asked. When he looked down, there was blood all over his shirt. “Oh my God! Where’s the blood coming from?”
Cheyenne looked down and saw blood running down her dress. Shocked, she looked back up at Michael, with one hand over her wound and whispered, “Michael…” She slid to the ground as Michael caught her.
“Cheyenne!” he shouted. “Cheyenne! Come on baby. Don’t leave me. I love you. Cheyenne.” Cradling her in his arms, he shouted, “Someone call nine-one-one. We need help! Now!” As he rocked her back and forth, he kept whispering, “Cheyenne. Cheyenne. Cheyenne, I love you. Don’t leave me. Please. Don’t leave me. It’ll be okay.”
Though it was painful, Cheyenne tried to imprint Michael’s face to her memory. This is it. He got me. I’m going to die. That was her last thought before she passed out.
Chapter 54
It was unfortunate that I had to do it. I warned her, but she didn’t listen. Now I have to finish what I started. It wouldn’t be humane to let her lie there and suffer. That husband of hers will understand my pain. Of course, I thought about killing Michael, too, but the thought of him suffering a life without his wife makes me happy. He deserves the misery that I am suffering. What did she see in that guy, anyway? Michael wasn’t right for her. It’s too late now. She had to pay for her ignorance and refusal to realize the truth. Stupid bitch.
I raised the gun and fired another shot. I missed, but I was still satisfied. The second shot was unnecessary since I had hit her with the first one. It almost made me giddy to know the suffering Michael was about to experience. He deserved it. Michael stole Cheyenne from me. They will both suffer the consequences.
“Why Cheyenne? Why did you think prison could keep me away from you? Why did you do this to yourself? I thought you were smarter than that. That’s why I was so attracted to you. Why? Why? Why?” I punched the steering wheel and then laughed. “Cheyenne, you make me crazy. But I love you and that’s why I had to teach you a lesson. If only you would have listened. If only…”
Chapter 55
Paramedics rushed Cheyenne into the emergency room with Michael in tow as she slid in and out of consciousness. She had lost a large amount of blood and was in excruciating pain. When the nurses took over, they told Michael he could go no further. “Please don’t leave me alone. Please,” Cheyenne mumbled before she was wheeled back for surgery.
Frustrated, Michael rubbed his hand across his face as he watched the doors close him out.
“Sir,” one of the nurses said, “I need to get some information from you. Please follow me.”
“Can we do this later, please?”
“Sir…”
I said I want to do this later,” he snapped.
She smiled sympathetically at him and walked away.
“Michael! Michael! How is she?” Mrs. Warner rushed toward him.
“I don’t know.”
Raina came running up to them. “Is my sister all right? Where is she? What’s going on?”
Michael put one hand up to stop her from talking. “Like I told my mom, I don’t know. They just took her back.”
“Let’s go to the waiting room,” Mrs. Warner said as she motioned with her hand.
In the waiting room, Raina sat while Michael paced back and forth. Everyone was on edge. Michael broke the silence. “Oh my God! Who would shoot her? Who? I mean, Eric is in prison for God’s sake. Did he hire someone to finish the job for him?” He collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
Raina stood, went over to him, knelt in front of him. “It’s not your fault.” They cried together as she whispered, “It’s not your fault.”
“Detective,” Mrs. Warner greeted as she dried her eyes with a tissue.
Michael stood. “Lawrence, who did this? Did you catch the guy?”
“I’m really sorry about Cheyenne. I’ll keep her in my prayers.”
“Did you catch the guy?” Michael said more emphatically.
Detective Lawrence cleared his throat and shook his head. “No. We didn’t catch him, but we had him.”
“Let me guess: Eric? Eric escaped? How could you have let that happen and why in the hell didn’t you tell us that he had escaped?”
Detective Lawrence rubbed his temples. “There’s more to that story.”
“Really?” Michael raised his voice. “My wife is in surgery because she was shot due to police irresponsibility. So, tell me, what else? Tell me.”
“Calm down, Mikey. The detective is trying to help. Just listen to him, okay?” Mrs. Warner stood beside her son with one hand on his arm. “Calm down, son.”
Michael’s lip began to tremble. “Okay.”
“Go on, detective,” Mrs. Warner encouraged with one hand gently rubbing her son’s arm.
Detective Lawrence nodded and continued. “He didn’t do it alone.”
“What do you mean?” Raina asked.
“He had help from within. The warden and one of the guards helped him out. Eric was sly and they befriended him. They believed in his innocence and helped him with his escape. We found evidence to prove it.”
“What evidence? How do you know they believed in his innocence? No one admits to something like that.”
Detective Lawrence hung his head. “I can’t delve into details with you. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
“My sister is in surgery with her life in the balance and you can’t tell me anything? Really? Come on, detective.”
“I’m sorry, Raina.”
Raina collapsed into a chair and rubbed her temples. “Dear God! How could they do such a thing? Didn’t they know what he has done to my sister?”
“I can assure you that they will be punished for this.”
“If my wife dies, what good will that do? His being in prison was to protect her. You should go now, Lawrence. I’m afraid of what I might do.”
Detective Lawrence looked at Michael and Mrs. Warner. When Mrs. Warner nodded, he bowed out and left. She patted her son on the shoulder before walking over to the nurses’ desk. If she could get something from them then it would be something.
“Excuse me, miss.”
“Yes?” The brown-haired girl behind the desk turned to face her. “How may I help you?”
“Can you tell me anything about my daughter-in-law? Cheyenne O’Neill.”
“Let me go ask. Be right back.” She disappeared around the corner.
“Did she have any news?” Michael asked as he and Raina walked up behind her.
“Not yet. She’s checking now.”
“It just seems like it’s been forever.” Raina wiped her tears away. “I can’t lose her. She’s all the family I have. I just can’t lose her.”
“We all love her, Raina,” Mrs. Warner said. She placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Let’s keep her in our prayers. Okay sweetie?” Raina nodded. “Just have a little faith.”
“Ma’am?” They all looked at the nurse anxiously. “Is she the one who came in with the bullet wound?”
“Yes.”
“She’s still in surgery, but the doctor will be
out as soon as he can to speak with you.”
“Thank you.” Mrs. Warner pinched the bridge of her nose. “Guess we should have a seat. This could be quite a while.”
They all took a seat and sat quietly, hoping for the best. Hoping Cheyenne was still alive.
~
Tyler stopped by. “How is she?”
They all looked up at him, their eyes red and puffy from crying. Raina was the first to speak. “Why are you here, Ty?”
“I know what happened and wanted to make sure that she’s all right.”
“Well, Ty, she’s not all right. She was shot and is still in surgery. My sister may die. You tell me how she’s doing.”
“I’m sorry, Raina. Cheyenne and I may not be together any longer, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about her.”
Michael intervened. “Look, Tyler, Cheyenne is our concern. Not yours. Not any longer. She’s not your wife. She’s my wife now. Please leave and let us deal with our grief.”
Mrs. Warner didn’t say a word when Tyler looked at her. Tyler backed away. “Fine. I’ll go. I hope she gets better soon though.”
Raina stared in the direction that Tyler had left. “He’s got a lot of nerve showing up like that.”
“I know, but he’s gone now.” Mrs. Warner frowned.
“Good. Let him stay that way.”
~
Three hours later, Mrs. Warner and Raina were still seated, holding hands. Michael had been pacing, sitting, and repeating it again. They were sitting on pins and needles waiting for the results. The doctor finally came out asking who was with Cheyenne. They all jumped up at the same time and walked toward him. They didn’t give the doctor time to make it to them.
”How is she?” Michael and Raina asked in unison.
Extending his hand, he said, “I’m Doctor Farmer.” They anxiously shook his hand. “Stable. She’s stable. We had to perform thoracic surgery to remove the bullet lodged in her right lung and the damage surrounding it. The bullet cracked one of her ribs in the process, but we believe she’ll recover. We’ve also performed a tracheotomy, which means that we’ve inserted a tube to release the air so her lung can rise and fall like it’s supposed to. Now it’s up to her. She’s in recovery now, but she won’t be going anywhere for a while. All I can say is if you believe in God, pray because it’s going to be a long and painful process for her. She’s going to need all the support you can give her.”