"Yes! A little girl. Something's wrong with her. She won't talk anymore and she stares blankly a lot. I'm scared for her. We're the only two. Everyone else..."
The man nodded, his face turning pale. "What's your name, son?"
"I'm Hunter."
"How old are you, Hunter?"
"Twelve. But please, there's not much time. I have to take you to Becca. She's younger than me and I know she needs help. Please, we can't let her die!" he pleaded.
"Calm down, son. We'll get to her. Are you hurt?" The man motioned for the others to follow. They carried a stretcher and other things.
"I hurt, but I'll be okay. Please, let's go!" Hunter rushed ahead of them, eager to get back to Becca. He led them right to her. She was in the same place he'd left her. Her eyes widened a little bit as she saw the men. "We've been found, Becca. We'll be okay now." Hunter ran to her and hugged her. "They're going to help you now."
Finally feeling better now that they were tending to her, Hunter let one of them look him over. They were soon brought on the helicopter. Hunter peered out the window as the tiny island faded. He finally broke down and cried. He was leaving his family. They were dead, still somewhere out in that water. What happened next? What would he do? What about Becca?
All he could do was watch as they kept talking about her, but he didn't understand most of what they said.
Hours later, the helicopter landed on top of a hospital building. They took Becca away first, and Hunter freaked. "I need to be with her. Please! I promised I'd keep her safe. She's all I have. I'm all she has!" He couldn't control himself. He knew he should stay calm, but he'd gotten attached to her.
"Son, it's okay. She's going to get the attention she needs. It's okay." A calming hand went on his arm and he felt the sting of a needle. "Just calm down."
What the hell did they do to him?
The next thing he recalled was waking up in a hospital bed. His eyelids were heavy. Where was Becca?
"Hi Hunter," a soft, kind voice said from beside him.
He focused his eyes on a young woman. She wore a name badge, but his eyes weren't focused enough to read her name. Her smile was warm and friendly. "I'm Dr. Ross."
"Please tell me how Becca is," he begged, sitting up.
She frowned. "Becca? Oh, the little girl that was with you?"
Hunter nodded. "I'm scared for her. She just ... she stopped talking. She couldn't walk. What going to happen to her? She lost her whole family."
"So did you, Hunter," Dr. Ross replied.
"I know," he said quietly.
"Do you have any aunts or uncles?"
"No. My mom and dad were both only children. I never met my grandparents."
"I see." The doctor made a face.
"Why do I feel so tired? I don't remember being brought in here."
"You were sedated. You were pretty upset and they needed to calm you down so you could be treated."
"Sedated? All I wanted was to see Becca. I need to know she's okay. I made her a promise."
"Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"No! I want to know Becca is okay. I want to see her. Please. She's probably afraid."
"Hunter. Becca has some serious injuries."
"You think I don't know that? I pulled that girl from the wreck. I stayed with her the entire time! I had to tell her that her family was dead! I know she's not my family, but for the past few days, she's all I've had. I'm not ready to say good-bye to her."
"Look. I'll see what I can do. It's obvious you've become attached to her." Dr. Ross stood.
"Please. I just need to know she's okay. I need to tell her that I'm here. I need her to make it out of this." His voice choked up.
"What an ordeal for two young kids to go through. I'm going to be frank with you, Hunter, because I think you can handle it. If you have no family, you'll become a ward of the state. I know it's not going to be easy..."
"Do you think Becca can go with me? We'll be together and we aren't strangers. Someone has to protect her."
"I don't know about that. She has a long recovery ahead of her, and we're still looking, but I think Becca has family. We're trying to make contact."
He wished he could go with her to her family. He didn't want to be alone.
"You'll find out if I can see her?" He was hopeful.
"I'll see what I can do, okay? Just don't get your hopes up."
An hour later, she came back. "Good news. Because of your circumstances, you'll be allowed to see her. She has to go in for surgery soon, but we'll give you a few minutes. You'll have to let me push you in a wheelchair, but be prepared. She's not conscious and there's a lot of tubes and-"
"I just need to see her," Hunter insisted. He didn't care about anything else. He just had to know she was okay and to tell her he was there with her. He bet she was scared. She'd done so good when they were on the island. Every time she had a nightmare or she was scared, he'd give her a hug and talk her through it.
Becca looked so different. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing into a tube.
Fragile. Lifeless.
Scary.
He'd been warned, but Hunter hadn't been prepared.
"She's going to make it, right?" he asked, suddenly scared.
"Too early to tell," Dr. Ross admitted.
Hunter liked her. She didn't treat him like a kid and told him what he needed to know. She pushed him close to Becca's bed and Hunter reached for her hand.
"Hey, Becca. I'm here. I just wanted you to know. See, I told you they'd find us. You're going to get better. You'll be good as new. I don't know what happens next, but I'll never, ever forget you. I'm sorry I didn't do more to keep you safe. It scared me when you stopped talking to me. I hope you don't forget me, either."
He wiped a tear away that slid down his cheek. The machines beeped in the background. Hunter rested his head by her hand.
For the next half hour, he talked to her. He didn't know if she could hear him, but he told her funny stories and acted as if she could hear until the moment where they had to take her in for surgery. He gave her hand one last squeeze before he had to let her go.
"Be brave, Becca. Come back soon and I'll find a way to get to you. I'm not ever going to forget you." As they wheeled her out of the room, Hunter cried. "I'll always find a way to keep you safe. You're all I have left."
Chapter Eighteen
Becca was just about to make another stroke with the brush when she heard Hunter cry out. Then, Sienna's scared wails followed. Oh God, did he have another nightmare? Becca dropped the brush onto her palette and ran into Sienna's room. She flicked on the light. Hunter had curled up on the floor. Sienna was up and huddled under her blanket, crying. She noticed Becca and reached for her. "Daddy cry!"
"Yeah, baby. Daddy's having a bad dream." Becca picked her up and cradled her to her chest. "It's okay. He doesn't mean to scare you. I'm going to wake him up now, okay?"
"Daddy okay?" Sienna said, holding on.
"He will be, sweet girl. I'm going to put you down for second while I wake him. Then you'll see that he's okay." Becca hoped Sienna wouldn't get too upset, but she was already scared from Hunter crying out. She set her back down on the bed. Sienna grabbed her blanket, tears in her eyes, but she stayed calm. Thank God.
Becca crouched on the floor by Hunter. "Sweetie, wake up. Hunter!' She took his shaking hands and squeezed. Letting go of one hand, she rubbed his back. "Hunter!" she said a little louder.
He shot up, looking startled. Sweat dripped down his face. "What happened?"
"I think you had another nightmare. You fell asleep while getting Sienna to stay asleep."
Hunter whipped his head to look at his daughter. "Oh, Princess, Daddy's sorry for scaring you."
Becca pulled him in a hug. "Was it bad?" she whispered, running her fingers through his hair.
"It was a flashback of when I had to say goodbye to you in the hospital. It felt so damn real, like I was reliving it. I kept begging to see you. I sat in your room
holding your hand until they took you away for your first surgery. God, Becca, I was so scared then. It felt so real."
"Shh. I'm here. I'm right here and I'm okay." Becca held him close. After a long moment of silence, she kissed his forehead. "Why not go shower, clean up and I'll see if I can get Sienna back to sleep." She didn't know in his state if he'd be able to get Sienna calm again.
He nodded. "I think that's a good idea. Thank you, angel. I don't know what I'd do without you." He moved to the bed and hugged his daughter. "Sorry for scaring you, baby girl. Daddy's okay now. I love you."
"Daddy." Sienna climbed into his arms. Becca watched in silence as he rocked her for a little while.
"I'm going to go clean up now, okay? You want to go with Becca?" Hunter asked softly, stroking her hair.
Sienna reached her arms out, signaling that was okay with her. He handed her over to Becca.
"Are you sure?" he asked, looking hesitant to leave.
"I'm good, sweetie." Becca smiled when Sienna laid her head down and found a comfortable spot to hold. "She'll be out in no time, I bet."
"Will you work some of that magic on me later?" He shot her a half smile.
"I'll do my best."
Hunter left the room. A few minutes later, she heard the shower water running. Becca turned off the light and held Sienna, walking around the room with a slight bounce. She sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star a few times. Sienna's breathing deepened and after ten minutes, Becca took a chance and laid her down on the bed.
She didn't stir. Becca tiptoed quietly out of the room after covering her up with a blanket. She closed the door behind her and heaved a sigh of relief, then hurried to the end of the hall to check on Hunter. When she entered the bedroom, he'd already finished showering and had put on a pair of boxers and a white tee shirt. "She's out again. All safe and sound," Becca said softly.
Hunter closed the distance between them, gathering her in his arms. "Thank you," he whispered, burying his face in her hair. "I need a little fresh air. I have a monitor to listen out for Sienna. We can take it and sit on the balcony, if you want to join me. I feel like I'm suffocating."
"I'd love to." Becca kissed his cheek. His skin was still so pale. If only she knew what to do for him.
He reached for the white monitor and pulled open the sliding door. They stepped out onto the balcony. What a view. She couldn't get over how calm and peaceful it was here. Hunter gestured at a glider nearby. They sat down together and Hunter pulled her close. "They're getting worse. The flashbacks, I mean. Vivid, more often ... I don't know what to do. I get these surges of fear even during the day, like I'm somewhere else. Kind of like the day I freaked out when we were parasailing. I'm too tense. I can't concentrate. Sleep, well, forget it. I get less and less of it."
"The flashbacks are always about the crash?"
"Yeah. I haven't had them in years. Now all of a sudden it's all coming back. From before, when I was on the plane, I relive the last moments I had with my parents alive, and then all of the days we spent alone, to the first few days when we were found. Tonight's was so emotionally intense. I kept begging you not to forget me, even though I didn't think you could hear me. I'd asked the doctor ... well actually I think she was a social worker, I just never realized it then. I begged her to find a way to keep us together. Then when they put you in that induced coma and told me about your brain injuries, I freaked. I thought there was something I could have done to save you, to keep that from happening."
"That's a terrible burden for a twelve year old to carry. I had no idea you felt like that." Becca stroked his cheek lovingly. He'd taken on the world, always wanting to protect her. They were all they had back then, and that never changed. "Maybe everything is finally catching up to you."
"I don't like it. I don't like not being in control of my thoughts. It's freaky as hell." Hunter exhaled deeply. "Not when I'm ready to move forward in my life and be with you. I'm not myself, Bec."
"I noticed that right away when you found me on the island. I knew something had changed with you. I just didn't know how intense it was or why."
Hunter tightened his hold on her. His soft lips were on her neck. "Despite all of this, I feel more whole with you here, like a family that's complete. I know this is all coming fast, but you're meant to be here, Bec. I feel it in my heart and you know I don't just say these things to say them."
Her breath hitched as she let his words soak in. He always had a way of catching her off-guard.
He laughed. "I've made you speechless. I can't see it, but I bet you're blushing too."
She swatted at him, the heat rushing to her face. "Will you stop it?" She couldn't help but laugh.
"Probably not," he teased, leaning over to kiss her lips. "I could stay out here all night and hold you in my arms like this. Right now, I don't have to share you with anyone and I'm going to be selfish and enjoy every little moment." His voice lowered. "You showed me your keepsake display. I should show you what I have saved, too."
She laughed. Once again, he changed the subject with little warning. She loved that about him. One of the many things she loved about Hunter.
"What? I'm sentimental." He feigned hurt.
"That's not why I laughed, silly. Your quick subject change was funny."
"You should be used to that by now. I can't help it when my mind decides to take a different path." His lips were close to her ear now. "And lately, when I'm around you, I can't think straight. I get lost in the newness of us. This is what I've been missing. Damn, why did it take so long to realize that it was you who completed me all along?"
"Hunter," Becca whispered, feeling a little breathless.
"Seriously, Bec. You've been the one all along. My heart is yours. It's always been. I don't have any doubt about that. All I ever wanted to do was keep you close and protect you. Everyone around here seemed to know it long before I did."
*****
He'd turned into a blubbering fool, but Hunter wanted Becca to know exactly how he felt. This did feel a little like a whirlwind ride, but he'd known her so long. It felt right. Perfect.
Showing this kind of emotion had never come easy to him. He'd bounced around from place to place after the crash. He never had time to get attached, so he stopped. He stopped looking for love. He'd learned to go with the flow.
"All the signs were there," Hunter said quietly. He repositioned himself to look at her. He gently cupped Becca's face, kissing along her jaw. "I'm that oblivious. I did love Eva, but I think even she knew that my heart wasn't fully hers. I guess subconsciously I ruled out the idea that there could ever be an us. We were brought together by a terrible accident that scarred us physically and emotionally. Look at the reactions we're getting already. But I used to look forward to our weekly calls when you were able to talk again. I loved your letters and your pictures. I swear I still have every last one. Even with my constant moving around, I kept everything safe because I needed that with me always. My life was a neverending change, but the one constant I had was you. Every thought went to you. Every milestone, I wished you were with me. Even with my wedding. Sienna's birth. It just never occurred to me why. If that makes me a terrible man, I don't know what to do about that." He paused to kiss her again. "I know, I'm babbling," he said, feeling a little nervous all of a sudden.
"No you're not. I love hearing this. I love when you open up to me." Becca reached for his hand.
"You're the only one I've ever been able to open up to like this. See, there you go. Another sign. And damn it, I don't believe in signs like this, but they all point to you. I wish I'd opened up a lot more to you in the past, but I never wanted to bombard you with my crazy life. That's why I always focused on you." He sank to his knees before her. "I want to give you everything. I want you to know me, all of me. So know that I'll try. It's weird to bare my deepest thoughts to anyone, but I'm ready to with you."
"You're going to make me cry!" Becca hugged him.
Hunter stroked her hair, holding her cl
ose. "I know you don't like attention drawn to you, so that's why I never mentioned this before, but I think you should know now."
She pulled back, her eyes wide.
"It's nothing bad, I promise. I just don't know how you'll react." His heartbeat sped up. He was ready to tell her.
"What is it?"
"Well, when that settlement came in, I didn't know what to do with that kind of money. I never wanted anything like that, and I could have just turned it away, but I decided to go ahead and make the best out of it. You already know I admire you and all you've overcome, so I wanted to do something in your honor. So I created a research fund in your name. And I've donated to it, helped with the cause. I'm pretty involved with it. In fact, we have an annual fundraiser coming up that I'm supposed to speak at and would love to introduce the inspiration behind the Rebecca Lange Fund."
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Hunter..."
He put a finger to her lips. "I've been involved with helping to fund brain trauma research. It's scary, but it's fascinating and I wanted to be a part of it."
"Now you've done it. Now I-" Tears fell from her eyes.
"Oh angel. Don't cry." He held her as she let out all of her emotions on his shoulder.
"I'm stunned right now." She sobbed. "Never in a million years did I think it was something like this."
"You're not upset, are you?"
She laughed through her tears. "Upset? No! I mean, you're right. I don't like attention drawn to me, but this ... this is amazing. I had no idea! I love it."
"Here's a bit of honesty. Part of me did it out of guilt." He'd never admitted this to anyone. Carrying a twenty year guilt ate at him though.
"Guilt?" Becca frowned. "What in the world did you have to feel guilty about?"
"Your injuries were so complex. I know it sounds silly now, but back then, I thought I could have done more. I'd promised that I would keep you safe. When you shut down, I thought it was my fault."
"You carried that pain with you this entire time?"
Hunter nodded, climbing to his feet. He held out his hands to help Becca up. "For the longest time. Obviously now that I'm older and I've learned more about brain trauma, I know I did the best I could. It's like survivor's guilt. You survived, but you went through more trauma than I did. I hated that I couldn't be there with you after you finally woke up. The first time you reacted to my voice, the doctors were stunned. I grew up fast during those few weeks. You and I experienced more heartache in our lives in those few weeks than some do in years or even a lifetime. I promised myself I'd live life to it's fullest. While I learned to deal with my fear of planes, I never gave my heart fully to anyone. Even though Sienna isn't biologically yours, you complete this family. I have everything I need and want, right here and right now." He tipped her back and kissed her. "Just so you know, I want to marry you one day. I'm still going to take this slow, but I want to spend my life with you by my side. No matter what, I'll find a way to make us work. Whatever it takes. I told you all those years ago I'd always find a way to get to you, and I stand by that. You are the center of my life, Becca. You and Sienna. I don't regret the things in my past because it led us here." Hunter wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling Becca close. "I love you."
A Masterpiece Of Our Love (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 1) Page 19