by A. D. Ellis
Decker: Sure. Text me on your way.
**********
The events which unfolded over the next hour would haunt Decker for the rest of his life. Thirty minutes after his text to Katie, he got two texts within seconds of each other. First thinking it was her telling him she was skipping her run and coming over early, the blood in his veins froze as he read the words.
Officer Smitson: Where is Katie Turner? The NYPD officer who was trailing Angela Ford was just found dead; his throat was slit. He’s been dead over 24 hours. No idea where Ford is, but probably heading to Torey Hope.
Angela: Hope those kisses she gave you were enough to last a lifetime…she won’t be around to put those filthy lips on yours for much longer. Say goodbye to your precious Kate.
Calling Kendrick, he bolted to his car. “Angela is back in Torey Hope. Call the police, tell them to get to The Center+. Kate’s there, Kendrick, she’s there. Angela’s going to kill her.” The fear that gripped him was enough to take his breath, but he pushed it aside and focused on Kate. “Bug, be smart. Fight her, fight like you’ve never fought before.” He had tried her cell, but it just rang through; he knew she wouldn’t have it on her while she was running because she didn’t like it strapped to her arm.
Pulling up to The Center+, he swallowed down bile when he saw the glass on the front door had been shattered. He took small comfort in knowing Angela couldn’t have been there long; the alarm company would have alerted the police the second the glass was shattered and they would have been there in 5 minutes. Stopping briefly in the equipment room, he grabbed a baseball bat and walked stealthily through the semi-dark halls. He tried to listen for sounds to determine where they were, but the blood roaring in his ears from the beating of his heart was too loud.
He heard the sirens pulling up outside, voices on the radio speaking, and Officer Smitson yelling, “Mr. Morgan, I need you to stop. Let us go in first, sir.”
Ignoring the man, Decker progressed down the hall toward the gym. Knowing Kate, she probably grabbed the files first thing and then headed to the gym. Angela was most likely to find her there, so Decker proceeded that way. Finding the gym dark, his heart sank.
A shrill scream, the loud pop of a gunshot, and deathly silence echoed through the building. He tried to control his breathing, tried to control his fear, but everything was out of control. He ran into the darkened gym and straight toward the light coming from under the locker room door.
The sight that greeted him would forever be fodder for his nightmares.
**********
Katie had grabbed the files and headed into the gym. Picking her favorite treadmill, she turned it on and started running. Before she’d even broken a sweat, the treadmill shut off and the lights went out.
“Damn it.” Knowing the lights were on a timer, she headed toward the only light she could see streaming under the women’s locker room door. As she reached for the handle, her brain registered that the men’s locker room didn’t have light; the entire gym was on the same timer. Why were all the lights off except the women’s locker room? And what had caused the treadmill to turn off? Too late, she pulled open the door and screamed when a hand grabbed her hair and pulled her inside.
“You stupid bitch. I knew you’d come running back from Daddy’s as soon as I left town. I just had to bide my time and get rid of that cop they had trailing me before heading back to this shitty little town to finish you off. Anything you want me to tell Decker? He’ll be so distraught from your death, he’ll have no recourse other than to turn to me.” Spit flecked against her cheek as Angela’s deadly whisper spoke into her ear.
Katie knew there was no reasoning with this woman; she had gone absolutely insane. Fighting back was her only chance. Thinking of the time, she knew Decker would be expecting her soon; her only hope was to fight Angela off until he got worried and came looking for her. When Angela pulled out a gun, Katie’s hopes of fighting deflated.
Laying the gun on the counter next to the sink, Angela produced a knife from her boot. “I think I should do a little decorating before I put a hole through that damn ugly head of yours. I’ll make you so hideous, Decker won’t be able to stand the thought of your body; he’ll long for me instead.” The grip on her hair tightened and she gritted against the pain.
She felt the knife trail down her cheek, the sting of her flesh being opened, the warm trickle of blood as it oozed from the wound and ran down her neck. Pain and fear mixed together in her head, but anger took precedence. She’d let Angela run the show for way too long; Angela was the reason she and Decker were in the position they were in. Katie was done being the victim to this woman.
With all the strength she could muster, she jammed her elbow into Angela’s midsection. A growl from Angela was the only warning before the knife sliced into her side. The searing pain brought tears to her eyes, but she threw another elbow and kicked backwards, landing both her elbow and foot in hard contact with Angela’s body. It was enough to cause Angela to let go. Grabbing the gun off the counter, Katie leveled it at the woman and hoped against hope that she wouldn’t have to use it; never in her life had she held a gun, let alone shot one.
With fire in her eyes and hatred on her face, Angela let out a shrill scream and threw herself at Katie. As they fell to the floor in what felt like slow motion, Katie heard the loud pop of the gun, and then her world went black.
Chapter 31
“Decker, you need to get some sleep.” Nate stood over him as he clung to the side of Kate’s bed. “Your mom and I are here, Katie’s parents are here, we’ll let you know the second anything changes.” Decker lifted red-rimmed, bleary eyes to look at his father.
“I can’t, Dad. I can’t leave her.” His voice caught, and he brought the hand he was holding to his mouth to brush a kiss across her skin.
“Well then, do you want some company?” Nate pulled a chair up beside his son.
They sat quietly for several moments, the beeps and whirs and bustle of the hospital a symphony surrounding them.
“Want to talk about it?” Nate hesitated as he asked. He knew Decker had shared some of what he saw with his brother and cousins, but he’d not been able to get through the whole story with any of them. The police had been right behind him when he came upon the scene so they had needed very little from him to fill in the holes in the investigation.
Decker sat stoically for several minutes as if contemplating whether he wanted to speak the words. Closing his eyes, he finally spoke in a pained voice. “There was so much blood, Dad. I heard a scream, then a gun shot, and then nothing. When I opened the door to the locker room, Kate was on the ground and a pool…a pool of blood was all around her…” Stopping to breathe deeply, he looked at her face to reassure himself that she was still alive. “I ran to her and held her, but she wasn’t talking, wasn’t moving. I thought…” He pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths. “I thought she was dead, I thought the gun shot had been for her.” He returned her hand to his mouth and kissed it while he stared reverently at her still form upon the bed. Tears streamed down his face as he replayed the events in his mind.
Aside from the bandage around her head for the large cut and resulting stitches from her falling and banging her head, there was very little on Kate that would outwardly indicate she was injured. She had a small red cut on her cheek from Angela cutting her, but it was a very superficial wound. No one could see the 5 inch gash along her side where Angela had slashed her with the knife, no one could see the excessive amount of blood she had lost from that wound and her head. She looked like she was simply sleeping, like she would wake up from a restful nap at any moment.
But, she had been sleeping for three days. The doctors said her knife wound was healing well and would leave only a slight scar. The gash on her head had been stitched nicely and wouldn’t require anything more. The blow to her head was caused by Angela charging her; when they both fell to the ground, Kate’s head had sustained a concussion from hitti
ng the locker room floor. The doctors said the concussion was something to keep an eye on, but it didn’t appear to be anything terribly serious at the moment. They hypothesized that the trauma from being attacked and shooting Angela were keeping Kate in a very deep state of rest so that her body and mind could heal from the events. Medicines were keeping her comfortable while she rested. The medical staff had spoken to her parents and Decker at length, and it was decided they would lessen the medications at day five if she hadn’t shown any stirrings before then.
Decker’s mom, Libby, walked into the room soundlessly and stood behind her son; resting her hands on his shoulders, she spoke quietly. “Decker, I really feel like she’s going to be fine. Dad and I are going to go grab some lunch with Katie’s parents and give you some time alone with her. Talk to her, I know she can hear you; a long time ago when your Uncle Nicky was sick in the hospital, your dad and I talked to him all day long. When he finally woke up, he kept talking about the things we had told him while he was sleeping. So talk to her, Decker.” Leaning down to kiss his head, Libby wished she could take away his fear and pain. “I know things had been rough between you two, but I feel in my heart that you two are meant to be together. If that’s what you want, talk to her; maybe hearing you’re here and loving her will be the boost she needs to start waking up.” Taking Nate’s hand, the couple left the room.
Decker knew that some other family members were out in the waiting room. Standing, he leaned down to kiss Kate’s forehead, “I’m going to go say hey to the guys. I’ll be right back, Bug. I love you.”
Stretching his arms and legs from being hunched over her bed day and night, he worked a sore spot on his neck. Rounding the corner into the family waiting room, he found Kate’s parents and his own preparing to grab lunch for the whole gang.
“Decker, sweetie, I know you want to be here for her, but promise me you’ll get some sleep. She needs you strong and healthy, not dead on your feet from trying to stay awake for her. Have you slept at all?” Kate’s mom ran a motherly hand down his cheek.
“Yeah, I’m sleeping a little. I just came out to say hey to the guys and then I’ll go back in; maybe I’ll take a little nap with her.” He smiled half-heartedly.
“Well, don’t go to sleep until we get back with some lunch for you; you need to eat.” With a final pat to his cheek, she turned to join the others heading out for food.
Decker turned to find Sawyer by his side; his heart swelled knowing that his brother would always be there for him. He also felt proud knowing that his whole family was there because they loved Kate too. Kendrick and Zach stood from the chairs they’d been lounging in and came over to him; Zach grabbed Zoey’s hand and pulled her into the group as well. Heart full, yet broken, Decker hung his head, not sure if the words he needed to speak would come.
When Zoey took a step back and nodded to Zach, the three men stepped forward and wrapped arms around Decker in a way that showed their unending love and support. Through it all, the arguments, the messing with each other, the tension that any family would have, Decker knew that these three men loved him and it gave him strength to say what he needed to say.
“I’m sorry; I was wrong.” Decker choked out and buried his head in Sawyer’s chest. As the tears flooded his eyes and emotion choked his throat, he continued, “I should have listened to all of you; you were right. If I hadn’t pushed Kate away, she wouldn’t be in that bed not waking up. I thought I was getting control of the situation, but I just made it spin out of control even more, and I lost the girl I love.” For several moments, the only sound in the room was Zoey’s sniffles; she cried for the emotion and hurt and heartache she saw surrounding Decker.
“Okay, BDSM, I hate to break up this party, but I think Decker needs to get his ass back in there and say his apologies to Katie.” Turning to speak directly to Decker, Kendrick laid his hands on his shoulders. “Decker, that girl loves you, and you love her. You both made some mistakes. Angela’s psycho behavior isn’t your fault; she was determined to get to Katie, no matter what. I agree you need some food and sleep, but you also need to talk to your girl. Get on in there, we’ll let you know when lunch is here; don’t worry about us, we’ll keep ourselves entertained out here.”
Turning towards Zach, Decker clapped him on the shoulder, “Sorry about the busted lip man. If you ever want to talk about, well, you know…I’m here for you; I may not understand it completely right now, but I’m here for you. For you both.” Zach nodded and Decker saw Zoey’s sad smile from behind his cousin. He took a last look at his family gathered in the room; knowing they were there to support him and Kate was a comfort. He turned to return to her room.
As Decker approached the doorway, Kendrick called out, “Hey, see if you can get me the number of that hot ass nurse; the blond one with the huge rack.” He yelped when Zoey smacked him in the chest. “What?! She’s hot. I’ve spent way too much time being celibate while I was taking care of Decker’s girl; I need to get laid.”
Decker had to laugh as he left the waiting room. Kendrick was…well, he was just Kendrick.
He walked into Kate’s room to find his favorite nurse finishing up taking her vitals. “Decker, hon, you look exhausted.” She eyed the bed where Kate slept and then spoke in hushed tones, “Listen, I’ll deny it if you tell anyone, but I won’t be back in for a couple hours, why don’t you crawl on up there in her bed and take a little nap with her.” She winked before bustling out of the room.
Removing his shoes, Decker found an extra blanket and gently laid himself next to Kate. Drawing her gingerly into his arms, careful not to jostle her too much, he wrapped them in the blanket and breathed deeply at how right it felt to have her in his arms again.
“I’m going to fall asleep soon, Bug, but I wanted to talk to you before I do.” Kissing her cheek, he gazed upon her face before speaking again.
“First, I love you. I love you more than I ever thought imaginable. I’m so very sorry for the way I handled this whole situation from beginning to end. I’ve had some time to reflect, along with every member of the family throwing their two cents in, and I think I realized quickly that I had messed up, but then I was too proud to admit it. In a series of more screw ups, I let anger and pride speak for me, and I managed to make an even bigger mess out of things. By then, I was afraid I had screwed things up too badly, and I didn’t know how to fix it.” Drawing his hand up her arm, stopping at her shoulder, he kissed her again. “When you started asking for promises and assurances, I freaked out and let my damn control issues get the best of me. I may not be able to promise exactly what you’re asking for, but I can promise you a few things.”
Lacing his hand with hers and fighting off the wave of exhaustion that threatened to pull him under, he spoke softly into her ear. “First, I can promise that I will spend the rest of my life loving you. I promise to treat you as an equal and never take you for granted. I promise to dance with you whenever you want to dance. I promise to take any shit your grandma wants to throw my way, even if it includes sexual innuendos and groping. And I promise to buy you every sex toy ever made, as long as I’m the only one ever using them on you.” Turning her in his arms so that he could roll them to their sides; being careful to avoid her knife wound and bandages, he cuddled in close behind her. As sleep overtook him, he whispered, “I promise my love, my life; please wake up.”
**********
He woke to hushed whispers.
“No, let him sleep, he can eat later; they look so peaceful.
Minutes or hours later, he woke again to another voice.
“Boy, you better not be doing anything untoward under those blankets. I want my granddaughter to wake up, but I don’t think waking her up with your ‘business’ all pressed up behind her would be appropriate.” He cracked an eye and spied Grandma standing at the edge of the bed, arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
Smiling, he spoke in a whisper, “Nothing improper, Grandma; just sleeping.”
“Well, they sent me in t
o tell you lunch is waiting. You’ve been asleep for about 3 hours. Now, before I kick you out, there’s something I want to tell you.” When Decker’s eyes had cleared from sleep, he pushed up on one elbow to listen to what she had to say.
“Boy, I need you to know that Katie was wrong in demanding promises from you. She and I had a long talk, one she didn’t like very much, right before the attack. I know you said she had texted you and asked to come over before that Angela got to her; I want you to know that I believe 100% she was coming over to apologize. Now, if she would just WAKE UP, she could apologize in person.” Grandma spoke loudly in Katie’s ear before speaking to Decker again. “My granddaughter is a beautiful, smart, strong girl, but even women like us make mistakes, and she made one. Take comfort in knowing she was coming to make things right with you; let her know you want to make things right.” Hooking a thumb over her shoulder, she demanded, “Now, get your package out of my Katie’s bed and go eat, you look like shit.”
**********
She wasn’t sure how long she’d laid there in a half-asleep, half-awake dreamland, but she had to smile at the conversations she heard going on around her. She heard heartfelt apologies and promises from Decker, a hilarious diatribe from Grandma, and jokes and kinds words from the rest of the family. She wanted to open her eyes, but they felt like they were weighted down with sandbags. Maybe she’d keep them closed just a little longer.
**********
She woke again, feeling a little less heavy and weighted down, to hear Decker singing to her. She curled into his body and listened to his sleepy voice sing song after song. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran and “You Decorated My Life” by Kenny Rogers were her two favorite; those where ‘their’ songs. She almost wanted to sleep longer just to hear him sing to her for a little longer.