Scattered Pieces

by Allie Able

  “You're okay, Summer. You are going to be fine. I will explain everything, in just a second.”

  I try to nod my head, but even that small movement is painful.

  An older nurse, with kind eyes, comes rushing into the room. “Well hello, precious girl. We have been waiting for you to wake up,” she says, while smiling at me. Behind her, I see a middle aged Doctor, who also has a big smile on his face.

  “Ms. Foster, I'm Dr. Jones. Welcome back.”

  The Doctor checks me over and flashes a bright light in my eyes. “Now, can you tell me your full name?” he asks.

  I open my mouth again, but then shake my head. He looks concerned at first, but then seems to understand. “Gale, can you get Ms. Foster some water, please?”

  The nurse hurries over and hold a straw to my lips. “This may hurt your face a little. Take small sips,” she says. The first drink feels like nails going down my throat, but the second sip is better. She pulls the cup away and I try to talk again.

  My voice comes out scratchy, but at least I'm able to speak. “Summer Kennadi Foster,” I say.

  I hear a sound come from the left of me and I turn to meet Grant's eyes. “That is the best sound I have ever heard in my life,” he whispers to me.

  I squeeze his hand before turning back to the Doctor.

  He smiles at me. “Good. Now, what year is it?” he asks. I answer and we go through a few more questions, before he finally starts to tell my about my injuries.

  I gasp when he tells me I was shot. Then everything finally comes back to me. I turn my fear filled eyes to Grant again.

  “Ryan is dead, Summer,” he quietly reassures me.

  I know it's bad for me to feel relief. He had a family, people that loved him, but all I can think is that he can't hurt me anymore. “Duke?” I whisper, tears filling my eyes. I can still see Duke's big body falling to the floor.

  Grant gives me a small smile. “Duke is going to be just fine. He got released from the clinic yesterday and is staying with my mom and dad, until we go home. Ya'll will have matching scars,” he replies. I feel an overwhelming amount of relief, knowing he will be okay.

  “How long have I been here?” I ask.

  “Almost five days,” Doctor Jones answers, “You will be here for about another week, just so we can monitor you and then you can go home. You should be able to resume all regular activities, within six weeks. You are one lucky woman, Ms. Foster,” he says, giving my foot a gentle squeeze.

  I nod my head and close my eyes. I'm hurting everywhere and I'm so tired, but I can't help but feel like I am indeed a lucky woman.

  “I love you, beautiful,” Grant say as he kisses my cheek, right before I drift back off to sleep.

  * * *

  That's how I spend the next week and a half. I wake up for a few minutes and try to talk, to whoever is in my room, before falling back asleep. Grant has only left a few times, but he always makes sure someone else is here to keep me company. His parents have visited a couple of times, along with his brother and sister. My aunt Lila and Korean have been in, bringing me flowers. Lexie and Jenna came to see me and told me Grant's mom is helping them at the bakery. I don't know how I will ever repay them, for keeping my shop open. Even Ms. Clara came to see me yesterday. There are flowers covering every available inch in my room. When I asked Grant where they all came from, he just shrugged his shoulders and told me how much I was loved by everyone. I'm suppose to be leaving the hospital today and I'm nervous. I'm still hurting, but not as bad as I was. Even though I protested, Grant is taking another week off of work and coming to stay with me. When he goes back to work, Aunt Lila and Grants mom, Jill, are going to take turns staying with me during the day for awhile.

  “You're home,” Grant says, putting his truck in park.

  I look around and smile. It looks like Mrs. Clara decided to plant some of her flowers in my yard. “That looks beautiful,” I say, as I look around at the newly planted flower beds.

  “I'm glad you think so,” Grant smiles, as he gets out of the truck and makes his way over to my door.

  My eyes widen, at what he is in implying. He opens my door and I turn to look at him. “Did you plant all of this?” I whisper.

  He nods his head and continues to smile. “Where did you think I was going, when I left your room? You always seemed to like Mrs. Clara's flowers and I figured you might like some at your house.”

  I am utterly speechless. Tears fill my eyes, as I look around at my front yard. It's such a small thing, but it means so much to me that he would do something so simple, just to make me happy.

  “Hey,” he murmurs, cupping my face in his hand, “no tears. This is suppose to make you happy.”

  “It does,” I quickly reassure him, “I love you so much.”

  He smiles my favorite smile and leans in, to briefly kiss my mouth, “I love you too, beautiful. Now, lets get you inside. Someone else is excited to see you.”

  Grant helps me down from the truck and holds onto me, as we slowly walk up the stairs through my front door. Jill and Jason open the door, greeting us with big smiles.

  “Welcome home!” Jill exclaims, as she gently hugs me, when we walk through the door.

  “Thank you,” I mumble.

  “Do you want to go lay down? I think Duke is laying in your room,” Grant says, as he leads me through the living room.

  “Yeah. I'm tired,” I respond, yawning.

  I look around, as we walk through the living room and kitchen. Everything has been cleaned, from what happened with Ryan, and my flowers from the hospital are scattered around. I thought I would be scared to come back home, after what happened here, but I'm not. All I feel is relief, that I am able to come home at all.

  When we get to my bedroom, Duke is laying on my bed. He lifts his head and looks at me.

  “Hey Duke-man,” I say, with tears stinging my eyes again. Grant helps me sit down and I run my hand over Duke's head. “I'm so sorry,” I whisper.

  Grant sits beside me and runs his hands down Duke's back. “No more apologizing, Summer. This dog loves you, just as much as I do, and we would both do what we did again, in a heartbeat.”

  All I can do is nod my head in response. After a few minutes of petting Duke, my eyes become heavy and Grant notices.

  “You need to lay down, beautiful.”

  He helps me get my clothes off and puts an over sized t-shirt on me, before arranging me back on the pillows.

  I watch as he takes off his shirt and pants and climbs into the bed beside me. “What about your parents?” I ask as he gently pulls me close to him. I love that feeling, when he pulls me into his arms. I let out a sigh of relief knowing I'm safe there, always.

  “They will still be here when you wake up. Let me hold you while you sleep, sweetheart. I just need to feel you against me. I breathe easier with the weight of you on my chest,” he says, his voice full of emotion.

  I nod my head against him, because I know the feeling. I snuggle deeper into him. Before I drift off to sleep, I think back on my life and I know that everything happened for a reason. If one single thing would have been different, I may not be here right now. Grant is my home, my safe place, and I couldn't imagine my life, without him in it. He helped me pick up my scattered pieces and fit them back together. He is my heart, my soul, and my everything.

  Epilogue

  Grant

  Six months later

  “COME ON SWEETHEART, WE'RE GOING to be late,” I say to Summer, as I walk into our bedroom. I stand in the doorway and watch as she buckles her heels, onto her feet, and stands. She looks up at me, with her eyebrows drawn together.

  “Does this look okay?” she asks, smoothing down her silver dress.

  I smile and move towards her. “You look, breathtaking, sweetheart,” I reassure her, as I kiss her neck.

  “Are you sure? My back is showing,” she whispers. I can hear the uncertainty in her voice.

  I smooth my hand up her bare back, until I reach the
raised scars. I gently run my hands over both of them. “These scars mean you survived. Never be ashamed of them. Looking at these scars reminds me that you are strong and you fought. These scars are just one of the many things, that make you beautiful,” I whisper against her ear.

  She pulls back enough to look up at my eyes, “How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?”

  “Because I love you,” I say simply.

  She smiles and gives me a gentle kiss on my lips, “I love you too.”

  “Let's go, beautiful. I don't want to be late,” I say. I grab my cellphone, off of the dresser, and check my pocket for the thousandth time.

  Summer gives me a confused look, probably wondering why I care so much if we are late. I can't count how many times we have been late or not shown up at all, because I couldn't get enough of my girlfriend, but tonight is different. It's New Years Eve and we're going to a party, at The Sand Bar. All of our friends and family will be there, even Summer's Aunt Lila will be coming later, and I am a nervous wreck.

  I wipe the sweat, off of my palms. I watch as Summer picks up her small purse and walks towards the front door. “You're acting strange,” she says, over her shoulder.

  I don't bother responding to her, because I know I'm acting weird. I can't hep it. I'm about to ask her to be my wife and while part of me knows, that Summer loves me, the other part of me still can't believe that I get to be the lucky bastard that wakes up to her beautiful face every day.

  We both tell Duke bye, before walking out the door and to my truck. Once I have her situated in her seat, I walk around to my door and climb in.

  I still remember the day Summer asked me to move in. She was almost completely healed and really didn't need me staying with her every night anymore, but I couldn't imagine going back to my house and sleeping without her. I guess she felt the same way. We were laying in bed, almost asleep and she looked up at me and simply said, “Move in with me.” I couldn't agree fast enough.

  I'm quiet on the drive, lost in my own thoughts, as I hold Summer's hand, and before I know it, we are pulling into The Sand Bar. The parking lot is already packed and I take a deep breath, as I walk around to open Summer's door and help her down. I place my hand on her lower back and lead her inside.

  * * *

  It's almost midnight, when Nick walks up to me and nudges my arm. “Dude, are going to do this or what?” he asks, with a smile.

  I give him a look, “I should have never even told you.”

  I called a few weeks ago, when I decided tonight would be the night I purposed to Summer. He was already planning to be out on leave for two weeks, around this time, and he was way too excited to be here to watch me sweat like a pig.

  He throws his head back and laughs. “I don't think I have ever seen you so nervous.”

  “Shut up, Nick. I saw you with Katie earlier, you follow her around like a lost puppy.”

  He looks at me and scowls. “Shut the fuck up. We're just friends.”

  I chuckle to myself, as I watch Summer talk to my sister, Ellie. Okay, It's now or never. “Wish me luck,” I mumble to Nick, but I don't wait to hear his response.

  “Summer,” I say, as I walk up and put my hand on her lower back.

  She turns and gives me a confused smile.

  I look over at Ellie and she winks at me, before stepping back. I lean in and kiss Summer's forehead and take one more deep breath, before slowly dropping to my knee in front of her. She still looks confused for a moment, before the realization of what I'm about to do sinks in and she covers her mouth with both hands.

  “Summer, when I first met you, I knew you were it for me. I don't know if it was your eyes, or your smile. It could have even been your hair, or your voice, or your personality. Whatever it was, it made made me fall pretty damn hard, pretty damn fast. I never thought it was possible to fall in love with someone over and over again, but then I met you. I fall in love with you a little more everyday, beautiful. It's not just what I feel for you, but it's that I have never felt this way about another person, in my entire life, and I'm confident that I never will,” I pause and pull the ring box out of my pocket, “Summer Kennadi Foster, will you marry me and make me the luckiest man in the world?”

  She has tears streaming down her face and I can feel my eyes burning too. She quickly nods her head and moves her hands away from her mouth. “Yes,” she whispers, “Yes, Grant, I will marry you. I love you so much.”

  I smile and stand up, slipping the ring onto her finger, before pulling her into a tight hug. I can feel the happy tears falling from my eyes, as I kiss the top of her head. I pull back and look down at her, wiping the wetness off of her cheeks. “I will love you forever, beautiful.”

  I crush my lips to her's, taking her mouth in a deep kiss. I lift Summer off of her feet and I can hear people clapping, but I don't pull back from Summer's lips long enough to acknowledge them.

  This beautiful woman in my arms will never know how much I love her, but I plan to show her everyday, for the rest of my life. I was put on this earth to love her. She will forever be my always, and nothing could ever change that.

  The End

  If you or someone you care about is dealing with domestic abuse, please seek help. Remember, you are NOT to blame and you are not alone. There are people waiting to help.

  Here are some resources that are available to you:

  U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline :

  1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224

  UK Women's Aid:

  0808 2000 247

  Australia Domestic Violence Helpline:

  1800RESPECT at 1800 737 732

  Thank you so much for reading, Scattered Pieces. I would love to hear your feedback. Be sure to post your review on amazon and let me know what you thought.

  Book Two in the Cape Isle series, Nick and Katie's story, will be coming soon.

  You can contact me or keep up with what I'm working on now at:

  Goodreads: Allie Able

  Facebook: Author Allie Able

  or www.authorallieable.com

  With love,

  Allie Able

  About the Author

  Allie Able is a romance writer, who tries to juggle her time between being a mother, wife and author. Allie was raised in a small town in Mississippi and now resides in Georgia. Reading and writing romance has always been her first love. She decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer full-time, when the characters dancing around in her head wouldn't stop demanding her attention. Now she can be found sitting at her desk, feeding her coffee addiction, as she creates her love stories, that are sweet with a touch of spice.