Safe With You: Winter's Rose #1

by Lizzie James

  I rolled my eyes at her, feeling relief course through me when I saw that we were almost at the staircase. Before we could descend them, however, the door at the top of the stairs opened and David walked out, pointing a gun in our direction.

  “David,” I whispered. I looked at the gun terrified.

  “Look at you!” He gazed down at my bump with disgust. “Didn’t take you long did it?”

  I placed my hands on my bump protectively. It was making my skin crawl the way that he was looking at me.

  “David, she needs medical attention.” Her hair was matted with blood and I really didn’t like the way that she was holding her side. Addie had a high pain threshold and for her to be gasping, I knew that it had to be bad.

  “She can go,” he said. “You can stay.”

  “No fucking way!” Addie fired back. “Charlie comes with me.”

  “What did I say about your mouth?” he shouted, waving the gun back in her direction.

  “It’s okay, Addie.” I unwrapped my arm from around her shoulders before resting my hand on the bottom of her back. “It’s okay. You go.” I could sense her looking at me in shock from the corner of my eye. “Go. I will stay here with David.” I made sure to keep my tone calm and low, not wanting to frighten anyone.

  “Are you fucking crazy?” she whispered. It was too low for David to hear, which I was thankful for.

  “Go,” I said, dismissing her. “David won’t hurt me.” I kept repeating it to myself, so that maybe I would believe it.

  David gave me a small smile at my response, and I knew the man I’d once cared for was gone already. It broke my heart that he had fully checked out on reality, but the life of my child came before him. He had made his decision to hurt Addie, and now it was up to me to do whatever it took to get myself and my child out of this room and back to Alex.

  Addie nodded her head at me before she began walking slowly past him.

  I stared at her back, silently urging her to get the fuck out of dodge before all hell broke loose. I could feel my anxiety building as she cautiously approached the top of the staircase. Before she could take a step down, she turned at the last second and grabbed him. She threw her whole body into it and I could see what she was thinking. My crazy best friend was planning to throw David down the metal staircase.

  He dropped the gun at her actions, frightening everyone when a shot rang out, a bullet piercing the concrete wall. He threw Addie backward, slamming her into the wall behind them at the top of the staircase.

  I leaped forward, grabbing the gun, trying to gain the upper hand. Before I could threaten David and force him to let Addie go, they both lurched to the side. I froze and watched in slow motion as they both went tumbling down the staircase.

  “Addie!” I screamed as I ran towards them. I reached out to grab her hand but I was too late.

  They both went down, not stopping until they were near the bottom.

  I quickly took the steps. I tried so hard not to focus on how still and quiet Addie was. She wasn’t moving. I looked at David and saw the muscles of his back moving, signifying he was breathing as he lay face down on the concrete floor.

  I put the gun down before I turned to Addie, placing my hand on her back, needing to check she was okay. She had to be knocked out. Maybe she hit her head on the metal railing.

  David groaned before he rolled over. He reached for the railing and used it as leverage to pull himself up. “Fucking bitch!” he muttered.

  I grabbed the handgun. I hadn’t been prepared to take a life, but he had already hurt my best friend. If he tried to hurt my baby, damn right I was going to defend it by taking his.

  He stood up, wobbling. He lifted his hand, resting it against his forehead before pulling it back. His head was bleeding profusely and he looked like he was limping a little.

  “I’m really sorry about this, baby.” He reached behind him and pulled a gun from his waistband. “I really am.” He stared at me with sorrow, and I knew that somewhere inside, he was sorry. It was too late for that, though. “I tried to have you, but you just wouldn’t listen.” He waved the gun at me, and I could see his anger beginning to take over.

  He cocked it aiming it at my head, but then slowly lowered it and aimed it at my bump.

  I tensed.

  “I wanted everything with you but I…” He shook his head. “I can’t live with this.”

  I didn’t hesitate. I lifted my hand with the gun and aimed it at him. I pulled the trigger, protecting the life inside of me. I froze when the gun didn’t fire.

  David smirked at me before he took a step closer. He slowly raised the gun and aimed it at my head again. “I’ll see you in the next life, baby girl.”

  I closed my eyes, feeling the tears travel down my cheeks. Memories flashed through my mind: Addie, James, Alex.

  Alex, Alex, Alex…

  I hoped he would go on. I hoped that he would continue to live.

  I waited for the gun to fire, but he just stood there, staring at me. I jumped in shock, surprised when men infiltrated the warehouse. Eight to ten police officers swarmed the office, holding flashlights. They had taser guns strapped to their hips. I watched in stunned silence as the detective from this morning walked through the gap and address David.

  “Mr. Smith, I need you to lower the gun.” He put his hand up, stopping Alex from walking too close to the front. I cried when I saw him, wanting nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms.

  “I didn’t hurt her,” David called. He looked at me. “I’ll be seeing you, Charlie.” He lifted his hand and held the gun to the side of his head. He didn’t hesitate. He pulled the trigger, blowing his brains all over the wall before his body slumped to the ground.

  I screamed, shocked to the core.

  Seconds later, Alex was pushing his way through the crowd, pulling my shaking body up and into his arms.

  “It’s okay, darling. I’ve got you.” He tightened his arms around my body and pulled me further away. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

  29

  Alex

  The second his body slumped, I ran forward, pushing my way through. I leaned down and pulled her shaking body up and into my arms. “It’s okay, darling. I’ve got you.” I reached around and tightened my arms around her body, pulling her away from where David and Addie were lying. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

  I looked at Addie, hating how still she was. She wasn’t moving. It didn’t even look like she was breathing. Paramedics came running through the door with a stretcher loaded down with first aid equipment.

  “I need to get you out of here.” I turned her body to face the exit and began walking her away.

  “I need to see Addie,” she whispered, craning her neck. “I need to be with her.”

  “We need to give them room to work on her.” I moved her to the door, not wanting her to be here to see this.

  As we went through the doorway, another ambulance came speeding into the estate before coming to a stop. A paramedic jumped out of the driver’s side and ran around to the back of the truck. They both grabbed a bag each and went running past us.

  I sat Charlie down on the wall outside and knelt down in front of her. I squeezed her hands, unable to take my eyes off her.

  “She wasn’t moving.” Tears streamed down her face. Her lower lip wobbled before she tightened her fingers on mine. “They both went toppling down the stairs and she wasn’t moving.” She choked on a sob and it fucking broke me.

  Every tear. Every sob. Every tremor that went through her body… I took it all and it broke me inside.

  “I’m sorry about David, darling.” I reached up and placed my hand on her bump. Relief coursed through me when I felt a kick. “I want to take you and have you checked over by a paramedic.”

  She nodded at my words. Before she could say anything, her eyes shot past me.

  I stood, squeezing her hand before turning to face the detective. “How is she?” I asked.

  The detective stared at me be
fore looking down at Charlie. He placed his hands in his pockets before his shoulders slumped.

  “I am very sorry, Miss Chase. I’m afraid Miss Michaels banged her head a little too hard coming down the steps and she…”

  “No!” Charlie clapped her hand over her mouth. “NO! Please no!”

  “I am very sorry.” He dipped his head before he walked to a police car.

  I bent down, pulling her into my arms and crushed her against me. Her sobs were painful, and I knew that this news was devastating her. This was not how today was supposed to end. Today should have ended with David being arrested and out of our lives.

  Instead, Charlie’s whole life had just turned upside down.

  Waiting outside for a few moments, Charlie had been staring at the wall with tears streaming down her face. She looked like a shattered doll. I stood when a paramedic came over and nodded his head towards the ambulance.

  “Darling.” I bent down, pushing my body into her line of sight. “Darling,” I said louder.

  She gazed up at me. She looked so lost.

  “I would like you to be checked over by a paramedic.”

  She nodded, letting me guide her up. Charlie had always been so delicate, but right now she was fragile. One false move and she would break, and I was terrified more than ever that I wouldn’t be able to put her back together.

  The paramedic gestured for her to take a seat on the stretcher before they lifted her up and wheeled her into the ambulance.

  “Don’t leave me!” she shouted, reaching her hand out for me.

  I quickly hopped up, taking her hand in mine. “Is there a problem?” I asked, wondering why the fuck they were strapping her down.

  “They have better equipment at the hospital, sir.” He looked down at Charlie, giving her a polite smile. “Mummy has been under a bit of stress today, so I think giving her a scan to check on what’s going on inside would be the best course of action.”

  “Okay.” I looked out the doors, my eyes trailing to the police officers. I closed my eyes, hating the sight that would be forever burned into my mind: two body bags being wheeled out of the unit that almost cost me my own world.

  The other paramedic slammed the back doors closed before he went around to the front.

  I brought Charlie’s hand up to my lips, kissing the back of her hand. I held it against my lips a little longer than normal before letting go. “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you.” Her eyes filled with tears. She closed them, causing them to leak out of the corners before she opened them again as the ambulance began to pull away. “What about James?” she whispered.

  I fell in love with her all over again when she asked that. Even when her world was falling apart, she still thought of other people.

  The sounds of sirens sped past us, and I hoped that they were on their way to tell James. I hated that I couldn’t be with him when they told him, but right now, Charlie needed me with her. Charlie and our baby needed me. I knew James would understand that.

  “First we get you checked out, darling.” I rubbed her upper thigh, trying not to crowd the paramedic as he placed a blood pressure cuff around her upper arm. “We will see James when we get home.” I looked at the paramedic. “Will she be able to come home tonight?”

  He shook his head at me regretfully.

  “She will likely be kept in for observation, to be on the safe side.”

  I nodded, relieved that her eyes were closed. I hoped she wasn’t listening but knowing her, she was just resting.

  We had been at the hospital for over an hour and were still waiting to speak to a doctor. They had given her a scan as soon as she’d arrived. She’d burst into tears when she’d heard the heartbeat, and I was thankful to hear it too. We couldn’t lose our baby—it would kills us both—but also, I was terrified that I wasn’t enough. That after the effects of today, after the loss of her best friend… I was scared I wouldn’t be enough to pull her forward. That maybe I wouldn’t be enough for her to go on.

  This baby, though… She would never let her baby down. She would live for her baby.

  “Come on,” I muttered.

  She turned her head from where it was resting on the pillow of the hospital bed to look at me. “You are going to need to learn some patience.” She looked down at her bump before she gently rubbed her palms over it. “I think we both are.”

  I took a seat in the chair next to her bed. “I should have been there,” I muttered.

  “Alex, don’t.” More tears leaked out of her eyes. “He had Addie. I had to go.”

  “I wish I could have protected her,” I whispered. “Protected you both.”

  “She protected me. I told her to go and that I would stay.” A sad smile crossed her face. “I should have known that she wouldn’t leave me.”

  “She saved you.” I was in awe of Addie once again. It was clear to me that her last actions on this earth were ones of courage. She had saved two lives and given her own. I couldn’t stop my own eyes from filling as tears slowly trickled down my face.

  “She saved both of us.” She reached for my hand, entwining our fingers. “Oh, Alex.”

  I brought her hand to my mouth, pressing a kiss there before resting it and mine on the mattress between us. “She’s a hero.”

  “She is,” she whispered. She reached up and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. “She’s my hero.”

  We weren’t kept waiting much longer until a doctor finally came in. He looked to be mid-forties and had a pair of spectacles hanging low on the bridge of his nose.

  “Miss Chase. I am sorry to keep you waiting.” He gave us both a polite smile. “I am happy to report that everything looks okay and the baby does not appear to be under any undue strain.”

  “So I can go home?” she asked.

  “I am afraid not.” He shook his head and signed something on the bottom of the chart. “I would like to keep you in tonight, just for observation.” He looked at me before looking back at Charlie. “You went through a terrible ordeal today, and I would just like to make sure that there are no problems before I send you home. It’s not just the baby to look after. The mother’s mental health is just as important.”

  “I don’t like hospitals,” she muttered.

  “I understand that, but just one night.” He patted her arm and looked at me. “You can pick her up in the morning and take her home then.”

  “I can’t stay with her?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid not.” He shook his head and slid his pen back in the chest pocket of his white, lab coat. “We’ll take good care of her, I promise.” He walked away leaving us alone.

  It was almost eight pm before I was being kicked out.

  “You should go,” Charlie said. “James needs you, too.” She cushioned her head back against the pillow. “I’ll be okay. I have my scratchy gown on. I’ll go to sleep when you go.”

  I stared at her for a moment before I slowly nodded my head. I stood up and bent down, kissing her forehead. “I’ll be here in the morning.” I looked down at her, hating how red and puffy her eyes looked. “If there’s a problem…” I placed her mobile phone on the bedside cabinet. “Call me. Okay?”

  She stared at me for a moment before she slowly nodded her head. She tilted it, offering her lips to me in a kiss. She grabbed my t-shirt and pulled my mouth down to hers, kissing me softly before letting me go. “Hurry back to me,” she whispered.

  I placed my hand on her bump for a moment as I left her bedside, walking to the door.

  I left the hospital, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. I felt like the events of the night were sitting on my chest, and I knew that our lives were never going to be the same. I used to think that the day I killed my father for beating my mother up was the worst day of my life—that it could only get better from there.

  I’d been so fucking wrong.

  That day had had nothing on today. Today, the world ended for two of the most special people in my life, and I knew
it would fall to me to keep it turning. I had to keep it turning.

  I stood outside the bar, staring up at the street at Addie’s apartment building. Police were parked outside, and I assumed they were still looking for evidence. I stared up to my apartment above the bar and saw that the lights were on. I unlocked the side door and walked inside, locking back up before going upstairs. I took a deep breath at the door before walking inside.

  James looked up at me from where he was sitting on the sofa. His cheeks were red and his eyes were swollen. There was a half-empty bottle of scotch on the coffee table in front of him.

  I shut the door and walked towards him.

  He got up, leaning his hand on the sofa to help stabilise him.

  “Hey, little brother.” I held my arms out, offering him support in the only way that I knew how.

  “Hey, man,” he croaked out.

  I crushed him into a tight hug before I felt his shoulders begin to shake.

  He turned his head into my neck, sobbing, the wetness from his tears soaking into my t-shirt.

  “Let it out, man.” I patted the back of his head, determined not to break. I would be his pillar of strength like he had always been for me. “I’m here. Let it all out.”

  30

  Alex

  Two Months Later

  It had been two months since our world had changed. Two months since our own walking version of sunshine had gone and left our lives a little bit darker.

  I had spent the last month watching Charlie, and I could see that with every day, I was losing her. Gone were the smiles. Gone was the excitement when she would make a new treat. When she wasn’t making sweets for the shop, she was either reading a book or staring at the wall.

  The ring I had bought for her was sitting in my sock drawer. The future I had once pictured for us was now gone. The woman I was having a child with was numb and had become lost to her nightmares. I tried to reach her every day. It worked occasionally but for the most part, she was lost to me.