by Bella Jewel
All I can do is sit and stare in pure shock, tears running down my cheeks.
Is Brody dead?
Were we too late?
Oh. Please.
Please let him be okay.
31
NOW – MELANIE
“TELL ME HE’S OKAY,” I cry to Lincoln as he places Brody’s motionless body onto the backseat of the truck.
“I don’t know, Melanie. I don’t fuckin’ know. We’ve got to get him to emergency right fuckin’ now.”
“It’s hours away,” I sob, grasping at my chest. “He might not make it.”
“He’s breathing, for now, that’s the best we’ve got. Get in the back with him. We’re going.”
I climb into the back of the truck where Brody, covered in so much blood he’s unrecognizable, is laying on the back seat. I climb in and put his head onto my lap, sobbing even louder when I get a look at his battered face. Were we too late? Why did the fight go on for that long? I don’t know, all I know is that Brody could die. He could die and it’s all my fault.
I should have come up with a better plan.
Lincoln spins out of the area like a bat out of hell, driving so fast I’m sure if he gets pulled up by the cops, he’s going to be in big trouble.
Slater sits in the front seat, silent.
Finn is riding with Damon in the other truck.
“What happened out there?” I ask, my voice broken and crackly.
“I don’t know,” Lincoln growls. “I don’t fuckin’ know. Something must have held him up, Brody wasn’t meant to fight for that long.”
“Is Sniper...”
“Sniper is dead,” Slater says, his voice gruff. “I made sure of it myself. Stood around, listened to the talk while you were all loading Brody up. Far as I could tell, nobody suspected anything on this side.”
Thank gosh.
“Doesn’t mean it won’t come back and bite us, but for now, I think we might have escaped it.”
“If he lives,” Lincoln mutters.
I clench my eyes shut and lay my body down so I’m partially covering Brody. I wrap my arm around his blood-soaked body, and I cry. I cry so hard my body shakes.
“Please,” I whisper, even though I know he can’t hear me. “Please Brody, please be okay. I need you to be okay. Fight. You’ve fought this hard, I need you fight even harder now. You did it. Sniper is gone. He’s gone and you’re going to be okay. I just need you to fight.”
I hiccup.
“Please baby,” I sob into his chest. “Please, fight.”
I lay on Brody until all the tears dry up. I keep my hand on his chest, and I can feel the rattle as his ragged breaths come in and out. He’s breathing still, and I have to pray that means something.
The drive takes forever, and my body is aching by the time we arrive at the hospital. Slater gets out of the truck, and a moment later, the doors are being flung open and doctors and nurses are all around us.
“Ma’am are you hurt?”
“No,” I croak, sitting up. “No, I’m not.”
I get out of the truck and watch as they pull Brody out and put him on a stretcher. They start calling out different things, things I don’t understand, and then he’s gone. They rush him off, and he’s gone.
I watch the hospital doors close, and with a loud sob, I fall to my knees.
I put my hands together.
I pray.
Lincoln and Slater get down to their knees beside me.
I know they’re praying, too. At least, I hope they are.
Please.
Please.
Don’t take him away from me.
I STARE DOWN AT THE love of my life and watch as his eyes flutter open.
It has been four days. Four long, agonizing days. Between surgery, and time in the ICU, Brody has been on the brink far too many times to count. But yesterday, yesterday he became stable. This morning they were able to move him out of ICU and into a normal ward. They said he’s going to be okay. That he’ll make it through. He has a lot of recovery to do, but he’ll make it.
It was touch and go, but he’s going to make it.
Lincoln told me so far nothing has come back on them about the fight. Slater has been keeping his ear to the ground, but they’re confident we actually pulled it off. Everyone has been amazing, sitting by my side through the worst few days of my life. Lee and Lucy have barely left my side. Aria and Blade have been fluttering around, helping out where needed. Jack and Nancy came in, too. When they found out what was happening, they were here.
Everyone is here for him.
He woke up last night, but the doctor insisted he rest. Today, I’m finally able to go and see him. I’ve been by his side every day, but not since he’s opened his eyes. This is the first time I’ve seen him since he came to.
Now, as his eyes open and focus on me, I feel like maybe I can breathe again.
A tear rolls down my cheek as those big brown orbs come into my line of sight. He blinks a couple of times, and I smile through my sob as I say, “Hey there, stranger.”
He coughs once with a wince, and then in a gruff voice, he mutters, “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
I cry harder now as I place my hands either side of his face. “Yeah, I know I do, but you’re here. You’re okay.”
I lean down and press my lips to his, kissing him softly. He’s messed up. His face basically unrecognizable still. It’ll take a long time to heal. Even then he’ll be left with scars.
I swipe my tears and stand up straight, staring down at him, wanting to say so much and yet none of it’ll come out.
“Tell me one thing,” he says, his voice still scratchy.
“Anything,” I whisper.
“Is our baby okay?”
Oh god.
Here come the tears again.
“Yes,” I sob. “Yes, the baby...our baby...is okay.”
He closes his eyes and murmurs, “Thank you, God.”
Oh man.
I sob harder.
“Come here,” he says, reaching a hand out and pulling me very gently into the bed beside him.
Then he holds me as I cry, he holds me until the tears dry up, and only then does he say, “I know what you did for me.”
“You do?” I rasp.
“Yeah. Lincoln came by just before you did. He wanted to tell me before you came in. You risked everything, Melanie. What you did was so fuckin’ stupid, and crazy, and...”
I close my eyes, ready to take on his wrath.
“You saved my fuckin’ life. You saved me. What you did was brave, so fuckin’ brave. I love you so fuckin’ much.”
I swallow, and then whisper, “I’d do it a thousand times over for you, Brody. A thousand times over.”
“You took my burden. You took it from me.”
“Yeah, I took it from you, because you’ve lived through enough. I couldn’t watch you die, Brody. Not because I didn’t understand why you were doing it, but because you’re a good person, a good man, and you’re mine, honey. You’re mine, and I can’t live without you. We can’t live without you.”
I put his hand on my belly, and his body shakes just a little.
A pained shake.
An emotional shake.
“Thank you,” he rasps, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Sniper is gone now,” I whisper. “But I’m going to do something else for you, too. I want to sell the house and I want to move here. I love all these people. I love what they’ve done for you, for us. But I also want to open a library for Mick. A place where people can come and talk openly. I want to have staff on hand, so people always have a safe place, if they need one. A library is a beautiful place, full of books and warmth. They can just read all day, or make a coffee, or watch some television. I want a service where we can direct them to different places to get help. To talk to someone professional. I want a place for people like Mick and Ashley to be able to go.”
I turn slightly and lift my head up just in time
to see a tear run down Brody’s cheek.
I swipe it off with my finger.
“You’ve done your part, Brody. You’ve given Mick his wish. But now I’m going to do my part, something I should have done months ago. I’m going to let his memory live on. I want you to help me. Will you move with me? Will you start a life here with me?”
He nods, reaching up and carefully gripping my face. “I love you so fuckin’ much Melanie.”
“I love you too, honey.”
He reaches down, rubbing my little belly. “We’re having a baby.”
“Yeah, honey, we’re having a baby.”
“We’re startin’ a new life.”
I nod, smiling, another tear escaping down my cheek. “Yeah, we’re starting a new life. We’re going to help people the right way. No more violence.”
“No more violence,” he agrees.
“Firstly, though, we’re going to get you better. I don’t know if you know, but you broke a lot of bones, so I’m going to have to shower you. It’s going to be terrible. I’m going to have to wash parts of you I’m just not okay with.”
I grin at him.
He grins back. “I’m sure you won’t mind.”
“I certainly won’t mind. Now, you’ve got a hell of a lot of people out there who are wanting to see you. Those people, they’ve done a lot for you. We owe them everything.”
“One more minute,” he says, pulling me back closer to him. “I need one more minute with you and my baby.”
He winces in pain when he does, but it doesn’t stop him.
Brody is strong.
Brody is a warrior.
Brody is back.
Mine again.
Finally.
“Love you, baby,” he murmurs.
“Forever, honey.”
“Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”
I laugh. “Hopefully a girl. I can’t deal with another Broderick in this world.”
He chuckles and then winces again. “I hope it’s a girl, too.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, if I can be blessed with two of you, I’m not going to say no.”
“Stop being so darn sweet. You were all broken and twisted just a few days ago.”
“I’m still all broken and twisted, but with you, it doesn’t feel so bad. Your light chases away my demons.”
“I’ll make sure they go this time and stay away. I promise it.”
“Yeah,” he murmurs. “I know you will.”
I nestle into him, and I smile.
I smile for the first time in such a long time.
Because I know we’re going to get through this.
It has been a long road, and we’ve had so many ups and downs, but somehow, through all of it, Brody found his way back to me.
I swore the moment he opened his eyes, that I was never going to let him out of my sight again.
I’ll never let him get hurt again.
No.
I’m scribbling out this story, and I’m going to start again.
From page one.
I’m going to erase all the pain.
I’m going to fix all the wounds.
I’m going to take away all the bad.
That’s the beautiful thing about rewriting a story.
You can do whatever you want with it.
You can make it as beautiful as you need.
You don’t have to have any darkness.
Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do.
Brody and Melanie’s story from scratch.
It’ll start a little something like this...Once upon a time...
THE END
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