United

by A. Aubry

  She—she thinks I’m not fighting to get back to her? What kind of bullshit is that? I’m right fucking here. I heard everything you said to me, every time you said it, and when I couldn’t wake myself up, it broke me. I’m sorry, alright? Please believe me that I am sorry that I am putting you through this.

  “If I know Finn, and I’ve known him the last twenty-six years, I know that he’s fighting like hell to get back to you, Jules. He fucking loves you. God, the way that he talked about you after you two first met? I knew that he loved you before he even took you on your first date,” Cooper reassured her.

  Damn, straight I’m fighting like hell. I do love her so fucking much that it kills me to be away from her like this. So close but so far away. Wait, do not tell me he’s going to break bro code and tell her what I said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Fuck. No. Coop. Don’t do it.

  “The morning after you met, I had called Finn. We had just found out that we were going to have a little boy and I was ecstatic to share the news with him. After our father left, I practically raised Ashton and Finn when my mother had to work.

  “I was only seven, but I took Finn under my wing and promised to protect him, to help raise him right. Him and I are so outrageously close because I was the father figure for him…he had no memory of our father after he left because he was so young. That’s why he’s the godfather to Sofie.”

  Oh, thank god. He isn’t going to tell her.

  “After I told him my news, he said he had news of his own. I still remember exactly what he said about you. He said ‘Coop. This girl, Julianna. She’s different man. After I saved her from falling flat on her face, I felt something as I had my arm wrapped around her and looked into her eyes. She had all these quick comebacks to the things I said, damn was she sassy.’

  “‘I did something I never do and went on a walk with her to get her alone, to see if what I felt between us really was there without the energy of everyone around us. Fuck, Coop. It was there alright. I fucking poured my heart out to this girl and I just met her. I think she felt the same because she openly talked to me about some deep shit as well. When we kissed, it was nothing I had ever felt before. I’m taking her out tonight and I’m so nervous, but excited. Is that normal?’”

  God dammit! You weren’t supposed to tell her that, Coop!

  Julianna giggled softly, “Nothing about Finn is normal.”

  Well, at least that made you laugh. If it makes her laugh, tell her more, man.

  I could hear Cooper laugh, “That’s what I told him. He gave me one of his usual smart ass replies before he told me he was going to text you because he hadn’t heard from you. Almost had him believing that you were going to cancel. He never shut up about you after that. The fucker even called me the morning after you two first had sex.”

  NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT CONVERSATION, PLEASE!

  “Why did he call you?”

  Cooper…use your brotherly telepathy…DO. NOT. TELL. HER. THAT.

  “He wanted to tell me how amazing you were. How he had never experienced anything like that with any other girl. When I asked if you spent the night, he told me that you were still asleep in his bed. If I remember correctly, he said ‘She’s so beautiful when she sleeps, Coop. I could watch her all day.’ Then I made a remark about how it was creepy that he was watching you sleep while he talked to me. You are one fucking heavy sleeper.”

  Well, my macho image is fucked. And her being a heavy sleeper? Yeah, that’s an understatement if I ever heard one. The only time I’ve seen her startle out of a dead sleep was when there was bad thunderstorm happening.

  “He never told me any of that,” Julianna whispered.

  “That’s probably because Finn likes to pretend he is all rough and tough. He’s really a big softy. He wants to show you that he’s strong so that you will believe him when he says that he will protect you. You two have been through some tough shit.”

  Yeah, well now that strong image is gone thanks to you, Coop.

  I felt Julianna’s lips press against my hand for the second time this morning, “I know we have, but we’ve always made it through. Finn will always protect me, I know that. I guess I just wish that sometimes, he would let me protect him.”

  It’s about time that you finally realized that. Hold up…protect me from what?

  “What are you talking about?” Cooper asked as though he could read my mind.

  NOW you choose to use that telepathy, dude?

  “Angie and I were supposed to have a girl’s night last Friday. Finn and Bo were supposed to be on the other side of town at a different bar. All night, Finn had been trying to talk me into letting him and Bo join us…he was saying that he missed me. I told him no it was a girls night, but we would be getting back together soon enough.

  “Our last text message exchange before the accident, I’d said that I wished he was there because by that point, I was missing having him by my side. If I wouldn’t have said that, he wouldn’t have come to the bar I was at. He wouldn’t have gotten hit…we wouldn’t be here right now.”

  Jules, I would’ve come whether you liked it or not. You couldn’t have known that when I was crossing the street some asshole would run a red light. This is in no way your fault, baby.

  “Everything happens for a reason, Julianna.”

  “I wish people would stop telling me that. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Finn and I just got married, we were talking about starting a family. Now all that is just fucking slipping through my fingers,” the tone of her voice raised before it cracked as she choked back tears.

  We can still have that, baby. I promise, I will wake up and we will try for that family.

  “I know that you aren’t going to like this suggestion, but I think it’s what’s best for you right now. Go outside, get some fresh air. You haven’t left this hospital since last Friday. If Finn were awake right now, he would be telling you the same exact thing.”

  Damn straight, I would. Maybe some fresh air will make you stop yelling at me when we are alone.

  “Fine. I’m only going out for five minutes. I’m setting a timer on my phone.”

  Wow, that sassy girl came back with a fucking vengeance.

  “Finn wasn’t wrong when he called you stubborn and sassy,” Cooper laughed.

  I felt Julianna’s hand touch my cheek softly, “I’ll be back in five minutes, Finn. I love you with all my heart. I hope you know that in that stubborn ass head of yours.”

  Yeah, yeah, I know. I love you too, my beautiful wife.

  I heard Julianna’s shoes, a sound that I had memorized, walk away. A few minutes later, Ashton’s voice came into the room.

  “Any improvement, Coop?” He asked.

  “Not so far. Jules is really not doing well though. I’m getting worried about her,” Cooper admitted.

  “Why’s that?”

  Cooper sighed, “She was yelling at him again this morning, talking to him like he was answering her back. I mean, I know that they’re close but there’s no way she would know what he would say in response to her.”

  That’s where you are wrong, brother. Julianna and I silently communicate all the damn time.

  “Maybe one of us should just take her back to the hotel. She hasn’t really been sleeping, she has barely eaten anything for days. Perhaps some rest and food would be good for her. I know she won’t like it but at this point we sort of have to force her to take care of herself.”

  That’s it, I’m not letting you two force my wife to do anything that she doesn’t want to do.

  With one hard pray up to God, I tried to open my eyes. To my surprise, they did this time. My vision was blurry for a few moments before they focused on Ashton and Cooper who sat in two chairs beside my bed. Cooper was holding onto a coffee cup as he looked over at Ashton, about to reply. I attempted to clear my throat, like I had for the last few days, and this time it actually took. It startled the shit out of the two of them, but they deserved it a
fter conspiring against my wife.

  “Don’t you dare make her leave this hospital like that,” I quietly demanded.

  “How long have you been awake?” Ashton asked after he finally closed his mouth.

  “The whole fucking time! I’ve heard everything you guys have said over the last six days. Just now my eyes finally opened after trying like hell for days.”

  Cooper excused himself and ran from the room, returning a few seconds later with a nurse.

  “Hello, Finn. My name is Rachel. Do you know where you are?” the nurse said from beside me, a large smile on her face.

  “Yes, I’m in a hospital in Miami. My wife is downstairs probably crying her eyes out right now.”

  She nodded, “I’m not sure about that one, but I will let her know the second I see her that you’re awake.”

  I held up my hand, “Actually…can you not? I want to see the surprise on her face when she walks in.”

  “Of course. Your secret is safe with me. I will be in with the doctor as soon as she’s back in here.”

  I nodded and watched her walk out before I turned my attention back to Cooper and Ashton, “I’m gonna play a prank on Julianna. Make her believe I forgot her for a split second.”

  “Finn, your pranks really are terrible,” Cooper scolded.

  “What can I say? I love to keep my lady on her toes.”

  Cooper shook his head at me as Ashton high fived my plan. I laughed as best as my body would let me with my fractured ribs. The privacy curtain ripped to the side and there was Julianna, her blue/gray eyes wide as they met mine.

  “Finn!” She yelled, running up to my bedside and shoving my brothers out of her way.

  That’s my girl.

  She pulled my face to hers and planted hard kisses against my lips in between her words, “Don’t you…ever…scare me…like that…again.”

  Her hand moved to grab mine as she laced her fingers together. Time to play my prank.

  “Do I know you?” I furrowed my eyebrows lightly.

  Her face fell as she took in my words and let go of my hand, “You really don’t know who I am?”

  “I’m totally fucking with you, Jules. Of course I know who you are,” I chuckled and reached out for her.

  Cooper and Ashton snickered at my joke. I needed to lighten the mood a little bit.

  “I fucking hate you,” Julianna hit my arm but her quiet giggle gave her away.

  “No you don’t, baby. You love me,” I grabbed her wrist and tugged her back over to my bed.

  “Not right now I don’t. You scared the shit out of me by doing that!” She whined.

  I sat up as straight as my ribs would let me, wincing at the pain, and pulled her mouth close to mine, “I think that I’m owed a few more kisses since I’m the one in the hospital bed this time. Don’t you agree?”

  She rolled her eyes at me, “You’re being a little demanding for just waking up after being asleep for six days, you lazy bastard.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her, “You can give it, or I can take it, which do you prefer?”

  “Take it,” she whispered at me with a smirk.

  I pressed my lips hard against hers, as my hands held her head in place for me. God, it felt amazing to kiss her back after all the times she kissed me when I was unconscious. It felt good to be awake and alive.

  Hours later, I was still awake. I had made it a full day and I was as awake as ever. Julianna and I were finishing off dinner that we ordered from the hospital menu. It took everything in me to talk her into eating. I still couldn’t believe that she hadn’t eaten anything in the last two fucking days. Now that she was fed, maybe she wouldn’t yell at me anymore. Speaking of which, we needed to talk about her little anger issue this morning.

  “You know,” I started before licking my ice cream spoon clean, “You shouldn’t yell at someone when they are unconscious, Julianna. It’s not very nice.”

  She put her spoon on my tray and took a long drink of her water, “What? Cooper tell you that I yelled at you?”

  I shook my head slowly as I watched her, “Nope, I heard the whole fucking thing.”

  She raised her hand like she was going to hit me, “You were fucking awake then and you didn’t get up?”

  Oh, there’s that anger again.

  I caught her arm before it hit mine, “No, I wasn’t awake yet. At least, I was trying to be awake to tell you to stop yelling at me. I have heard every single thing you have said since you told me everything was going to be okay because you were there right after the accident.”

  Julianna pulled her wrist away from my hand and leaned back in her chair, her arms folding over her chest, “Lucky bastard.”

  “What was that, angel?” I teased.

  “You don’t have to suffer like I did when all your dumb memories should’ve come back,” she whined and pouted her lips.

  I chuckled and shook my head, “I don’t think I would have survived all this if I hadn’t been able to hear your voice these last six days.”

  “What are you talking about, Finn?” She asked me, confusion taking over her once angry features.

  I held out my hand for her and she instinctively placed hers in mine. Bringing her hand up to my lips, I pressed a gentle kiss against the back of her hand. She was my everything, she had been my anchor to this world.

  “Your voice, you in general I should say, you’ve been my anchor. I could feel myself slipping away after the accident happened…saw the whole white light and shit I guess you can say…but the second that I heard our voice, it brought me back,” her rings caught my attention as I kissed her hand once more.

  My fingers played with her rings as I continued, “I heard you call my name then I felt your touch…I knew it was yours without having to open my eyes. You were wiping stuff from my face, kissing my forehead. Damn, the second that you started crying after the doctor said you could come into the room with me, my heart nearly broke in two. I wanted nothing more than to pull you into my arms and tell you that everything would be alright.

  “The last few days, you’ve gotten angrier with me. I don’t blame you. I was pretty pissed off at myself for not waking up. Why were you yelling at me as though I was answering?”

  “Because…in my head, you were answering me. I knew exactly what you’d say to me, your usual smart-ass remarks but being sweet when I needed you to be. This morning it got bad. All I wanted you to do was wake up, to tell me you loved me, to tell me I’m beautiful. The same fucking routine we’ve had for two months. You were breaking that routine and it pissed me off,” she quietly confessed.

  Shoving the rolling table away, I looked back at Julianna, “I do love you, Julianna. You know that I will always love you. You are the most beautiful wife that a guy could ever have. I’m so thankful that I caught you that night in the bar. I’m so thankful to have a beautiful woman like you in my life.”

  A small smile pulled at her lips as her gaze moved from my eyes to our hands, “I’m still mad at you though.”

  “For not waking up sooner?”

  She looked back up to me and narrowed her eyes, “No, for the shit you pulled when you woke up.”

  “I was just trying to break the tension a little bit. I wanted to make you laugh after hearing you cry so much over the last week.”

  “Yeah, well it broke me to think that you forgot me…”

  “Julianna, my love. I will never forget you.”

  It’s fucking impossible to do so.

  I moved my body over to one side of my bed, making enough room for Julianna to lay beside me. I carefully tapped the bed and smiled at Julianna.

  “Get up here, baby. I have spent too many nights without you lying next to me.”

  She sternly shook her head, “No, we will get in trouble and you are literally broken. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I rolled my eyes, exasperated at my wife, “Baby, my cracked ribs and broken leg are on my right side, you will be lying on my left. You won’t hurt me.”
<
br />   “Finn, it’s still a no. I’m not allowed in that bed with you.”

  Now is not the time to be stubborn.

  “Julianna Rose McAllister, you get your ass on the bed right now. I will deal with the repercussions. You have barely slept in days, let me help you rest.”

  She sighed dramatically and climbed into bed with me as she curled up against my body. Her head rested in the crook of my neck, and my arm hooked tightly around her. This was something that I severely missed.

  “I love you,” I whispered as I kissed her forehead.

  “I love you more,” she sighed quietly, relaxing against my body.

  “No, I love you more,” I smiled shyly.

  “You win,” she said sleepily.

  Julianna’s eyes closed, and her breathing began to slow. A night nurse, Amy, that replaced Rachel came into the room.

  “Mr. McAllister, she is not allowed to sleep in that bed with you,” she quietly scolded me.

  “She has been to hell and back this past week, can’t you let us bend the rules just this once?”

  She sighed and relented. Julianna’s soft breathing came steadily as I quietly turned on the television. I kissed the top of her head a few times, happy to have her in my arms once more.

  “Thank you for being here, baby. It means the world to me,” I whispered into her hair before resting my head on top of hers and following her into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “So, how’s married life? Is it all that it’s cracked up to be?” Bo teased as he drove me home from practice.

  Two and half weeks had passed, and while my leg would still be in its cast for at least the rest of this week, my ribs were still protesting if I overdid things. I was just lucky enough that my coaches let me sit in on practice still so that I knew what new plays were developed and that I could help see if there were any flaws that could be fixed. The recovery road was long, and it was killing me slowly.

  “It’s great. Julianna has been bringing her stuff over to my place and we are house hunting. She’s a really amazing person, really caring and loves to take care of me since I can’t really do much with my leg.”