“Detective, what can I do for you?” the police chief greeted.
“I have information about your daughter. May we come in?” Mac asked.
He didn’t need to ask; he had a warrant that approved his entrance without permission. However, with Brown armed, it was better to go soft and get Brown contained before he mentioned that his days as police chief were over.
“Certainly.”
Tom stepped aside, allowing both men to enter; however, before Mac could begin, Brown did. “It seems you’ve had a busy afternoon.”
Fuck.
Two officers that Mac knew from the station stepped into view, both armed, both pointing weapons in their direction.
“You don’t want to do this. Whether we walk out of here with you today or not, you’re done. The feds have everything they need to take you down.” Mac looked over to the cops and added, “You really wanna add murder charges to your sheet? Brown isn’t gonna take the fall for this. You two are. He’s gonna pin everything on you.”
Brown laughed, throwing his head back, giving Mac and Reid the distraction they needed.
The draw of the gun, the aim, the trigger pull, the recoil of the pistol—it was second nature to the men. It was smooth, fluid, and accurate. Both police officers fell to the floor lifeless.
Mac turned to Brown as he leveled his weapon in Reid’s direction. Without thought or concern for his own safety, Mac shoved Reid aside.
The burn of the bullet sliced through Mac, bringing him to his knees before he slumped to his side and clutched his chest.
There was another weapon discharged before Reid was forefront in Mac’s line of sight.
“Jesus Christ!” Reid yelled. “Hold on, brother, help is on the way.”
Mac tried to talk but he couldn’t breathe deep enough to get the words out. The pain dulled and the roaring in his ears lessened.
“Mac! Stay awake.”
“We’re good, brother.” Mac hoped Reid could hear him. “Take care of them.”
Mac was losing the battle, his lids were heavy, and his breathing was slowing.
Everything was going to be okay. Reid would take care of Ava, JJ, and Melody. They would all pull Harper into the fold and make sure she was safe.
“Tell Harper… tell her I love her.”
“He’s coding.”
“Get the paddles.”
“Clear.”
“Again.”
28
blame game
Harper
“Let’s take a walk.”
Reid pulled me from my thoughts of Mac and held his hand out to me.
I didn’t bother answering since he wasn’t asking, I just took his hand and let him pull me up from the chair I’d been sulking in for hours. I was grateful for his help standing; with each minute that ticked by, I was becoming less and less certain that Mac would make it.
Once we were in the hall and the door to the waiting room had clicked shut, Reid turned to me with more devastation across his features than I’d ever seen—on anyone.
“It’s my fault.”
“What is?” I asked.
“Mac being shot. He took that bullet for me. Before I could stop him, Mac pushed me out of the way and caught one in the chest. I should be the one in surgery, not him.”
I swallowed the saliva that had flooded my mouth, washing the bile back down my throat. I’d asked Reid what’d happened hours ago. He’d refused to tell me even though I’d begged. He kept telling me that we needed to concentrate on the present—one minute at a time. Now I knew why. It should’ve been Reid, not Mac. I pressed on my chest where the ache still hadn’t subsided and looked back at Reid. He should be the one fighting for his life. The anger that was bubbling up was squelched when I thought about Ava and their kids. If it’d been Reid, then JJ and Melly would be even more worried than they are now. Ava didn’t deserve to have two men that she loved die. And the more I thought about it, the more I remembered who Mac was—loyal, protective, honorable. I was a selfish bitch for even allowing anger to creep into my mind.
“Of course he did. You’re his best friend, his brother.” I squared my shoulders and tried my hardest to be what Reid had said I was—strong. Strong enough to be Mac’s woman. “I wouldn’t expect anything less of him. It’s not your fault. You didn’t shoot him.”
“Did you hear me, Harper? He pushed me out of the way.”
“I heard you. What I don’t understand is why you’re so surprised. Did you not think Mac was brave enough to take a bullet for you? I’ve heard him tell Ava he’d protect you with his life. Did you think he was a liar?”
“Fuck no.”
“Then stop. Mac doesn’t need us playing the blame game; he needs us to stay strong for him. When he comes out of surgery, he’s going to need all of us. Especially you. You can’t feel guilty or be pissed at him. We’ll get through this together, like a family. It’s what he needs. And it's damn well what he’s going to get.”
“I knew I was right.” Reid smiled.
“About what?”
“I knew you had a strength in you that is exactly what Mac needs. We’re all here for you, anything you need.”
“Thank you.”
Reid pulled me in for a hug and I lost control of the tears I was holding back.
“Let it out, Harper. There is no use trying to hold everything in.”
I did what Reid suggested and I let go. At some point, Reid carried me to a nearby chair and sat down with me in his lap. I was thankful that no one else was there to witness my breakdown and more than grateful that Reid cushioned the pain just a little for me. But more than anything, I wished I was in Mac’s arms.
“Aiden Mackenzie’s family?” an older woman asked as she walked into the waiting room.
“Yes.” Reid stood.
I stayed cemented in place, too afraid to move.
“I’m Dr. Coats. Aiden is in ICU. I was able to get the bullet…”
The woman’s mouth continued to move but I could no longer hear what she was saying. Mac was alive. He made it. That was the only information that was important to me. The rest? Unimportant details. All I needed to know was that Mac was breathing. We’d work through the rest later.
“… one at a time.”
“Harper goes first,” Ava said.
“What?”
“He can have one visitor. You go. We’ll wait here.”
I was on autopilot as I followed the doctor to Mac’s room. It was a miracle I made it without collapsing.
I stood outside the glass doors and stared in at all the machines Mac was hooked up to.
“It looks scarier than it is. He’s still intubated, the sound you can hear whooshing is the ventilator. It keeps the oxygen flowing through his body. The beeping you hear is the ECG, it is monitoring his heart rate. And every so often you’ll hear the blood pressure cuff activate and take a reading. When you go in, I’ll turn down the ECG monitor.”
“No, leave it,” I told her. “I want to hear his heart beating.”
“Very well. You can sit with him and touch him, hold his hand if you wish. Be careful not to disconnect any of his leads, but other than that you’re free to move around.”
“Thank you.”
When I entered the room, the beeps became noticeably louder and the whooshing sound the doctor had described was distinct and reassuring.
I sat next to Mac and picked up his hand, surprised at how warm it was. If I closed my eyes and blocked out the hospital sounds, I could almost believe he was simply sleeping.
“I love you. I don’t know if you can hear me but I love you so much.” I brought my lips down to kiss his knuckles and rested my cheek there.
“Don’t leave me, Mac. I don’t know what led me to this city and to you, but I do know you are exactly who I was always meant to be with. I can’t say goodbye. You have to be okay. Just hold on.”
I touched the soreness in my chest, relieved the pain was still there. As long as I felt the ache, that
meant Mac was still alive.
“I feel it. In my chest. I felt it before I knew. It hurts, Mac.”
The monitors beeped, the ventilator whooshed, and I prayed.
29
it hurts
“It hurts, Mac.”
Mac stared down at his wife lying in the hospital bed and thought she’d never looked more beautiful, more radiant than she did at that moment. Not the day he married her, not on their honeymoon when she pranced around in her bikini, not any of the times he’d taken her. Right now, at this moment, pregnant with his children, she was spectacular.
“I know it does, baby. Just a little longer. You’re doing great.” Mac kissed her forehead and tried to distract her. “We have to decide on names.”
Harper smiled, knowing what he was doing. “I already decided.”
“And? Are you going to tell me what my babies’ names are?” he teased.
Over the last six months, they had made a list of possible names for the twins. They ranged from same first letters, rhyming names, old-fashioned, unique to plain. The list had grown and grown. What hadn’t happened was a final decision. Mac didn’t much care what names Harper picked for their first names, all that mattered to him was their last names, they were Mackenzies.
“Matthew Robert and Madison Jane,” she told him.
“So we’re going with the M theme, huh?”
“We are. I want to name him after your dad. If he gets an M, she needs one, too.”
“Whatever you want.”
Mac smiled at his wife and knew his life was perfect. He had more beauty than any one man should be allowed. The longer he looked at Harper, the hazier she became; he slowly blinked his eyes, trying to restore his vision. When he did, his head pounded in excruciating pain and a blinding light shining in his face caused him to clench his lids closed and recoil from the source.
“Mac!” He could hear Harper crying but couldn’t open his eyes to find her.
“Don’t fight it,” another voice said.
Harper. Where was Harper? Were his babies okay?
“Everyone out.”
His last thoughts were of his wife before the bright late faded and he was plunged into darkness.
“He’ll wake up when he’s ready.”
“It’s been days. I thought he was going to open his eyes. He was fighting so hard,” Harper cried.
“His body is healing. Everything looks great. Just be patient.”
“I’m trying.” I wanted to smile at the impatience in Harper’s tone. “He squeezed my hand.”
“That’s normal. His brain is still functioning, sending—"
“No. I mean, he squeezed it. He didn’t twitch. Mac, can you hear me?”
Of course, I could hear her. I tried to answer but found I couldn’t swallow.
“He did it again. He squeezed.”
“Harper, slow down. Let it happen naturally.”
“Okay. Please open your eyes, Mac,” she whispered.
That’s my girl. She didn’t know the meaning of slow.
My eyelid was pulled open and a blinding light replaced the darkness.
Christ.
I tried to jerk my head away and forced my heavy eyelids to open, coming face-to-face with a woman I’d never seen before and the offending flashlight.
“Welcome back, Aiden. I am Dr. Coats. You’re in San Francisco General Hospital. You need to stay calm. Blink your eyes if you understand.”
I tried to do what the doctor asked but the need to swallow was too great. I was choking.
“No, Aiden. Stop. You have a breathing tube in. I’m going to remove it but you have to remain calm.”
Fuck calm, I had to swallow.
“Mac. Please stay still.”
Harper. Her voice washed over me and I willed myself to beat back the need to breathe. Anything for her.
“Very good. I’m going to remove the tube now. There will be lots of pulling when it comes out but you’ll be able to breathe on your own. Don’t fight it. Deep breath when it’s out.”
Pulling? Is that what the doctor called a fucking five-foot snake being yanked out of your throat?
I inhaled and wished the tube was still in - it hurt so bad to breathe. A thousand needles pierced my lungs and scraped my throat.
“Harper,” I strained.
“Don’t try to talk,” the doctor said and placed a plastic mask over my mouth.
I reached up to remove it when Harper grabbed my hand, stopping me.
“Relax. I’m not going anywhere. We have all the time in the world.”
I settled back into the bed and kept my eyes on Harper while the doctor continued her exam. Soon the room was filled with more staff. Through it all, it was Harper’s smile that calmed me. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“When do I get to leave?” I asked no one in particular.
Reid, Ava, and Harper were all sitting in my room. Austin and Dustin had left a little while ago, taking JJ and Melody with them.
“Dude. You’ve been awake about ten hours after being shot, in a coma, and almost dying. I’d say you’re gonna be here a while longer.” Reid laughed.
Yeah. Real funny. He wasn’t the one in the bed hooked up to a thousand monitors that beeped constantly. He wasn’t the one getting scans and blood drawn. I was worried that the next test the doctor-of-torture would require a scope up my ass. At this point, a rectal exam was all that was left.
“Harper, do you need anything before we leave?” Ava asked.
“No. I’m fine. Thank you.”
I should’ve told Harper it was okay to go home. Reid told me she hadn’t left the hospital once since I was brought in and she nearly took Austin’s head off when he told her she needed to go get some sleep. But I wasn’t. I was a selfish prick and too scared to let her out of my sight. I had been a dick to her before I was shot. What if she’d listened to me and had moved out already? We hadn’t had a chance to talk in private yet, and until I made sure she knew how sorry I was and how much I loved her, she was staying put.
“Alright, then. We’ll let you two rest.” Ava stood and walked to the side of the bed. Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at me.
“I’m fine. Promise. You can’t get rid of me that easy.” I laughed.
“Don’t joke about that, Aiden. I don’t know what any of us would’ve done if we lost you,” she said.
“Ava. I’m fine.”
She gave me a nod of her head and moved into Reid’s arms. “We’ll catch you tomorrow.” Reid was silent for a minute, then cleared his throat. “Can’t thank you enough, brother. You saved my life. We both know it. Glad you’re okay.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. When I saw Brown lift his gun in Reid’s direction, all I could see was JJ. He’d already lost one dad in his short life, I couldn’t let him lose Reid, too.
They finished up their goodbyes, leaving Harper and me alone for the first time. I wasn’t entirely sure how to start the conversation that needed to be had. Luckily, I didn’t have to start it. Harper did.
“I didn’t pack my stuff,” she said.
“Okay.”
“I’m not moving out.”
“Okay.”
“And you’re not leaving me. I’m not letting you. We can work through anything. But you’re not breaking up with me. Why are you smiling?” she huffed.
“Because I love you. Because you are so much smarter than I am. And because you are cute as hell when you’re bossy.”
“Well, get used to it because while you’re recovering I’m in charge.”
“Should I call you Mistress?” I laughed.
“Laugh all you want, Aiden, but I’m serious.”
“I know you are.”
She was more than cute when she was being bossy, she was sexy. The thought of calling her Mistress made my cock jerk, surprising the hell out of me. I’d never considered myself a switch but thinking about her in charge in the bedroom was stirring something inside of me. Not that I’d allo
w it for very long, but for the time being it would be amusing.
Mistress Harper.
“I love you. Thank you for being here even after I was a dick and didn’t deserve it.”
“I love you, too. There’s no place else I’d be.”
Harper settled back into the chair next to the bed and switched on the TV.
“This is Gloria Styles, Channel 9, with breaking news.” A reporter announced, standing in front of what looked like the 501 precinct. “This is one of our darkest days as a city. The officers of the 501 were evacuated after rioters threw fire bombs into the lower windows, successfully catching the building on fire.” The camera panned, showing what could only be described as a war zone in front of the station. Cars were on fire, police in full riot gear tried to push the crowd away from the steps of the 501. Men and women of all ages were throwing things and yelling in the background. “There’s a convenience store across the street that has been looted and set on fire as well. The National Guard has been mobilized and a city-wide curfew is now in place. We just got word from the newsroom that all ground reporters and their crews have been recalled back to the station. It is no longer safe to be out here. Again, San Francisco is now in a state of emergency with an estimated thirty percent on fire. This is Gloria Styles for Channel 9 News. Please stay indoors and safe San Francisco.”
The broadcast continued with aerial footage of the greater San Francisco area. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The reporter hadn’t been exaggerating. From the view high above the city buildings, it looked like a scene from a movie.
San Francisco was burning.
“Holy shit,” I mumbled.
“You can say that again.”
The hospital landline rang, jolting me from the television. Harper reached over and answered.
“He’s right here. Hold on.”
Harper maneuvered the phone cord so it would reach the bed without me having to move. I figured Reid had just seen the news broadcast as well. Shit. I hoped they were able to make it home safely.
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