Authors: Ashley Johnson
Chapter 23
The minute I step into the hotel room, I collapse onto the first bed I see. This whole trip is slowly killing me. The last time I stepped into a hotel room was the night I drove up to meet Wesley. That night that changed me for the better. I learned to really love again. I didn’t realize it right away though. I learned to let my guard down and realize not everyone is out to hurt me. I close my eyes to block away the memories but they come out full force attacking me, making me remember. I don’t want to forget. I never want to forget. I never will forget. It’s a story I’ll tell our child one day.
I don’t hear Amber say or do anything because I fall asleep quickly and I don’t wake until morning. It’s barely after 6:00 am and I shoot up like a rocket. I need to see Wesley again, he’s going to wake up I know it. I also want to beat his pig-headed father there. I run my fingers through my hair before tossing it up into a ponytail. I’m dressed and ready in less than five minutes.
Amber is still sleeping. I move quietly so I don’t wake her. The minute I slip out the door, I walk briskly trying to catch the first cab I see to the hospital. As I climb into the cab, I text Amber letting her know where I’ve gone.
I race towards the elevator arriving as the door opens. Within a few seconds, I’m approaching the same desk as yesterday but a different person is working. As I go back to see Wesley, I’m holding my breath no one is in there yet. I peer around the wooden door to see he’s alone and in the same state I left him in yesterday evening. I want him to open those beautiful green eyes so I can tell him how much I love him, but he doesn’t and I just sit beside him holding his hand. My thumb slides back and forth over the top of his hand and I let out a sigh. I knew his work was dangerous but I had no idea just how dangerous it could be. A lone tear slides down my cheek, I’m so exhausted but I won’t leave his side.
A different nurse from yesterday walks in smiling; I don’t see how she can smile when she sees this sort of thing all the time. “Mrs. Tyler?”
I almost look around the room for his mom but I remember yesterday I told the hospital I was his wife. “Yes ma’am?”
“We were waiting for you, we’re about to remove him from the oxygen.” My heart stops and I’m not sure I want to hear the rest of this. She sees the worried look on my face and touches my shoulder. It’s like her touch is medicated and I immediately relax. “Don’t worry Mrs. Tyler, the oxygen was just precautionary. We just need to wait for him to wake up.”
“So he’s going to be ok?” I ask quietly. Just saying the words scares the shit out of me.
“Yes ma’am, this one here, he’s a fighter. He was somewhat responsive earlier. I told him his wife was here and would be back today. He squeezed my hand so that’s a very good sign.” She smiles at me as she begins the process of removing the oxygen so he can breathe on his own.
She smiles before she walks out and reassures me once more, “It’s just a matter of time.”
I wonder if he really could understand what she said when she told him his wife was here. I just throw out all the big guns when it comes to Wesley and none of it scares me. He should be running away from me and all my crazy but he hasn’t.
I can hear him breathing; it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s music to my ears. I grab his hand and I swear I feel his grip tighten. My heart starts beating wildly in my chest, she was right. He is responsive.
“Baby, I’m here. Wake up please. I love you.” I speak with confidence because I know there is a happy ending to this. He’s going to wake up.
“I told you not to come back and why is his oxygen off? What have you done to him?” I turn to find his father standing at the door in a plain black suit this time with his timid wife behind him. She’s almost dressed as pristine as yesterday. I’m almost reminded of an older Brad and myself if we had ever gotten married.
I want to get up and go confront him but I do it from where I am. “With all due respect Mr. Tyler, I told you I wasn’t leaving without him. His oxygen was just removed and if you’d take two seconds to listen, you could hear him breathing on his own.”
I turn back to Wesley and pull his hand up to my mouth. I place a soft kiss on the top of his hand and close my eyes. His father won’t affect me in here today.
“Who gave you consent to make that decision? I want to know what sort of idiots they have running this place. Who do I have to talk to around here?” His voice is rising but I’m not paying him any attention because one voice fills my ears.
I feel like I’m having a dream. My head jerks up as he speaks again. Those green eyes are tired and worn out as he stares at me with a tear falling down his face. “Hope? Is that you?”
I choke out a sob before I can stop. I didn’t want to show emotion in front of his parents but he’s alive. He’s awake and he’s talking to me. “It’s me Wesley, I caught a flight as soon as it happened. Thank God you’re alright.”
“Don’t cry sweetheart, I could never leave you. You flew alone?” He asks concerned. That is the last thing he should be concerned about right now if you ask me.
“No Amber is here too. How are you feeling?” I really should get up and go get the nurse but I don’t want to leave his side. I’ve waited for this since last night and I’m thankful it didn’t take longer for him to wake.
He tries to sit up but fails and groans in pain. “I’m hurting, I can’t lie about that.” He looks to see his arm in a cast and lets out a cuss word or two. I smile as I lean forward to kiss his forehead. The one thing I’m dying to tell him sits in the back of my mind but he’s barely awake so I don’t spring it on him just yet.
His Mom suddenly appears on the side of me, tears streaming down her face. His Dad stayed by the door to the room looking unaffected by the entire thing. What an ass.
“My baby, thank God you’re awake.” I politely move over so she could smother him with hugs and kisses.
“Mom, I’m fine I swear. I see you’ve met Hope. Isn’t she great?” His eyes smile despite the pain he is in.
“She is Wesley, I’m glad you have her here for you.” She looks back at me smiling and I return the smile. Knowing she feels that way means the world to me and I know we just have one more hurdle to cross and that is his Dad.
“I don’t think I could live without her.” He states confident as ever. I wipe the last stray tear from my eye and find my hand on my stomach. I quickly move it before he can catch onto anything.
“You almost didn’t live, when we got here she already had your oxygen pulled just waiting for you to die so she could collect on your life insurance.” I scowl as his dad steps up. Where does he come up with this shit? “Some wife you have picked out son. What’d you do, go to the courthouse because you were too ashamed to introduce her to us?”
Wesley’s face is mixed with confusion and anger. My lips are sealed shut for fear of getting myself removed and banned from this hospital. I give Wesley a wink so maybe he would catch on and play along with this game. If not I’m going to look awfully stupid.
“Dad, you can’t talk about my wife like that. If anyone was trying to kill me, it would be you, so you could take the ranch away. That’s all you want. And I could never be ashamed of her, have you met her? She’s the reason I breathe, we are madly in love and that’s why I married her. Who cares if it wasn’t some swanky wedding, we’re husband and wife and nothing changes that.”
Wow. His Dad looks like he wants to argue. He stands there with his hands in his neatly pressed suit jacket, his lips pursed into a fine line. I am ready for whatever retaliation is coming but he stays quiet. Hearing Wesley say all that confirms why I love him to begin with and my heart fell a little more. We barely know each other and for him to say that, once again, has changed me.
I see the smile in his eyes as well as the one on his bruised face. The nurse comes walking in wearing a smile of her own once she sees he is awake.
“Well, Mr. Tyler it’s good to see you awake. Your wife wouldn’t leave your side, you are a lucky man.” She checks his vitals and explains he will experience some more pain but they have medicine they can give him.
“I am very lucky.” He winks at me turning my insides to mush.
“Unfortunately you have to stay in ICU at least for the rest of the day so we can monitor you and visiting hours for the morning are almost over. We have more this afternoon.” He frowns at her but tries to cut her some sexy eyes at the same time. She smiles back but explains the rules are rules.
His Dad is still standing by the door with his hands in his suit not saying a word. His Mom looks at me, “Hope, I’m Nora by the way, I never got to fully introduce myself yesterday. We’ll see you outside.” She winks as she stands and pulls his Dad out the door. He never said anything to Wesley except the hateful things he did.
I know why she left us alone and I find my hands clamming up. I need to tell him sometime and I hate that I’m about to do it while he’s in ICU. I sit beside him as he reaches for my hand. A thousand things could go wrong and with the luck I seem to have, I anticipate it to go south and I’ll be on my own. Our eyes connect and I lose myself again in front of him. “Things have been so crazy. I read that article and I still don’t know what to think and then there was your competition. I was so scared Wesley, I watched it on TV and was terrified Bandit killed you. You weren’t moving and I freaked out. I had to lie to be able to see you, I’m so sorry.”
“Shh. Stop crying sweetheart, everything is ok. I would have told the same lie to see you. You were the only thing on my mind when it was happening Hope. Trust me, I was just as scared, but I knew there was no way I was going out like that. Not without seeing you again. Can I have a kiss, you know for me to get better?” Memories of the first time we met flood me and I have to laugh. Then I didn’t kiss him, but now nothing can stop me from standing and leaning over him crashing my lips against his. He kisses me feverishly, his free hand cupping the back of my neck. I pull away panting, I could kiss him all day but we only have a few minutes before I have to leave the room until later.
“We need to talk Wes.” His eyes cloud quickly and I realize I said that the wrong way. “No, nothing like that I swear.”
“Don’t scare me baby, I just got you back.” He grins then winces in pain. I want to take this pain away from him, I hate seeing him hurt.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Little does he know, I’m really about to rock his world and I’m praying he’s steady enough to be my rock. “I really don’t know how to go about saying this and this wasn’t at all how I planned to do this but…”
“Are you done babbling sweetheart?”
I glare at him for interrupting me. I was almost to my point. I have the urge to start all over just to antagonize him but time is not on my side. “Wesley, I’m in love with you and I’m pregnant.”
I close my eyes out of habit and wish myself out of this room. I imagine myself anywhere but here like maybe hitting the jackpot inside one of the casinos up the road. Yeah, that would be nice. “Hope?” he interrupts my thoughts and I’m forced to open my eyes.
He takes my hand into his and begins rubbing circles on the top with his thumb. He’s relaxing me and I let out a sigh. “Look at me sweetheart.” His voice is soft and sexy even, I’d be stupid not to look at him. “We’re having a baby?”
I nod my head yes because I’m scared to speak. His mouth forms into a wide smile, teeth showing and all as he pulls me closer. “You’re ok with it Wesley?”
“Listen to me Hope, I love you with everything I have. You have no idea how happy I am right now. When did you find out?” He loves me too. My breath leaves me for a minute as I process this. I’m elated.
“The night I stayed with my parents. I actually found out before I read that article. I was going to tell you when you came home and then the accident happened and I was so damn scared I lost you and you’d never know.” I’m crying again, not realizing it until he’s wiping my tears away.
“This is the best day of my life.” He beams from his hospital bed in ICU where he lays with a broken arm and broken ribs. Despite the purple bruises that adorn his face, he smiles with everything he has in him.
Carefully I lean in kissing him deeply and passionately until the nurse standing at the door clears her throat. My face blushes from being caught kissing him but I don’t care. I run my hand along his face taking him in. I love this man so freaking much. He’s awake and he’s excited to be a father. What could be better than this?