Epilogue
TWO WEEKS LATER…
“You may now kiss your bride.”
Kyrie leaned over and kissed me passionately on my lips like no one was watching. I held on to him tightly, making sure I kept my balance. The applause and Tyson yelling, “That’s enough!” caused us to separate.
I flopped down in my wheelchair and glanced at Micah in her wheelchair. She was still on bedrest, but she wouldn’t hear of me getting married without her being a part of it. We smiled at each other, then I told her, “Okay. Get back home. You have to deliver a healthy little princess soon. You can’t have my god baby cutting up because you won’t listen.”
She rolled her eyes, and her boyfriend wheeled her closer to me. She kissed my cheek and said, “I’m so happy for you. I thought I had lost you when I saw the news. Bransford finally did something right,” she said loudly so he would hear her.
He rolled his eyes as I chuckled. “Thanks, girl.”
She squeezed my hand, then they left. The past two weeks had been tough. Thankfully, Kyrie had been taking excellent care of me. There was only soft tissue injuries except one bone fracture. The bullet had gotten me right in the top of the foot. When Stephanie pushed Samuel, the gun pointed downward. Seeing the footage from the alternate camera was hard. My mental issues from that night were far worse than the physical ones.
I had nightmares for the first week continuously, even when I was only napping. Everything that happened that night played through my head on repeat whenever my eyes closed. I was still going through counseling to get through it. Kyrie was in counseling as well. Although I’d recommended it for him, I didn’t have to put too much effort into urging him. He received my advice the first time I suggested he see a therapist.
As I waited for Kyrie to come back to me, I noticed Grandma walking toward me. We hadn’t spoken in three weeks. It hurt me to my heart the way she treated me. She’d come to my hospital room to see me, but we didn’t talk about anything of significance concerning our relationship. I knew she was hoping to speak to me privately, but she wouldn’t get that moment today, that was for sure.
When she got close, she grabbed my hand as tears graced her cheeks. “Congratulations, baby. I’m happy for your new beginnings with the man of your dreams.”
“Thank you.”
“I know today isn’t the day, but I hope to be able to talk to you soon. I owe you a few apologies for the things I said and the way I treated you. You are my only granddaughter, and I love you dearly, although I wasn’t great at showing it this past month. Please let me know when you have time.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
She gently stroked my cheek with the backs of her fingers, then she left. I was more than sure she had to get back to Samuel. He was the only officer shot that wasn’t wearing a vest. They were going to kill him anyway, so he surely didn’t need a vest. Tyson and Gamble had shot AJ and Stephanie in their heads because they knew they would be wearing vests. I was so happy that I didn’t really see that happen. Kyrie was shielding me from it all.
When he laid his body on top of mine, the only thing I could see was his white shirt and neck. He was willing to die for me, and I would never forget that. However, my nightmares consisted of Samuel holding that gun to Kyrie’s head. It would have killed me long before they would have if he would have pulled the trigger. Knowing that he was willing to kill me to save himself didn’t sit well with me.
Mama was so angry when she arrived at the hospital that night, but her worry took precedence over everything. After she saw I was going to be okay, she went to check on Samuel. He didn’t live long after, dying during the night from massive blood loss and internal bleeding. My family chose to cremate him, and my grandmother had kept his ashes. She sat in the room with those ashes right next to her. My mama said she would always say she had to get back to Samuel when she left the house, as if he were still alive.
I was still angry at him. Now I knew how Kyrie felt, being angry at someone who couldn’t make their wrongs right. It was extremely hard to get closure that way. While I knew that I would eventually forgive him and miss him, that time hadn’t come yet. I couldn’t even properly grieve his death. I didn’t want him to die, but knowing he put himself in that situation infuriated me to no end.
My mama and I had gotten over everything together, and she was helping me through my anger. Bransford had come to see me quite a few times already and was helping me through my thoughts as well. He was the acting chief for now until I returned. I told him not to get too used to my office because I would be kicking his ass out of there as soon as I returned. He’d laughed and said he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Once Kyrie was done greeting his guests, and they had all congratulated me as well, he came to me and kissed me. “You ready to go eat?”
“Absolutely.”
He chuckled. “I knew you would be.”
I playfully swatted his hand as he wheeled me out of the small venue space he’d rented. There was no way in hell I was having our wedding at the courthouse. I didn’t know when I would be able to go back inside of it, but it would be no time soon. I probably wouldn’t even be able to sit through proceedings for the people arrested that night. It was still hard to believe AJ was a part of all that. Obviously, there would be no trial for him or Stephanie.
When we got to the car, Kyrie lifted me and placed me inside. I slowly shook my head. He acted like I couldn’t stand. The wheelchair was so I didn’t have to stand for long periods of time. I didn’t complain, though, because I loved how he loved me. Through every nightmare, he held me tight, even when he wasn’t stable himself. He always made sure I was okay.
Ms. Carolyn had prepared food for us… somewhat like a small reception that only my mother, Bransford, and Tyson and his family would attend. I told Kyrie he could have invited more people, but he refused. He didn’t want all those people in my house. I believed he was still untrusting of a lot of people. Tyson was his friend, but two weeks ago, he’d definitely solidified his position in our lives.
Kyrie grabbed my hand and kissed it. “Through all the drama and trauma, I still get to call you Missus Patrick. Had it not been for all of this, we probably wouldn’t have ever met. I’d be wandering aimlessly through life, still searching for my forever. However, through the fire, I was able to see the desire and passion between us. I’m just happy I made the right decision after acting like a fool and that you were still receptive to being with me.”
“Baby, I didn’t have a choice. We were destined to be together. Not even I was in control of that. While I wish some things didn’t happen, I can’t regret where all the trauma has landed us. Forever in love.”
The End