Chapter 44
The first thing I notice upon waking is the incessant beeping. Second is the fact that I hurt like a motherfucker. It takes a moment, but it all comes back to me at once.
“Pres,” I mumble.
“Take it easy, Beckett.” A warm hand squeezes mine. “I’m right here.”
My eyes jolt open at the sound of her voice. Presley is right next to me, looking a little worse for wear, but I’ll take it if she’s able to sit up and talk.
“Are you okay?” I croak. Damn, my throat is dry.
“Am I okay?” Pres chuckles lightly. “Beckett, I’m not the one who was shot.”
Fuck. I can’t believe that asshole shot me.
“How’d I get here?”
“Ambulance.” She lightly runs her finger over the top of my hand, careful to avoid the IV needle sticking out of it. “God, I was so scared when you wouldn’t wake up. You lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said you’ll be okay. The bullet didn’t hit anything major.”
I groan as a sharp pain stabs me in the abdomen. “Is he in police custody?”
I don’t bother mentioning his name. We both know who I’m talking about.
Pres slowly shakes her head. “He’s dead, Beckett. I... shot him. We never have to worry about him again.”
I briefly close my eyes in relief. I hate that Presley knows what it feels like to take a life, but I’m not fucking sorry he’s dead. “Did anyone give you trouble? Colby has to know it was self-defense. Nine-one-one dispatch was on the line listening to the whole thing.”
When Presley called for help, an alert was sent to the sheriff’s office, and Colby immediately contacted me. Colby wanted me to wait for him, but he was at least twenty minutes out, and there was no way I was going to leave her alone with that bastard a second longer than necessary. Thankfully, I was already on my way to her house because I didn’t want to leave our conversation so unsettled.
“He does know.” She nods. “I talked to him earlier.”
“Well, look who’s awake.” A woman, who I’m assuming is my nurse based on the scrubs she’s wearing, walks into the room. “How are you feeling?”
I attempt to answer, but my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. “Thirsty. Could I get some water?”
Presley digs into the bag at her side. “I got it.” She uncaps a water bottle and holds it to my lips.
After I take a few swallows, I return my attention back to the nurse. “How soon can I get out of here?”
She chuckles. “A little impatient, Mr. Armstrong?”
“Beckett,” I insist.
“Beckett,” she repeats. “If you recall, you were shot tonight, and you lost a significant amount of blood. I’ll let the doctor know you’re awake so he can come by and explain your injuries and what to expect from your recovery. How’s your pain on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the worst?”
“About a seven.” It’s probably more of a nine, but I don’t want to be heavily drugged.
“Okay. Well, it’s time for new pain meds, so after I take your vitals, we can get that taken care of.”
I tighten my grip on Presley’s hand when she starts to get up. “Where are you goin’?”
Pres leans down to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be right back. I just want to let everyone know you’re awake, and I figured this was a perfect time while Elena is checking your vitals.”
I’m guessing Elena is the nurse.
“Can’t you call? I don’t want you out of my sight, Pres.”
She smiles. “Relax, Beck. I’m not going far. They’re out in the waiting room.”
“Who’s they?”
“My parents, Clayton, and Colby. They’ve been here for hours waiting for an update. I’ll be just a few minutes.” She points a finger at me as she walks back toward the door. “Don’t be cranky with Elena. She’s been taking good care of you.”
“We’ll be just fine, honey. You go do what you need to do.” Elena laughs, typing something into the computer against the wall. When Presley leaves, she says, “You’re a lucky man. If the bullet would’ve been an inch to the left, it would’ve punctured your lung. Your guardian angel’s been lookin’ out for you.”
I scoff. “I highly doubt I have one of those.”
“Hmm.” Elena checks my temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen levels before going back to her computer to log the results, I’m guessing. When she’s done, she swivels on her stool and looks at me thoughtfully. “You look a lot like him, you know.”
I frown. “Who?”
“Your father.”
“You knew my father?”
She smiles fondly. “I knew David quite well. He was a good man.”
I chew on her words for a moment while I take her in. Elena’s probably in her late forties, maybe early fifties. She has kind eyes and a pretty face, and I could definitely see my dad being attracted to someone like her. But if they were dating, which I would assume based on how well she supposedly knew him, why in the hell would I have never met her?
She must see the questions running across my face because she speaks up again. “We were together for just about four years. Your dad knew I had no desire to ever get married again, but I loved him deeply. I would’ve happily spent the rest of my days with him.”
“But...”
“Why haven’t we met before?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“When you were hurt overseas, he said he needed some time to focus on you. We decided to take a break right before you returned home. We still talked regularly, but your dad thought it was best if I stayed away from the house until you were feelin’ better. You weren’t doin’ so well, and he didn’t want any distractions. Unfortunately, with him passing so soon after, you and I never got a chance to meet.”
“I don’t understand. Why would he keep your relationship a secret from me?”
Elena’s eyes flicker to the doorway. “I believe it had something to do with the pretty lady that just left. He was afraid if you saw how happy he and I were... it would remind you of another time in your life. He was worried your head wasn’t in a good place, and he didn’t want to make it worse.”
“That’s...”
“Ridiculous?” she offers. “I can see why you’d think that, but I didn’t think so. When you have kids, you’ll understand. My two are in their early twenties, but they’ll always be my babies. When they hurt, I hurt, and I’d go out of my way to make them feel better. Even if it meant sacrificing myself.”
“Shit.” I take a deep breath. “I wish he wouldn’t have done that. You could’ve had more time together.”
Fine lines bracket her mouth when she smiles softly. “I have no regrets, Beckett, and I’d venture to say neither did he. Like I said before, he was a good man.”
“Am I interrupting?” Presley hovers in the doorway, looking between Elena and me in question.
“Of course not, dear. I was just finishing up. I need to go get those pain meds, so if you’ll excuse m?—”
“Wait,” I call out before she can leave. “I don’t want anything that will make me feel out of it.”
She nods. “I’ll talk to the doctor and see what we can do. I’ll be back in just a bit.”
Pres waits for the nurse to leave before taking a seat in the chair beside my bed again. “What was that about?”
“Apparently, Elena was my dad’s girlfriend. For four years, until right before I returned from Afghanistan.”
Presley winces as she raises her brows, touching the mark that fucker left on her. “Seriously? Wow. I could totally see them as a couple, though.”
I nod. “Me too. She seems really nice.”
“Speaking of relationships... I was doing some thinking while you were asleep.”
“About?”
“Us. My need for independence.”
I grab her hand. “What about it specifically?”
Pres shrugs. “I want to take you up on your invitation to move into your place if the offer’s still good.”
“Of course, the offer still stands, honey.” I kiss her palm. “But why the sudden change of heart? You’ve only been at the Wilson’s place a few weeks. Is it because of what happened tonight? You don’t think you can go back there?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to. Tonight made me realize that life’s too short to waste time continually doubting myself. I know I have a long way to go, but I feel counseling will help. It already has. I keep thinking about something my therapist said to me the other day. She asked why I kept denying myself the things that made me happy. And the thing is, I didn’t have an answer for her. Nothing makes me happier than being with you. So, why should I sit around in my living room watching TV by myself just because I have some misguided sense of what I should be doing versus what I want to be doing?
“I’m in this for the long-haul, Beckett. I want to get married and build a house overlooking the pond like we’ve always talked about. I want to fill that house with babies who will grow up running around on the ranch just like we did. I want to be with you every step of the way as you get the horse therapy program up and running because I know how important it is to you, making it important to me. I want us to have the forever we’ve always dreamed of, and I want that forever to start now. So... what do you think?”
I rub a hand over my jaw to hide my smirk. “Honey, this might be the drugs talkin’, but did you just propose to me?”
Presley’s full lips curve. “I suppose I did. You got a problem with that?”
“Nah, Pres. Not at all. I’m plenty secure in my masculinity to handle a little role reversal.”
She laughs. “Good to know. So, is that a yes?”
I smile. “Darlin’, that’s a hell yes.”