43. Sarah
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
sarah
Everything was a whirlwind. Between talking to officers and having the boys checked out by a nurse for smoke inhalation, and filling in our family on the phone—I didn’t have a moment alone. Through it all, I couldn’t stop worrying about Colt.
Because of the ice, we’d made everyone stay at home. It was too dangerous on the roads right now, and we’d promised to keep them updated, which meant either Sammy or I were on the phone constantly.
Sammy sat next to me in the waiting room. I leaned against him as I listened to Cam talk on the line. Jake and Davy were passed out in the chairs next to us, blankets wrapped around them. Sammy’s hand gripped mine and I held onto him just as tight.
“Any more news yet?” Cam asked.
“Not yet,” I said.
“I hate this fucking weather. The only reason I’m not there right now is because ice is sticking to the road.”
This was the fifth time Cam had said that.
“It’ll be okay,” Haley said in the background.
“Is Emma okay?” I asked. “I haven’t talked to her yet but the house is…”
“She’s okay.” Hal clearly snatched the phone from Cam, her voice clearer. “Don’t worry about the house right now. How are the boys doing?”
I glanced over at them. “They’re exhausted and traumatized. I can’t even think about how we’re going to work through this.”
Sammy squeezed my hand. “We’ll handle it, angel.”
My eyes teared up, but I was well past crying. I leaned harder into Sammy.
“It’ll be okay,” Haley said. “This sounds awful, but… David is gone now. We can put all of this behind us.”
“I hope so,” I whispered. “We need a fresh start. One where no one is getting hurt and everything is normal.”
“You’ll get it. You’ve got Sammy and Colt… Did you talk to them?”
“Yes,” I said. God, that felt like ages ago. “Before we came home earlier.”
“I figured. I’ll be more nosy later.”
“I’m sure you will be. Well, pour a glass of whiskey and sit tight,” I sighed. “That’s what we’re doing.”
“Well, no whiskey for me, but?—”
“What do you mean no whiskey for you?” I asked, both my brows shooting up. Sammy immediately turned his head, his expression mirroring mine.
BABY? he mouthed.
“I’m not in the mood for whiskey, that’s all.”
“Hmm.” I narrowed my eyes at the wall. That was suspicious, but I’d circle back around when we were together. Am I going to be an aunt? “Are you?—”
Bud appeared in the doorway. “Have a moment? ”
“Bud just got here,” I said. “I’ll call y’all back in a bit, okay?”
“Okay,” Haley said. “I love you both. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up and slipped my phone into my pocket. Sammy stood up, running his hands over his jeans. Both of us were still covered in blood and dirt and smelled like smoke. I followed him to the hallway, the two of us stepping out of earshot of the boys even though they were asleep.
Bud blew out a breath, his shoulders sinking. “David is dead, Sarah. They found him in the house the couple bought. It looks like they were really unwell people and when they found out his bail was posted, they decided to take justice into their own hands.”
Unwell was quite the understatement.
Sammy wrapped his arms around me. I leaned into him as the shock settled in.
David was dead.
“How did he die?” I whispered.
“They shot him.”
I let out a shaky breath. I didn’t have any more tears left to cry, and certainly wasn’t going to shed them over David.
But it was strange knowing he was gone.
“The Bell woman is dead. When she slipped on your porch, it cracked her head. The man is still alive and in custody and will be charged with multiple murder attempts. He admitted to attacking you in the parking lot. He also admitted to tampering with your car.”
“Is the house…” Sammy trailed off.
“They put the fires out. It looks like it was the back part of the house and kitchen. They started the fire on that side. The other half of the house is still standing, but with the weather, it’s severely damaged. I’m so sorry, Sarah. This has been absolute hell for you and your family. ”
“But it’s over,” I whispered. “It’s finally over.”
Bud offered a gentle, sad smile. “It is. Any updates on Colton?”
“He’s alive,” Sammy said tightly. “That’s all we know right now.”
“Alright. Call if you need anything. After this storm passes, we’ll figure everything out. We’ve got your statements and as for the house…”
“We’ll worry about it later,” Sammy said. “We’re all alive. That’s all that matters. Is there any way you could do us a favor?”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“Could we get some t-shirts to change into? And a couple for the boys, along with some socks.”
“Yes. Let me see what I can do. Might be hospital socks.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “Thank you, Bud.”
Bud clapped Sammy’s shoulder and left us. I turned toward Sammy and looked up at him, shaking my head.
“He’s dead,” I whispered.
Sammy sighed. “I can’t say I’m sad, but I’m sorry.”
“I mean I can’t say I am either. He’s really out of our lives for good.” It was hard to believe. “I don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t even think straight right now.”
“All we can do now is wait, angel,” he murmured. “Wait to hear about Colt. And then we go from there. The storm will pass and we have our family to lean on.”
He was right. He settled his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them gently. A soft moan left me and I closed my eyes, leaning into him. Relief rolled through my body.
“Hmm. Note to self, give you massages more often.”
“Yes, please.”
He leaned down, kissing my neck gently. I turned around, hugging him hard. He held me tighter, pressing his cheek against the top of my head.
“When all of this is over, we’re going to build the perfect house on Colt’s land. And it’s going to have all the room we need to grow. A good kitchen so you can start your business up, a place for me to film things, maybe even a secret sex room.”
I gasped, stifling a giggle. “A secret sex room?”
“Yeah. I mean, we have to hide the butt plugs and paddles somewhere. I want a sex couch too.”
“Oh god,” I whispered. I looked up at him with a grin. “We’ll have to soundproof it.”
“Oh we will. No one will hear a damn thing.”
A rustle drew our attention. “Where is he? Where is my son?”
We both looked down the hall. Sammy let out a hmm as an older man speed-walked toward us with wide eyes. A nurse trailed behind him, trying to slow him down.
I wasn't really sure if I'd ever seen Colton's father up close, but I knew it was him. There were physical similarities, and it was interesting seeing a glimpse of what one of the loves of my life would look like in thirty years.
Admittedly, damn good looking.
Sammy reached out to slow him down before he could push past us. “We're still waiting on Colt, and I hate to be the one to say this to you, but I don't think you’re who he wants to see,” Sammy said.
The man slowed, his eyes full of sadness. “I just want to know if he's okay. They called me to let me know and I got scared that I wouldn’t be able to make things right.”
“He’s alive,” I said quickly. “He’s in surgery right now getting the bullet taken out of his leg. We don’t know anything else.”
“You can stay until we know how it goes,” Sammy said. “ But then you should go if you’re able to drive through this weather. We can let Colt know you stopped by, but until he's open to mending bridges, I don't think this is the right way to see him.”
“Thank you,” he said. He leaned against the wall, his shoulders sagging.
The nurse gave us an apologetic look before heading back to the front desk. Sammy rested his chin on the top of my head as we studied the man that had seriously hurt Colt.
He eyed the two of us. “Can I ask…” he trailed off.
Sammy sighed and released me, holding out his hand. The man shook it slowly. “I’m Sammy Harlow, this is Sarah. Colt is our… boyfriend doesn’t sound serious enough.”
“We love him,” I said simply.
“My name is John,” he said.
“Yeah, we’ve heard about you.” Sammy did not keep the bitterness out of his voice.
He was not pulling punches right now, but I couldn’t blame him. We were both stretched thin and beyond frazzled. I wasn’t sure either one of us had the capability to be polite right now.
John rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a lot of regrets. Kicking him out is one of them.”
I scowled. “It damn well should be. I have two sons, they’re eleven. I cannot imagine kicking them out as a teen for coming out. Part of being a parent is being there for your child and you weren’t there for him.”
“I shouldn’t have kicked him out,” he said. “I didn’t know that for years, though. It took some time before I started to unlearn what I was raised to believe. I don’t expect him to ever forgive me, but I just… I just need to know he’s okay. Everyone’s posting online about what happened tonight, and all I could think driving over here was if I lost him, I…”
“Your fear is understandable,” Sammy said. “But Sarah and I have been through absolute hell tonight. So maybe grab a cup of coffee, take a seat, say a prayer or whatever, and keep your pity party to yourself.”
John took a deep breath. “I think I’ll do that.”
“There’s some coffee next to the front desk,” I said. He gave us a nod before wandering off. I raised a brow at Sammy. “Maybe a little harsh?”
“He’s lucky I didn’t break his nose. I’m feeling generous tonight.”
I snorted. “Alright, princess.”
A wide grin broke out and he relaxed, leaning against the wall. “I can’t believe out of all nicknames I could have, the two of you went with princess.”
“I mean you are bossy.”
He barked out a laugh and tugged me close, tipping my chin up. “I’ll remember this when we’re back home and you’re in my bed.”
“Do you think we’ll have to play nurse with Colt?”
His eyes lit up. “You are full of surprises.”
“Well, it’s either flirting with you or having a breakdown,” I said. “Think I’ll choose the first option.”
Bud returned to the hallway with a stack of clothes and socks.
“Thank you,” Sammy said, taking them from him.
“Happy to help. Call me if you need anything else. I’m going to get back to the station.”
I waved at him as he left before going through the stack of clothes in Sammy’s hands, pulling out two fresh shirts and socks for the boys.
“Go change first,” Sammy said. “Before you go back into Mom mode. We’ve both got blood on us, angel.”
I looked down at myself and sighed, because he was right. I grabbed a t-shirt off the top. “I’ll be back.”
I went down the hall to the bathroom and changed quickly, throwing my shirt in the trash. I leaned over the sink, washing my hands, arms, face, and neck. I splashed water over my hair too, smoothing down the flyaways.
When I looked at myself in the mirror, I no longer saw the broken girl from twelve years ago. I was stronger and happier and though I was standing on the other side of yet another tragedy—I had hope.
Broken hearts mended stronger. I knew that to be true now more than ever.
Refreshed, I returned to Sammy, but he wasn’t in the hall. I went to the doorway of the waiting room and leaned against the frame, watching as he knelt down and replaced Davy and Jake’s socks without waking them up.
I love him. I love him so much.
I heard footsteps behind me and turned slightly as a nurse approached. “Hi. I have an update on Colton Hayes.”
Sammy was immediately behind me. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s doing well. He lost a lot of blood but the surgery was successful and he’s in recovery. The bullet didn’t break any bones and didn’t hit anything vital. He’s going to be okay.”
I leaned against Sammy, breathing out. “Thank you.”
“Can we see him?” Sammy asked.
“As soon as he’s in a room, yes. He’ll probably still be asleep.”
“Okay. I’m going to go let his dad know.” Sammy slipped past me and headed toward the front desk.
The nurse shook her head with a sly smile. “You are one lucky woman.”
I snorted and watched as Sammy talked to John. He was empathetic while still being firm, that much was clear. John rubbed his eyes and nodded, then shook Sammy’s hand again before leaving.
“Is Colton single or…”
“Nope,” I said. “He’s taken. By the both of us.”
“Oh. Okay, so you’re the luckiest woman ever.”
“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “I am.”