thirteen
Beryl
Tegan’s phone rings making us both jump. She peers at the screen then looks at me with wide eyes. “It’s from a hospital.”
My heart pounds. Please let him be okay. Please. “Answer it.”
“Oh, yeah. Right. Hello?”
Holding my breath I press down on the accelerator edging further past the speed limit.
“Noah, what happened? Where are you? Of course she’s with me. Hang on.” She puts the phone on speaker, adjusts the volume, and holds it between us. “You’re on speaker.”
“Where are you?” The sound of Noah’s voice instantly calms me and I loosen the death grip I had on the steering wheel.
Tegan answers. “Didn’t find your note until today. I called Winston but he had no clue what happened. He said you met him at the docks in Georgetown. We’re on our way there now. What did happen?”
“I was assaulted by guys probably hopped up on drugs.”
“What?” I jerk the wheel and the blare of a car horn in the next lane has me jerking the car back to my lane.
“You’re driving. You need to be safe. I’ll tell you more when you get here.”
“Noah, I…” Unable to finish my thought, I glance helplessly at Tegan.
She turns off the speaker and puts the phone to her ear. “Since Beryl’s driving, you’re talking to just me now.” There’s a long moment of silence as she listens and her eyes grow wide. “Thank god. Yeah when we hang up, I’ll get directions and we’ll be there as fast as traffic allows. I understand… no, you tell her that yourself when we get there. Be there soon.”
She disconnects and immediately enters information into a directions app. “Fantastic. We’re only about ten minutes from the hospital. Keep to the right, we’ll be exiting in about two miles. And no questions. Concentrate on getting us to the hospital without needing their services.”
Her teasing words do little to mask the worry in her tone. I know she’s right, I won’t be focused on the road if I’m drilling her for answers she probably doesn’t have. Other than the directions given by a deep voice with an English accent, the car is silent until we reach the hospital.
I hurry toward the main doors of the large building, but Tegan takes my arm and stops my progress. “Beryl, he said he got really beat up. Had memory loss probably from a concussion. That’s why he didn’t contact us before. He’s healing and in pain, but says he looks worse than he feels. Try to stay calm.”
She wants me to be calm when the man I love is lying in a hospital?
“Listen, Beryl. I know you want to run into his room and wrap him in your arms. Hell, I do too. I was so scared.”
“You held yourself together better than I did.”
“I don’t know how. Come on. Noah’s waiting.”
We ride a slow elevator to the fourth floor then follow a maze of hallways to Noah’s room. I’m glad Tegan warned me about his appearance. Bruises cover his face and exposed arm. A healing cut mars his lip and he winces when he tries to smile. One arm is encased from his hand to his shoulder in a splint. He holds out his free hand and I take it, careful to avoid touching the IV port taped near his wrist.
Tegan slides a chair close to the bed and perches on the edge of the seat. Like me, she carefully touches his shoulder. We need the comfort of the physical contact to know he’s really okay. “What exactly happened, Noah. You look terrible.”
“Gee, thanks, Sis.” He gives her a wink. “Guess I won’t be working the front of the store for a while. Don’t want to scare off customers.”
He focuses on me. “Beryl, I’m…”
I lean close and gently kiss the uninjured corner of his mouth. “I love you.”
Tegan stands and makes a show of stretching. “I need coffee. I’m gonna go find the cafeteria. You two… whatever you need to do. We can talk about what happened when I get back. Later. I’m sure finding coffee will take some time.” As she strolls from the room, she pulls the privacy curtain then shuts the door.
“Subtle, isn’t she?” My comment makes Noah chuckle.
“Don’t make me laugh. You can kiss me again though.” He deepens his voice. “Kiss me, baby.”
Avoiding the cut, I slant my mouth over his, teasing with easy movements and a quick dart of my tongue. I’m afraid to do more, of hurting him. He cups the back of my head and encourages more pressure, sighing when we draw apart.
His expression is guarded, his eyes serious. “Beryl, I can’t imagine how you felt when it probably looked like I’d disappeared. How I must have hurt you. Again. I should have made sure you or Tegan knew when I left town. I’d forgotten to charge my phone so I couldn’t text. I was going to call you from the dock, but that’s when the dicks who did this showed up. Ground my phone to dust.
“Then I couldn’t remember. Not even my name or what had happened. I knew there was something I needed to do, but my brain hid you from me.
“I’m so sorry I hurt you. I don’t know how to make it up to you. To help you believe in me. In my love for you. I’ll never leave you. You are my life.”
Those words were difficult and he looks exhausted. He should have healed more before opening up like this. I’ll make my confession quickly.
“I was so busy and distracted. I sensed something was wrong but pushed that feeling aside. Thought it was something to deal with later. Until you didn’t show up at Devin’s demonstration. When neither Tegan nor I heard from you in days I fell apart.
“I didn’t know what… what I’d done to make you leave me again.”
“Beryl, look at me. You were never the reason I made stupid decisions in the past. My insecurities, doubts, my selfishness. Those are part of what drove my actions then. I hope to god I’ve outgrown the idiot I was.”
“We were both idiots. I jumped to conclusions then, and I did again today. With wise advice from my mom, and your sister, I think I know how to finally get over the past and move into the future. Every relationship has baggage. It’s how you deal with that shit that’s important. Jumping to conclusions stole happiness from me. I won’t allow my past self-doubts or our insecurities to color the future. Our future.
“Because I want to make a future with you, Noah Drake. Be the family we’ve always meant to be. Devin loves you. I love you.”
“I love you desperately. And I love Devin, too. Do you think his bio-dad would consider allowing me to adopt him?”
“It’s really not his choice. His name isn’t on Devin’s birth certificate. I’m sure he’d appreciate being asked though.” My words surprise Noah. It takes a few moments for the implications to sink in and he grins.
“We need to ask Devin if he even wants to be my son. But first, my sweet Beri, how soon can I ask his permission to marry you?”