Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
A fter being whisked away to the hospital where she was poked, prodded, and bandaged, Della woke up several hours…days?…later in a room full of sunshine and familiar faces. She blinked at the bright light and looked around, stunned.
All of her sisters had come. Even Piper, who was supposed to be in Greece or Turkey or somewhere hot. Blake and Adam had come too, and even though she didn’t see Renic, she knew he was around somewhere. He was never far from Lizzie.
How had they all arrived so fast? How long had she been asleep?
Where was Ward?
Spencer had been in at some point. Had she dreamed that? He’d told her Ward was in surgery. That the wound wasn’t too bad. A through and through, he’d called it. He’d patted her hand awkwardly and told her he’d be back with more information when he had it.
His face had been tight and pale with worry when he left. Had he just told her what she wanted to hear? Did the surgery go okay?
“Ward?” she murmured. Her throat ached and it came out all rough and wimpy.
Nobody heard her.
Piper and Blake were huddled together at the window. Blake studied a script, while Piper glared outside. It was her worried warrior face, the one she wore when she thought a crowd would get out of control. She was keeping watch. Della’s chest felt a little tight at the gesture of love and affection.
Mattie sat in Adam’s lap on a rickety metal chair near the door. He had his arms around her and was whispering in her ear. Della was surprised she was here at all. She hated hospitals. They reminded her of when Mom died.
Lizzie sat in a chair near the window with her business face on, cell phone to her ear. “No. No, that’s not good enough. Now. Yes, now. I don’t care what you have to do, you keep them out of this hospital. Just do it.”
Lizzie paused to listen, then huffed out an irritated breath. “I don’t care how many people you have to hire or where they have to come from. You keep those cockroaches out of this building. I’m not having my baby sister or her bodyguard hassled while they’re recovering. She’s been traumatized enough as it is.”
She held the phone out and stared at it like she wanted to throttle whoever was on the other end. Then she put it back to her ear. “If you don’t want to see your face plastered all over the internet with the headline ‘Asshole Fails Patients,’ you’ll get on this train. This isn’t a debate or a suggestion. If you don’t nail down the security around this building, I will. Then I’ll send you the bill. Trust me when I say you don’t want that bill. It’ll be more than your yearly budget.”
Piper snorted. “More than the entire town’s budget. Another van just pulled up.” Her head tilted, considering. "That’s a major network. It’s not just locals anymore.”
“Did you hear that?” Lizzie said in her sternest I-am-in-charge tone. “You’re about to make national news. Do you really want to be the latest meme?”
There was another pause and then grim satisfaction spread over Lizzie’s face. “Yes. That’ll work for now. I don’t know when we’re leaving. When I know, you’ll know.”
Lizzie hung up with a muttered swear word. She glanced at Della, and her eyes widened. “Della! You’re awake!” Her face lit up with a broad, happy smile. She got up, her round belly sticking out in front of her a lot more than it had a couple of months ago. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”
“I hate that phrase,” Della croaked. “You know I hate that phrase.”
Tears bubbled in Lizzie’s eyes as she held a cup of water to Della’s lips. “How are you feeling? The doctor says your poor throat is bruised, and your ankle is sprained, but nothing’s broken. They didn’t check for… Sweetie, he didn’t…do anything…else…did he?”
Della closed her eyes against the idea. “No.”
“Oh, thank God.”
To Della’s horror, her take-charge, fix-everything oldest sister burst into gut-wrenching sobs.
Mattie rushed forward. “Lizzie, honey, it’s okay. She’s okay.” Mattie ushered Lizzie back to her chair, where Lizzie sat with one hand on her belly, the other holding a tissue.
“You scared all of us, DellBell, but it’s hitting Lizzie extra hard right now.” Piper grimaced as she pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat. “Baby hormones.”
“Oh…” Della’s own eyes were blurred with tears too. “Where’s Ward?”
Adam and Blake backed away toward the door. “He’s next door. He wanted to know when you woke up…”
They scurried out.
“Cowards,” Piper sniffed.
“You can’t blame them,” Mattie said. “A room full of crying women can be a little intimidating.”
Despite herself, Della managed a watery giggle. “Ward? The surgery…”
“The surgery went very well,” Lizzie said as she dabbed her eyes. “All he’ll need is a little physical therapy for the damaged muscle in his thigh. He’ll be good as new in a couple of months.”
Piper blew her nose. “Seriously, Dell…I’m so sorry this happened to you. We never should have left you alone.”
“You didn’t.” Della tried to sit up, but the world was still pretty hazy, so she collapsed back against the pillows.
Piper hit a button to raise the bed into a sitting position. Della gave her a grateful smile.
Mattie was doing that tears falling without any actual sobbing thing that she did when she was really upset. “We were all so worried, Dell. It’s been a rough twenty-four hours.”
“More like thirty-six,” Piper said. “Renic’s been on a rampage ever since he got the alert from Spencer. He’s going to revamp our entire security protocol.”
Della could picture that. Renic would have been really upset that her security had been breached. She tensed. “He didn’t…he didn’t fire Ward, did he? It wasn’t his fault!”
“Of course not, sweetie.” Lizzie waved that idea away. “Ward quit.”
“Quit?” Della gaped at her. “He can’t quit.”
Lizzie blinked at her with watery confusion. “Why not? It’s over. It’s all over. Your stalker is dead. The assignment is over. We’ll all go back to our normal security teams.”
Della stared at each sister in turn. They didn’t get it. She didn’t care about who they hired for security. “Ward…”
“Don’t you worry about him. He’ll be fine. Renic is making sure of it.” Mattie said as she sat on the edge of the bed and put a soft hand on her leg. “I’ve been thinking. They want to keep you overnight for observation. You had a nasty crack to the head at some point. But after that, you’ll need somewhere to recuperate. Why don’t you come stay with Adam and me? You can hang out on the beach or by the pool, and you won’t have to worry about cameras or people sneaking into the house because it’s an island. You’ll have all the time you need to rest.”
“I…thanks, Mattie. That’s really sweet, but…” The idea sparked a wave of panic through her chest. She didn’t want to go live on an island with Mattie and Adam. Picturing them in their pre-wedding bliss made her heart hurt because she’d be there alone…without Ward.
“Well, you can’t stay with me,” Piper said. “We have to go back to a seedy hotel for the rest of the shoot. But you can stay at my house as long as you want. You and whatever security team.”
“You can always come stay with me,” Lizzie said. “You know there’s plenty of room, and I’d love to have you there. Weren’t you planning on coming anyway, closer to baby time?”
There was a time not so long ago that was exactly what Della wanted to do, but now…tears pricked her eyes. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Wires Crossing. She didn’t want to let all this go. “Yes, but…”
A nurse knocked at the door and came in. “Excuse me, is there a Lucy Carmichael in the room?”
Della’s heart skipped a beat and she sat up a little. “That’s me.”
The nurse frowned at her. “Oh. Okay. Well, there’s a delivery for you. Should I send it in?”
Della could see someone standing behind her with a vase of sunflowers, and her heart lifted. “Yes. Please.”
“What on earth?” Lizzie asked as vase after vase filled with sunflowers marched into the room.
Piper snatched the card off one of the bigger bundles and handed it to her.
Sunflowers for my Lucy. Yours always, Ward .
The flowers kept coming. There were so many that the six people carrying them had to spread them out on every available surface, including the windowsill and in the sink. By the time they were finished carting them in, the hospital room was full of sunshiny faces.
“Yours always,” Della whispered to herself.
It was as if Ward had reached through the wall and put his arms around her. He didn’t say things he didn’t mean and he meant exactly what he said.
Yours always .
She was his. Always.
She hadn’t hallucinated it. He loved her. Maybe he hadn’t used the actual words, but that’s what he meant by always.
She wanted to fly and she didn’t think it was just the good drugs. Happy tears spilled out.
Piper studied her face. “Something you want to tell us, Dell?”
“Are you okay?” Lizzie sounded worried.
“Maybe it’s the medication?” Mattie suggested.
Piper’s slow grin was sly and knowing. “You don’t want to stay with any of us, do you, Dell. Could that be because you’d rather stay with someone else?”
For the first time in her life, Della felt…a little self-conscious. She shrugged and avoided meeting her sister’s gaze. “You’re all very sweet to offer, but I want to stay in Wires Crossing. With Ward.”
Comprehension crossed Lizzie’s face, followed by a fond smile. “Well, I guess you’ll have to ask the homeowner, though I suppose he’ll be okay with it, if this parade of flowers means what I think it means.”
“You want to stay at Ward’s house?” Mattie said slowly as if pieces to a puzzle were coming together.
Della nodded. “It’s a really great house.”
Piper pushed her way onto the bed next to Della. “Did someone catch feelings for her warden?”
“He’s not so bad.” Della twirled a sunflower.
Mattie made a little squeak, then slapped a hand over her mouth.
Piper’s grin widened. “I thought you didn’t like him. That’s what you texted me, wasn’t it?” Piper tugged out her phone and flipped through several screens. “Here it is. ‘He’s obnoxious and mean and no fun at all.’”
“I never sent that.” Della sniffed.
“‘He’s the biggest killjoy on the planet,’” Piper continued.
“I didn’t send that either.”
Piper waggled the phone at her. “It goes on for quite a while. Want to hear more?”
“Lizzie!” Della whined. “Piper’s being mean to me.”
Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Piper, leave her alone. She’s having a very hard day.”
“You always take her side,” Piper said with an exaggerated whine.
“Delete those, please,” Della begged.
Piper flashed her a cheesy grin. “Never. I’m going to use them in my speech at your wedding. Because Ward and Della are sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S?—”
“Okay. Time to let her rest,” Lizzie said in a heads-will-roll-if-you-don’t-listen tone.
Mattie plucked a sunflower out of a nearby vase. “He’s really into sunflowers. I think it’s super sweet. It reminds me of something Adam would do.”
“It is very, very sweet.” Piper tilted her head at Della. “It’s almost like he’s trying to make an impression.”
Lizzie wrinkled her nose, then sneezed. “Not trying…succeeding.”
“He knows sunflowers are my favorite flower.” Della took one from the bedside table.
“Since when, Little Miss Roses or There’s No Second Date?” Piper said.
“Since he took me to see them. They have these huge fields near Wires Crossing that are totally magical.”
She could see the future, and it was filled with sunflowers and apple festivals and family and Ward.
Because he was hers. Always.
It said so on the card.
Della stared at the sunflower in her hand, but she saw the man who’d sat in the corner of the bar to make sure she was safe. The one who’d taken her to see fields of flowers and to apple festivals. The one who’d stood in the path of a bullet to protect her.
“I love him.” She beamed at them. “I love him and he loves me and I can’t stay with any of you because I’m going home with him.”