Chapter Thirty-Four
Alfie
“Hey, love, how are you doing, sleepy?”
She moans, her eyelids squishing together tight before they flutter open, adjusting to the bright hospital lights.
“Alfie?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me.” I squeeze her hand as the nurse checks her blood pressure. She gives me a small smile before leaving us alone.
“I’m tired.”
“I know. You can go back to sleep if you want. I’ll be right here.”
“Don’t leave me,” she whimpers.
Her eyelids settle, and with her lips slightly parted, she falls back to sleep.
“I won’t. I promise.”
◆◆◆
The next day, Mia is still dozing. She has a lot of pain medication, which is keeping her sleepy.
Her leg is elevated and will be for a few more days.
They had to perform surgery after we made it to the hospital after the crash.
She had a fractured tibia, which was reset with a metal rod during surgery.
The rest of her came out relatively unscathed, except for a mild concussion, which may have caused the vomiting.
It was that or the fact that she had done four flips in the car right before. Who knows?
Sean—or Carter—had no injuries at all. He came away with a bleeding temple but otherwise completely unharmed and didn’t ask for Mia once.
The judge has remanded him to Hodgkins River Prison, where he’ll be awaiting trial for the kidnapping of Mia, including drugging her, assaulting her, and God knows what else.
I still don’t have the full story, but the doctor confirmed she hadn’t been sexually assaulted.
The relief was short-lived though, because I’m sure there may have been other things she was forced to do.
I just have to wait for Mia to wake up to find out.
I’ve barely spoken to anyone, not daring to leave the room for a second.
She’s in a private suite, so I’ve been able to use the shower here, and fortunate enough for Lottie to bring me spare clothes so I can stay here.
The nurses even brought me a bed to sleep in.
Again, I think I have Lottie and her bottomless wallet to thank for that.
Mia twitches, attempting to move her leg as she shimmies in the bed. I assume she’ll roll right back to sleep like before, but she gives me a small smile.
“Hi.”
“Hi, love.” I kiss her knuckles. “Do you want me to grab the nurse?”
She shakes her head. “I’m okay. How are you?”
I laugh, feeling the tears brim my eyes. “I’m good. Feeling okay. Are you sure you don’t want me to get the doctor?”
“You’re the only doctor I need.” She chuckles.
“Well, thank God they didn’t let me set your leg.”
“Small blessings, eh?”
“Yeah, baby, small blessings.”
“Do you know when I’ll be getting out of here?”
“A few more days. They want you to meet with the physio. Make sure you can move around on your crutches and in the chair. Get you practicing walking up and down stairs and then you’ll be good to go.”
“Did you tell them my house doesn’t have stairs?”
I grin. “I was going to, but the nurse kind of scares me. Besides, my house has steps.”
She swallows hard, turning away from me for a moment so she can swipe away a tear.
“Mia?”
I brace myself, my fingers gripping the side of her hospital bed so she can’t see.
“You really hurt me,” she whispers.
“I know.”
“I’m really mad at you.”
“I know that too. Can I tell you what I was going to tell you when you agreed to meet me at the ice rink? Or do you need more time? Because I can wait, Mia. Fuck, it’s killing me, but I’ll wait forever for you if that’s what you need.”
Her chin wobbles, the tears freely rolling down her cheeks now. But she nods, brushing away the tears.
“I’m in love with you,” I say as I hear her inhale sharply.
“I think I have been for a long time. And I’m not talking for months, I’m talking longer than that.
I think it’s been true since the moment I met you.
I know you don’t realize it, but you’re terrifying, Mia.
Everything you mean to me, every moment we’ve shared, you joining me on following patients around, hell, everything.
Me and you, it was always going to happen. Everyone could see it.
“But I thought I wasn’t allowed to have you because I didn’t want to disappoint you.
I didn’t want to have the relationship my father had with my mother.
She was miserable and lonely, and it hurt all of us.
I thought if I just focused on one thing and put everything into that, then it would be okay.
I wouldn’t disappoint anyone. And after what happened with one of my first patients, it just confirmed that my focus can’t wane.
Not for a second. But you make me want to let go of the reins.
I’m happier. You make me a better person, and in turn, a better therapist. But that’s not a reason for you to be with me.
I know that.” I take a deep breath, steadying myself because if I fuck this up now, I know it will be over.
She won’t change her mind, and I need her to know, I need her to know that I’ll do anything I can to make her happy.
“Then what is?”
“Because I love you, and you love me. And people make mistakes, and I have no doubt that I’ll make more in the future, but there is no future that I can see that doesn’t have you in it.
And if you decide that I pushed you too far and that you don’t want to be with me anymore, I’ll accept it, Mia.
I promise I’d never do anything that would make you uncomfortable or scared.
But just know that I’ll love you forever, and I’m so fucking sorry.
My bones ache knowing I hurt you. I regretted it immediately.
I know I was pushing you away because I was scared.
But I’m not scared anymore. When I realized you were missing, I was inconsolable.
I turned into a monster. I would have done anything to get you back. You know that, right?”
She nods, tears streaming down her face. She reaches out her upturned hand, and I slip mine into it, bringing it to my mouth so I can kiss the inside of her palm. The small gesture, the consent to touch her has my shoulders sagging with relief. I can breathe, finally.
“Even wedgie someone?”
As if this perfect woman can make me laugh at a time like this. “Yeah, love, I was close to wedging one detective in particular, but Lottie managed to intervene.”
“So I should be thanking her then.” She grins.
I roll my eyes, but she squeezes my hand, her eyes losing her laughter lines. She’s silent for a moment, so I continue with my speech.
“You don’t have to decide anything right now. But would you let me stay here? I can’t bear the thought of being away from you.”
“You can stay,” she murmurs, shifting in her bed. “Forever, if you want?”
“Yeah?” my voice huffs out. My cheeks feel damp, and her fingers swipe away the tears as I close my eyes, my body untensing. It’s like I’ve uncoiled after being pulled taut for too long. The springs rebound to a normal position.
“Come here,” she whispers, and I perch on the side of her bed, careful to avoid her leg as I throw myself over her like a blanket. My nose runs up the column of her neck, and I breathe her in, allowing myself to fully touch her for the first time in over a week.
I kiss her neck, her cheeks, her nose, everywhere until she eventually pulls my face to hers so she can crush her lips against mine.
“I was coming back to you at the ice rink. I was always going to come back. I don’t want to run from our life together. You needed time, and I needed to take a step back and let you work through those issues.”
“I have a meeting with a therapist next week.”
“Dr. Adams getting a therapist, eh?” She smiles. “I think that’s a good idea.”
“I have a list of recommendations for you too, if you want to talk to someone about what happened.”
She nods, stroking my hair.
“I think I will. But not today.”
“That’s fine. Whenever you’re ready.”
“I do have one question though?”
“Yeah?”
“Where the hell did you get a helicopter from?”