31. Lennon
Chapter thirty-one
Lennon
I come to on the floor in the living room, at first my vision blurry. I squint and see legs kicking back and forth, with Connor standing over them. I gently shake my head, but groan at the nausea that causes. My vision slowly starts to clear, and I can make out the scene before me: Tess kicking her legs, while Connor holds her down with a hand around her throat.
Tess! I have to do something. I have to save her!
As quietly as I can, I move to my knees, biting back a scream. I don’t know how bad my injuries are, but without looking, I know this is the worst that it’s ever been. I move my arms, thankful when nothing there seems to be broken. I drag myself to my feet, Connor not realizing that I’m awake. I notice his knife discarded under the coffee table, and without thinking I grab it.
When I turn back towards them, Tess is no longer moving, and I spring into action. In my head I run over to help my friend and future sister-in-law, but in reality, I slowly limp my broken body over to them. I’m shocked that Connor hasn’t figured out that I am currently a threat, but that just goes to show how out of it he is. I raise the knife and bring it down, hitting close to the middle of his back. That catches his attention. “You fucking bitch! I’m going to kill you!”
You’ve been saying that for a while now, asshole.
As he reaches for me, I faintly hear footsteps running. “Pine Creek Police Department, freeze.” Once upon a time, I thought that Connor was smart. And the smart thing to do when an officer tells you to freeze, would be to freeze. But that isn’t what Connor does. He pulls out another knife that I didn’t know he had and shoves it into my side. As I am falling to the ground, I hear the gun go off, but I start to feel like my body isn’t my own.
I faintly hear voices around me, but it feels like I’m going through a tunnel, and I can’t make out the words. This was not how today was supposed to go. Hayes and I should be coming back home in a few hours to celebrate our engagement. My book. His new shop. He should not be saying bye to me. I should not be dying right now. I hope he doesn’t find my body.
“Oh no, no, no! Sunshine, hang on for me. The ambulance is almost here. Fuck!” I feel hands on my face, hands that I would be able to recognize anywhere. Hayes. He came for me, and now he is going to watch me leave this earth. “I’m sorry, Hayes. I love you so much. I’m so sorry…that I don’t get to grow old with you.” I feel something wet keep hitting my face. “No. Don’t fucking say that, Lennon. You and me, remember? You are going to be fine.”
Someone else grabs my hand and squeezes it. “Go check on Tess, I’ve got her.” Tess! I really hope she is okay. Hayes will never recover if we both don’t make it out of this alive. “Sis. I’m going to need you to hang on, okay? Fuck, please be okay.”
“Love you, bub.” He lets go of my hand and a cuff is wrapped around my arm, and somehow, I let out a groan when I’m moved. “Be fucking careful! You’re hurting her!” I feel fingers running through my hair, and I know Hayes is back at my side. “Vet. Max.”
And then I lose consciousness.
I wake up to hushed voices, and for a few moments, I don’t remember where I am. And then it all comes back to me. Going to the house to get Max. Finding Connor in the living room. Stabbing him. Him stabbing me. Am I dead?
“Hayes, you need to eat something. She is…she is going to wake up. And when she does, she is going to need you.” So, it’s Shelby and Hayes in here. The hospital? I must be in the hospital.
“Shelby, it’s been two days. How come she isn’t waking up? I need her to wake up!” He grabs my hand and interlaces our fingers. “I know. And she will. When she is ready. I thought I was the stubborn friend. I’m going to go down to Tessa’s room and drop food off to her and your dad. When I come back, that food better be gone.” I hear her footsteps and the opening and closing of the door.
Hayes lets out a loud breath, and without seeing him, I know he is exhausted. “Lennon, it’s time to wake up now. I need to see those pretty brown eyes, sunshine. Travis has Max. He took him to the veterinarian, he’s okay. Cash just left to go check on the kids. Shelby’s parents are keeping all of them. Dad is in with Tess. She is going to be okay.” I can feel when he sets his head down on the bed, I want so badly to reach up and run my fingers through his hair, but I can’t get my hand to cooperate. “Please, if there is a God, please let Lennon wake up. She is everything. And if I lose her, I don’t know how I will push through. She makes me better. She is the sunshine that bursts through the clouds after a rainy day. She makes everything brighter. I need her. Rosie needs her.”
He doesn’t say anything else after speaking to whatever higher power that would listen to his plea. A few minutes later, he lets out a small snore, letting me know that he has fallen asleep. If what I heard Shelby say is true, he hasn’t been eating or sleeping, so I’m sure he needs this. God, I just want to open my eyes and look at him. I wish we were at home, in bed, watching a movie with Rosie. Max would be curled up at the foot of the bed even though Hayes said no dog on the bed. What’s the point of having the world’s most comfortable bed if you can’t share the luxury with your dog?
I feel sleep trying to pull me back under, and I’m annoyed. I just want to open my eyes. I want to go home. I want…everything. Everything I have envisioned with Hayes, I want.
I wake up some time later, but now instead of hearing Shelby and Hayes, it’s Hayes and his dad. “Tess is getting discharged in the morning. I convinced her to come stay with me for a little bit. She is already talking about work. And she told me to thank you for sending some guys to run the boutique for her. Do you want me to pick up Rosie from Shelby’s parents?”
Oh shit! Tess missed the debut of her new collection, and it’s all my fault. Well, Connor’s… but since he was there for me, it’s my fault. I’m going to have a lot of making up to do whenever I get out of here. She worked so hard to make sure it was done in time.
“She doesn’t have to thank me. From what I’ve heard, the guys are getting a kick out of it. One of them brought his sister with him, so she is keeping them on track. And I would love for Rosie to go to your house, but I’m worried about her seeing Tess like that and me not being there.”
“I’ll do whatever you tell me to do, son. I stopped at the shop on my way back and Travis has that place running like a well-oiled machine. Well, I’m going to go back and check on your sister. Let me know when Lennon wakes up. And what you want to do about Rosie.”
As I feel sleep creeping back in, I can’t shake this heavy feeling. When I was hurt, everyone hit pause on their own lives. They’re all so busy— kids, work, just life—and yet they dropped everything when I needed them most. I don’t know how I am going to pay everyone back, but I’ll make sure I do.