Eighteen
From the noise along the corridor of Mason’s house, everyone woke up at varying times. I got ready in the usual way, going through the motions on auto pilot. I took a shower and brushed my teeth with my fingers. My mother had her suitcase from holiday and she gave me fresh underwear, a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to wear. I wondered what clothes had survived in my room, probably not many. I also felt lost without my phone. Betty may have heard by now and would have been worried.
As I lifted the glass of water, I’d brought up the night before, I knocked a book off Mason’s bedside table. My eyes scanned the cover as I retrieved it from the carpet. It appeared Mason was reading a book called Into the Wild by Jon Krakaue, not something I had read and I wondered what it was about. I was sitting on the bed and leaned over to pop it back when a sheet of paper fell out. Possibly a book mark. I bent down and lifted it with my fingers, turning it over.
BOOM! My heart almost stopped, but in a good way. It was a picture of me. What the heck? As my eyes roamed over my image, I realised it was the picture Betty had taken of me on my porch that day. The one that I had recently viewed on the SD card Mason had confiscated and now given back.
So, Mason had printed my picture off and slept with it by his bedside? A wave of happiness lifted my falling spirits. Mason had a picture of me.
Grinning from ear to ear, I tucked it back into the book and set off after my mother who had already left for breakfast or dinner. Due to the time, who knew?
The atmosphere in the house when we went downstairs felt like someone had died which wasn’t helpful. Jenna looked unwell, but luckily Nixon was there fawning over her as usual. I felt a bit annoyed as she drew the attention in the room, something she always did. For me though, this was now about Mason. My mother also joined in the fawning.
I asked if Nixon had heard anything from the hospital but he hadn’t. This news sunk like lead in my stomach, taking my heart down with it.
My father went over to meet with a Chief fireman, who had to complete a full report about the fire. The police and my dad’s architect were also going to be there. Dad moved quickly and didn’t mess around. He had probably already started to rebuild our house in his head. He was responsible for the original layout years ago before I was born.
Melanie said that we could stay at Lamb Hill for as long as we needed.
That second day, Boyd and Seth had well and truly had the wind sucked from their sails. They were both subdued and spent most of the time pacing the house, eating .
Melanie’s sister, Rachel had come over to support the family and was in the kitchen cooking. This provided a constant flow of food.
As the evening approached, we’d put the TV on. Not many of us watched it but it gave a bit of background noise. We all chatted on and off about stuff that was going on in the village, until Nixon brought up the fire again.
“It must have been another arson attack, it’s too much of a coincidence,” Nixon put out there. Mattie nodded his head and Jenna released a moan before chewing on her lip. She looked especially frail.
My father who had been with the police and the fire service for most of the day agreed, “The police suspect arson and are looking into it but the site is still too hot to enter.” Nixon was watching him with an eerie fascination. My own instincts still screamed foul play.
My mother appeared to be in denial, stating how we didn’t have any enemies. Ironic considering where we were.
At that point, I started to feel numb about the house and the fire, I just wanted to know about Mason. If Nixon was annoyed by my constant request for updates from his phone, he didn’t show it.
We all went to bed that night with hope in our chests, Melanie stating that no news is good news. Of course, Mason would need time to recover.
That second night not knowing was the hardest and I hardly slept. I spent most the night watching my mother’s peaceful face. My heart in my mouth.
In the morning, there was news.
I was awakened by Nixon banging on the bedroom door and I shot out of bed. I’d slept in my clothes on purpose, in case something came up during the night. My mum was still fast asleep under the covers .
As I dragged open the door, the tower of my brother-in-law in his boxer shorts stood before me. I hardly even noticed to be honest, I was too keen to hear what he had to say.
“What is it?”
He smiled, surprise flaring in his gaze, “Its Mase. He’s awake, Amy. He’s asking for you.”
It took me a minute to register what he said, “Me?” I stuttered. So happy that Mason was asking for me, even before his parents and brothers.
Nix nodded, that smile on his face widening, “Yes, his girlfriend, apparently.”
And BOOM! Mason had asked for me, his girlfriend .
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Those were the words on the text I received. Now get yourself sorted. I’ll get dressed and we’ll go in my car. Wake your mum and ask her to let the others know. Jenna isn’t up to it and I’ve left her asleep.” Nixon’s possessive behaviour was always on the surface.
I nodded, hoping Jenna would be OK without Nixon there. He must have read this on my face. “My mother is watching her. They’re both going to follow us later. He’s only allowed one visitor at a time.”
That sense of relief was euphoric.
“Let’s go and see our boy, Amy,” he said, repeating his mother’s words from the hospital.
The drive over was straightforward as it was early and there wasn’t much traffic. Nixon and I spoke briefly about Jenna and I asked about her health, considering I’d overheard she’d been seeing the doctor. He said it was nothing to worry about and that it was just to do with her anxiety, but I knew he was hiding something. That however was a battle for another day.
After Nixon managed to park the car, we hurried into the hospital. The lady on reception gave us directions to the correct section.
The doctor and family liaison staff nurse greeted us when we arrived in the correct wing.
Nixon was directed toward the general waiting area .
“Tell him to stop being a pussy and to get up already,” Nixon said with a grin, wanting me to pass his brother that message. Like that was going to happen.
I then got my stern instructions from the doc, “No excitement. He’s just been through major surgery and I’m surprised he’s awake so soon, but he was asking for you. We tend to give a patient who is recovering from a brain injury what they need. Keeps them motivated to get better and can speed up the recovery process.”
I nodded, taking on board his comments, but I’m not going to lie, my legs felt heavy as I followed the doctor down the corridor. A nurse had also joined us. I was dying to ask more questions but was terrified of the possible response.
Once I saw Mason, I’d feel better.
The smell in the air wasn’t nice. Very clinical and chemical-like. I decided at that point that I hated hospitals. It was busy too with people rushing around and beds with patients lining the corridors. It was almost like they were running out of space.
Mason was still in the same room, but this time, I would get to go inside and didn’t need to view him through glass. Like a fish in a tank or a bear at a zoo more like.
I wondered what they had done to him during surgery. The thought of him being prodded with needles and tubes coming out of his body made me feel ill.
As we got to the door, the doctor turned and looked down at me. A cold chill slivered down my arms.
“He had a slight bleed on the brain which we have managed to stem and clear. He’s stable but badly bruised. So, just keep it light, and be there for him. Please don’t be alarmed if he doesn’t seem like himself. He may have some memory loss of the actual accident, but he’s been assessed for amnesia and he does know who he is.”
I nodded and moved past the doctor with a thank you, and he held the door open for me.
A nurse was standing at the bottom of the bed with Mason’s chart in her hand, she was making notes and I smiled before moving my line of sight toward the bed.
My breath caught in my throat. Mason was still laid on the bed in that same position, slightly propped up by several pillows, his head was still bandaged but only on one side. He looked pale and there was now a cast where the bandage had been over his right hand. His left hand was still attached to a drip. Most of those machines surrounding the bed were now off, but there was a monitor on his thumb which must have been checking his pulse.
His eyes were open and he attempted to crack a smile when he saw me. I could see it pained him to do so and moved quickly toward the top of the bed. I so wanted to hug him, to transfer some of my strength. To throw myself into his arms and tell him how much I loved him.
The nurse left us and we were alone.
There was a beat of silence as we just drank each other in. I could see he was pleased to see me.
“Hey you,” I said, my eyes pinned on his.
“Hey yourself,” Mason replied in a quiet voice.
His body was still covered by that white, crisp sheet, his chest gently rising and falling. His pallor was dull and tired, but at least he was awake.
Seeing someone who was usually so strong weakened like that was a tough pill to swallow and another surge of compassion entered my chest.
Pursing my lips I added, “I thought we weren’t doing labels,” with a warm smile, referencing the girlfriend comment. Keep it light the doc had said.
He cleared his throat, “I knew you’d like that one,” he croaked out. His voice was deep and scratchy. My heart squeezed in my chest that he still had the disposition to make jokes, even though he must have been in pain.
I moved to sit on the winged-backed chair set next to the bed, careful not to catch his body anywhere.
“I did, very much,” I whispered down at him shyly. I still had nervous knots when I saw him. He was just so perfect to me now.
His eyes closed briefly before they reopened and he gave me a direct look, “Good, because that’s what you are, Amy. More than that.”
Joy surged up in my chest as he made it official.
“If you’ll have me,” he questioned, his weak eyes still having enough energy to search my face for my answer.
I tilted my head and smiled my reply .
My eyes scanned his body again, “So, I won’t ask how you feel, like crap I imagine,” I whispered.
A slight smile tugged the corner of his mouth, “That about sums it up. Is everyone else, OK?”
Trust Mason to worry about others when he was in such a state.
“Everyone is fine, thanks to you. You saved my life and Chrissy’s. You do remember that don’t you.”
He slowly nodded but again I could see this caused him pain. I would have done anything to have traded places with him.
“I remember everything apart from the fall, but I know you held my hand on the way here.”
“Really, you knew I was there?”
“Yes. Kept me going. Made me want to properly wake the fuck up.”
His words were warming.
“I thought about all the things I want to do to you when I’ve recovered,” Mason said with a slight suggestive look.
His comment made me chuckle, “One thing at a time,” I batted back.
I couldn’t help but drink him in, his scent soothing my nostrils and I wanted to bury my head against his chest.
“Your mum and brothers are on their way,” I explained, lifting my eyes to his face again.
His expression was deep as he watched me, “You’re the only one I want to see right now. You’re the only one I’ve been seeing this entire time. As I said, even in my sleep, your face is all I could see, Amy,” Mason told me in a gruff, honest voice.
His words coaxed me from behind that wall I’d built which prevented me from expressing my feelings.
“Me too, Mason, you’re all I’ve thought about. I’ve never experienced the amount of pain that thinking about losing you caused me.”
“Tell, me about it. When I saw the flames after settling Tiny for the night, I freaked out. I almost crashed the car to get to you. ”
I digested those words before pointing out, “And you saved me, Mason, in more ways than one.”
There was a three-beat silence, our gazes remaining tangled.
After a moment’s pause, Mason released a pent-up sigh, “I think over the years we’ve saved each other. Just in a slightly fucked up way,” he said, rolling his shoulders slightly.
I grimaced, “Are you comfortable, do you want me to get the nurse?” I shot out, moving toward him and perching on the edge of his bed.
Those dark, deep eyes still had some spark and they roamed over me, “No, everything I want is right here.”
Love must have been oozing from every pour, it was so difficult not to reach out and feel his skin against my own. For those hands to be on my body.
I placed my fingers gently over Mason’s cast. It was cool to touch.
My eyes must have said exactly how I was feeling as I stared down into those deep pools that were watching me intently. I couldn’t believe how much I loved this man.
And then, I said what I had come to say.
“I love you, Mason. I think I’ve always loved you.”
Once those words were aired, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted. No more hiding and that everything between us now made sense.
Mason welcomed the news and returned my smile, his eyes expressing his own feelings, he didn’t even need to return those three words but he did.
“I love you, so fucking much,” he then exhaled with a smile, “Who would have thought it, little Amy Taylor-Joy, the thorn in my side, my fucking nemesis.”
He shuffled against the pillows, “You light me up. You always have. Even when we were kids,” he confessed.
I nodded in agreement and withdrew the necklace I had found in his wallet. The jade leather chained one I had given him for luck when I was seven and he was thirteen.
I placed it over his cast and Mason raised his hand, the jade stone glittering in the lights of the room.
His smile became wider, “See, I knew I’d be OK, as I had this on me when the floor collapsed,” Mason pointed out. I was so relieved he didn’t appear to have that many blanks in his memory. But I was glad the doctor said he didn’t have any details of the fall. It must have been terrifying.
My eyebrows inched up my head, “So it did give you luck then?”
He digested my question before replying, “Yes, it must have done something . And the day you gave this to me. That day was the last time Mitchell ever hit me again. You must have been my Guardian angel.”
“Maybe,” I grinned.
Mason’s expression then twisted, “It didn’t last long though.”
I was puzzled, “What do you mean?”
“A couple of years later, you kicked me in the nuts.”
I chuckled, pleased that he still felt strong enough to joke. My presence there must have been tiring for him.
I swept my memory back to all those fond times we had fought.
A battle of wills between two kids that were told that they could never be friends. How wrong they were . Now things would be different.
The McKenna and the Taylor-Joys would unite . My parents were staying at Lamb Hill temporarily and had already started to make their truce. My father was desperate to personally thank Mason for saving his little girls life, well for both of his girls really. And I had also witnessed a look of respect he’d shot Nixon when he was dealing with Jenna. As I said before, my sister was a delicate soul and she had to be handled with care. Nixon was probably perfect for her needs.
Our intertwined lives together had been changeable, unpredictable and at times down right impossible, but the place we were today was like the start of a new era. A new chapter on a blank page or photograph maybe, and I for one was looking forward to painting/taking a new picture.
Mason suddenly cleared his throat again, catching my attention and pulling me from my revere, “Amy Taylor-Joy, will you be my girlfriend?”
He made it official, “Yes!” I replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat .
And that wall that had protected me for all those years was smashed away by Mason Mckenna. My tormentor, my first love, my boyfriend and the only person who’d had the power to break through my barriers.
Our future together was yet unwritten, but from that day forward, there would be no more family feuds full of hate and misunderstanding, battles over land or one-up-man-ship and where Mason and I were concerned, there would be no more boundaries .