Eight | 2
After sitting down in the chair by her bed, I took her cold hand in mine and brought it up to my lips and kissed it. “Fuck, Serenity. I love you so much. You have to get better. Ivy is out in the waiting room fuming because I got to come back here and she didn’t. Well, they will let a fiancé back, but not a friend.” Hopefully she could hear me and found a little humor in those two things. My little lie and she knew how fiery her friend was. “And I called your parents. They are on their way up to see you. They’ll be here when you open your eyes. Baby, you have to open your eyes. Fuck, I need to know you’re going to be okay. I love you so much.” Fuck, I didn’t want to leave her room. But I wasn’t leaving the hospital without her. And maybe when her parents arrived, they would let them back to see her briefly too. After kissing her hand again, I laid it down gently beside her hip. Then I stood and leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you. Please wake up soon. I’ll be waiting here for you. Don’t worry; you’re not alone. And you’re safe now.” Only feeling slightly better, I left her room and returned to the waiting area.
Ivy rushed over to me; her eyes frantic. “Does she look okay? Does she look like she’s going to get better?”
I smoothed my hand down her hair. “She looked like she was resting and recovering. Beautiful and strong and working on healing.” Did I sound as pathetic as I thought?
“Good. These chairs suck, but I’m not going anywhere until I know she is okay.”
“I’m here until she is released to go home.” I shifted my gaze to Ascher. “Would you go get me some clothes and shit, I don’t care what. And my guitar. And my charger. I’ll keep you guys updated. Shit, I wonder if my car is still even here.”
“If not, my brother will come get me and take me to my car. I’ll have to get it at some point anyway. And yeah, I’ll get some things for you. But Ivy, when I get back, I’m taking you home with me. You are exhausted. We will come back first thing in the morning. They aren’t going to let you in to see her until they move her to her own room, one not on this floor.”
Ivy’s face scrunched in a combination of anger and grief and the look intensified the ache in my chest.
Ascher wrapped Ivy in a hug and kissed her forehead before heading toward the elevators. Then Ivy and I dropped down into the uncomfortable chairs and waited.
Over an hour later, Ascher returned with my overnight bag and my guitar. “They had valet park your car. I guess one of the nurses recognized you. Because of that; they didn’t call for a tow. My car is still at the hall. I’ll get it someday.” He shrugged. He wasn’t leaving Ivy’s side anymore until things got better. “Right now, you call me when you need a ride home. I’ll have your car.”
“That won’t be until Serenity comes home, so it’s going to be a few days.” I ran a hand down my face. I needed a shower and sleep, but I wasn’t doing either until she opened her eyes.
Ascher pulled Ivy into his arms and led her over to the elevators.
And then I was all alone. Eyelids incredibly heavy and my entire body exhausted – mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I jerked awake to someone gently shaking my shoulder. Popping my eyes open, I was surprised I had fallen asleep in these unpleasant chairs. And only disoriented briefly before my brain reminded me of the where and the why of my current location. When I looked up, I found myself staring at a good-looking gentleman who looked to be about my father’s age with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Shit. I needed to call my father too. One thing at a time. When she was recovered, we’d make the trip to go visit him.
“I’m Mr. Hayes. You must be Teak. Although you look much different in real life.” He gave me a sad smile.
I appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood.
Standing, stretching my back, and wincing at the tightness, I then reached out and shook his hand. “Yes. And it’s nice to meet you.”
A beautiful woman stood beside him. An older version of Serenity with blonde hair cut to her shoulders, only her eyes were a lovely blue that was almost aquamarine in color. But I guessed violet colored eyes were rare so it was highly unlikely a parent would share the same trait. And who knew why my thoughts were drifting that way. Other than I was dying to see Serenity’s gorgeous eyes staring back at me, with a huge smile on her face.
“Serenity told us a bit about you. But she didn’t mention anything about being engaged.” Even though her face was tear stained and her eyes were puffy, her entire expression crestfallen, Mrs. Hayes still managed to give me a small smile.
“Well, that kinda happened abruptly.” I shot them both a sheepish grin.
“Thank you for that. Whether it’s true or not, we’re glad she hasn’t been alone here. That you were here for her. We were told you were back to see her earlier.”
“Yes. I got a couple of minutes with her. I love your daughter more than anything and no we haven’t gotten to that commitment yet, but we’re heading that way. We talked about it. But I needed to make sure I was given access to her and information, especially until you guys were able to get here. Although, I’d still appreciate being considered the fiancé.”
“Your secret is safe with us. We have a hotel room nearby. We’ll be back in the morning. I’m guessing you are staying the night?” Mr. Hayes gestured to my bag on the seat beside me. Then he smiled at the one holding my guitar.
“I’ll be staying until she comes home with me.” I hid my wince, hoping they didn’t read too much into that statement.
“We’ll bring you some breakfast with us in the morning. Are you a coffee drinker?” Either Mr. Hayes was planning to kick my ass later for my slip, or they didn’t interpret that to mean what I knew it did, or they were willing to discuss things with us later.
“Yes. And I’ll be in desperate need to chug some. I really appreciate that.” Although maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to get a little bit of sleep, as restless as it would be. As long as someone woke me if anything changed with Serenity. I’d have to ask a nurse to do so. And use my status as rock star to get that cooperation if necessary. I wasn’t above using my stardom to get special treatment in this case.
“Have a good night, Teak. And we’ll see you in the morning.” Mr. Hayes grabbed his wife’s hand and led her to the elevators.
And once again I was left alone. Grief and worry and anguish ripping me apart. I prayed she opened her eyes tomorrow. And if not, I would beg them to allow me to sit with her anyway. I believed if I played her song for her, it would help bring her back to me.
With the promise that one of the nurses would wake me if things changed with Serenity, I settled in for a long restless attempt at some sleep.
I jerked awake the next morning, my back and neck stiff and screaming obscenities at my poor treatment of them. Glancing around the room, I took a few moments to get my bearings straight. Even though the haunting nightmares that had plagued my erratic sleep didn’t allow me to forget where I was or the reason. The waiting room was still rather scarce; although with it being Sunday, it didn’t surprise me.
Serenity’s parents brought me a breakfast sandwich and some fruit from a local café along with a supersized coffee. It wasn’t that I was above eating hospital cafeteria food, but I wasn’t moving from the floor that housed Serenity’s room.
The hospital staff was still limiting visiting time for Serenity. She hadn’t gotten worse over night, but she hadn’t made significant progress either. But at least I wasn’t restricted to only once now. The only stipulation was no more than ten minutes at a clip. And much to Ivy’s delight, they did permit her some time with her best friend. After Serenity’s parents spent some time with her, they headed out for some air, stating they would return near lunch time with some food for me and the chance to get to see their daughter again.
Ivy and Ascher opted to stay with me. Ivy and I constantly shifted between nervously twitching in our seats and pacing the room like two caged tigers as we eagerly awaited for the opportunity to pop back into Serenity’s room for a brief visit.
I would hop onto social media or scroll through the internet, but my mind never strayed from Serenity. Time dragged on for relentless eons. The permitted visits were too brief to do much to break up the edgy monotony. At lunch time, Ivy and Ascher stepped out for some food while I ate the burger and fries Mr. and Mrs. Hayes had brought for me. It made me feel bad to toss away half of the food while they were visiting with their daughter. But I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. I appreciated their kindness and acceptance of me and the fact that they wanted to help me out, but my stomach was in such knots I could barely eat. The only reason I forced myself to eat anything was so I would have my strength when it came time to take care of Serenity. I couldn’t afford to let my health slip.
After I assured her parents I didn’t need anything else, they headed out again. Mrs. Hayes still looked washed out. Even though she was sleeping in an actual bed and not slouched in a plastic chair, I doubted her sleep was restful.
Hoping not to abuse the relaxed visiting restrictions, I headed back to sit with Serenity again. I was still itching to sing to her and be permitted to stay with her the entire time and I hoped today would be the last day of this torment. When they moved her to her own private room, I would not only be allowed to stay with her constantly, but it would be a sign that her recovery was progressing in the right direction, not staying stagnant.
Sometime later in the afternoon after Ivy, Ascher and I had had another opportunity to sit with Serenity, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I glanced at the screen. It was a PD number. Leaning my shoulder up against one of the walls, I slid the accept button and put the phone to my ear. “Yeah.”
“Is this Teak Pierce?”
“Yes, it is. Is this one of the officers working on Serenity Hayes’ case?”
“Yes. Officer Hagen. I spoke with you yesterday at the hospital. I wanted to give you an update. The blood found in Naomi’s car matched the blood on the shirt. It was Serenity’s.”
“That means that bitch is going to be spending the rest of her life in prison.” I growled.
“Well, not exactly.”
It was like I had been sucker punched in the gut. I almost couldn’t breathe. “What the fuck do you mean?! That is pretty damning evidence right there.”
Ivy’s shocked gaze shot over to mine at my furious outburst.
“Easy. You didn’t let me finish. Naomi hung herself yesterday. Your fiancé’s attacker is dead, Teak. We also gained some new information from her that she wasn’t working alone in her abduction plan. It seems one of the security guards at the hall where you were performing helped get Serenity into Naomi’s car. We brought him in yesterday for questioning. When Serenity awakens, we are hoping she can identify him.”
My mind spun wildly. I had no doubt the bloods were going to match, but it was so refreshing to finally have something concrete. We had been skating around this shit far too long for my liking. And then to add to the mix that the security guard was an accomplice. My blood boiled in my veins. No wonder he had looked at her funny. Fuck.
“Thank you.”
“Just doing my job. And I thought you would appreciate the update.”
“Well yes. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. But I meant thank you for saying when she wakes up, not if .” I swallowed around the huge lump in my throat. She was getting better because she wasn’t getting worse.
“I’ll be in touch. If you have any other information, please reach out to us.” With that he ended the call.
My arm slowly sagged to my side as I stared down at the phone clutched in my hand. So much to take in. My emotions were a jumbled mess. I needed to be with Serenity; I needed for her to open her eyes and show me she was okay. I was upset with myself for bringing her into this mess. If I had never met her, she wouldn’t have been a target. But fuck, I couldn’t imagine never meeting her. She was the piece I had been missing. And right now I was fucking pissed at myself for overlooking the security guard’s obvious reaction to her.
Dragging my feet along the tiled floor, I dropped into a chair and released a pent up groan of torment before ripping my hand through my already disheveled hair.
Ivy and Ascher rushed over and sat down beside me.
“What was the phone call about? Is everything okay?” Ivy placed her hand on my forearm and squeezed gently.
“Did the police have more information?” Ascher leaned around Ivy’s body to peer at me.
Taking in a shuddering breath, I looked first at my best friend and then my girlfriend’s best friend. My heart clenched in agony and aggravation at myself. “One of the security guards at the hall helped kidnap Serenity. He was the one who got her into Naomi’s car.” I balled the hand ripping through my hair into a fist because I wanted to punch myself. “I never should have ignored his strange reaction to her. I should have brought it to someone’s attention. I could have protected her from all of this.” My voice rose with my growing rage at myself for being powerless to prevent her injuries and pain and the terror she endured at their hands.
Ivy clasped my fist into both of her hands. “What would you have told them? Someone is giving my girlfriend a weird look, get him out of here? You had no way of knowing he was there for nefarious reasons. Don’t beat yourself up over it. As soon as you realized something was wrong, you acted and we found her. You didn’t ignore that little niggling feeling so we were able to get to her quickly. You can’t protect her from everything, but I love that you want to.” She gave me a small smile.
“But that was right in my face.” Unlike the other times.
“People toss out weird looks all of the time. You are not to blame for this. That psychotic bitch is and I still would love to get my hands on her.”
“You won’t get a chance to. He also called to tell me the bloods matched so they have evidence linking her as Serenity’s attacker. But the psycho hung herself. Not that I’ll shed a tear over her death, but the savage in me wanted her to die a slow, cruel death. It’s so wrong of me, but I wanted her to feel pain like she inflicted on my girl.” My throat clogged as tears pooled in my eyes and a few slipped down my cheeks. I blinked away my blurry vision. “ I wanted to inflict that pain.”
“I did too. And that psycho was a pansy. She was all tough when she was able to hide from notice. Then when she had to face up to her shit, she takes the coward’s way out. I hope she burns in hell.” Ivy swiped her angry tears from her face. “But that bitch deserves no more of my thoughts. I want to focus on my bestie waking up. I want this nightmare to be completely over.”
The rest of the evening passed with minimal talking or eating – even though Serenity’s parents brought me salmon for dinner. I ate as much as I could force down without risking vomiting. I sat with Serenity on three other occasions; grateful for the opportunities but craving so much more. I needed to be permitted to stay with her the entire time. But moreover, my heart demanded she wake up.
The next morning when I awoke, it was to a nurse nudging me in the shoulder. I blinked up at her.
She was young, probably only a few years older than me. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy bun and her brown eyes gave me more than a cursory perusal. “I wanted to let you know they are moving Serenity to her own room soon. In about an hour, you will be able to see her there and we won’t have to kick you out. She had a really good night. Her vitals are looking great and she has more color in her skin. And I’m not going to lie; I hope I get to hear you sing for her.” Cheeks blushing, she released a short giggle as she gestured to my guitar case. “I’m guessing that’s why you have that.”
Even though she was star struck, she was sweet about it and not over bearing. She couldn’t help her reaction, but she still maintained a professional demeanor. Although I had to wonder if the fact that I was sure I looked like shit and probably smelled just as bad helped her reign in most of her awe at being face to face with a rock star.
“Thank you.” I gave her a friendly smile, my entire mood brightening. “What room number so I can text her parents?”
“She will be in room five thirty five. Give us an hour and you can head on up there.” With a silly wave, she stepped away toward the hallway and turned right.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I glanced at the time. Well, shit, it was only seven. Although I wasn’t upset at all for being woken up for that kind of news. I could go stay with my girl. And hopefully really soon, she’d open her eyes for us. I sent a text to her parents first with the update and room number and then to Ivy. Then I stared at my phone and watched the minutes tick by. After an eternity had passed and my phone said eight fifteen, I concluded I had given them enough wiggle room and I was on my way to her new room.
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I grabbed the handle of my guitar case and stood up. On my way to the elevators, I decided I would ask if I could use the bathroom in her room to take a quick shower after she woke up. Even though I was getting the chance to stay with her, I wasn’t wasting a second of it. I lifted my arm and ducked my nose to my pit and took a whiff. Eww. I was surprised the nurse was able to stand that close to me without wrinkling her nose in disgust. Although this would definitely help sway them to allow me to use the shower. Anyone with a sense of smell would strongly urge granting me permission.
When I stepped onto the fifth floor, I hurried my strides to her room. I paused briefly at the nurse’s station to make sure she had been moved and also used that moment to ask about the bathroom. The two nurses chuckled when I warned them I might start offending others with my stench and assured me it would be fine. Intense eagerness had me practically sprinting to her room. I quietly slipped inside and closed the door behind me with a soft click. I didn’t want to bother the other patients. Although it wasn’t like I was planning on rocking out to my hard core stuff. The only song I would be singing was the one that shared her name. I wanted to make sure she knew I was here and be reminded of what she meant to me. Not that I worried she had forgotten how much I loved her, but I was positive hearing me sing her song would help soothe all she had been through, accelerate her healing, and encourage her to come back to me.
Walking over to her bed, I set my bag on the floor beside the chair before settling in it and taking her hand like I did every other time I had visited her. This time her hand was much closer in temperature to mine. As my gaze traveled down her body, I felt a huge weight lift off of my chest and I was able to take a deep breath without feeling as if my lungs were caving in. Her cheeks had a bit more color to them and I didn’t have to focus intently to see the rise and fall of her chest. It was as if she was breathing much easier and steadier and now only looked like she was in a deep sleep, not struggling to stay alive. That thought caused me to swallow hard, but I shoved those negative thoughts away. She was doing great now. She was only hooked up to two machines. And there was only a line for her IV and one delivering her oxygen through her nose. I kissed her palm and then each one of her fingers, before returning her hand to her bed.
Then I unzipped my case and pulled out my guitar. Arranging it in my arms, I leaned back in the slightly more comfortable chair than the previous ones I had been occupying and allowed my fingers to strum over the chords. When the words to her song fell from my lips, I lost myself to the emotions she invoked inside of me. Softly, I crooned the beautiful lyrics while I gazed at my lovely girl. I still prayed for her to open her eyes, but sitting in the room next to her and using my music to show her how much I loved her, brought a slight peace to my broken and aching soul. The only time I paused was when I took a break to use the restroom or eat a little something or when others came in to visit. But during those times, it was only if they had wanted to talk to me too. If not, I was content to continue singing to my girl.
When it got late into the evening, I didn’t want to disturb others who might have been trying to get some sleep, so I tucked my guitar back into its case and slouched into the chair hoping to find myself some rest as well. The nurse who had informed me of the room change had brought me a pillow earlier, so I propped it as best as I could along the back and arm of the chair and closed my eyes. As I drifted off to sleep, I prayed that tomorrow would be the day Serenity opened her eyes and told me with her own voice that she was okay.
The next morning, I didn’t so much jerk awake as shudder. My neck and back still hurt like a mother fucker, but it didn’t feel as if the pains were getting worse. The pillow and slightly better chair might have helped, but I was sure it was more the fact that I had been sleeping in the same room where Serenity was resting that made most of the difference.
Per the usual, her parents brought me breakfast and coffee and visited for a while. Ivy and Ascher popped in about an hour later. I engaged in small talk, but mostly the lyrics for her song fell from my lips, not minor conversation. We were entering the third day of her being unconscious and I needed to concentrate on something other than that concern.
After the lunch time visit, the staring at Serenity and at one another – and maybe the same song on auto-repeat – had Ivy crawling out of her skin. She had been feverishly pacing about the room – her hands tugging through her hair in a frenzy or viciously rubbing up and down her arms – before unceremoniously dropping into a chair. “I don’t want to leave her, but I know she won’t be alone. However, I also don’t want to be wigging out when she comes around. She’s going to need us calm for her. I’m sorry. I need to get out of here for a bit.” Her wild eyes met mine across Serenity’s bed. “Please text me immediately, if she wakes up while I’m gone.”
“I will.”
Ascher patted my shoulder before he wrapped Ivy into his arms and escorted her to the door. And I returned to my singing.
About an hour later, Serenity started slowly rolling her head along her pillow, a soft moan tumbled from her lips, and her fingers flexed and extended on the mattress beside her.
“Serenity?” Hope bloomed in my chest as a new heaviness settled there. Optimism flared that she was finally coming back to me. I stashed my guitar in my case and then stood at the side of her bed, running my finger tip softly along her arm. “Can you hear me, Baby? Can you open your eyes?”