Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Raelyn
I hear a steady beeping along with Holt’s voice, but I keep my eyes closed.
“I need you to wake up, baby. Show me those big, beautiful, blue eyes I’m obsessed with. I love you so much Raelyn Grace.” His lips press against my forehead.
My eyes slowly open to find his face. “I love you, too, Holt Hayes,” I say weakly.
I’m welcomed with the biggest, most breathtaking smile. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to see those eyes open and hear those words.”
Holt quickly presses the alert button on my bedside remote. “May I help you?” a voice replies through the speaker.
“She’s awake,” he hollers in reply as he leans in to kiss me again.
Looking around, I realize I’m in the hospital.
A nurse quickly comes in, smiling. “Welcome back, Miss Grace. I’m going to assess you and your vitals. The doctor has been alerted and should be in soon.”
“Okay,” I mumble. I lie there, silently trying to remember how I got here while the nurse checks my vitals.
Holt holds my hand—the gesture is simple but calms me.
The nurse smiles. “Your vitals are all within good range. How is your pain level?”
“I’m in a little pain and sore, but nothing severe.”
She nods. “I’ll be back with something to help.”
“Thank you,” I reply as I watch her leave the room.
“What happened?” I ask, turning to Holt. “I remember hearing gunshots, but then everything went black.”
He holds my hand, but I can sense a sadness in the depths of his eyes. “The doctor’s on the way, then we’ll talk.”
Just as I start to demand answers, the doctor enters the room. “Miss Grace, I’m glad to see you are back with us.”
I give him a weak smile. “I’m glad to be back.”
He walks around assessing all the monitors. “All your vitals are great.” He looks at me then. “You gave us a scare, but everything is looking good now. We had to rush you into emergency surgery to repair and clean the wound. You needed a blood transfusion. Thankfully, your sister was the same blood type as you—she volunteered immediately.”
I grin. “That sounds just like Rylie.”
“I cleaned up the gash on your head and gave you some stitches. We also gave you a bag of antibiotics since the wound went untreated for a while—just to be safe and rule out any possible infection. We want to keep you a few more days for observation, but plan to release you soon if all is well, which I expect it will be. You’re a fighter, Miss Grace,” he says, smiling.
“Thank you for everything, doctor,” I respond.
“There’s a waiting room packed slam full of people itching to see you. You’ve been the talk of the hospital.”
I grab Holt’s hand. “I can only imagine why.”
“I’ll leave you two to visit, now, and I’ll be back later to check in on you,” he says as he exits the room.
Holt sits down on the bed, and carefully wraps me in a big hug. “You don’t know how good it feels to hold you right now. For a moment, I was scared I wouldn’t get the chance again.”
I melt into his embrace.
Tears cloud my eyes, I’m at a loss of words for a moment as all the emotions run through me.
“Can you tell me what happened now, please?” I ask.
Holt’s eyes meet mine, and I instantly see the sadness return. “Jace was trying to talk her down. He was almost to her with the gun just in reach. I thought it was working until the sound of sirens filled the air in the distance. Something snapped in her, and she went for you. Jace tried to get the gun from her, but it went off.”
Holt holds my hands. “Baby, Jace didn’t make it.”
“No,” I sob, burying my face in his chest. Holt wraps his arms around me, holding me while I cry.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I’ll never be able to thank him enough for leading us to you. He may have had some faults, but he did love you, Raelyn.”
I wipe away my tears. “He saved me, and now I’ll never be able to thank him. He didn’t deserve this fate.”
“No, he didn’t, but I know for a fact he would’ve done it again in a heartbeat to save you. He told me that himself the night before we found you,” Holt says, still holding me as I cry.
I nod against his chest because I know he’s right; Jace had a good heart.
At that moment the door bursts open, and I look up to see my mom and my girls.
“Oh baby,” my mom cries, running to embrace me. “You gave us such a scare.”
I’m showered with hugs and kisses from them. My dad enters the room smiling as his eyes hold unshed tears.
“Brynn could be kicked out after pushing past that nurse when she said only family was allowed.” He smiles.
Brynn lifts an eyebrow. “Like she was going to stop me.”
My dad comes over to give me a soft kiss on the cheek. “I always knew my girl was strong. Don’t you ever do that to us again, though, you hear,” he states as a tear slips out running down his cheek.
I smile through my tears, giving him a hug.
Jace gave me this gift. The gift of life, to still be here on earth with all the people I love.
“Holt told me about Jace,” I say.
The room grows silent as everyone is full of emotion from the loss of a life gone too soon.
“He died a hero,” my mom says.
I nod. “It’s just not fair.”
Mom nods. “He wanted you to live, Raelyn.”
“Does she know everything?” Rylie asks.
Holt shakes his head. “No, I just told her about Jace.”
Rylie sits down on the bed, holding my hand.
I squeeze her hand. “I’m ready now.”
“The woman who abducted you is dead, too. After the gun went off killing Jace, the cops stormed the barn. She attempted to shoot them and lost her life in the process.”
I take in a deep breath. “It feels wrong, but I’m relieved. Why should she get to live if Jace doesn’t? She admitted to killing all those girls. She was evil. Now she can never hurt anyone again.”
There’s another knock on the door. “The police are here, needing a statement if you feel like you are up to it,” the nurse says.
I nod. “Tell them to come in.”
The police enter and ask everyone to step out for a moment while we talk. Everyone but Holt exits to the waiting room. He informs the police he’s not going anywhere. My man.
Holt
It breaks my heart and makes my blood boil to hear Raelyn relive everything she’s gone through. I’m in awe of her strength listening to this beautiful, smart, strong woman. She walked through fire and came out alive.
I can tell the police are impressed with the story she gave and her strength.
My girl’s a survivor.
Raelyn
I look around as we walk into my hometown church in Alabama. My crutches are a reminder of how blessed I am.
This is the church I grew up in. The church, at one time, I thought I’d get married in.
Jace did some bad things that ended our relationship, but he was a good person. We just weren’t meant to be.
The church is packed, with people standing in the back, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. Jace was loved, and he touched many lives in his time here on Earth.
Looking at the pamphlet in my hand, I smile at his face. Jace was always handsome. I reminisce back to the simpler times, picturing his face and hearing his laughter. His happiness was always contagious.
Holt helps me maneuver into the church pew and holds my hand once we take a seat. My family, plus Maddie and Brynn, fill the remainder of the row.
The service is beautiful, and there isn’t a dry eye in the house when the preacher finishes. We now stand at the burial place—the place his body will rest, but not his soul—I imagine Jace walking those streets of gold.
I walk forward alone, placing a single rose on his casket. “Goodbye, Jace,” I say, touching the casket as a tear streams down my face.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see his mom’s solemn face.
I place one of my crutches to the side and give her a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry.”
She tightens her arms around me. “Lord knows, I wanted to beat that boy when I found out he lost your trust. I’m so sorry for what you went through, Raelyn.”
“He’ll always have a place in my heart,” I say.
She pulls out a tissue, wiping her eyes. “I don’t want you to feel guilty or carry a burden from the loss of Jace, you hear. You know, given the chance again, my boy would choose your life over his. He loved you.”
More tears stream down my cheek, and I nod. “I know he did. Jace saved me. He gave me the gift of life. I promise to honor his memory, and live life to the fullest every day.”
“He wouldn’t want anything more,” she says, pulling me in for another embrace.
We stand in each other’s arms, both grieving for a life cut too short.