CHAPTER TWELVE
– HELENA –
Everything comes back to my mother? How can he blame her for his own actions?
I should keep my mouth shut, but I clearly don’t when I state, “How dare you blame someone else for your own actions?”
“Stay out of this, Helena. At least you turned out to be better than this one. Obviously because you have my genes, and wasn’t raised by that bitch, Camilla.
Your mother is to blame for all of it. Camilla tricked me.
Barely sixteen and she fucking kissed me in front of Ava.
Some sisterly shit between them that whoever kisses a guy first makes him dead to the other.
One forced kiss put me on the sidelines.
How is that for not fucking shit up, eh?
I was courting Ava, took my time because I cared for her and she adored me.
Me.” Spittle is flying and his head is red from screaming out his words.
A sick feeling hits my stomach due to the things he just said.
All of this because of something that happened when he was sixteen?
All those years building a grudge, and the moment Ava returned to his life it must have triggered something.
Or maybe it was when Camilla showed up on Burk’s doorstep, holding Jolene. What a freaking mess.
“There are many women out there. You should have dropped the grudge and moved on, create your own happiness. Now, slowly lower the gun, Royce,” Orson demands.
“No,” Royce snarls and I can see it in his eyes.
He’s going to shoot. The moment he pulls the trigger is when I fire my gun as well. Eight shots in total ring out before the silence around us becomes deafening. The deputies rush into the hallway behind us, guns drawn.
I swing my head in Ballard’s direction. Thank fuck he’s still standing.
I have no clue why his eyes are filled with panic.
..until my knees buckle. Ballard is in front of me the next moment, guiding me to the floor.
A groan rips from me when Ballard puts pressure on my stomach and it’s then I feel the pain.
“Shit,” I mutter. “That hurts.”
Slightly turning my head, I notice Jolene lying in a pool of her own blood. Her eyes are staring into nothing and it’s clear she’s dead. I watched Royce get hit multiple times, so he’s dead as well. Not soon enough because the asshole shot me.
I hear Orson barking out orders, demanding the EMTs tend to me first and ordering a second ambulance for Jacob. I wonder if they untied him. He looked very uncomfortable in the picture Ballard showed me.
Closing my eyes, I try to breathe through the pain but it’s rapidly becoming too overwhelming. I grasp Ballard’s flannel shirt. My hand is bloody but with his shirt being red I guess it blends in. Slowly I feel my strength slip away as my vision turns blurry.
Fading in and out between the house, the ambulance, until I finally wake up groggy in a hospital room.
“There you are,” I hear Elodie snap at Murray who is standing beside her. “Quick, get the grumpy mute in here before the fucker rips us a new asshole for not telling him she’s awake.”
“H-he has b-been s-sitting by your b-bed the w-whole time,” Jaxie stutters and gives me a small smile.
This is the first time she talked to me. Normally she uses ASL and has Seamus beside her, or Elodie, to translate for her.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I croak and wince when I try to sit up.
Ballard bursts into the room and gently pushes my shoulders to keep me in place.
“Clearly, she knows her own limits, Ballard. By the look on her face, she feels it better than you,” Seamus mutters.
Ballard glares at him and I reach for his face.
“You returned the favor,” I try to tease him.
The fierce look on his face tells me he doesn’t appreciate it.
“Y-you d-did it,” Jaxie stutters.
I have no clue what Jaxie is talking about, which is why I frown until Elodie clarifies, “Jolene taped the conversations she and Burk had. Nolan’s voice is on there too. The details are undeniable. That fucker took great pride in what he had accomplished and kept repeating his achievements.”
“The tapes were real?” I question.
Ballard bobs his head.
“I’m glad the facts are out in the open and those who were guilty...well, not exactly brought to justice.” I grimace.
If they had the time to listen to the tapes and get the news about it, then I must have been out for a long time.
A doctor steps into the room and ushers everyone except for Ballard out.
I’m only listening with half an ear as I stare at Ballard.
Without him I wouldn’t have been able to close this case.
Getting hurt wasn’t part of the plan, but I didn’t expect Royce to pull a gun and shoot Jolene. On the other hand, the man held on to his egocentric pride and probably didn’t want to go to jail. Something he knew was inevitable if the tapes existed.
My mood takes a nosedive when the doctor tells me I have to stay in the hospital a few days. Ballard takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
When the doctor leaves, I tell Ballard, “I’d rather be in my own bed, or yours, than stuck here.”
Ballard shakes his head, points at my stomach and then at the ceiling. It takes my brain a heartbeat or two to process.
“Oh, right. Not a good idea to be stuck on a mountain if something goes wrong with my wound. Yeah, you’re probably right, but still. I want to cuddle.” I curl my bottom lip out in a pout.
Ballard makes a shooing motion and kicks his boots off. Getting the hint, I slowly move on the bed to create space. Ever so gently Ballard gets into the bed next to me. Even if it hurts like a bitch, it feels damn nice to put my head on his chest.
I close my eyes and instantly start to drift off. Sleep and heal is all I can do the coming few days, and it’s a small price to pay when I can look forward to spending more time with Ballard.
Clearly, we closed the case and there’s no need for us to work together. Yet, he’s here as my very real boyfriend. Not something I thought was in my near future when I decided to move back here. Yet, working closely with Ballard was exactly what both of us needed.
Four long days spent in the hospital go by until I can finally go home. Well, home being Ballard’s cabin. He’s overbearingly protective and is carrying me from the truck to the cabin when Seamus opens the door. I’m a bit surprised to see him here, and even more stunned to realize he’s alone.
“Where’s your wife?” I ask.
“Work with Murray and Elodie. I’ll be joining them, but I had to watch your present,” the man mysteriously states.
I frown and am about to ask...when I notice a dog sitting on a blanket in front of the fireplace.
“Oh my gosh,” I whisper and Ballard gently places me on the couch.
“Ballard asked me to get you guys a dog when you were in surgery. I called in a favor from a friend of mine. He works at a shelter and I asked if there was a young dog with potential. He brought this eight month old Australian shepherd mix. I’ve been working with him for the past few days and it’s going great.
I’ll swing by tomorrow and teach you the basics as well.
Ballard already knows, he can teach you too, but I’m overseeing the dog’s training. ”
“Thank you,” I croak and turn to Ballard. “You too. I can’t believe you got us a dog.”
He grins and I lean forward to taste the joy on his lips. I hear a door softly close and realize Seamus left. A wet nose touches my arm and we pull apart to see the dog sitting on the couch beside us.
“What’s his name?” I ask Ballard and cuddle with the fluffy dog.
Ballard reaches for the dog and I now notice the collar with a pendant. The name “Astro.”
“Astro,” I voice and let my fingers glide through his soft fur. “I like it.”
Ballard points at himself and then at me.
I snicker. “Oh, you like me, eh? Well, I happen to like you too.”
Leaning in, I try to keep the wince from the pull of my stitches hidden as I kiss him. Of course, he notices and gives me only a quick kiss before he moves away. Striding to the bedroom, the man comes back with a blanket and a pillow to make me comfortable.
He places the dog back on the blanket in front of the fireplace. It only lasts a second because before Ballard can take a step in my direction Astro is already sitting on the couch.
Laughter rips from me and I instantly regret it.
Pain shoots through me, but it’s worth it.
It’s a reminder of being alive. Of moving forward together, and that nothing ever comes easy.
Although, the relationship between me and Ballard flipped from fake to real in the blink of an eye.
It shows good things do happen, and not all twists in life are bad.
The road to recovery is ahead of me, and for Ballard as well. It’s a good thing we have all the time in the world to explore what else our shared future might bring.