Chapter 27
Teddy
I’m woken up by my dad shaking me awake. He’s talking but I’m too groggy to decipher his words. I tell him to repeat what he just said.
“We have to go. Ariel is at the Hospital.” Terror seizes my lungs as I get up and hurry to get dressed and out of the door.
When we reach the Hospital, Veronica is already there, tears streaming down her face.
“What happened?”
“Greg found her and attacked her. They called me because I’m listed as her emergency contact. She’s in surgery. They don’t have anything for us yet.” She wipes her eyes with her sleeves. I hug her in an effort to comfort her. It’s no use. This is my fault. I was a coward and pushed her away, and now she’s hurt.
After an hour passes, the doctor finally comes out, and tells us she’s in stable condition, and that we can see her now.
When we reach the door to her room, I stay out in the hall. I want to see her, but there’s no way she wants to see me. Not after the way I hurt her. I listen as Ariel goes in, and Ariel starts crying. “He killed her. He killed my baby.” Seven words that shatter my heart. Daisy didn’t make it. Her baby was taken from her before she even had the chance to hold her in her arms. She was so hopeful for her new beginning, and now it’s gone. In the blink of an eye she lost the one thing keeping her going.
I know it’s going to be hard, but I need to earn her forgiveness. She will not accept an apology and I don’t expect her to, but I will fight for her with every fiber of my being. She needs to know she has me, and I will not let her go through this alone.
Going back to the waiting room, I find a seat and I go over everything I need to do to earn her forgiveness.
The next morning, I finally go into her room. She doesn’t speak to me as I sit down in the chair beside her bed. I deserve her silence. “Ariel, I know I’m the last person you want to see, but I need to tell you something, and then I’ll be gone. I’m sorry. When you said that you loved me, I got scared. I haven’t been loved since Gwen, and it messed with my head, and I just lashed out. I didn’t mean a single word I said. The truth is I love you too, and it scares me half to death because I don’t want to lose you like I lost Gwen. But I lost you anyway. I pushed you right out of our home, and I’m so sorry for that. I’m not asking you for forgiveness right now. I’m asking you for the chance to beg forgiveness. Cause in that moment I was no better than him. If my sister was in the position I put you in, I’d tell her to make sure she walks that bastard like a dog. I expect no less than you. Walk me like a fucking dog. Don’t take me back until I’ve truly earned your forgiveness, until I’ve truly earned your heart back.” With that I leave her room.