Forever We Fall: Broken #4 (The Broken Series) (38 page)

I opened my mouth to answer Karen when a shrill, agonizing scream cut through my thoughts. I stepped around Karen and ran for the front door.

****

Lee

Driving down Thirteenth Street, with my husband's hand on my knee, I didn't feel the usual sickly smothering fear that used to haunt me. Instead, I felt something inside of me slip into place.

I inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh mountainous air, reveling in the happiness inside of me. "What time did Karen and Derek say they'd be ready?" I asked, my voice sleepy from the heat of the sun hitting my face, warming more than just my skin. I had the love of my life beside me, the fruit of our love growing inside of me, and our Hope waiting for us at home. Home…

"About two hours ago," Kyle murmured, his thumb drawing lazy circles on my bare knee. "I love you in this dress," he said softly before turning his face to look at me. "Easier access."

"Enjoy it for the next six or so months," I said wryly. "Because I have a feeling I'm going to have to put up a wall to keep you out."

Kyle laughed loudly. "Remember I told you I'd knock down all the walls. Even the ones you put up to keep me out."

"True," I agreed. "But this is the last time."

Kyle rolled his eyes and grinned, his dimple puckering in his cheek, the expression he wore on his face called me a liar.

"I mean it, Kyle," I argued. "I'm not your personal baby-making machine."

"You're my personal everything," he scoffed before adding. "I'm glad we did this, baby."

"Did what?" I asked.

"Had Hope so young." Parking his car on the sidewalk in front our old house, Kyle unfastened his seatbelt, reached across the seat, and rubbed my swollen belly. His smile widened into a mega-watt smile. "Had this one so young. When they're raised we'll still be young," he paused before adding, "A gentleman's family." He wiggled his brow and smirked. "Who'd have thought, huh?"

"Not me," I replied nervously as I took the scan out of my purse. "So…ah…here's the thing…" I handed him the sonogram. "Cam was kinda right when she said you had powerful genes in your jeans…surprise."

Kyle's brow rose in disbelief and I fidgeted nervously with the clasp of my purse.

"No fucking way." Kyle's eyes widened to saucers, unblinking, and completely focused on my scan. His gaze flickered to my belly and back to the sonogram. "Jesus, I'm like a machine."

"Good surprise or bad?" I held my breath while I waited for his answer.

"It's a good surprise, baby. An awesome surprise." He blew out a breath and held my sonogram in front of his face. "I can't believe we're having twins again. What are the odds..." his voice trailed off as he studied the small rectangular black and white print. "That's gotta be some kind of record, right?" he murmured.

"I know."
Wait, twins?
I shook my head. "We're not having twins Kyle."

"Sorry, princess," he said, even though remorse was obviously something he wasn't feeling, considering the shit-eating grin he was wearing on his face. "But we most fucking definitely are having twins." Leaning closer, he pointed to one baby and then to another. "See?" He grinned. "Twins."

I pointed to another. "See." I smirked. "Triplets."

Kyle's mouth dropped open. "Triplets?" He swallowed roughly, his eyes dropped to the scan in his hands.

"Three babies," I said carefully, trying to gage his reaction. "That's a lot, Kyle."

"That's not a lot, Lee. That's a litter." He swung his gaze up to meet mine and his smile widened. "And triple the pregnancy hormones. Derek was right. I am the sperminator."

"Yeah," I teased as I unfastened my seatbelt. "Better start stocking up on body armor."

"Told you it wasn’t impossible," he said with a smirk. "I knew it."

"Okay," I teased. "I'm not sure I like this smug side of you."

"Jesus, I'm in big trouble." Leaning across the seat, Kyle used his hand to tug my chin up to meet his face and when our lips brushed, I sighed in absolute contentment and then I full on yawned…into his mouth.

"Boring you, am I?" Kyle teased as he pulled back and smiled at me. "Or were you intentionally trying to suck the air from my lungs?"

"Sorry," I snickered. "And neither. I'm just happy."

"I'll just get Derek and Karen," he chuckled. "And then I'll take your happy little ass out to buy all the necessary protective gear to keep me alive for the next few months."

Kyle started to climb out of the car, but I stopped him. "I'll get them."

His brow rose in surprise. "You sure wanna go back in there? You're positive?"

"As my last pregnancy test," I replied with a smirk. Kyle's cocky grin made a reappearance as he nodded at the sonogram on the dashboard.

Climbing out of the car, I strolled up the porch steps. Thoughts of my father flooded my mind, but I fought back against the guilt and walked forward. I pushed the sorrow away from my heart. I embraced our new reality. We were here in the now. Together. I had nothing to feel sad about. Cam's face entered my head and I smiled because it wasn't the god-awful image of her lying on the kitchen floor that had tormented the last year of my life. She was smiling at me. She was happy, at peace…
My sister…

Loud voices were the first thing I was met with when I opened the front door and I found myself closing out the door quickly. "What's up, baby?" Kyle called out from the car.

"I think they're doing it," I hissed quietly, my eyes bugling when I heard Karen scream out the word
finally
.

"What?" he shouted louder.

"S.E.X," I mouthed and pointed my thumb in the direction of the front door.

Shaking his head, Kyle climbed out and walked around to the front of the car. He leaned his hip against the hood, shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "You're so fucking cute when you blush like that." He crooked a finger at me. "Come on down here, princess, and I'll give you a reason to blush."

I stood on the porch steps, grinning like an idiot, reveling in the ecstatic happiness I was feeling.

My smile faltered when I noticed the dark shadow of a man approaching my husband from behind. His face came into my vision and I blanched. The sharp blade of sliver he held in his hand caused my heart to pump violently and my feet to move quicker than my brain could process what was happening.

Perry moved so fast, lunged at Kyle's back with such speed, that I knew I was too late when I flung my hands in the air and screamed, "Kyle, get out of the way!"

Kyle's smile faltered, his brow creased, first in confusion and then in pain, as his hand reached up to clutch his neck. His eyes locked on mine and the fear I saw in those blue depths almost paralyzed me. He moved his hand from his neck, shock encompassing his features as he stared blankly at the blood dripping from his fingers.

His eyes landed on mine once more and I could see the tears pooling in them, the pain-stricken awareness in his blue eyes, as he mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," before dropping to his knees.

"Kyle," I screamed, rushing down the steps towards him on weakened knees. "Help me. Please…oh god, somebody help me…" Tripping over the last step, I landed on my hands and knees and crawled over to where my husband lay crumpled on the ground.

His eyelids fluttered rapidly, his legs twitched, his body shuddered violently. Blood gushed from his neck, seeping onto my clothing, coloring me red. "Prin…cess." He gasped for air as he reached up and cupped my cheek. His hand was trembling so much it shook my head. "Don't…cry…"

"Don't leave me," I begged, clenching my eyes shut, feeling them burn from the pressure of keeping my tears on the inside. This wasn't the time for falling apart because Kyle wasn't going to die. He couldn't. It was not happening. Not after everything we'd been through. We were always breaking. Falling apart. '
Forever we fall'…

The unwelcome thought penetrated my mind and I quickly batted it away. We would not fall today. No more Pain.
"
Keep breathing, baby," I sobbed as I pressed my hand to his neck and put pressure on the wound his blood was seeping from.

He flinched, groaning in agony, but I didn't remove my hand. I pressed harder against the deep laceration in his neck, holding his skin together, stemming the flow of blood with my hand, praying I could fix his broken pieces. Somehow heal him.

This can't be happening.

This can't be happening.

The frantic throbbing pain in my chest was becoming unbearable and I used my free hand to clutch at my clothing, pulling it away from my chest so I could breathe. I didn't help
. 'Please keep his heart beating, keep his lungs filling, keep his soul inside of his body,'
my silent plea reverberated inside of my mind, tormenting me until the hysteria festering inside of my brain bubbled to the surface and I cracked. 

"Oh god…" I felt a gush of warmth and wetness ooze between my fingers and I applied more pressure to the hand I had pressed against Kyle's neck.

The knife smeared with Kyle's blood lay on the ground by my feet and I kicked it away quickly. "Why him?" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat, exposing my agony.

I stared in confusion and despair at Perry's retreating frame as I held Kyle's body in my arms. "Why him?"
Why not me?

Perry didn't answer me.

He merely shook his head and he backed away slowly as if in a trance. I saw something in his eyes then, something that resembled regret, but it was too late…

"Lee..." I felt something cold–something freezing cold–touch my chest. Kyle's hand, I realized and panic spread through my body. "Shh…baby…I got you."

"Don't talk, baby," I begged as I cradled his head to my chest. "Keep breathing, Kyle. Please just keep breathing..."

"I'm…not…" he paused, gasping for air. Grabbing the back of my neck, he dragged my face to his. "Not…leaving you…not now…not ever."

"Jesus Christ, Kyle," a familiar male voice howled in distress, followed by a woman's piercing scream.

"You bastard." I heard Derek's battle cry moments before he charged past us, chasing after Perry, who was now running down the street.

I could hear Karen's voice coming from somewhere behind me as she spoke about ambulances and hurrying, but I couldn't turn around to check.

The sound of sniffling alerted me to the fact that someone was kneeling on the ground beside me, sobbing quietly, stroking my arm–a gesture of comfort–but still I couldn't check.

I couldn't do anything but keep my eyes on my husband and my fingers on his neck. I felt the air being squeezed from my lungs. The fear choking me. Burning me. I tried to catch my breath, to keep calm, but nothing happened.

"Hold on, Kyle," I wept as I brushed his hair back from his face. "Hold on, baby." I kissed his hair and rocked him in my arms. "There's an ambulance coming."

"Lay him on his back, Lee," a voice coming from my left said and I shook my head, protesting vehemently.

"You need to lay him on his back," the voice persisted. "He's gonna bleed out if you keep jolting him."

A tsunami of guilt washed over my body as the awareness that I was doing more harm than good tore at my heart. Maneuvering Kyle as gently as I could, I kept my hand on his neck and placed him on his back.

"Shh," I whispered soothingly when I heard his weak mumbling protest. Hovering over his big beautiful body, I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "I'm not leaving you either," I vowed, my free hand finding his. "Ever. I'm right here."

"Sing for me," Kyle whispered as his body shook and his eyes rolled back in his head. Exhaling roughly, he flinched in pain and squeezed my hand. "Please, baby…" He held onto my hand with an almost frantic grip. "I need you to distract me…" He groaned and kicked his legs out as he forced himself to drag air into his lungs. "Keep me…with you."

I looked through tear-filled eyes at my husband as the first line of the first song he ever sang me fell into my mind and poured out of my mouth. "
I've been loving you a long time
." I allowed my tears to flow freely as I covered his body with mine and half-cried-half-sang the lyrics of
A Rainy Day In Soho
by The Pogues.

Kyle's trembling hand clutched at my cheek, the other held onto my hand for dear life, and I poured my heart into the words I was whispering into his ear. I could smell his fear. My fear. It was pungent.

Dread was strangling my heart and every word that came from my throat was torn, cut, and a silent prayer to god, to anyone who could hear me, to take this fear and dread away.

Raising our joined hands to his face, I wiped the tears from his cheeks and kissed his forehead.

The sound of a siren approaching caused me to cry out in relief.
"We may never…we may never…
I can't remember the words," I cried out franticly, my mind emptying as a state of blind panic set in. "I can't remember the words, Kyle."

"Yes…you can." He forced a small smile as he writhed on the ground, gasping–fighting–desperately for air. "Finish it."

Forcing myself to keep my eyes opened and focused on his, I forced the words out through my quivering lips.
"Still there's a light I hold before me…"

"You're the measure of my dreams, Lee Bennett," he whispered before his blue eyes fluttered closed. "
The measure…of my…dreams.
"