Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three) (49 page)

Elaina opened the door and almost dropped to her knees, but James caught her. “Cora…,” she choked out. “Gunther needs you.”

“What happened?!”

“Quinn…” She couldn’t say it—didn’t
want
to say it. The words would not escape her lips and disappeared from her throat, but Cora understood. Her eyes welled. “Gunther has some significant facial injuries and maybe some broken ribs. I’m not sure, but it’s bad.”

With Grey propped on her shoulder, Cora took Elaina’s hand and they walked to the clinic. “How’s Josie?” she asked.

“A wreck.”

Cora handed Grey to Elaina. He was fussy, and she had no idea how to calm a baby, but had a feeling he was hungry or he needed his mother. Elaina’s heart sank again, knowing he would never remember her.

“I’m going to go get Gunther. He’s in the cafeteria. He needed to stop for a minute because he’s in a lot of pain.”

Cora set up the medical supplies she thought she would need as Elaina left the room.

When Elaina made it to the cafeteria, Henry had already left to go address the others. Josie was holding onto Gunther, whose head was resting on his forearms. When he heard Grey fussing, he looked up, jaw trembling.

“It’s okay. I have him for the moment. Let’s get you to the clinic. Cora is getting it ready for you.”

Josie helped Gunther stand and they walked him to the clinic—one foot in front of the other.

“Oh god,” Cora said when she saw what condition Gunther was in. “Here… Sit.” Grabbing his elbow, she directed him to the cot. Josie curled up in the chair, pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, and cried.

Cora opened a vodka bottle to clean Gunther’s face. His grief-stricken eyes caught Cora’s and they held on for a few seconds. He tried to be stoic, but he was unsuccessful.

She took his battered face in her hands. “We’ll get you through this,” she whispered to him. “Whatever it takes, I am here to help you with whatever it is you may need.”

His breathing went ragged while trying to hold in his cries. “She’s gone…forever.” Wrapping her arms around his punished body, she held on in an effort to comfort him.

Grey continued to fuss. Elaina was doing her best to get him to settle, but he kept turning into her chest. “Do you think he’s hungry? He keeps turning into my chest,” she said.

Cora came over and touched his cheek just so, and he went right for her finger. “Yes.”

“What do we do? We don’t have formula.”

“I’m still lactating. Callie comfort nurses at bedtime.” She turned and looked at Gunther. With hesitation, he nodded. “I don’t know if he will take to me, but we can try. Elaina, keep cleaning his face.”

Gunther turned away as Cora sat with his son and tried to introduce her breast to him. Hearing Grey suck and swallow, overwhelmed him with emotion. Gunther’s and Elaina’s eyes met and she felt the raw intensity of his pain.

Continuing to wipe his face down, he hissed as she went over the split in his cheek. “How did this happen?” she asked softly.

“Slapped me across the face with a gun.”

“Christ,” Elaina mumbled. “Do you think your cheekbone is broken? It looks different than the other side. Can I feel it?” He nodded.

Elaina took a deep breath, knowing she was about to touch his gore. Her stomach twinged, but she had to step up to the plate. She pressed her thumb on his uninjured cheek, then the injured side. It sunk into the tissue a little, and Gunther growled in pain.

“I’m not sure if it’s broken, but it’s very swollen. They might’ve busted your eye socket, too.”

Gunther looked past Elaina to check on Grey. Cora was tenderly caring for him, playing with his curls. He was feeding like a champ, which broke Gunther’s heart.

Placing her hand on his uninjured cheek, Elaina stepped into his field of vision. “He will be amazing, just like her, and make you so proud. You are going to do a wonderful job raising him. She will be so pleased while she watches.”

“He won’t know her,” he whispered.

“We’ll all tell him what an amazing mother and woman she was. You can count on us to help you. You made every dream of hers come true. You loved her deeply, you gave her a child she had been wanting for years. Never once did your love for her falter. That little boy will know that love because of you.”

“She should be feeding him. I should be the one out there waiting to be buried.”

Ignoring his want of death, Elaina replied, “Yes, she should, but if Cora can take over…”

“I don’t want him to think–”

“Shh… He’ll know.” Elaina wiped the jagged gash on his cheek. Once again, he growled. “Here, take a few drinks.” She handed him the bottle of vodka. “It will help ease your pain.”

Gunther gripped the bottle in his bloodied hand, tipped it back, and took a couple long pulls from it. She knew he was going to drink more of it, if not all. She checked his body. There was no way he would be able to lift his arm to get his shirt off. He was struggling just to move that side of his body.

“Can we cut your shirts off?” He nodded. After grabbing the scissors, she cut through all the layers. “What did they do?” she asked.

Gunther gazed down at his bruising and looked away. He tipped the bottle back again, then responded, “Slammed the gun into me while they held my arms straight out. I stopped him before he did the same to any other part of me.”

“I’m so sorry.” His eyes continued to fade. He needed a fix soon or Grey would lose his daddy, as well. “Josie, can we set–”

“Yeah, go ahead. Whatever you need.”

Just as she held out her arm, there was a knock on the door. They all looked at each other, then Cora stood.

Acting strong and confident, Elaina presented herself as the matriarch of the group. “Don’t let anyone in that doesn’t know his situation,” she ordered.

Cora cracked open the door. It was Henry, so she ushered him in.

The meeting was grim and difficult to get through. No one could hold themselves together after learning of Quinn’s horrific death. Even I had a difficult time sucking back my emotions so I could talk about what happened. We would need to have another meeting later to further discuss the details.

I headed to the clinic with the need to hold Elaina in my arms, relieved we still had one another. I knocked on the door. Why? I don’t know. Cora rushed me inside, then closed the door behind her.

“How’s it going?” I glanced at Cora feeding Grey. Then I looked at Gunther. “God…,” I said when I saw his face. When I noticed the bottle of vodka in his hand, the whisper echoed in my mind.

I shook it off when Elaina said, “Set up Josie for a draw, please.” She tried to sound commanding, but the break in her voice was still present. I touched her cheek as I headed to Josie.

A tiny snore indicated that Grey was asleep when Cora handed him over to Elaina. “Thank you,” Gunther said before looking down with a deep sadness I never wished anyone had to experience.

“We will get something arranged so he can feed from me as needed. I’m more than happy to provide, okay?” He nodded. “Let’s see if I can get some of this stitched up.”

I watched Gunther lift the bottle to his lips. The sound of the vodka sloshing up to the neck sparked a craving. The demons chuckled in my head. I took a deep breath, trying to push the voices away.

As I licked my lips at the temptation in front of me, Elaina sensed my downward spiral. “Henry…”

I jerked my head over to her. “Sorry. Yes?”

“Did you explain everything?” she asked.

“No. Just that we were attacked and, um… Shit.” I couldn’t say it. I cleared my throat. “We have to tell them what’s going on, but I wanted to get matters taken care of first. I figure we will have another meeting tomorrow to get it all out.” I looked at Gunther. “Did they say if there were others?”

“Roger,” Gunther muttered.

“Excellent. I imagine there are more of us. We will need to post a guard twenty-four/seven until we can get you well enough to storm the ship.”

“Wait… What? Storm the ship?” Elaina asked, eyes wide.

“Yes. I’m going to kill that motherfucker,” I growled.

“Well, we’re going to have to figure this out because I have first dibs on that son of a bitch,” Gunther grumbled, his words slurring.

Cora sat in front of him and started trying to piece his face together.

“Well, with Kellan and Drew gone and you on our side, we should have no problem. We’ll just need to fight through the rest and however many more undeads he makes.”

“Drew said he knew exactly where we were.”

I stared at Gunther for a moment. “How?”

“He didn’t elaborate. I should’ve kept him alive so I could torture his arse and get any info I could.”

“Let’s drop this for now,” Elaina said as she cuddled with Grey, waiting for Josie to finish filling the bag. I half-smiled at her, seeing her cuddle with the baby.

I unhooked Josie and gave Gunther the bag. After several gulps and swallows, he fell into a euphoric state as he finished it off. He lay back on the cot and relaxed while Cora finished repairing his face the best she could.

“You’re going to have a nasty, nasty scar,” she murmured after she tied the last stitch.

“I don’t give a fuck,” he said as she taped a couple small squares of gauze over the stitches to protect them. Then she helped him stand and wrapped a wide elastic bandage around his body, trying to secure his ribs.

“I don’t want you lifting
anything
, including Grey. If you want to hold him, it will need to be with support. You need to let these injuries rest so they can heal.” Gunther nodded. “How do you want to do this? Grey can stay with me, we can all stay with you, or you both can stay with us. You make the decision. Whatever it is that you want…”

“He can have the couch I sleep on until he heals,” Josie murmured.

“Honey, he’s going to take a while to heal.”

“Well, he can still have my couch.”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary,” Gunther said as he looked down at his blood-stained pants. He touched the blood, almost caressing it. “Can I just bring him to you when he needs to be fed? I need some time with him alone.”

My and Elaina’s eyes met, sensing one another’s worry. “Are you sure you can handle that seeing as you don’t have full mobility?” I asked. “She just said you shouldn’t be lifting him.”

Standing tall and defiant, he growled, “If I can kill that fucker with all this damage, I can care for my son.”

“Are you sure, Gunther? You’ve had an awful lot to drink.” Cora shook the nearly empty bottle when she pulled it from his hand. He sighed. “Let me take him tonight so you can be alone and deal with what’s happening without worrying about Grey. I promise I will keep him safe. Josie will be with me.” Gunther thought about it. “I know you don’t want him out of your sight. I understand that, but you need time to grieve without worrying about a baby.”

His eyes grew wet again. She embraced him and held him for a few minutes while he cried.

Covering herself with her hoodie, Josie cried into her knees. Gunther pulled away, reached out, and touched Josie on her head. He staggered as he tried to make his way to the door.

“Whoa, mate. Allow me to help you.” That was a change in pace for me—being the one helping the drunk person in the room.

Before we walked out to the hall, Gunther turned back around, looking at Elaina. “Can you bring him in for just a few minutes? I need to talk to him. I just need him with me for a few minutes.”

“Yes. Yes, of course,” she said, thanking Cora before following us out.

Elaina paced around the room with Grey while I fixed Gunther’s bed so he would be propped up and not lying flat. Our eyes flickered around the room, noticing some of the artwork laying around. I hadn’t realized she was painting and was blown away by the meticulous brush strokes and use of color.

Gunther noticed us admiring everything. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Gorgeous,” Elaina said, approaching one that was of flowers in vivid colors. She ran her fingers over the painting, feeling the dimension of the paint under her fingertips.

“She would paint while Grey was napping. She was brill at everything.” His voice cracked.

After helping him out of his bloodied pants and putting him into gym shorts, I helped Gunther lay down. “I’m going to go check on things. If you need me for any reason, I am here for you.”

In a rough whisper, he said, “Thanks.”

I left the room so he could have a few moments with Grey without an extra set of prying eyes.

Elaina sat next to him so he could look at his boy for a minute. Gunther’s eyelids grew heavy, opening and closing in slow motion. He touched Grey’s face. The baby jumped from the feel of the icy stroke on his chubby cheek. “Do you think she’ll be watching over him?” he whispered.

“I do. I have a feeling she will always be here,” she put her hand over Gunther’s heart, “and here.” She rested her hand on Grey’s chest.

He nodded and the tears trickled down his face. “I miss her so much already. I lived and breathed for her.”

“I know you did, and she was madly in love with you. She changed your life, and you did hers. You will forever be connected through this little one of yours.”

Gunther covered his face with his hands. His body shuddered as the sobbing hit him harder than before.

“Oh god… She’s gone…for-forever…” He choked on his words. “What am I…going to do, Elaina? I-I don’t know how to deal…with this. I need her so much.”

She lay Grey down on the bed and wrapped her arms around Gunther, pulling him into a sitting position and holding him while he shattered. “Shhh… I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“I can’t…do this. Not without…her.”

“Yes, you can. We’re all going to help you with whatever you need.”

“Elaina… I can’t. I can’t,” he cried. Feeling his sobs shudder through his injured body broke her heart. “She’s gone. My love is…gone,” he whispered into her hair.

“I wish I could change this for you.” Elaina rocked him back and forth. She pulled away and held his face in her hands. “I can’t even imagine how you must feel.”

Falling back into her shoulder, he whispered, “I love her…so much. I’m nothing without her.”

“Yes, you are. You are an amazing man and a wonderful father.”

Gunther looked up at Elaina. “It was her…all her. She made me this way. With her gone…it will all go away.”

“No. You will continue to be. Just because she’s gone doesn’t mean you give up. Give her a reason to be proud while she smiles down upon you and Grey.”

“My heart… It feels empty. Cold. Dead.”

“Gunther, it’s so full. Full of love for her, Grey, your family. Everyone here is your family. We love you and are here for you. Anytime you need to talk, cry, scream, yell, I am here for you. Anytime you need help with Grey or with anything, Gunther, you come and find me, no matter the time of day or night. I will stop whatever I’m doing to help you, listen to you, hug you, allow you to cry on my shoulder.”

“You have no idea what those words mean to me. Thank you. Can you help me hold him for a sec?”

“Of course.” Elaina picked up Grey and positioned him just right, using pillows to prop up Gunther’s arm, supporting the baby’s weight. He cooed when he focused on Gunther, making him smile through his tears.

“Hey, my bear.” There was a long deafening pause. She watched him stroke his cheek and mess with his hair. Then he started speaking again, and Elaina’s heart felt as if it would stop beating. Like he understood what Gunther was saying, Grey quieted down and listened to every word. “Mummy is gone up to heaven now. I want you to know how much she loves you. Bear, she loves you more than anything and I know if she could have hung on, it would have been for you. She was all about you. I do know she would want you to behave like a proper gentleman. So no naughty business, lad.” He smiled as best as he could, and Grey cooed again. “I love you, Grey bear, and I beg you to be patient with me while I try to figure all this out.” Gunther kissed his forehead and looked up at Elaina. “Can you hold him and keep him here until I fall asleep?”

“Absolutely.” She picked Grey up and snuggled him close. “Please remember if you need anything, anything at all, Henry and I are here for you. No matter what it is.”

A slow nod, then his eyelids flickered shut. Gunther placed his hand on Grey’s chest, feeling him breathe. When he was fully asleep, Elaina moved his hand to his own chest. She rose from the edge of the bed and left the room, softly shutting the door behind her.

I cleaned up and changed out of my bloody clothes, then headed back out of the room to find Elaina. I figured she was probably still with Gunther. Just as I made it to his door, she came out, looking emotionally drained.

“Hey. I need to stand guard for a while. Cora said she is ready to take Grey. Why don’t you take him to her, then lie down and rest. How is he?”

“Henry, he’s a mess. He sobbed so hard, my heart broke for him. I feel so damn guilty for being relieved it wasn’t you.”

“Don’t feel guilty.” I rubbed my thumb across her cheek, catching a heavy tear.

We walked Grey down to Cora’s room. I rubbed her shoulder and headed off down the hall, stacked with worry that others would show and hurt or kill more of our community. I wasn’t about to let that happen.

This shit was going to end and I was going to be the one who ended it.