Hiding Away (Anchored Hearts #1.5) (14 page)

C
hapter Twenty Seven

~ JANE ~

“Let.Her.Go.”  The tone James used was deadly.

I continued to struggle against D
erek, desperate to get to Cal.  His eyes were closed at my last glimpse of him, as I watched his chest move up and down. 
Keep breathing Cal, please keep breathing.

“I won’t ask again, Derek.”

Derek’s gun was pointed in front of me as I tried to break free of him. 

“Maybe I’ll kill her too.”

It all happened so fast.  Before I knew it Derek had shoved me away from him, and I briefly looked to him as he pointed the gun at me.  My foot just missed the top step as I tumbled down the stairs backwards, losing sight of James and Derek.  There was a loud
POP
and the thud that followed was that of a body hitting the floor. 

I managed to catch myself on the railing during my fall.  Pulling myself up, my side
ached as I looked up the stairs.  I saw Derek’s body lying on the floor.  Turning to look for James I found him standing still as a statue. 
CAL! 
The adrenaline kicked in as I battled my way up the stairs, back to Cal.

Falling to my knees, my legs unable to carry me any longer,
I crawled over and rubbed Cal’s arms and smacked his face, trying to get him to come to.  “Cal, please, talk to me.  Help’s coming, baby, just hold on.”  Trying to find his pulse, I found it was faint, but it was there. 

I don’t know how I let it happen.  Cal had crawled under my skin and implanted himself there.  He’d become a part of me, no matter how much I wanted to deny it.  He had been slowly gluing the broken pieces of my heart back together
, and I was oblivious to it, till now.  If I lost him, I knew I would never recover.  My tears saturated our hands as I pleaded with him, “Please wake up, Cal.”

It was then I realized he wasn’t breathing and he’d lost
too much blood.  “JAMES!”  I started mouth to mouth on him and cried out “Come on Cal, don’t do this to me, not now.”  I checked his pulse again and it was gone.  “JAMES, PLEASE HELP!”  He ran in the door then as I cried, “James, please help me.” 

He didn’t flinch.  Screaming, I repeated myself.  He looked to me
, alarmed, before pulling out his cell phone and dialing 911.  He put the phone on speaker, as he gave the operator the address, and told them there was an officer down. 

“James, I need towels.”  He ran to my bathroom and came out with towels
, and I directed him to apply pressure to Cal’s chest.

“Jane, I’m sorry.  I had Cassidy call for help
, but I was too late.”

“What are you sorry about, James?  You didn’t do anything wrong.”  James started mumbling incoherently.  Something was wrong with him, but I couldn’t process
it, not now.  Checking for Cal’s pulse again, I panicked when I couldn’t find it.  I tried the other side. 

N
othing. 

“James, snap out of it.  I need your help.”  I instructed him
in what to do, as I continued mouth to mouth and James did the chest compressions.

 
I’m not sure how much time passed, if it was seconds or minutes, but soon I was being pulled off of Cal and the paramedics took over.  I gave them all the information I could before I crumbled on the floor against the bed and took in the chaos surrounding me. 

All of this was my fault.  I looked over to where Derek’s
iPod now laid on the floor.  Another officer was talking to James and I watched as the paramedics used a defibrillator on Cal.  I’d killed him; all because I was too proud and stubborn to expose my history to Cal.

Cal loved me the way every girl dreamed of being loved; fiercely
, without restraint or regret.  I would never be the same without him.  He made me better, stronger.  He was my perfect match, and I’d spit on his love for me by hiding my past from him.

I don’t remember
much more after that, besides trying to beat a paramedic off of me, as they carried Calvin out on a backboard.  James grabbed some clothes for me to throw on before I staggered after Cal. 

I stopped in the hallway and fell to my knees again.  “Jane, you need to let the paramedics take care of you.”  My eyes were glued to the puddle of blood in the hall
where Derek’s body had been.  “He’s gone, he won’t hurt you anymore.”  James scooped me in his arms and carried me outside.  There were several police cars and I turned just in time to see the doors shut on the back of the ambulance holding Cal. 

“James, I have to go with him.”

“You did everything you could for him.  You need to get checked out.  He would insist I make you get checked out.”

“O-ok.
  But, please take me to the hospital.”  The ambulance put on its sirens and flew down the drive.  “Now!  I’ll get checked out when I get there.” 

Cal’s
old partner, Frank, walked over then and offered to drive me to the hospital.

When I got to the ER
, I walked in
-
intent to find Calvin, when James walked up behind me.  “You’re getting checked out.”  I went to object.  “NOW.”

He didn’t ask any more questions.  Diligently, he stood by my side
, my Lord Protector again, as I filled out forms and answered questions.  We were told that, currently, Cal was still alive, but in surgery.  I was explaining all the nasty details to the nurse when James dropped his head in his hands.

“James, I’m ok.  You can head back upstairs if you want.  I got it from here.” 

“Jane?”

“Stop asking questions please.  I need you to go check on Cal, please.”  He didn’t question me, simply kissed my forehead before leaving the room.

“Is there any chance you’re already pregnant?”  I looked up at her somber face as I mentally repeated the question over and over.  “When was your last period?”

“I, umm…”  My last period was a few weeks ago, before the Christmas tree lot.  We didn’t use protection that night. 
“Oh, God.”  I gave her the date and said, “Yes, there’s a chance.”

“Ok.
  We’re going to run a pregnancy test first and see where we’re at.”  She patted my hand before leaving the room.

A few minutes later a lab tech came in and drew several vials of blood.  I placed my hand on my belly and couldn’t help to think about the possibility of carrying Cal’s child.  After losing a child, that I was overjoyed about, it was natural for me to hope I was pregnant again.

My boss, Sylvia, heard I was in the ER and came down to see me.  She’d given me a week off, but that was all she could offer me, for now.  I was thankful for her help and understanding.

An hour later the nurse came in.  “The pregnancy test was negative, dear.”  I could tell that she wasn’t sure what reaction she would get from me. 

As my heart digested her words, my chin quivered as all my pain was renewed.  I nodded my head and told her to proceed with the exam and other tests they needed. 
One exam, a dozen xrays, and several photographs later, I agreed to the morning after pill.  The police needed them, it was protocol.

The doctor wanted to admit me overnight due to the concussion I had sustained,
some cracked ribs, and a sprained wrist, but I refused.  As I was headed out of the ER I ran into Dave, Cal’s dad, by the elevators.

“Hey, Jane.
  How are you?”  I smiled weakly at him, waiting for the grand inquisition that was surely coming and that I deserved.  “Can I talk to you for a minute?”  My heart dropped.  He motioned over to some benches across from the elevator and I followed.

  He stared at me for a moment making me entirely nervous.  “Is he ok?”  I was examining my hands, unable to look him in the face.

“He’s still in surgery.  We’re waiting for word.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry for.  Cal’s alive.  If you hadn’t been there to perform CPR on him, he’d be gone. 
You
gave him a fighting chance, Jane.”

I looked up at his words and saw Cal’s eyes staring back at me, as they turned glassy.  I’d never noticed the resemblance before.  I was looking at my future, if he made it and still wanted me.  “But, it’s my fault he got shot.”

Placing his hand on my knee he said, “Unless you pulled the trigger, it’s
not
your fault.  He loves you and he was protecting you.  I know my son well enough to know he’d do it all over again, in a heartbeat.  He’s a better man than I could’ve ever hoped he would be; a better man than me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.  I’m not sure what made you run out today and it’s not my business.  But if Derek treated you this way on a regular basis, then I’m glad he’s out of your life.”

I started shaking as the memories flooded me.  Oh God.  Derek had raped me, at least once.  “Jane, what’s wrong?”

I jumped at his voice and looked around me frantically.  “Sorry.”

Dave seemed to understand my meaning and helped me to the elevator.  As the doors opened,
we saw James staring back at us.  James took in my appearance and said that an intern was due to come give us an update soon.  Dave and I joined him in the elevator and I started shaking.  James grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Several hours later we
were sitting in the waiting room eagerly awaiting some news.  I prayed like I’d never prayed before.  I couldn’t bear to lose him.  He had to make it because without him, none of what I’d gone through would be worth it. 

James tried reaching my parents, but
they were already in flight for their annual trip.  James sat across from me, watching me quietly.  Cassidy was being consoled by her dad and Lisa.  She was a wreck and I felt about as bad as she looked.  She just went through something similar six months ago and lost her best friend in the end.  I prayed, for both our sakes, that Cal was more fortunate. 

“D
o you need anything?”  He moved to sit by my side as I just stared at my hands, remnants of blood, Cal’s blood, still there.

I tried to be as quiet as I could.  “They had to use the defibrillator on him,
James.  Two different times.”  Hearing a gasp from the corner, I looked to see Dave, Lisa and Cassidy gaping at me in horror.  “I’m sorry.”  I pulled my knees to my chest and placed my forehead on my knees as my arms hugged my legs tight.  The pain that racked my body had me seeing stars.

Dave then got up to go
see where the intern was with news.  A few minutes later an intern came out to tell us that they were still working on him.  He needed several transfusions and they had to revive him a couple times.  He told us that we should all prepare for the worst.  The room became eerily quiet as the intern left.  I think we were all in shock.

Another hour passed.

It was then that a couple doctors came out and asked for Calvin’s family.  I’d seen and experienced this too many times as a nurse.  The doctors led Cassidy, Dave and Lisa to a private room and shut the door, I had been forgotten. 

He was gone. 

Those rooms were utilized for the families who needed them to grieve in.  I was numb.  Everything became inaudible and stagnant.  Everyone else, James, Frank, and some other coworkers of Calvin’s, were staring at that door, where they were breaking the news to Calvin’s family.  I wandered out of the corridor, forgotten.

I
roamed around the hospital for quite a while before I came across the atrium.  Searching out a bench in a corner, I sat down and pulled my knees to my chest.  It had to be close to the middle of the night, if not close to morning.  The atrium was empty.  Silent sobs took over my body.  I had a few bandages on my face and on my body.  What did it matter now?  My life was over.  The last two months had been the best of my life.  I had tried to keep Calvin at arm’s length, but it was impossible. 

Now he was gone.

E
pilogue

The room was dimly lit.  A ventilator moved up and down as IVs dripped
, at their scheduled pace, into his arms.  He was unconscious and he wasn’t expected to survive.  They had also posted a guard outside his room given the circumstances.  His ID revealed that he was an organ donor and now they waited for the tests to determine if there was brain activity.  The nurse finished checking his bandage and jotted down his vitals before leaving the room.

Blinking rapidly,
Derek’s eyes flew open.

The End

JB3 and Cassidy return in

Letting Go of You

Anchored Hearts Vol. 2

Anticipated Summer 2014

&

Will Jane reveal her secrets?  Find out in

Anchored Hearts Vol. 2.5

Anticipated Fall 2014

&

Look for a preview of Skye Turner’s

Bayou
Stix series

at
the very end of this book.