The Edge of Forever (10 page)

“Poppy, love, I’m sorry to wake you.” Shuffling sounded on the other end.

“Blake? Where are you?” He had left her a note, but clearly she hadn’t woken up since he left and found it. He didn’t want to go through all of this over the phone. He had so much to explain to her, and he needed to do that in person.

“I’m sorry I’m not there, sweetheart. I had to meet up with Maggie.”

“Maggie?” She sounded confused but awake.

“Yeah, but I’ll explain everything once I’m home.” Letting his head fall back against the headrest, Blake closed his eyes and exhaled. “I’ve caused a big mess, baby.” The sound of her breathing calmed him further, and he knew that there was no other woman for him, no other person who could heal his broken heart and bring his life meaning like she could.

A beat of silence passed, and she said, “Okay, but please be careful driving.” Blake looked out his window, watched the steady fall of snow around the vehicle and smiled.

“Always, sweetheart.
I have something very important waiting at home for me.” More shuffling on the other end and he pictured her naked in the bed. “I love you, sweetheart, and I’ll be home.”

“I love you, too, Blake, so much.”

And with those words he knew that no matter what happened in his life everything would be okay as long as Poppy was by his side. He cranked the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. The sound of the windshield wipers swishing back and forth filled the interior. The snow started to come down harder and cover the road, but he was used to the inclement weather. Bright lights flashed in his rearview mirror and he adjusted it to lessen the glare.

Swish, swish, swish
.
The sound of the wipers moving back and forth had an almost lulling quality. The car behind him got closer, and closer, and he looked in the mirror. The roads were far too slick and dangerous for someone to be driving so close to him, but he refused to speed up and put some distance between them. It wasn’t lost on him that the car made the same turns as he did, and made sure to keep up with him. This far into town meant the roads were dead, especially when he turned onto the back road that would lead him closer to his house. That road had practically no traffic during the day, and zero this late at night.

It could have been merely a coincidence that the car traveled the same route as he, but in Blake’s gut he knew that wasn’t the case. As if the driver had read his thoughts, they slammed into the back of his SUV, causing the wheels to catch a patch of black ice and swerve to the thick line of trees to his right. “Fuck.” Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Blake breathed out and focused on keeping the car steady. He reached for his phone, ready to call the cops, when the car slammed into him again. The vehicle jerked to the side, and the phone slipped from his hands to fall to the ground. He couldn’t control the vehicle as it spun and skidded right for the bank of trees. The tires slid on the snow-covered ground as it barreled to the side. The force and momentum in which he lost control had the trees rushing at him fast. The last thing that came to his mind was Poppy, and how she was going to lose someone else in her life.

****

Another look out the living room window showed the same thing: a steady dump of snow that only seemed to increase in activity with each passing second. Poppy continued to pace the length of the living room. It had been over an hour since she had spoken to Blake. The roads were bad, but even so it shouldn’t have taken him this long to get home, even if he was at one of the cafés on the outskirts of town. She had called the Blithe police because her worst fears came crashing through her. All she could see in her mind was twisted metal, snow falling, and blood covering the ground. Her nails were stumps on the tips of her fingers as she continued to chew on them. The police had been kind enough, but she hadn’t heard back from them. That could be could or bad. Again she tried to call Blake’s phone, and again it rang until it went to voicemail. Fear and panic seized her chest as the worst case scenarios played through her mind. No, she couldn’t think like that.

He’s fine. The roads are just bad, and he’s taking his time. Maybe he got held up, and is talking with Maggie?

When he’d called her and said he had a lot to talk to her about, that he was with Maggie, she hadn’t known how to respond, what to think. She trusted Blake implicitly and knew he would never hurt her, but the way Maggie had responded when she asked what her feelings for Blake were had Poppy not trusting the other woman. Right now none of that mattered.

Please, I don’t care what he did with her or why he was at the cafe. Just make sure he’s okay. Please, just make sure he’s okay.

Pacing, pacing, pacing. That was all Poppy could do, but then she grabbed her phone, intent on calling the police department again and demanding they tell her something, anything. Just as she went to dial the number her phone lit up with an incoming call. She knew that number, because she was just about to call them.

Her hands shook as she slid her finger over the screen to answer to and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hello?” Sweat coated her palms, and her heart thundered frantically.

“Poppy Ellis?”

“Yes?” Tears already swam in her eyes because she
knew,
she just
knew
this call wasn’t going to be good.

“This is Officer Stevens form the Blithe Police Department. We’ve found Blake Ellis.”

Chapter Thirteen

Post-accident Day 1

“Ms. Ellis, Blake has suffered extensive head trauma. The CT and MRI showed brain activity, which is extremely positive when it comes to the outlook of his condition, but right now we are keeping him sedated to give his body time to heal and decrease the swelling around his brain.”

Twenty-four hours had passed since Poppy received the phone call about Blake being found, and she hadn’t been able to rest since. She thanked the group of doctors and watched as a sea of white lab coats left the room. They had to life-flight him into Anchorage due to the fact the small hospital in Blithe wasn’t equipped to deal with such severe injuries. So now it was just the waiting game. She sat in the chair beside his bed and took his hand. He felt warm in her grasp, and she turned his hand over so she could look at his palm. Poppy ran her finger along the lines that covered the smooth flesh. Placing her hand on top of his, she marveled at how small her hand was compared to his.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, but I want you to know I won’t leave your side until you open your eyes and smile at me. It’s kind of crazy that two years ago you were the one by my bedside, and now here I am, doing the same.” She kept her eyes on his hand and ran her finger around the edge of his fingers. “When I lost Jon I thought my life held no meaning any longer. I was scared to live, Blake, but then we started talking and I saw that my fear was irrational.” She lifted her eyes to his face and felt tears well in her eyes. He looked so peaceful, even with the tubes and lines coming out of him. The lines that normally graced his face were smooth and flawless, and she reached up and brushed the short dark hair from his forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, Blake, so please be okay so we can start our life.” Poppy dropped her head onto the bed and rested her cheek on their clasped hands. Nothing could pry her away from him.
Nothing.

****

Post-accident Day 4

“We want you to be prepared that Blake won’t be the same when he wakes up. The incision we made on his scalp and removed the area of skull has helped significantly in the reduction of the inflammation, but we still need to keep a close eye on him.”

Poppy rubbed her eyes, feeling the lack of sleep taking its toll. Since they had brought Blake to the hospital four days ago there hadn’t been a whole lot of change with him. They slowly brought him out of the medically-induced coma, which was great news, but still frightened the hell out of Poppy. She had contacted both of their families, and they were filtering in from Ohio. Both of their sets of parents were a wreck, no doubt their thoughts on Jon’s accident like hers were.

“He may have permanent brain damage, have difficulty remembering people and simple tasks, and will require a lot of patience as he works through this.” The physician held a look of empathy, and Poppy hated him for it. He left, and she was once again alone with Blake. The tubes that had helped him breathe were now gone, yet he was still unconscious. Poppy had made sure to keep his face
shaved,
knowing that he wouldn’t have wanted to look like some caveman while people came in and out of his room. A smile formed on her lips at the thought.

“Honey?”
Blake’s mother, Katherine, stepped into the room. She looked just as bad as Poppy felt. Red rimmed her eyes, and she held a tissue to her nose. “Why don’t you come with me and get some coffee?” At Poppy’s hesitation Katherine said, “I’d like to talk to you, and that will give Henry a chance to sit with Blake.” Blake’s father wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and brought her close to his side.

“Hi, Henry.”
Poppy offered him a watery smile. Just seeing them standing together brought back a wave of emotions.

“Hi, sweetie.”
The tears in his eyes threatened to spill out, but Henry was a strong man and kept his emotions in check. “Go on and take a little walk with Katherine. I’ll watch over him.” He smiled, and a little bit of the stress in her faded. It was nice seeing the two of them again.

“Yeah, okay.” She grabbed her purse and walked out with Blake’s mom, but she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Henry sat beside his son, the pain on his face clear. Her heart tightened at the sight.

“Come on, dear.” Katherine led the way to the small cafeteria.

After they got a cup of coffee and found a seat the silence descended. Poppy stared at her coffee cup and ran her finger around the rim. Exhaustion played heavily within her, but even if she could have slept she wouldn’t have been able to, not with her mind on a constant reel
..

“Poppy?”

She lifted her eyes to Katherine.
“Yeah?”
She offered Blake’s mother a smile she didn’t feel.

“I just want you to know that I’m happy you and Blake found each other.” She took her hand across the table and held it tight. “I know Jon would have been happy that the two of you found comfort in one another.” Tears fell from Katherine’s eyes, which had
Poppy
crying as well.

After Poppy had told her mother about her relationship with Blake, he had told his parents. They had cried, and their concerns had been expressed. Though overall they’d seemed very supportive, Poppy hadn’t really felt their support until right now. Seeing his mother’s emotions and tears cemented Poppy’s relief that, yes, Blake’s family was okay with this. She hadn’t realized until right now how much their approval had meant.

“Thank you, Katherine. You have no idea how much that means to hear you say that.”

Katherine patted her hand in a very motherly way. “I’m glad Blake has you. Jon was lucky to have you in his life, and now Blake is.” She sniffed and took her tissue to her nose. “Anyway, have you heard any news about the woman who caused the accident?”

Deep breathe in. Deep breathe out.

“Maggie wasn’t harmed, and is in police custody. I’ve been too concerned about Blake to inquire what is going to happen with her.” She pulled her rats’ nest of hair up into a sloppy ponytail and looked at Katherine. When an officer came by the hospital room and explained that they had apprehended Maggie Harris, who had admitted to causing the accident, while she stood off to the side and stared at the wreckage. Apparently she had been mumbling about her love for a man who didn’t want her and if she couldn’t have him no one would. The revelation had come as a shock, but until she knew Blake would be okay she wouldn’t let that acid eat away at her. As long as Maggie was in custody and there were no plans on letting her go, Poppy would worry about her later.

When they returned to Blake’s room it was to see his father hunched over his son’s body, singing a low song. Katherine instantly burst into tears, and all Poppy could do was hold his mother and cry right along with her.

****

Post-accident Day 10

Poppy leaned back in the chair, her focus on the muted television and the sound of Blake’s IV pump droning on in the background. It was going on two in the morning, and the infomercial that played on the screen became blurred by Poppy’s lack of sleep. Katherine and Henry had stayed with Blake while she took a quick shower and changed into clothes her mother had brought her. She was so thankful for the support of their families and didn’t know what she would do if they weren’t here.
Yeah, you do. You’d be a broken mess on the floor.

Blake slept peacefully besides her. With his hand in hers, she brushed her thumb back and forth along the smooth skin. Her attention faded until all she saw was his fingernails. They were long, strong fingers, and were attached to masculine, hands. Closing her eyes and resting her head back against the chair, she imagined the future, one where Blake wasn’t lying in a hospital bed. The slightest pressure on her hand had her snapping her eyes open and sitting up. Had she imagined it? Holding her breath, Poppy didn’t move as she stared at their conjoined hands. Yes! He clenched his hand again around hers. For so long all she did was blink back the tears and watch his face, hopeful. The lights were off in the room, but the glow from the nurses’ station through the window in the room illuminated his face.

“Blake?” Voice hoarse from unspoken emotion, Poppy moved closer to him and cupped his cheek up her other hand. No way would she let go of him. The world stopped as she waited for him to open his eyes, and after what felt like forever he finally did. His eyes looked dark in the shadowed room, but she could still see the intense hazel.
“Oh God, Blake.”
She could hardly see him through her deliriously happy tears.

For several long moments he didn’t say anything, just stared at her. The comments made by the doctors, about how he might not remember things, slammed into her brain. What if he didn’t know her? It seemed surreal, but the way he looked at her had her heart plummeting. “Blake? Please, say something.” She caressed his cheek, waiting for his first words in over a week. He closed his eyes, and she heard him swallow.

“Poppy, sweetheart.”
Just the feel of his hand tightening its hold on hers had
Poppy
covering his chest with her body and sobbing into his hospital gown. She should go get the doctors and tell their families he was awake, but for just this small moment in time she absorbed the fact he was alive and hoped everything would be okay.

“I love you, Blake. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart.” His voice sounded soft and hoarse, but the meaning behind his words was clear. “There is so much I want to tell you, wanted to tell you before all this happened. The whole Maggie thing—”

“
Shhh
, I don’t want to talk about any of that right now. I don’t care. All I’m worried about is you getting better so we can be together.”

She pressed a gentle kiss on his lips and forced herself to let everyone know that Blake would be okay. The nurses and doctors came in, asked him a series of questions and performed some tests. Then it was their families’ turn. A few had stayed in the waiting room, but the majority stayed at a local bed and breakfast.

After the tears of happiness, cries of joy, and hugs and kisses, Poppy and Blake were once again alone. “I didn’t know if you’d ever wake up, Blake.” Poppy pushed herself up and wiped the tears away. A small smile touched his lips, and when he trailed his finger over her arm she returned the sentiment.

“Sweetheart, there isn’t anything that would have kept me from you.” With that, he cupped the back of her head and brought her to him for a gentle, yet love-filled kiss. “Everything’s going to be okay now, I promise.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. Here he was, lying in a hospital bed after a massive car accident, and promising her that everything should be okay. “I should be the one telling you that.” She kissed him again. “How about we just take care of each other?”

“Sounds good to me.”
Her hair fell around them, concealing them like a curtain. Only time would tell if there was permanent damage to him, but Poppy would be there every step of the way.

“You’re my life, sweetheart.”

“And you’re mine, Blake.”