Unbreak Me (18 page)

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered as tears fell. Just as he was about to bend down to kiss her, the doctor came along, making his presence known.

Anxious, Connor looked at the middle-aged man. “Will she survive?” The words alone hurt to say.

“Molly sustained a serious injury to the head, causing a bleed. I performed an emergency procedure—a craniotomy—to reduce the pressure of the bleed. She is now in an induced coma, which will help reduce the strain of the injury on the brain, giving us time to treat her other injuries,” the doctor said. “She has six broken ribs and a broken ankle. Those will heal, but our main concern is her head injury and keeping her as comfortable as possible.”

“What happened?” Connor’s voice quavered.

“Molly was hit by a cab. Her blood-alcohol concentration levels were point two hundred, which put her at a dangerous level. She is lucky to be alive.”

“Wait a minute, she was drunk?” Connor asked.

“Yes, another drink would have put her life at risk.”

Connor slipped back over to the bed, touched his beautiful Molly’s hand and sobbed. “I won’t leave your side. I swear it… Please… Please don’t give up.”

He’d done this. He had destroyed her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Three weeks later

It was odd.

Molly floated through an endless fog. The kind of haze where she couldn’t find her bearings. But instead of the chill that normally came with fog, she was warm. A nice comforting heat that radiated through her, easing some of the crushing anxiety. Yet there was a dull ache, a pain she couldn’t define. It was there, throbbing beneath the layers, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

Voices. So many voices. She was sure she knew them. She did know them. They were people she knew, but she couldn’t see them. Molly tried to speak, but her voice failed her.

Looking down on herself, she saw that she wasn’t really there. Nobody, nothing.
What’s going on?
she thought as she continued to float. Completely confused.

“Molly, honey, we’re still here.” A voice filtered through the air, sounding so distant, yet so close.

Panic set in.
Where are you?
she thought as her voice failed to make a sound. Something was stopping her from responding. Something was stuck in her throat.

Oh God, I can’t breathe,
she thought as she choked.
Help me!

Warm hands. Bright light.

Molly’s eyes fluttered open a few times as she slowly regained consciousness, weakly grabbing for the tubes scratching at her throat. Totally unaware of her surroundings, Molly gagged, as if she were about to vomit, yet choking at the same time.

“Molly, I am going to remove this tube. Just relax and let out a little cough,” an unfamiliar voice said, her face slowly coming into view as Molly’s eyes tried to focus on her through the cloud of fog.

A new kind of panic began to set in. Pain, mixed in with an inner anguish, caused tears to seep down her face, wetting the hair behind her neck. Wide-eyed and very aware of the now-burning itch in her throat, Molly coughed as the tube was extracted from her throat.

The nurse wiped her mouth, but it was of no use, Molly couldn’t hold it in. The contents of her stomach emptied in quick succession. She cringed, but was relieved at the same time.

“Molly,” she heard his voice.

Connor came to her side and touched her hand as the nurse took her blood pressure.

Closing her eyes, Molly ached from exhaustion. She wanted to drift back to the warm fog, rest some more. It was too much effort trying to figure it all out.

“Molly, I’m going to take some blood, so you may feel a little scratch,” the nurse said. And as sure as hell, the needle stung as it pricked her skin. Molly’s eyes flashed open and stared at the nurse. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m just doing the rounds.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Connor asked.

“The doctor will be here soon.” The nurse was direct, but her warm smile was reassuring.

As the nurse left the room, Connor sat beside her bed, holding her hand. Molly opened and closed her eyes, focusing her gaze on the handsome man who’d fallen so deeply in love with her. His unshaven face looked tired, his eyes were sad and the way his voice quavered as he spoke hurt her in a way she had never imagined.

“I’ve been out of my mind with worry,” he said as he held her hand to his face, placing soft kisses along the knuckles.

“Aggie,” Molly hoarsely said.

Connor looked at her, his eyes now shining from the tears ready to burst the bank. Looking over at the woman approaching the other side of the bed, Regina touched her face as she battled her own grief.

“Oh, honey, let’s just focus on you for now,” Regina said as she bent, kissing Molly gently on the forehead.

Molly looked at Connor, her eyes observing him. Really focusing on his expressions. She could read him like a book. She could tell he was keeping something from her. “Where’s…Aggie?”

Closing her eyes again, Aggie’s face flashed before Molly’s eyes in a memory she had long forgotten.

It was such a warm, beautiful day. Aggie had insisted on a day out of the city, a picnic and plenty of sun lotion to protect her pale skin from the burning rays. Regina popped on one of her huge straw sun hats and sat beside the woman she loved as they drove to the Golden Gate National Recreation Park, where they intended on spending some quality time together, reading, relaxing and listening to nature.

Molly witnessed firsthand the genuine and deep love the two women had for each other. One would finish the other’s sentences, resulting in raucous laughter.

“You two are perfect,” Molly said as she wrapped her arms around Aggie’s shoulders.

The dark-haired woman looked up at the beautiful brunette whom she loved and cherished as though she were her own child. “We make do.”

Regina laughed that infectious laugh of hers. She was so happy it was hard to imagine seeing her being anything other than full of the happiness and joy for life. It radiated from her. She was the sun in Aggie’s eyes, and together, they embodied everything that was right with the world.

The memory soon began to fade into darkness. A gloomy day, a time when Molly’s heart knew what loss and grief felt like. The wicker casket—so beautiful, so typical of Aggie—was laid into the hole in the ground. The sun had gone from Regina’s face, in its place a sadness, a cloud of hurt that Molly found hard to bear witness to. Her heart broke as dirt was thrown down over the casket, the last moments to reflect on the short period of time she got to be with Aggie. The lasting memories, the love, the happiness—the second chance of life.

* * * *

Molly’s eyes opened again. This time she could see the pain in Connor’s eyes, the realization—the truth.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, holding her hand, gently caressing her with his thumb.

“I’m so…lost.”

“Hello, Molly,” Doctor McGraw said as he approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.”

“That’s to be expected. You’ve had a bit of a tough time,” the doctor said as he shined a light in her eyes. “Molly, what do you remember?”

Tears trickled down the side of her face. “I don’t know… It’s all so jumbled.”

Sitting down on the side of the bed, Dr. McGraw rested his hands on his lap. He was a balding man in his late fifties. “Molly, this might be difficult to hear, but I’m a believer in being direct and honest,” he said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Three weeks ago you were hit by a car, which resulted in some life-threatening injuries. You sustained a serious head injury, so I performed an operation called a craniotomy to relieve the pressure on your brain, and to allow the swelling to heal,” he said, keeping his voice calm. “We kept you sedated, giving your body time to heal, and we began to wean you off the ventilator three days ago. You’ve been showing signs of coming round, and today you woke up. But I cannot stress the importance of rest. Your body and brain have been through a serious trauma and it will take a while to recover. You have a great team on your side, and these guys have been here, willing your survival.”

Molly closed her eyes, digesting what he was saying. Three weeks of her life had passed her by. She had no recollection of being hit by the car, she could make no sense of any of it, yet her head throbbed, her body ached, and there was something niggling away beneath the surface, but she couldn’t get to it.

“I’ll be in to check on you later, and we can discuss the right time to take you back into theater,” he said as he got up from the bed.

“More surgery?” Molly asked.

“Yes, a small procedure to replace the bone flap.” Dr. McGraw smiled and touched her hand, giving her a gentle squeeze. “You’re in good hands. Don’t worry. Just rest.”

Dr. McGraw smiled at both Connor and Regina.

Molly watched them both, how they fidgeted nervously. Neither saying much to the other, their faces telling Molly enough. They were hiding something, keeping some kind of truth from her. She hated being lied to, and more so than anything, she hated being the last to know what was going on.

A few hours had passed. Molly slept on and off in those two hours. Regina had gone home to get her a few things. Stuff that Molly would want. Connor sat by her side, afraid to move, afraid to leave her, touching her hand, letting her know he loved her.

“Did we have a fight?” Molly asked.

The question came out of the blue. She took Connor by surprise and the look in his eyes said it all. “Yes.”

“What happened?”

“Baby, I don’t think the time is right, not now,” he whispered.

“Why?” Molly’s gravelly voice scratched as she tried her best not to cry.

“Because you need to concentrate on getting better.”

“No one’s been to the grave. Why has no one been to the grave? The flowers will have died,” Molly began to mumble, not making sense.

Connor stepped over to the bed and sat down beside her. “What grave?”

“Aggie’s… Aggie needs to have fresh carnations every Monday… What day is it?”

“Molly, Regina has taken care of things. Don’t panic.”

Molly’s head was so jumbled nothing was making sense to her. Everything was compressed in a tight box, bursting to get out, details merging with other details, all cluttered.

“Why didn’t you jump?”

The words cut through Connor like shards of glass. Ripping at his soul. Reminding him of the last words she’d said to him.

“Because you saved me.” His voice cracked as the words came out.

“No… No… No.” Molly began crying.

The world began to seem like an ugly place and Molly wanted nothing more than to slip back to the haze. Everything there felt less stressful. At least there, the truth couldn’t touch her. At least there, she wouldn’t have to look into the cheating eyes of the man who had broken her heart.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Connor wasn’t stupid. He knew it the moment she began muttering. The details had begun to filter through and Molly’s tearful face was enough proof for him to know that he’d broken her.

Molly pulled back her hand. “What did you do?”

Connor couldn’t hold it in any longer. The guilt was eating him alive. The darkest sense of defeat began to consume him. He couldn’t lie. He couldn’t pretend to her that he hadn’t destroyed everything they had created. How could he? She would remember—it was only a matter of time.

“Do you remember the gala?” he asked.

Molly searched hard. Connor could see she was doing her best to remember.

“The Ritz Carlton?” she muttered.

God, she remembers,
he thought.

“Yes, we were at the Ritz,” he agreed. The knot began twisting inside and he felt nauseated. He didn’t want to have to say it. The details alone sickened him to the core. Hearing himself utter those words would have been like sticking the knife into her heart. “You were so beautiful.”

“A blue dress?” she asked, her eyes reading his face, looking for answers.

“Yes, a gorgeous blue dress.”

“Your mother is a cow.”

Smiling, Connor nodded his head. “Yes, she’s that and a few other choice words.”

“But… I’m sensing something… It’s so confusing.” Molly closed her eyes and tried to focus.

The memory of the night that their life had been turned upside down would come back. It was there, it just wasn’t clear. It was just a matter of time. Swallowing hard, Connor touched her cheek, running his fingers gently down over the contours of her jaw line. “You know I love you, don’t you?”

Molly looked at him, her eyes all sad. Connor couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t take it. He was a coward and hated himself the more he watched her search for answers.

“We did it in the restroom,” she cried. Touching her head, she rubbed her temples. “It’s just so fuzzy. I can’t think straight.”

“Then get some sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” Bending down over her, Connor kissed her, rubbing his nose against hers. The thought of losing her was beginning to weigh heavy on his heart.

“Okay…” Molly replied as she closed her eyes. Reaching out, she touched his hand, her fingers brushing against his skin. “I love you too.”

Connor sat, resting his arms on his knees, thinking pensively until Regina came back, carrying a small bag.

“How is she?” she asked, making sure she kept her voice down.

“Asking questions.”

“Hmm, that she is entitled to, and you know it.”

Regina unpacked a nightgown, resting it on the foot of the bed, her jaw rigid as she gazed at the sweet girl sleeping.

“I want to be honest with her, Regina. I never meant to hurt her.”

“We’re not doing this here, Connor.” Regina glared at him.

“I need some air.”

“You do that.”

Connor got up and left, not wanting to get into a confrontation with Regina. He knew that Regina had every right to be pissed with him, and in a way, he wanted her to judge him, rip him apart. Nothing could have made him feel any worse that he already did.