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Chapter 25 - Danny: Breathing
It had been three hours since Arthur was arrested. Three hours since I last saw Gavin, and three more hours into Maddy’s labor.
We had decided that we would not tell them what was happening outside here. Maddy didn’t need the added stress. She was delivering life and that was what she needed to focus on.
I had gone in to get checked out, seeing as Arthur had held me at knifepoint. I had been poked and examined like a frog on dissection day. I’d had my CT scan and had done my psych evaluation. They had kept Axel away from me during all of this for obvious reasons, but I was glad.
I didn’t want Axel to see me so useless and broken. He only needed to view me as his strong-willed mama who didn’t let things get to her. But my heart was on an operating table fighting to live. I had not gone to church in a long time, but I found myself praying. I prayed for a miracle and that Gavin would be saved. I had even prayed for a trade but then I thought of my son and what would happen to him if I left. No matter which way it went, Axel would be losing a parent.
A few minutes later, a nurse walked in.
“Ma’am this is the bag belonging to your husband,” she said, setting down a large plastic filled with clothes next to me on the bed. I didn’t even bother correcting her. The title felt right coming from her lips, so I let it be.
“How…” I tried to clear the emotion from my throat. “How much longer do you think he will be? Were they able to stop the bleeding?”
She gave me a look of sympathy. “I’m sorry ma’am, but I don’t know anything.”
“Were they able to remove the knife?”
“I don’t know, ma’am.”
“Is his condition stable, at least?”
“I don’t know, ma’am.”
“So what do you know?” My tone came out harsher than I would have liked, but these nurses had been pretty useless. They didn’t jump into action until I yelled at them. They didn’t know anything, and they should have called security much earlier, then maybe Gavin wouldn’t be on an operating table fighting for his life.
“Ma’am, I understand you are under a lot of duress, but I need you to be a little kinder in your tone.”
“You and your coworkers were useless in that waiting room! How could it have taken so long to get security up to the maternity floor? If you guys had just done your job right, then Gavin wouldn’t be lying with his abdomen open in this building. You failed! You failed us! You failed him!”
My words were laced with venom, and I wanted her to feel it. She and her colleagues had failed.
“Get out,” I seethed, “Get out!”
I grabbed the closest thing to me—the bag of clothes next to me—and threw it right at her head. Thankfully, she dodged it and exited the room. The tears streamed down my face, as I tried to hold it together, but I was struggling. I felt so unbelievably broken.
Then I saw it laying on the floor. I shouldn’t have been able to see it, but I did. It was evident and, even before I drew closer, I had a feeling about what it was even before I picked it up. I gasped. This could not be real.
Slowly, I crouched down on the floor and picked up the velvet box. It felt wrong touching it. It belonged to him, but I was 100% sure it was bought specifically for me.
Slowly, I opened the velvet box.
“Oh my god,” I gasped. The tears were overflowing now as I stared at the ring inside. It was an emerald engagement ring with a platinum band that had a little engraving on the side. I picked up the ring tentatively, afraid to break the expensive masterpiece.
I tilted the ring to the side and read the inscription on the inside.
My dandelion wish…till the end of time.
I couldn’t stop the wail escaping my lips even if I tried. My body racked as I held the ring close to my chest. He was going to give this to me. He had been moving around with it in his pocket. How long had he had it for? Had he planned to propose to me in California?
So many questions racked my brain, as I felt the world around me crumble. I dropped to my knees, the ring still clutched safely in my hand. I didn’t want to let it go. Gavin needed to wake up and give this to me himself. He had to. He needed to ask me the question, and I would say yes. He had to.
I heard the door open but I was too caught up in my own despair to notice who it was. I felt arms around me, but I didn’t acknowledge the person. I heard them call my name, but I didn’t look. I just continued to cry and cry until I couldn’t cry anymore.
A few moments passed before I felt the sting of something in my arms. I looked down and saw a syringe injecting me with something. I followed the arm connected to the hand on the syringe and came face to face with Ethan. I looked over my shoulder and noticed that it was Lily who had come to hold me down.
“What?”
