Broken Mercy

by Stacy McWilliams

  We finally reached St Jude’s and I had a flashback from when I’d been admitted with my gunshot. It felt like forever ago, but only a few months had passed. For a second, I let myself remember messaging Amber, when I was high on morphine and a small smile played on my lips. I climbed from the car first and Lexa, Quinn, and I all rushed for the entrance doors. Lexa led the way and when we reached Amber’s room, we found it guarded by a few police officers.

  “Stop there please,” the first officer commanded.

  We all froze. All I wanted to do was to get to Amber and make sure she was okay. I wanted to scoop her into my arms and never let her go, but first I needed these guys to let us through.

  “Miss Davis has asked for only Lexa to go in. You are Lexa?” He nodded towards her and I glared at him.

  “My name is Mason Michaels. Amber is my employee. I need to see her.”

  “Nope. I’m afraid only Miss Lexa may enter. Doctors’ orders.”

  My ears buzzed and I wanted to argue but arguing wouldn’t get me inside. I knew I needed to remain calm if I wanted to see Amber. He’d have to see reason eventually. Lexa gave Quinn a quick kiss, and she bolted through the doors, as he and I watched.

  “Calm down, Mase. Lexa will speak to her. She loves you. She’ll want to see you.”

  My eyes spun to him and I released the breath I was holding.

  “I know, but it’s my fault. She was kidnapped because of me. If I’d just told Ollie to get lost, then she wouldn’t have left, and all of this wouldn’t be happening.”

  “Yeah, but you didn’t make them do this. She must have had accomplices. She couldn’t have just acted alone.”

  His words set off alarms in my head and I began pacing the hallway. The cops stood stiffly outside of Amber's room. An unapproachable obstacle to the woman I loved. I wanted to know what had happened to her. I wanted to talk to her and see if she was okay, but I couldn’t do that while those two officers stood on the door. Barring me from entering, and glaring at me as if I was the criminal.

  Half an hour later, Lexa stepped from the room and stared at me with a sad expression on her face, as she walked towards me. Her long, brown hair was tied up and her hips swayed with her steps. I was only half watching her, because the door to Amber’s room was open and I could see a little way inside. My heart was hammering as I stepped towards the room and Lexa gently placed her hand on my chest.

  “Mason, she doesn’t want to see you just now.”

  Her soft voice cut into me and my heart sank like a stone. She blamed me. She thought it was all my fault and who could blame her. The last thing she heard from me was Ollie trying to convince me that we were getting back together, and me not saying, no.

  How could she forgive that?

  How could I convince her that I wasn’t really taking Ollie back, but was trying to bide my time. Until I could get a restraining order on her and ban her from, all of our lives? I shrugged Lexa off and walked to the door, determined to force my way inside, no matter what, when Quinn appeared at my side.

  “Mase,” he muttered softly into my ear.

  I turned to him, dreading what he was going to say because I knew he was going to try and stop me going in there. I had to see her with my own eyes. Even if, afterwards, she told me to get lost. I had to know she was safe and that she would heal.

  “Don’t, Quinn.” I told him in my most stubborn tone, and he dropped his hands and stepped aside.

  The cops on the door watched us chatting, with an almost amused expression. As soon as I approached them, they both stepped in front of the door, blocking my path inside.

  “Sorry, sir, but you aren’t allowed inside.” The taller of the two cops told me and I glared up at him.

  “Ms. Davis doesn’t want to see you.” Cop two informed me with a grin.

  I wanted to smack his misshapen smile. I knew they were only doing their jobs, but I just wanted to see she was okay with my own eyes.

  “Please?” I begged them in a hoarse whisper. “I just need to see her. I won’t even speak to her, but I have to know that she’s okay. Please?”

  Both cops glanced at me with hard expressions and neither of them moved, until a small broken voice muttered, “It’s okay,” from behind them.

  Her voice and the pain in it, made my heart hurt. I swallowed around the lump in my throat, as I walked into the room to see her. The room was white and clinical, with a bed and a blue chair. It had one window and a door that led, I assumed to a bathroom. It was the girl, sitting on the bed staring up at me, covered in bruises with a cut on her eye, swollen and split lips. A busted wrist that was in a brown brace and a foot that was in plaster. Her hair was matted with blood and I could see a small cut at the front of her forehead. Whoever else had done this, was on borrowed time. Ollie couldn’t have done this alone. When I found out who’d done this, I’d make them sorry they’d ever hurt her. My eyes roamed all over her and I watched as she stared up at me impassively.

  “You’ve seen me. Now you can leave,” she told me in a cold, detached voice. I wanted nothing more than to scoop her into my arms and run away with her.

  “Amber,” I breathed feeling the relief of her being safe wash over me and I stepped towards her.

  “Let me explain, please?” I asked her and she shook her head.

  “No. Not tonight. I’m too sore and tired, to listen to your bullshit excuses. Just leave, Mason. Please, just go,” she pleaded.

  I swallowed the pain of her words. I understood her being apprehensive and not wanting to see me. I knew if I forced the issue, then I’d probably lose her forever, but I wanted her to know I wasn’t giving up on us. Not by a long shot.

  “Amber, I’ll leave because you’ve asked me to, but I need you to know that I’ll be back. I’ll be here every day until you are discharged, and I’ll be around until you are ready to listen to me.”

  I was trying to tell her that I wasn’t going anywhere. That I’d be there for her, but her face darkened, and she picked up a juice cup from her bedside throwing it at me, with accuracy even though, it was her weaker hand.

  “Fuck off, Mason. I won’t ever be ready to listen to you. I’m fucking done. Done with you and these games. I can’t do it anymore.”

  Her heartrate was rising and the monitor beside her bed was going nuts, beeping, and alarming as she glared at me. I stepped back from her anger and wondered why she was so angry at me. Then I remembered what she’d heard, and my shoulders dropped.

  “I’m going, but Amber, I love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, and I need you to…”

  She stared at me in silence for a moment and then the machines went haywire a beat, before her eyes rolled, and she began seizing on the bed. Her whole body started shaking violently and I yelled, for help, as I watched her writhing around.

  “Code Blue, room four,” I heard announced, as nurses and doctors ran into the room and shoved me out of the way.

  “Move please, sir,” a dark-haired nurse muttered.

  I stood dumbfounded and in shock, but just backed up and watched as they gently lowered the bed and began to shout things over one another. After a few minutes, the machines returned to normal and everyone seemed to deflate all at once.

  “Mason,” I heard in a croaky whisper as Amber began to regain consciousness.

  I stepped forwards, staring at her in shock at what I’d witnessed, but with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

  “I’m right here, baby,” I muttered with a small smile.

  My smile was forced, and I saw her stare at me for a moment and then relax against the bed.

  “Ms. Davis are you epileptic?” a male doctor asked as he stood beside her, reading something on her chart and making a note.

  “Uh no. I’ve never been epileptic.”

  He nodded slowly, then turned to me, gesturing out into the hall with her chart. My eyes darted over to her, but she wasn’t looking at me anymore. She was staring
, at her hands and picking dried flecks of blood from them. Once we were out in the hallway, the doctor turned to me and asked me to confirm my name and identity. Before he asked me a few questions about Amber’s medical history.

  “We need to rule out epilepsy, but since she was abducted, we don’t know if the drugs they used, caused damage to the brain, or if it’s a head injury. She’s named you as her emergency contact and stated that we can discuss medical procedures with you.”

  I nodded at him, watching as his eyes darted across her chart.

  “On paper, she looks okay, but that seizure is the second time she’s had one, from when she arrived. So, I’d like to do a CT scan, to check for any underlying issues and to make sure that her brain hasn’t been adversely affected.”

  “Of course. I’ll stay until you find out what’s wrong with her, but doc, she’s going to be okay, right?” I asked, and he met my gaze with a tense look.

  “We can’t be sure of anything at the moment. Once we have a clearer idea of her internal injuries, then we can start the correct treatments. Until then, we’re still very much in the dark. What I know so far is she has three broken ribs, a laceration to her forehead that goes into her hairline. A laceration above her eye, fractured wrist and her ankle is broken in two places.”

  He watched as I digested his words. I was sure that my face betrayed the horror I was feeling, because he clapped me on the shoulder, before he continued.

  “Now, those are all superficial injuries, although the breaks are very painful and will take between four to six weeks to heal. However, those don’t concern me greatly. I’m more concerned with the internal injuries and getting a CT scan of her head is a start, at identifying those as is an MRI scan. With her being pregnant, we’ll hold off on that at the moment.”

  My head swam at the news that Amber was pregnant and I collapsed back against the wall at my back.

  “Does Amber know?” I asked in a strained voice and the doctor shook his head.

  “It’s only just been confirmed by our labs, but she is around six weeks, according to her HCG levels.”

  He broke off as nursing staff left the room. Giving me a quizzical look, as he watched me trying to digest the news, that I was going to be a father for the third time.

  Fuck.

  Lucca isn’t even six months old and my head spun as I realized that there’d be another baby in my house. There was no question that Amber would be staying with me, at least I hoped she would. I had to get her to talk to me, but I was stunned by the news that I was going to be a father again and I knew she would be too.

  “You can go back in now,” the doctor informed me as his pager went off.

  He popped Amber’s notes by the door and rushed off towards another patient. Leaving me alone with the news, that Amber was expecting my baby. I slowly walked back into the room, feeling as though I was dragging myself through mud. I noticed her sitting with her head in hands, as I moved into the room.

  “Hey, Ambs,” I muttered.

  She looked up at me with tear stained cheeks. My heart sank again, and I rushed over beside her, and wanted to pull her into my arms, but I didn’t want to hurt her.

  “Amber, what is it? What can I do?” I begged.

  She turned to me and burst into more tears. Her pain hurt me, and I leaned over, carefully wrapping my arms around her, and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

  “Mason,” she sobbed as more tears fell. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I just… I’m sore… everything hurts and seeing you hurts, worst of all…”

  Her broken voice tore at me and I wished I could scoop her into my arms and make her feel safe again.

  “Amber, I am so sorry, I hurt you again. I was never getting back with Ollie. I was playing for time until she left, so I could get a restraining order. You are the only person I want and I’m so sorry I hurt you…”

  I told her, trying to ignore the words clawing their way up my throat, ‘But you left me,’ was on the tip of my tongue, but I managed to swallow it, as I held onto her.

  “Mason, she hurt me. They all hurt me, and I was so afraid,” she told me in a small voice, that made me want to rip whoever did this, limb from limb.

  “They said you didn’t care about me. That you weren’t going to save me…”

  Tears leaked from my eyes at her admission and my soul ached for this beautiful girl, in front of me.

  “Amber, I would have given everything I have, everything I own to get you back safely. You being taken, was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. I didn’t know what to do, or who to trust, but I would have gone to the ends of the earth to get you back.”

  I gave her a small kiss on the side of her lips. I didn’t want to hurt her, or push my luck, because we both had things, we were holding back. Somehow, I had to fix her and fix us. I knew I couldn’t do it without being honest with her, but it didn’t have to be tonight.

  Now wasn’t the time for my brutal honesty. I sat with my arm around her shoulder, holding her until she drifted off to sleep. I sat pondering how to get my arm free, so I could answer my cell, that was buzzing away in my pocket.

  Eventually, I managed to wriggle enough to set Amber’s sleeping form back onto the bed, without disturbing her. My fingers tingled as the blood flow went to them and I saw my pale hand turning red after a moment. I had to wait for the feeling to return, before I could pluck my cell out of my jeans, as it vibrated again. I leaned forwards on the chair, moving past the monitor and going to stand on the far side of the room, and answered it, without really seeing the name on the screen.

  “Mason,” Helena’s shaking voice came down the line and my back stiffened.

  “Yeah, what’s up, Hel’s?” I asked her in a concerned voice, because I could hear her rapid breathing down the line.

  “Mason, I need your help,” she muttered, sounding terrified and I held the cell to my ear, listening intently.

  “Helena, what’s wrong?” I asked her, as her soft cries sounded down the line.

  “I… uh… made a huge… mistake…” she sobbed brokenly.

  I glanced back as Amber shifted in her sleep. My eyes roamed her face and I grimaced at the color of her bruises shone, under the harsh light of the hospital.

  “Helena, I need to know what’s wrong, so I can help…”

  I began and then something clicked, and I gasped as I realized that she was involved. My own sister had plotted and kidnapped the woman I loved. I couldn’t speak. My head couldn’t comprehend it and I needed to ask her if it was true, but I couldn’t make my mouth form the words. Before I could open my mouth to ask her, she cut in, interrupting my horror-struck realization.

  “Please, Mason. I think he’s going to kill me,” she begged.

  I shook my head. I couldn’t let her die, but before I helped her. I had to know. I had to know if she was capable of hurting Amber, of hurting me.

  “Did you kidnap, Amber?” I asked her in a deadly voice and her gasp made me sink to my knees, because I had my answer.

  “Wwwhhy…. Why would…. What makes… Did… Why would you think that?” she stuttered, and then stopped, breathing harshly.

  I could hear the denial in her tone. Pain, betrayal, and disgust all warred inside me. I wrapped my arms around my legs, as I sat on the floor, trying to keep them from exploding out of me.

  “Mason, I know I messed up and I don’t deserve it, but please, please help me. I swear I’ll tell you everything about Amber and what happened, just please help me?”

  I couldn’t think straight. My breaths were coming in gasps, as the pain of knowing that my own sister betrayed me, and threatened all of the carefully constructed walls around my heart.

  “Please, Mason. If he finds me, he’ll kill me.”

  My voice was hoarse when I answered, because I would save her. I had to, but I’d also make her own up to her crimes. She couldn’t get aw
ay with kidnapping Amber, and I was done with her after I found out what I needed to know.

  “Where are you? Text your location to my cell and I’ll have someone pick you up.”

  My voice was flat to my own ears and I heard her sigh of what I assumed was relief, but it did nothing to help the guilt and pain I was feeling.

  “Thank you, Mason,” she muttered.

  I just ended the call without another word and sat with the cell on my lap, as her message came through.

  Hel’s: I’m at a bar downtown, called the Barrel room. I’m hiding in the bathrooms because I’m scared Tommy will find me. If he does, then I'm done for. Please, please help me, Mason. I'm so sorry. He knows you caught Ollie, and he's furious about it.

  I didn’t reply and I just sat and forwarded the message on to Norry and Joe, and asked them to go get her and take her back to my house. I’d deal with her later. I would call the cops on her ass, but first, I had to find out who Tommy was and why he’d kidnapped Amber.

  Amber shifted in the bed and winced, and I climbed to my feet, making my way back over to her and settling down on the chair, at her side. I put my head down on the bed and let the soft sounds of her breathing lull me to sleep. Within a few moments, I was sleeping soundly.

  Chapter Four

  Unexpected Room-mate

  Amber

  Waking up with the soft breaths of Mason, tickling my neck and his heavy hand over my hands on my abdomen, made my heart stutter. I didn’t mean to shout at him, or lose my temper. Having him say he’d talk to me, when I was ready to listen, just set my temper off and then I blacked out. At least I think I blacked out. I don’t remember much other than waking up, seeing two nurses and a few doctors, hovering over me. I wondered where Mason had gone and my eyes darted around the room, until I croaked out his name.