Love Like Crazy (Crazy Love Book 1)

by Carmen DeSousa

“It will be good, and if I ever see you anywhere near my wife or home, I’ll kill you.”

  “You t’reatnin’ me?”

  “No, sir, it’s a promise. I’m buying my freedom. Do we have a deal?”

  “Write de check to a friend of mine. If she ’as any problems at de bank, I’m coming after you.”

  “She won’t. I told you. I don’t care about the money.”

  The men led me to an ATM. I withdrew the money, then requested a balance. I had just a little over ten thousand left. I was surprised when the man didn’t ask for all of it.

  “I’ll need just a twenty to get back to the hotel. I can’t get any more out tonight.”

  “’dat wasn’t our deal. I should keep you till mornin’ any ’ow, but I t’ink you right. I t’ink you not say anyt’ing to no one.”

  I shook my head. “I won’t. I’m a man of my word, and my wife means more to me than life itself.”

  “I tell you w’at, mon. You party wit’ us, an’ we take you back t’nite.”

  I stared into the man’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

  “You smoke some reefer, an’ we take you back afterward.”

  I shook my head. “No thanks. I’ll take my chances.”

  “We not good ’nuff for you?”

  I backed up, deciding whether I should run. As requested, the area wasn’t desolate like the alley. But could I get to one of the shops before they caught me? And would anyone care if they beat me on the street? The man looked as if he was changing his mind on the deal. I had given him entirely too much time to think. Take the close and run with it. I’d heard it from both my father and John. Why had I even spoken after our deal had been made? I should have just taken off running.

  One of the thugs grabbed me by the arm, and this time I fought back. Kayla wasn’t here; she couldn’t be hurt now. She was safe. But what would it do to her if something happened to me? I had to fight with everything I had. I’d promised Kayla that I’d never leave her, and I didn’t intend to break my promise.

  Chapter 49 - Kayla

  It’d been several hours and Jesse still wasn’t back. I prayed unceasingly, but I needed to move. I needed to do something.

  “I can’t lose him!” I screamed in the silence of my hotel room. “I won’t fight the drug company. I swear I’ll forget everything. It means nothing to me now. Just please tell me how to save Jesse.”

  I crawled off the floor and made a decision. I would find him. I would travel in a taxi all night if I had to. I should have done that to begin with; I should have stayed down the street. I had become so accustomed to listening to Jesse that the one time when I shouldn’t have listened, I did. How stupid. What had I been thinking?

  I pulled all of the money out of the safe that I would need. Enough for a taxi and enough to buy his freedom if need be. It had to be the right decision.

  The same driver pulled up to the hotel. “You a’gin? You have money dis time?”

  I got in the back and showed him the bills.

  “Where you goin’ dis late, lady?”

  “To find my husband,” I replied emphatically.

  “Aw, you two fightin’ dis evenin’?”

  I inhaled deeply. “We need to drive around until we find him; that’s all you need to know.”

  “Okay, lady, w’atever you say.”

  Chapter 50 - Jesse

  I went down, but only after causing a lot of discomfort to the other men. My eyes were swollen shut and I could barely see where I was going, but they had finally walked off and left me alone.

  I wasn’t sure why they hadn’t killed me. Maybe they knew they wouldn’t get away with it after cashing the check, or maybe they figured someone else would do the job. I walked as far as I could until darkness started to overtake me. I was hurt worse than I’d thought. If I could get to a taxi before I passed out, I could pay when I arrived at the hotel. I should have thought about that before I asked for the twenty dollars.

  Exhausted, I fell to the ground. I could only pray that a Good Samaritan would find me. I needed a miracle. My last thought was of Kayla.

  Chapter 51 - Kayla

  I searched the streets frantically as we passed over the bridge. We were just turning onto Bay Street when I saw the lights of an ambulance and police cars. “There,” I screamed at the driver, pointing at the scene. “Take me there.”

  The driver pulled as close as possible before an officer attempted to redirect him.

  “Stop the car.” I threw money at him, jumped out and ran across the road to the commotion.

  They were loading a man onto a gurney, putting him in the back of the ambulance. His clothes. The outfit I’d chosen. “Jesse!” I screamed.

  An officer intercepted me. “Miss —”

  “He’s my husband! Is he all right? I need to see him.”

  The officer let me pass, and I ran to the side of the cart. It wasn’t covered. That was good, wasn’t it? In the movies, they covered a person if they were dead. But the man on the cart wasn’t moving. His face had been beaten to a pulp. It didn’t look like Jesse, but it was.

  “Is … he …” I stammered to get the words out of my mouth through the onslaught of sobs.

  “’e’s alive, miss, but ’es ’urt badly.”

  He’s alive. Thank God, Jesse’s alive, and I was with him.

  “Can I come?”

  The man looked me over, then made a decision, it seemed. “’e’s your ’usband?”

  “Yes,” I said. “I know we look too young, but he is. Please, he needs me.”

  The man nodded and allowed me to enter the ambulance in front of him.

  “Talk to ’im,” the man prodded. “’e’s been out since we got ’ere, but maybe ’e ’ear you voice and wake.”

  I didn’t hesitate. “Jesse, I’m here. I’ll take care of you now. Come back to me.”

  I looked for some part of Jesse that wasn’t bleeding. He’d risked his life to save me and our unborn children. He’d said more than life itself on several occasions. Now he’d proved it. Not that I’d needed him to prove anything. He’d proven his love over and over to me.

  “Dammit, Jesse O’Brien! Why do you always have to be right?” Tears poured down my cheeks, and I saw no way to impede them, nor did I want to. I thought about him always being right; he’d said nothing would happen to him. That he wouldn’t leave me. “You said you would never leave me, Jesse. Now you wake up and keep your word. Do you hear me?” I pulled in a breath. “Don’t you dare leave me with twins on the way! That would be cruel, and you’re not cruel.”

  The medic looked at me with sad eyes. He surely thought what everyone else suspected: stupid kids got pregnant so young. I didn’t care what he thought, though. Nothing else mattered.

  “Jesse! Please!”

  The man touched my arm. “Miss …”

  I jerked away. “No, he’ll listen. I know he’ll hear me. Dammit, Jesse! Don’t you leave me, not now. I love you. I’ll always love you.”

  Jesse’s eyes fluttered, but because they were swollen beyond belief, only a sliver cracked open. “Kayla?”

  “Oh, Jesse, you stupid man. Why did you risk your life? Please be okay.”

  “I’m sorry —”

  “Don’t be sorry. Just be okay.” I put my hands as gently as I could around his face. “Just be okay, baby. I can’t lose you. God won’t allow it; it’s the one thing I can’t handle.”

  Jesse’s body went limp under my hands. “No, Jesse, don’t leave me!”

  The medic reached for me again. “’e’s okay, miss, ’e’s not dead.” He pointed to the monitor. “’e’s jus’ sleepin’. ’e be needin’ ’is rest now.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief at the man’s words, but knew it wasn’t over yet. I’d been at the hospital for hours after my father’s accident. My father had made it through surgery and still died.

  I bowed my head again. Please, God, please don’t take him from me. This is no one’s will You’re interfering with; this is life. You c
an interfere. You can heal. I know You can or why else would You ask us to pray? You can save him. I have faith that You can save him. Please, God, save Jesse.

  Within minutes after we entered the ambulance, we were at the hospital.

  It felt like forever since I’d heard anything, so I was just getting ready to go find someone when a nice-looking young man approached me. He wasn’t Bahamian; in fact, he looked like he could be related to my father. There was no reason to feel comforted by this revelation, but for some reason I was.

  “Are you Mrs. O’Brien?”

  “Yes,” I said, thankful that finally someone didn’t question my marital status and age. “Is my husband okay?”

  “Jesse has a concussion and several broken ribs. His seventh, eighth, and ninth on his right side and his ninth and tenth on his left side. Unfortunately this is a bad place to receive blunt trauma. There’s a good chance that he has lacerations to his liver or spleen. I ordered a CT scan and hope to find out more. You can see him now. It will be just a few minutes before they come and get him.”

  The doctor left me when we arrived at Jesse’s door. It was a small ICU, approximately eight rooms. I stepped inside and warily walked to Jesse’s bed. It was the same scene. No, it couldn’t be. Jesse promised.

  I fell to his side and couldn’t help weeping. “You promised, Jesse. You promised me you wouldn’t leave me. Please come back to me. I don’t want any of this without you. I’m sorry. I know you want me to be strong, but I’m not. I’m nothing without you. Please don’t leave me.” I took his badly injured hand in mine. Was there any part of him that hadn’t been broken? His face, though swollen, was at least clean now and didn’t look nearly as awful as it had only an hour earlier. They had evidently concentrated their punches in his stomach area. How had he taken so much pain and still managed to make it so far from where we were originally? Why had I left him? I would never forgive myself as long as I lived.

  His hand twitched in mine.

  “Jesse,” I breathed near his ear, “I’m here, baby. I’m here. Please wake up. Please don’t leave me.”

  “Kayla,” he struggled, his voice weak, but he said my name and it sent my heart soaring. “I’ll…never…leave…you.” His words were strained, but I’d heard him correctly. He was practically dying, and he was trying to reassure me.

  This brought on another wave of emotion. “Oh, Jesse. I love you. You’re so good to me. How did I get so lucky?” And I realized it was true. If everything ceased to exist in my life and I still had Jesse, I would be happy. He was all I would ever need.

  Jesse tried to mutter something, but it was unintelligible.

  I moved my head closer to his. “Don’t try to speak, Jesse. I’m going to take care of you now.”

  His hand was tighter on mine, and he refused to stop trying to speak. “I…love…you…Kayla,” he finally pushed out.

  “I love you too, Jesse, forever.”

  I felt his hand go limp in mine, and my eyes darted to the monitor. He was only sleeping, I assured myself. He wouldn’t leave me. He’d promised he’d never leave me.

  The nurse came in and took Jesse away. She informed me it could be an hour, and that I should wait where I was or get something to eat.

  “I’ll wait.” I leaned over Jesse and kissed him on the forehead, the only place not swollen and bruised.

  I knew I should eat. I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and I could feel myself getting weaker by the minute. The babies drained everything from me. I would need to keep up my strength. I couldn’t take care of Jesse if I was sick too. So, for him, I would force myself to eat. It would be what he’d want.

  I went to get food and returned within minutes. I forced down a sandwich and an apple. Jesse would be proud of me. I waited as the minutes turned to hours. Where was he? What was taking so long? They had said an hour. My mind started to betray me, and I started slipping into despair. He promised, I reminded myself. He promised. I fell asleep in the chair, close to the area where he’d return soon in his bed. I felt so tired, so weak. Jesse was my strength. He had enough strength for both of us.

  Chapter 52 - Jesse

  I woke up slowly, my head pounding. It was no doubt the worst headache I’d ever experienced. My entire body felt crushed, but what I saw beside me made me smile despite my pain.

  Kayla was okay. She was sleeping beside me, her head on my bed. I was in a hospital, and she was here with me. She’d found me; she’d come back for me. I vaguely remembered hearing her scream at me, and I knew I had to hold on, for her. I’d promised her I wouldn’t leave her.

  I brushed back her hair so I could see her face.

  She started awake. Confused at first, then she found my face. “Oh, Jesse! You’re awake. Thank God! I was so worried.”

  I smiled lightly, and just the small movement made my head hurt. “I promised. I couldn’t break a promise. How are you?”

  “How am I?” Her head fell on the bed, and I heard her soft sobs. “I’m fine. I’m never the one hurt. It’s always the people I love who get hurt.”

  “Please don’t cry, Kayla. It’s going to be all right. Everything is going to be all right.” I pulled up her head so I could see her beautiful eyes. “You know, Kayla, statistically —” I paused as she glowered at me. “Seriously, you can relax now. The chances of me ever getting hurt again are so rare. I should only die of natural causes now — when I’m a hundred and five.”

  She couldn’t suppress a smile, even through her tears. “Jesse, you’re so strange. Only you would think of something like that at a time like this.”

  “I know.” I closed my eyes. “But it’s true.” My body hurt everywhere. I couldn’t keep a groan from escaping my lips as I tried to reposition myself.

  “Sleep, my Jesse. I’ll be here when you wake.”

  “Kayla.” I forced my eyes open again. “Will you have them check you out please? Make sure the babies are all right.”

  “Yes, Jesse. Whatever you say,” she said on a long sigh. Then I smiled and let the darkness take me.

  Chapter 53 - Kayla

  I watched as Jesse drifted off to sleep. He was going to be okay. My dad had never woken up after surgery. Jesse was awake and talking to me, worrying about me, concerned about our unborn children. He cared about everything but himself.

  I would do everything I could to make him happy. I wouldn’t take on any battles; I would accept life as it happened. I had my Jesse, and that was all that mattered. I would probably finish my degree, just so he could never worry that I didn’t finish what I wanted, but maybe I would end up with an accounting degree. I would take it one step at a time. I wouldn’t allow it to interfere with my husband or my children. After all, they were all I ever wanted in life. A life, a home, and a family — my family.

  I made my way to the reception area, requesting they check me out after the stress of the evening. I felt fine, but I wanted to be able to tell my husband that I’d done what he’d requested. How could I deny him anything at this point?

  The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. The heartbeats of the twins were strong and fast; they sounded too fast to me, but he explained that they were normal. He did insist that I lie down and accept an IV of fluids, as I was dehydrated. I managed to get a nap in the process, and when they released me, I ran back to Jesse’s room.

  Jesse had more color, though in several places the colors were black, blue, and several shades of yellow. But he looked better already. He was strong and determined, I knew; he wouldn’t allow this to affect him.

  I eased down next to him quietly, careful not to wake him, but his eyes opened as soon as I sat in the chair.

  “Ah, you look better,” he crooned in a low whisper.

  “Look who’s talking.” I huffed lightly. “You scared me to death.”

  “Did you get checked out, Kayla?” His voice sounded raw, as though he’d been screaming at the top of his lungs for hours.

  “Yes,” I said. “Everything is fine, but they gave me IV flu
ids. I was dehydrated.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up. “That’s what I thought. You looked drained; now your skin is glowing again. You need to eat and drink, Kayla.”

  “Jesse, will you please stop worrying about me? You’re the one lying in a hospital bed right now.”

  He harrumphed. “I’ll be fine, just bruises.”

  “No, Jesse, it wasn’t just bruises. They operated on you. You had lacerations in your liver and spleen; you’re lucky to be alive.”

  “Luck had nothing to do with it, Kayla,” he said, then moaned as he moved his arm toward me.

  I just sighed and lay my head down again, hoping to keep him from moving and talking. He was right; he was always right.

  The doctor and a nurse walked in about an hour later. Jesse was still sleeping, but woke up when they started taking his vitals.

  “Well, you were very lucky, son. Everything looks good, and I see no reason why you can’t leave this afternoon.”

  “Really?” I asked, breathing a sigh of relief. “He’s going to be okay?”

  The doctor answered me with a reassuring nod. “Really. He’ll need to rest for a couple of weeks, but other than that, he’ll be fine. I’ll get your discharge instructions prepared, and you’ll be out of here this afternoon.”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve, baby,” Jesse said. “A new year. I’m glad I’m getting out. I didn’t want to start my new year in the hospital. That’s just not what I want to do for the rest of the year.”

  “Instead, we’ll spend it in bed all day, or maybe lounging around the pool,” I offered.

  “Not what I’d like to be doing in bed, I’m sure, but at least we’ll be together.”

  I released a long sigh. “Only you would think about sex at a time like this, Jesse. I think you have a few weeks of rest before we can entertain that prospect.”

  “Told you I’d always want you,” he mumbled, and his smile was, as always, breathtaking.