by C. Lesbirel
22
Heaven
We spend an easy evening exploring and stop by to pick up my beautiful painting before we end the day with a hot pot under the rainbow-colored lanterns on Jinli Street, which is divine. By the time we’re back at the hotel, Liam can’t keep his hands off me, nor can I keep mine off him.
He buries his head into my neck, splashing hot kisses all over me as I wrestle with the hotel room key card like we’re fleeing the FBI. I need to feel his skin on mine the way I did last night, and I need it now.
“Fuck,” he groans out in frustration as he has to stop kissing me to break into our suite with the jail lock. Maybe they make it super difficult, so any celebrities staying over have to think twice about who they let into their rooms?
When the door finally falls open, he pushes me back against it, the weight of our bodies closing it shut.
“You are something else, Heaven. Do you know that?” His face is pressed close to mine. I can feel the warmth of his breath on my face as he speaks in a low raspy tone that exposes how he wants me exactly as much as I want him.
“Are you going to get that?” I ask as his phone starts ringing for a second time.
“No.” He throws a look of annoyance at the phone still on the countertop where he left it and turns his attention back to me.
Just as he leans in to kiss me again, another call starts up, and he pulls back letting out a groan. “Hold on a minute, let me turn that damn thing off.”
He strides across the room with purpose, and my lips tremble at the loss of his kiss, but when he reaches his phone he cusses and mumbles, “Seventeen missed calls? This better be good.” He mouths a deliberate ‘sorry’ to me, and I walk over to take a seat on the sofa.
“What?” His face contorts into an expression I haven’t seen him wearing before. Shock? Pain? Whatever it is has him pacing up and down, and I jump up to my feet suddenly feeling just as on edge as he looks.
“I haven’t had my phone, I left it at the hotel,” he explains to whoever it is at the end of the line and a pang of guilt hits me as it was kind of my fault he didn’t bring it with him.
“I’m fucking sorry, okay. How the fuck was I supposed to know something like this would happen. Is Warren okay?”
He closes his gorgeous greens upon hearing the reply, and I can tell from his frown it’s bad news.
“What about Mom?” A small pause follows, and his frown deepens.
“Shit. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he says quickly, and I swallow as my throat dries out.
“Heaven, I’ve got to go, I’m really sorry.” He turns to face me for half a second before fumbling inside his jacket for his wallet.
“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” I ask, knowing something terrible has happened and hating the look of terror in his eyes.
“There’s been an accident. My brother…” He looks like he’s about to cry, and I silently pray that he doesn’t. I don’t think I could take the sight of him breaking down.
I gasp, I have no words.
“I’ve got to get back to Florida to be with him. I’m so sorry, but I have no choice.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry,” I quickly assure him. “Is your brother okay?”
“I don’t know. It sounds like he’s in a pretty bad state from what Mason said. He crashed a plane. He’s in intensive care… Mason’s at the airport already with Sully. They’ve been trying to get a hold of me for hours.”
“Oh no, are you going to be okay?” Is all I can think to say, even though a blind man can see that he isn’t.
“I just wish I wasn’t thousands of miles away.”
“Let me grab my things, and we’ll head to the airport right now.”
“No,” he snaps firmly.
“What?”
“You should stay here. I brought you here so you could see your pandas, and you haven’t had a chance to, yet.” He paces back over to me and slides his hands around my wrists.
“The room is already paid for. Charge anything you want to the tab, and I’ll settle it in a few days’ time.”
“What?” I gasp. “I can’t stay here without you. I wouldn’t do that, it’s fine, let’s just go. We’re wasting time.”
“The decision is made, Heaven. There’s no point letting this ruin your time here. I can see how much you love it and what this place means to you. I need to be with my family, and you need to go and visit your pandas.”
I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but I am. I’d come this far, unexpectedly. A trip like this would take at least another three years to save for, and I really, really wanted to spend some time at Panda Hearts.
“You’re sure? I won’t charge a single thing to the room; I can pay my way if you’re sure.”
“Now’s not the time to argue, Heaven. I want you to enjoy the trip the way you would if I was here with you. I mean it, whatever you want, it’s on me.”
“You’re the best,” I cry out, flinging my arms around his neck, and he slides his around my waist. I sense his reluctance to leave as he’s holding me in his arms, yet the need to get to the airport and back to Florida at lightning speed is etched all over his face.
It was a split-second decision. One that I have a feeling will change things between us, but I’m not sure how. Liam’s right, I need to be here. Every inch of my body has felt alive since I stepped off the plane, every one of my senses awakened.
How could I leave?
23
Liam
I round the corner as quickly as I can and pace through the double doors with my brothers hot on my tail. “Tell me your fucking joking?” My dad only shakes his head in response to the nurse, who just walked away, pinching the top of his nose between his finger and thumb and letting out a heavy sigh. The hospital corridor was empty save for doctors and nurses, and my family all stood around looking like spare parts.
Mom jumps in to try to explain, “Warren’s been refusing to see us since he woke up from the anesthetic. He let Shiloh in for a few minutes but that’s it.”
I flick my hair and pace away from my mom, biting down on my fist in frustration before quickly returning to my original spot and pulling her into a tight embrace.
As though she had been holding it together until my arrival, she broke down in sobs that put the fear of God in me.
“He is going to be okay, though?” I ask Dad over Mom's shoulder.
“Yeah, thank God. The doctor said he’s one of the lucky ones. Apparently, if he hadn’t taken the safety position or had been traveling any faster, he wouldn’t have survived it.”
This piece of information only served the purpose of making my mom breakdown in a fresh set of tears.
“How the fuck did he manage to crash anyway? It doesn’t make any sense.” We are Parker’s, none of us have ever crashed a plane. As far as our aviation skills go, we’re the best of the best.
“They’re not sure. The NTSB is looking into it. Luckily, it was a return flight, so there were no passengers, but what we know so far is that it appears to be some type of engine malfunction,” my dad explains in his formal tone that does nothing to disguise the strain the hospital wait has had on him.
“Thanks for coming back, sons. I’m hoping one of you can talk some sense into him. He’s lost all of the sensation in his left arm. They say the nerve isn’t cut, which would be worse, just badly damaged.”
“What does that mean?”
“He might not fly again,” Dad confirms.
My mom whacks him with a flat palm against his chest. “Don’t say that, Harvey.”
“That’s the reality of the situation, Caroline. We’ve got to be honest about what we’re dealing with here... for Warren’s sake, if no one else’s.”
“Did they say anything about that? Did they give you any information about recovery?” No wonder he doesn’t want to see anybody. Telling my brother he might never be able to fly a plane again is like clipping the wings off an Amazon parrot and dropping it in the
middle of the rainforest.
“The good news is that it’s not completely severed, so there’s hope he will get feeling and movement back in his arm again. They just don’t know when,” Dad says. I take a glance at my siblings huddled up, whispering about something.
“Okay, I’m going to go in and see him, whether he likes it or not. Shiloh, will you take Mom and Dad to get some coffee and give us a minute.” My sister looks just as worried about our parents as she does about our brother, and I feel like shit for not picking up their calls and getting here sooner. As a family, we have had our ups and downs, but we’d been lucky. This was the first time any of us had been seriously hurt, aside from the odd broken bone as kids, and it’s clear from the atmosphere that everyone is shook up.
“Sure. Mom, Dad, I know you can both do with something to eat. Why don’t we go to the cafe and grab something for the boys too; I’m sure their jet lagged. We can even bring something back for Warren.”
Mom shakes her head, her eyes fixed on the closed door to the corridor where my brother’s room is. Glancing at Jaxon, he nods at me to let me know he’s got it under control. Mason and Sully step closer to Mom, ready to coax her away. I leave them to argue it out and step inside, drawing in a sharp breath as I open the door to brace myself for whatever state he is in, but nothing could have prepared me.
My brother is barely recognizable. Every inch of his face is covered in various shades of red and purple bruises. There are cuts to his forehead and temple where his head must have hit the dashboard, and I can see now, why he’s lucky to be alive. His arms, from what I can see beyond the cast on one arm and bandages on the other, are equally a mess of bruises and swelling. He obviously used them to protect his head; all those safety role play sessions we did when he was younger came in handy.
As I step closer to the bed, he watches me through swollen, puffy eyes and makes a low groaning sound that I can’t make out.
“It’s me, Liam,” I introduce myself, not sure if he can see me or not.
“Go away,” he mumbles in a low groan.
“No chance, I just flew all the way back from China to come and see you. I’m not going anywhere.” He turns his head away from me, wincing in pain as he does, and I cringe imagining how badly that must have hurt.
“Careful, you’ll make things worse, try to keep still.” He doesn’t respond.
“Look, no one’s saying it’s going to be easy, but the doctor said your technically all in one piece, and the damage isn’t permanent. You’ll soon be back on your feet and in the cockpit where you belong,” I reassure him, pulling up a chair at his bedside.
He still doesn’t say anything, and I tolerate his silence because of what he’s been through. Permanent damage or not, this shit looks intense. The idea of him being alone when the plane went down causes my throat to squeeze, and a physical pain in my stomach. He’s my little brother. When he feels pain, so do I.
We all do.
That’s family for you, and Parker blood runs thick and deep.
“We’re here for you, Warren. We’ll get you through this, okay?”
“You aren’t listening.” His voice is hoarse and low, but I’m close enough to make out every word. “I can hear them yelling about it from here, all you guys have talked about is me getting back to normal.” He turns back to face me, crying out in pain as his face hits the pillow near my chest, and I reach forward to make contact, but don’t know where it’s safe to touch him, so I pull my hand back.
“There is no normal. I will never fly again, Liam. I’m done.”
“What does that even mean? You’re not ‘done’ by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not sure if you can take in what I’m saying because of the drugs, but I just told you, the doctor said you’ll make a full recovery.”
He swallows, and I pick up the cup of water next to his bed, offering the straw to his lips, and he leans forward, jerking his chin to one side and sends the cup flying. The water spills out onto the floor.
“I said I’m done. I don’t ever want to set foot on a plane again, and I don’t want to be around any of you trying to tell me otherwise. That’s my decision, and until everyone learns to respect it, I don’t want to see any of you. Please, just go, Liam. I told you, I’m done.” His voice cracks as though he’s about to cry, and I’m unsure how to respond. Apart from when I wouldn’t let him share my Mario Kart Ska Electrix racetrack when we were kids, I’d never seen Warren cry. He’d never had any reason to, but it seemed even though he’d come off lightly in the crash, there is deep, and possibly permanent, damage to his ego and confidence as a pilot. I can see it in my brother’s eyes, he isn’t fucking around.
Now, I just have to convince the rest of my family to take him seriously, despite his wishes going against everything we have ever known and worked towards.
We are Parker Airlines, for Christ's sake. Our careers were defined for us before we were born, and lucky for my Dad, it was what we all wanted. We had turned our shared vision into an idyllic reality that had worked for the best part of twenty years, and now, one of us wants out.
I can only hope he changes his mind as he begins to heal because if not, I’m not sure how everyone is going to deal with it. But, I am his brother first, CEO second, and so I do what every other brother would have… squeeze his shoulder - the only bit of body I could see where the bruising was light enough to withstand the touch and reassured him. “I hear you, and I’ll work on the family. I love you, kid.” With those words, I leave and let him rest.
My brothers are in the family waiting room when I come out. Shiloh must have talked our parents into taking a break with her in the cafe, which could only be a good thing.
“What’s he saying?” Jaxon asks first.
“The same thing, really. He doesn’t want to see anyone. Maybe, it’s best if we all give him some space.”
“Is he still spouting that shit about never flying again?” Oh, so that’s what Shiloh was whispering to the guys about. If he told her… Shit, this is serious.
“Something like that, yes,” I say slowly. “But, he’s been through a lot, and he’s on medication, so he might not know what he’s saying,” I reason.
“I think he’s serious.” Mason strokes his chin as he voices his concerns.
“I say we play it down and tell him to shut the fuck up. I get that he’s had a rough time of it, but not flying again? It’s downright ridiculous, and I’ll tell him that myself. Someone needs to cut this crap off.” Jaxon has never been the most understanding type. He thinks in black and white, unless he’s picking out the paint on a new ride.
“He has a point,” Sully speaks up. “If we make too much of it, he’s going to dig his heels in even more. Maybe Jaxon’s delivery would be too harsh, but I do think we need to let him know we aren’t having him making big decisions like that when he’s only been out of ICU for a few hours.”
“I think for now, we let him rest and try to avoid the subject. That way, we’re not dismissing what he wants, but we’re not giving the idea any credit, either.”
“Fine, but if this carries on too long, I’m calling a spade a spade and telling him like it is, just so we’re all clear. Warren is a pilot. Would any of you quit flying?” Jaxon storms off in frustration and neither of us make an attempt to follow him.
“I’ll go break the news to Mom and Dad,” Mason tells us. I give him a silent nod of thanks as he walks past me.
“I’m going to try talking to him again. Not about this, just about anything. Try and take his mind off things. Are you sticking around?” Sully says.
“Of course. We’re in this together.”
“What about your girlfriend?” He arches an eyebrow at me, and the mention of Heaven brings a smile to my lips.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I correct him.
“Yeah? You could have fooled me, bro.” He winks at me before disappearing inside to try to connect with Warren, leaving me alone to process the last few hours and wonder how long
it’s going to take my brother to get back on his feet.
24
Heaven
Two more perfect days was all it took to fall back in love with my beloved pandas. Did I ever really fall out of love with them? I don’t think so, but I did completely underestimate how much I missed the hands-on with them, and now I have a decision to make.
With my suitcase packed, I glance around the luxury of the five-star suite and feel a pang of disappointment at how the trip turned out. Even though, getting to see the birth of a panda cub at Panda Hearts was a dream come true, I still have so much to think about. I hadn’t expected there to be a job offer in the cards for me, but my old manager was tripping over herself to get me back working alongside her, even offering a nice salary and a place to stay until I get on my feet again.
My return to Florida hadn’t been the success I thought it would be, and even though I adore Brianna, she had her own life. The only real reason to stick around would be Liam, who I have hardly heard from since he left the other day. I know he has serious family stuff going on, but days later it feels like he’s just left me hanging. When we were together, I felt like he was as much into me as I was him, but now I’m left wondering whether I’m just a fool.
Had I read all the signs wrong? Can anyone fall for someone in only a few hours? I didn’t really have any experience of love. I’d had Richie, that was anything but. Then I’d had way too long a period of nothingness. Liam breezed in when I’d given up on finding that perfect once in a lifetime kind of love I’d read about so often in all of my favorite books.
I suck in my lips and imagine his kiss there and let out a sigh as I closed the case and zipped it up. The five-star life was over, and I have a feeling whatever Liam and me were, or could have been, is finished. He is a millionaire after all. He’s probably gone back to his perfect life, and I need to get on with mine, whether that meant staying in Florida and seeing if there is anything left unsaid between us or putting myself first and moving back to China.
