My Texas Sweetheart (book one)

by Acheson, Pauliena

  I start to say something as Creed comes into the kitchen and looks between Adam and Mags. “Did I miss something?” he asks. We all turn to stare at him. She starts beginning to flush that pretty color of red that I love to see on her these days.

  She starts to turn back towards me and that is when I notice that something is terribly wrong. She’s gone pale, a look of pain crosses her face and, before any of us can get to her, an agonizing scream escapes her and she crumples to the floor. Lily and Brad come running in. “Not again!” I hear Lily cry out and, in one swift movement, Brad is bent over Maggie, lifting her up. Swiftly, he takes her into the front room and lays her on the sofa.

  “Go get a cold cloth, Adam,” Lily orders. I clasp Maggie’s hand. Damn, what is going on? She seemed fine one minute and now she’s struggling for air.

  “Everyone step back and give her some breathing room,” Brad says so I begin to let go of her hand. “Not you, son. She’s going to want to see your face when she wakes up.” A silent tear slips down his face. He quickly wipes it away before the rest can see. A moment of silence falls between Brad and me, and I nod. I know that my image of this man would be forever changed. I have the same respect towards him now that I have for my own dad.

  With the slightest of winks, he pats my shoulder and moves up to comfort his wife. “Creed, I need you to call the doctor,” Brad instructs. Creed runs into the kitchen.

  “Brad, please, let’s just get her in the truck and take her to the hospital,” Lily pleads.

  “No, my darling. I don’t want to move her any more than I already have. We don’t know how serious this is or why it’s happening so I’d feel better if the doctor came here.”

  Lily nods as more tears slip down her cheeks. “Please, baby girl, wake up,” Lily pleads.

  Everyone is so quiet that the clock on the wall could be heard ticking. Maggie is still struggling for air. Creed came running back into the room. “The doctor is on his way.”

  My stomach is turning and it is killing me that there is nothing that I can do. Dear God, please help her breathe, I prayed. I look around the room. Her brothers are all in the corner by the fireplace. I can see Adam clenching his fists and, as upset as he makes me at times, I realize that he has his sister’s best interests at heart. Then I look over at Creed and Jade. They both look so frustrated and helpless. Looking at Brad and Lily, I can feel their pain and anguish. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway snaps me back to reality. I notice that my hand was tightly gripping Maggie’s. As I loosen my grip, her brothers start for the front door, Jade in the lead. “Wake up, baby girl. Come on, come back to us. Please, baby girl, wake up for Daddy and me.”

  As the doctor comes into the room, I see Maggie’s eyes moving behind her eyelids. The doctor comes to her side and, just then, I hear the sweetest sound. “Jase, is that you?” she whispers.

  Gently giving her hand a squeeze, I say, “Baby, I’m right here.”

  Suddenly, she quits breathing. Without missing a beat, the doctor orders, “Move her to the floor NOW.” No, this can’t be happening! The doctor begins CPR, but she isn’t responding.

  I can hear hysterical sobs coming from Lily. “Breathe, baby girl! Please breathe!” she cries out.

  Brad runs into the kitchen. I can hear him on the phone, calling for an ambulance. In shock, I follow him. When I walk in, I see him doubled over on the counter, crying harder than I have ever seen a grown man cry. Do I walk over and comfort him? Do I leave without making a sound? Before I can make a move, he glances up and sees me standing there. I can feel tears sliding down my own face. “Jase, son…” He walks towards me and wraps his arms around me. “Please, I need you to stand strong. If she’s going to get through this for anybody, it’s going to be you.” Not knowing what to do, I nod, trying to swallow the golf ball-sized lump in my throat.

  He leads me back into the front room and, just as we enter, we hear a gasp from Maggie. My heart skips a beat. It wasn’t normal, but she was trying her best to pull in air. The paramedics show up and put her on a stretcher, a tube was stuck into her nose and, within minutes, they were taking her away, Brad and Lily riding along. I stood there, shaking. I was dazed, lost, and confused. What the hell is happening? I feel like I’m losing it. I feel myself getting lightheaded, and Adam grabs my arm. “Jase, we need to get to the hospital. I’ll drive. Come on.” I nod, unable to speak.

  ****

  Upon arriving at the hospital, we rush into the Emergency Room and see Brad and Lily, both of them looking pale and shaky. “How is she?” I blurt out, disturbing the silence of the room.

  “There’s no news yet,” Brad replies. He gives each of his sons a hug, and they go over to comfort Lily.

  I just want to get out of here and run. I don’t know why, but it feels like everything that means the most to me is being torn from my grasp. There are so many things running through my mind that I can’t sort out any of it. All I know is that the girl I love is laying beyond my reach and it’s killing me not knowing anything. I was just about to tell Brad that I needed to get some fresh air when the doctor walks into the room. Everyone gets to their feet. “Okay, she’s regained consciousness and is breathing on her own. She’s very weak right now, but it’s looking good.” Everyone lets out a sigh of relief. The doctor continues, “I don’t want her to overexert herself right now. She needs her rest, but she’s asking for Jase.” He turns towards me. “I assume that’s you, son.” Not being able to speak, I nod. “Brad, if you have no objection, I’ll take Jase in first, then you and Lily can come in shortly.”

  “If my baby girl is asking for Jase, she shall have Jase.”

  Knowing how hard this has been on them, I try to protest. “But she’s your daughter.”

  Brad’s mind was made up. “We will have our time with her. She needs you now.” He clasps me on the shoulder.

  Trying to compose myself, I follow the doctor to Maggie’s room, taking a deep breath before I enter. She looks so small laying there, her complexion pale. This didn’t look like my Maggie. As I approach the bed, she opens her eyes a little and a tiny smile spreads across her lips. “Jase,” she whispers. I walk over and grab her hand, kissing her gently.

  Chapter 22 (Maggie)

  Oh, my god! I feel like someone has taken a sledge hammer to my head, and my ribs hurt so badly. All I want is to see Jase. “Can I see Jase?” I whisper to the doctor.

  After studying my chart for a few more minutes, he looks up at me. “As long as you keep it short. You need your rest. Your mom and dad want to see you, too.”

  I know that Mom and Dad will be worried, but I really want to see Jase first. “I promise,” I whisper.

  “Okay, then. Let me go and give the family an update on your condition, and I’ll bring Jase back. Until I get back, you are under orders to relax. Am I understood? You’ve had a huge trauma today, and rest is what your body needs right now. We’ll be running some more test later to try and figure out what happened to you.” I nod and the doctor walks out my door.

  It feels like I had just closed my eyes when I could hear Jase entering my room. “Jase,” I whisper.

  I feel his hand take hold of mine and he gently kisses me on the lips. That kiss was exactly what I need. It gave me a ray of hope that everything was going to be alright. “Mag’s, are you okay? Everyone is here. They’re in the waiting room.”

  “It feels like someone has taken a sledge hammer to my head, and my ribs are killing me,” I whisper.

  Jase gently runs his hands through my hair. “Well, Mags, you gave us all quite a scare. One minute, you’re in the kitchen and we’re all talking, and the next, you screamed and fell to the floor. Maggie, you stopped breathing and they performed CPR on you. That’s why your ribs hurt.” Jase has tears running down his face while he’s talking. If only I could reach up and wipe them away, pull him into my arms, and tell him I’ll be okay. But the pain is too intense.

  As much as I want to stay awake, I feel myself slipping into sleep.
His lips gently kiss my forehead and he whispers, “I love you, Mags. Get some rest now. I’m going to go and get your parents. They’re anxious to see you.” He quietly slips from the room.

  ****

  I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping, but when I open my eyes, Mom is sitting by my side, holding my hand, and Daddy is sitting on the other, reading the paper. As my eyes adjust to light in the room, Mom leans closer. “Now there’s a sight for sore eyes. How you feeling, baby girl?”

  “My mouth is dry. Can I have some water?” I whisper.

  “Of course, baby girl. Is there anything else you need?” Weakly, I shake my head, and Mom leaves the room.

  Daddy puts down his paper and leans over the edge of my bed. He gently kisses my cheek and, as he was about to sit back in his chair, I watch him wipe a tear from his cheek. “You gave us quite a scare, baby girl. Glad that you’re finally awake. I hope the doctor can figure out what’s going on.” He sounds so tired.

  Why does this keep happening to me? Why couldn’t I just live like any other teenage girl? “I love you, daddy,” I whisper.

  “I love you, too, baby girl.”

  Mom comes back into the room with a glass of water. “Here you are, Maggie. Drink slowly.” The water is so cool and refreshing as it slides down my throat.

  The doctor and nurse walk into the room. “Okay, Maggie. It’s time to run a few more tests,” the doctor says with a smile. He turns to my parents. “I think you two should go home and get some rest. Hopefully, when you come back tomorrow, we should have some results.”

  I can tell that my parents don’t want to leave. Daddy, being the sensible one, took Mom by the hand. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s listen to the doctor.” They both give me a kiss on either side of my cheek, then walk out the door.

  After they leave, the doctor turns to me. “Okay, Maggie, we want to do a CT scan, just to rule a few things out. After that, we’ll bring you back here so that you can rest.”

  I look the doctor in the eye. “Please find out what’s wrong with me. I’m really getting tired of these headaches.”

  “Since you mentioned that, how would you rate your headache right now…one being no pain at all, ten being excruciating?”

  I think for a second. “I would have to say that it’s not as bad as when it first hit so my answer would be around a five.”

  He scribbles my answer in my chart, then he comes closer to the bed and pushes my blankets down a little so that he can check my ribs. “And how would you rate the pain in your ribs?” he says, as he gently pushes against them.

  Seeing my reaction, the doctor looks at me inquisitively, waiting for me to answer. “Is there anything above a ten?” I whimper, wiping a tear from my eye.

  He gives me a small smile. “I’m sorry, Maggie. I didn’t mean to cause you this much pain. Looks like I need to schedule an X-ray to see if they’re broken.”

  Two orderlies enter the room. The doctor explains to the nurse what he wants done, and asks her to let him know the minute that they receive any results. They transfer me to a gurney, and wheel me to the lab and X-ray. Oh, how tired I feel. If only I can sleep for a bit.

  ****

  I can feel a warm light shining down upon me. At first, I thought it was from the lights of the machines, but it was unusually quiet. I slowly open my eyes to see what’s going on, and I realize that I’m back in my room. Wow, had I actually slept through all the tests? My headache has now subsided, and the only thing I can feel is the pain in my ribs. There was a gentle knocking at my door. Jase and Adam walk in. When they see that I’m awake, they both grin. “Hey, baby girl. Glad to see that you’re awake,” Adam says.

  I smile back and nod. “Yeah, I guess I was pretty tired. I don’t even remember getting the tests done.”

  “Well, the results aren’t back yet, but you sound stronger than you did,” Adam says, walking over and kissing my forehead.

  Jase sits down beside my bed and gently grabs my hand. He leans in to kiss my cheek. “Are you feeling any better, baby?”

  “My ribs still hurt a lot, like somebody kicked the shit out of me, but my headache is gone.”

  A pained look crosses his face. “I’m sorry, baby. I wish I could take the pain away.” He squeezes my hand. “I called my parents and sisters, and Adam called Amy, Mark, and Gabe. Everybody should be here soon.”

  “What about Chase?” I ask them. Adam says that dad called him.

  There’s another knock on the door, and my family and the doctor walk in. The doctor smiles. “It’s good to see that you’re awake, Maggie. We got the test results back a little bit ago, but I wanted to wait until your family got here.”

  “What’s wrong with me, doctor?”

  “Maggie, you’re suffering from PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Somehow, on a daily basis, you’re subconsciously reliving what happened to you. The stress of little things in your life is enough to send you over the edge and you get these severe headaches. The stress of the events that you have been through have taken a toll on your mental stability. Now, I’m not saying that you won’t get better, but it’ll take time, patience, and a lot of counseling. We’ll be putting you on medication that will help prevent these attacks from happening. I want to see you in my office in a weeks’ time to discuss how the medication is working for you and how you’re feeling.”

  Because of that asshole Christian, I won’t ever be normal again? Okay, pull yourself together. You will NOT let this man ruin your life. In one swift movement, Jase was by my side, wrapping his arms around me. “Baby, everything’s going to be okay. We’re all going to help you through this, no matter what.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. Summers, could you step out in the hallway with me for just a moment? I need to discuss some things with you further,” the doctor says, holding the door for them.

  Once they leave, I look at my brothers. They look dumbfounded and angry at the same time. “What’s wrong with you three? You look angry,” I say.

  Adam, being the overprotective one, blurts out, “You don’t even worry about that. You just worry about getting better.”

  My brothers, seeing that I was still a bit tired, decide to say their goodbyes, giving me some alone time with Jase. “Mags, is there anything that I can get you?” Jase asks.

  “Yeah,” I reply, motioning him closer to me.

  As he leans in closer, I raise myself up slightly and steal a kiss. Yep, that was better than any medication that the doctor could ever give me. From the smile on Jase’s face, I can see that it is exactly what we both need at the moment. “Well, now, that was damn sweet. How about you lay back on the pillows and try that again?”

  We enjoy each other’s company for a while until we were interrupted by the head nurse. “I’m sorry, young man, but Maggie needs to get some rest. You can come back after she’s had a nap.”

  Jase smiles at me. “Now, now, Mags. Wipe that frown off of your face. You know that you need rest. I have some things to go and do in town, but I’ll be back in a few hours. You get some sleep.” He kisses me goodbye and leaves. I curl up and fall asleep with a smile on my face.

  ****

  When I wake up, Jase’s parents and my parents are in my room, but I wonder where everyone else is. As if my daddy can feel my eyes on him, he turns and looks at me. “Hey, baby girl. Did you sleep well?”

  I do feel much better. “Yes, I did, Daddy. Where’s Jase?”

  I look over at his parents and they smile. Carol says, “He went with your brothers and Amy to get some food. They should be back soon.” Mom and Carol share a look.

  “I could really use something to eat, too,” I say.

  “We have to ask the doctor what you’re allowed to eat first,” Daddy tells me. He comes over and hits the ‘CALL’ button beside my bed.

  A few minutes later, a nurse walks in and smiles. “What can I do for you, Maggie?”

  Mom smiles. “She wants something to eat,” she says.

  “Of course she does. I�
��ll run and get you something.” I smile at her before she turns to leave. I hope it’s something more than soup.

  As if she read my mind, my mom says, “You can have real food when you’re out of here and back home.”

  Just then, Jase, Amy, and my brothers walk into the room. Amy runs over and jumps on my bed, wrapping her arms around me. I wince in pain. “I’m so happy you’re okay.” She looks at my face. “Oh, shit, Maggie. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” I smile at her through my pain.

  Amy relaxes on my bed, while the rest find chairs to sit on. Jase pulls his chair over to the other side of my bed and takes my hand in his. The nurse walks back in. “Okay, Maggie, here you go,” she says and helps me sit up so I am comfortable and able to eat.

  Jase lets go of my hand and I stare at my food…pea soup and a tuna sandwich…for a few minutes, wondering if it will be any good. It’s disgusting, but I’m so hungry that I force it down anyway. The best part is the pumpkin pie. As I take my first bite, I look over at Jase with an evil grin on my face. It’s not as good as mom’s, but the reaction I’m getting from him is well worth it. I continue to eat it until only one bite is left. I look at Jase and smile, offering it to him. He takes my fingers in his mouth as he takes the last bite. I flush, remembering that everyone is watching us. I swear that I can hear my brothers growl. I want to flip them off, but my parents and Jase’s parents are here so I restrain myself. I just go with glaring at them instead, conveying my message loud and clear.

  Chapter 23 (Jase)

  The next day, Creed and I head to the hospital to pick up Maggie. When we get there, we head up to her room. We walk in, but Maggie isn’t there. Where did she go? “Maggie?” Creed says.

  “I’m in the bathroom changing and cleaning up. I’ll be out in a sec.” We sit down while we wait for her.

  As she walks out of the bathroom, I almost fall off my chair. God, she looks stunning. I am one hell of a lucky guy to have Mags as my girl. With a little smirk on her face, she says, “Like what you see, baby?”