by Dawn Tamayo
“Aah, that.” Romero said, thinking that was probably the easiest thing to explain right now.
“Yes that. It should be me in that bed right now, not you. You idiot why did you do it?” Her voice broke as she tried to hold back the tears.
“You can get in here with me if you want.” He joked, and winced again as he tried to laugh.
“How can you joke? You nearly died!” Helen was angry and grateful, all rolled into one.
Romero watched as the nurse walked in seeming happy to see he was awake now.
Helen sat silently as the nurse took his pulse and temperature, and checked his drip. She made notes on his chart, told him he was doing well, and left the room again.
Romero looked across to the window, he could see the sunshine hiding behind the closed blinds.
“Would you like me to open them?” Helen asked.
He nodded and she walked across to open them. Romero watched every movement she made - the sun was making her hair shine bright gold as it hung loose down her back. She was wearing a simple grey t-shirt and black running trousers. There wasn’t a scrap of make-up on her face and he thought what a natural beauty she was. Romero didn’t want to think about it, but he couldn’t help it - last night, when he saw the gun in the cabin window, he was terrified that he was going to lose Helen forever. He couldn’t stand the thought of anything bad happening to her, or losing her all over again.
Helen turned back to Romero and saw the dark scowl on his face. She rushed to his side, “Are you in pain? Let me get the nurse back here now.”
Romero grabbed her hand, stopping her from going anywhere. “I don’t need the nurse. I need you Helen.”
“What can I get you?” She asked, sitting down carefully on the side of his bed.
He shook his head and smiled. “Nothing. I just need You.”
Helen looked at Romero and desperately wished he was meaning what she hoped, but she thought it couldn’t be that wonderfully simple or true! He was probably confused from the amount of morphine and other drugs they had given him to ease his pain.
“Are you the one who’s suffering from amnesia now Romero? You do remember who you are and what happened, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” He laughed gently trying to ignore the pain.
"Then you do remember your girlfriend.” Helen said quietly as she pulled her hand away from his. She desperately wanted to touch him, but the sound of the word “girlfriend” reminded her she had stayed there all night only because she wanted to, but now Romero was awake he may not want her there, there was somebody else who should have been sitting in her seat.
A knock came at the door and it opened slowly. As if by some cruel twist of fate Maria walked into the hospital room followed by Carlos.
Helen looked from Romero to Maria and stood up. “Well I think it’s time I left.” She felt uncomfortable being in the same room as both him and his girlfriend.
“No, don’t go! Stay, please.” Romero said as he grabbed her hand again.
Helen looked down at Romero’s hand over hers and then back to Maria. What kind of game was he playing?
“Hola.” Romero nodded to Carlos and Maria. “Maria, this is Helen. Helen this is Maria.” Romero introduced.
“Oh, that Helen.” Maria said with obvious amusement, as she smiled broadly.
“You must be tired Romero. I think it’s time I leave you now.” Helen said trying to pull away without hurting Romero’s delicate body, but he didn’t let her go, his grip was remarkably strong for someone in his condition.
“Helen. Nice to meet you, I have been hearing a lot about you.” Maria said smiling as she walked across the room and held out her hand to shake Helen’s.
Helen thought Maria was even more beautiful than she remembered, then she noted the uniform she was wearing; it was a police uniform but different to the one Romero usually wore. She smiled shaking Maria’s hand trying to be polite, but holding a civil conversation with Romero’s new girlfriend was the last thing she wanted to do right now, and it had been a very long night.
“Good timing Maria, Helen was just asking me about you?” Romero said as his friends sat on the chairs in the room, forcing Helen to either sit next to Romero on the bed or stand.
She chose to sit on the bed.
“Helen, Maria is my partner in this operation. Carlos, Miguel, Maria and I were all undercover together. It was run by my old Captain and a detective who came over from England especially for the operation. Maria is not my girlfriend and never has been. We were acting the day you saw us in Puerto Banus. In fact she already has a wonderful husband.” Romero said hoping this would make it all better somehow. He had hoped he would get the opportunity to explain it all to Helen at some point, but he never imagined he would be doing it from a hospital bed.
“You were both acting?” Helen asked as she looked between Romero and Maria.
Maria smiled and nodded.
“Well you were very convincing.” She said trying to let it sink in.
“We were supposed to be. That was our job, and that was our cover.” Maria said understandingly.
“I know, and I am sorry Helen. I had no choice otherwise we would have blown the operation.” Romero said. He looked across at Carlos and Maria and said something in Spanish. They both obliged and left the room leaving Romero and Helen alone together.
As the hospital room door closed, Romero looked back to Helen. “I love you Helen. I think I have loved you since the first moment I met you. I can’t explain it, and I know I should have walked away from you at the hospital the night I found you, but I couldn’t. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t. When I left you in Estepona it was like I had thrown a part of me away. Then at my house when you left me to go back to your fiancé, I felt like something inside me had died.”
“I am so sorry for that.” Helen interrupted, “I didn’t love Oliver, and I desperately didn’t want to leave you. But at that time I thought he was the innocent one in all this, and I didn’t want to be responsible for wrecking someone’s future – their marriage and the life they had planned with me. I wasn’t thinking about me, or us. I was just trying to do what was right.”
“I know that now! I didn’t at the time and it nearly killed me, but I know that now - I heard you on the yacht.” Romero stroked Helen’s hand with his thumb, rubbing it over and over again reassuring her he knew what she had gone through.
“I knew it!” She said excitedly, happy she had been right. “I was sure I had seen Miguel. I hoped he was there for a good reason.”
“He was. He was checking on the log book for The Princess, and he planted some listening devices onboard while he was there. We heard everything you said.”
Helen tried to remember what she had said but she couldn’t really remember, there was too much going on last night and she could only remember the feeling of sheer panic pulsating through her veins.
Romero saw the look on Helen’s face and realised how scared she must have been, “It is alright, you are safe now. When we were in the water I saw them arresting Oliver and Marcus Martinez.” Romero paused for a moment and then looked seriously at Helen, “They did get Frank Hodges didn’t they?”
“Yes.” She smiled relived, but it was short-lived. “Miguel said they got him just after he shot you. Oh Romero, why did you do that?”
“Because I love you and I would die for you Helen. I don’t want to lose you again. Not ever.”
Helen looked at Romero, his eyes were seriously dark but they still sparkled. Finally his lips had their wonderful colour returning to them and she didn’t want to resist anymore. She leant across the gap between them and pressed her lips to his as she closed her eyes and the room ceased to exist for that moment in time - all she could feel was the sensation of Romero’s lips against hers, soft but big and strong. She felt like she wanted to fall into that sensation forever and not move. But move she did as she heard a small moan from him.
“Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you d
id I?” Helen pulled back, scared something was wrong.
Romero laughed, “I am irritated, and frustrated. I can’t move from this hospital bed and all I want to do is hold you and touch you.”
Helen smiled, “Wait a minute.” She let go of Romero’s hand and walked around to the other side of the bed, away from his injured shoulder and where there were no drips. Gently she climbed onto the bed next to Romero and snuggled into his free arm being careful not to move him. Romero smiled and moved his head to kiss the top of her hair. “So what have I missed? I imagine it has been a busy night.”
“Well, Detective Spencer came by to take my statement. He said that Oliver, Marcus Martinez and Frank Hodges have all been arrested and charged with drug smuggling, distribution, attempted murder and kidnapping. He said that another man, a Moroccan called Omar something-or-other has also been arrested for drug smuggling. Apparently there was just over five million Euros worth of drugs on the yacht. Unfortunately some of the packages were lost overboard but they managed to get most of them. Also they have arrested several police officers from the police station here, and there are more investigations going on. He seemed very happy with himself.”
“And you, they know you were not involved, yes?” Romero said needing assurance that Helen was in the clear.
“Yes, thanks to Miguel and his bugs.” Helen snuggled into him further. “Romero, I have a question.” She felt him nod and continued, “What were you doing on that operation anyway? You don’t work for that part of the police anymore, you told me you were never going to go back to ADOCU again.”
“I didn’t planned to, but my old Captain asked me if I would go on this operation as they couldn’t trust the local police.”
“Did you know that Oliver was involved with drug smuggling and trafficking?”
“No Helen, of course not. I would never have let you go back there if I had known.”
“So are you working for them now, the anti-drugs unit?” After last night Helen knew how dangerous the operations were first hand, and she didn’t like the idea of Romero being involved in that all the time.
“No way. I was just crazy enough to accept this one because I was missing you and I needed something more to keep my mind occupied.”
She nodded relieved.
“So what now?” Romero asked, enjoying the feel of Helen pressed up against him in his hospital bed and never wanting to let her go.
“Well you are going to rest and get better, that’s all you need to think about for now.” Helen soothed.
“Not me. I meant you? What do you want to do now?” He could feel his heart beating fast, holding on for her answer, hoping it would be the one he wanted to hear.
“Detective Spencer said I will need to go into a safe-house for a while, then after that I really don’t know.”
“I know of a very good safe-house. It’s in a lovely little village right by the beach with a very lively holiday resort nearby. It’s a long way away from here, you might even know it?” Romero said, eyes sparkling.
Helen looked at him, “You still want me after everything I have caused you.” She asked, indicating to his shoulder.
“If I got to keep you Helen, I would do it all over again.” He winced against the pain as he laughed, “But I would prefer a less painful future with you.”
Helen smiled and rested her head against Romero’s uninjured shoulder again, she couldn’t believe how lucky she was. “Well you are going to need someone to nurse you at home when you get out of here.”
“Will you wear a nurse’s uniform?” he teased.
“No!” Then she thought about it for a minute and teased him back, “Well maybe, you will have to wait and find out.”
“Not fair.” Romero complained, “You tease a man when he is laying helpless in bed, and can’t do anything about it.”
“Romero, somehow I think you will never be helpless!”
“I am helpless if I don’t have you Helen.” He said seriously.
“Well it’s a good job that will never happen again then, isn’t it?”
“Never?” Romero asked hopefully.
“Never.” Helen said kissing his chest. “Now sleep Romero. You need to rest.”
“Only if you stay with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Helen said as she closed her eyes and relaxed in Romero’s arm.
Helen woke to the sound of voices. She could feel Romero gently stroking her hair as she heard him speaking in Spanish to his friends. She didn’t bother to open her eyes, she was too happy laying there in her little place of heaven. Helen silently translated their conversation and put together what was going on around her, and she smiled:
Romero was talking to a policeman telling him that Helen was only going to the safe-house for a night or two until he got out of the hospital, and she was to have either Carlos or Miguel with her at all times. The policeman assured him that there was no threat to either him or Helen, and it was just a precaution insisted on by Detective Spencer and the British Embassy. But Romero was very insistent and the policeman agreed to his request after Romero had assured him that he would pull out his drips right there and then, and get up off the bed to go and sort it out with Captain Manesco in person if he didn’t agree! Helen smiled thinking how pig-headed and stubborn Romero could be, and at the same time hoping he wouldn’t actually have done that! Then Romero told the policeman that Helen would be returning to his villa in Villajosa with him, so he could put that on his paperwork as her new address.
Helen heard the door close and opened her eyes to look at Romero next to her.
“So you will be out of here in a day or two?” She asked relieved.
“Yes, the doctor came by when you were sleeping. He said the bullet missed any vital organs and was successfully removed in the operation, so I should be free to go home soon.” Romero tapped his mobile phone next to the bed, “I phoned Juan and he is going to drive down and pick us up to take us back home.”
“You were supposed to be asleep.” Helen scolded.
Romero laughed, he liked her looking after him.
Helen smiled, she liked the sound of that, “to take us back home.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later:
Helen sat looking around the table and smiled happily. This was just as she imagined it to be, and so much more. She looked across at Romero who was being teased by Juan about something, whilst Juan balanced his young daughter on his knee. Romero was laughing, and seeing Helen look at him, he gave her a quick wink, sending butterflies fluttering through her stomach. Cathy was next to Helen with her other child sleeping in her arms. Helen looked further down the long table to the other people there - Romero’s parents were sitting with his brother and sister, and further down next to them were Carlos, Miguel, and Maria with her husband. Juan’s bar was closed to the public today, the first time since Juan had opened it all those years ago. But today was an exception, it was a very special day. Today they were celebrating Romero and Helen’s engagement.
The next course of food came out and platters of tasty tapas were laid out on the table, but Helen only had eyes for Romero, not the wonderfully aromatic food. Seeing her watching him again Romero sat back and looked at her, taking in the sight of the woman he loved and treasured more than anything else in the world. The atmosphere was light and happy, and he looked up and down the table listening to the chatter and laughter over the music.
Romero stood up and walked around to Helen’s chair. He pulled it out slightly and took her hand, leading her to a clear space just away from the table. He pulled Helen into his arms and moved along with her in time to the gentle Spanish music. “Happy?” He asked.
Helen nodded as she pushed her body up against his, and enjoyed moving to the music as she lost herself in his deep dark eyes. “And you? Are you happy Romero?”
“Yes, but I will be even happier in a few months’ time.”
“Why? Do you think something is going to happen between now and ou
r wedding day?” She asked concerned.
“Well this isn’t the first time you have been engaged Helen!” He teased her.
“Ah yes, but you are not a drug smuggler who nearly got me killed, twice I might add!” She teased back. “Besides, I love you Romero, like I have never loved anyone else, and I can’t wait to marry you. I never want to be without you again. I want to be your wife and have your children, and live our lives together for ever.” She said seriously as she kissed him, giving Romero no doubt that was what she wanted most in the world.
Romero kissed Helen back, tasting the love on her lips. He didn’t let her go, not even when they both heard the wolf whistles and loud cheers coming from their friends and family sitting at the table behind them.
THE END
