“You’re going to get me killed when your Dad finds me in bed with his little girl.”
I’m so sorry, Jace
He smiled down at her. “Nah. I think he’s feeling a little sorry for me so maybe he’ll just take an eye or something.”
She erased her words and then began to write… and write, her hand shaking slightly so the words were a bit wonky.
You know that’s not what I meant. I’m so sorry for hurting you, for hurting US because I was too stuck in the past to see the lifeline you were offering me. It was stupid to punish you for someone else’s mistakes.
Oh wow! They were really going to have this conversation right now? Well shit. The agony was going to start even earlier then he thought.
“Angel, it’s OK. We both could have handled things better. I’m sorry about that night too, I shouldn’t have-”
She cut off his apology by pressing her swollen lips to his, effectively silencing him by stealing away all his good sense.
With a tiny mewl of pain she pulled away and then frantically wrote on the board again.
Please don’t apologise for the single most beautiful night of my life. That you would care so much and give me that kind of joy meant everything to me. I was just terrified of losing you, of losing myself in you. I was just kind of terrified of anything that held the power to hurt me.
“I never meant to hurt you,” he told her fervently.
She smiled softly and pressed her fingers against his lips.
I know. I’m going to make it up to you - I’m done running away.
He didn’t really know what to say back to that because he wasn’t entirely sure that this wasn’t a dream and he was about to be woken up by a nurse in the waiting room. This was more than his wildest dreams come true.
With perfect timing his phone rang, and Jace awkwardly lifted his hips to pull his phone from his back pocket. His Mum was calling.
“Hey Mum,” he answered and Isabelle stiffened in surprise next to him.
“I’m just leaving work now,” she said, a little distantly, and he could bet she was on the hands free in the car. “I’m going to bring you a change of clothes and something to eat. Any requests?”
“Just go home and rest Mum. Isabelle is awake, and I’m visiting with her now. She’s probably getting released tomorrow so I’ll be home tonight once they kick me out.”
A deep sigh of relief came through the receiver. “Oh honey, that’s fantastic news. We can all rest easy tonight knowing she’s pulled through. Are you sure I can’t bring anything for either of you?”
“Just take care of yourself, Mum. Thanks for being there though. I’ll see you tonight…” he hesitated and then added softly. “I love you.”
A pause - a muted sob. “I love you too. Give Isabelle my love.”
Disconnecting, he placed his phone in his front pocket this time and turned his attention back to Isabelle who already had the board waiting.
You worked things out with your Mum?
He gave her a smirk. “Yeah, I’m having the best dream. Do me a favour and don’t wake me up, OK?”
She rolled her eyes and elbowed him, then winced as she aggravated the pain in her ribs.
“Easy there killer, you can kick my arse another day. I’ll take it as an I.O.U.”
He looked down at her scowling at him in mock outrage and couldn’t help a massive smile spreading across his face. He tucked a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear, and very gently traced the side of her face that was less bruised.
“God, are you ever not beautiful?” he whispered.
She stared back at him earnestly, so much unguarded emotion in those eyes. Completely vulnerable, completely all open, and completely all for him.
“Isabelle,” he whispered reverently, wanting so badly to kiss her but not wanting to inadvertently cause her any further pain.
So caught up in all the things he wanted and then decided would do with Isabelle, Jace missed her hands moving on the board until she handed it to him
I.O.U AN I.L.Y
His gaze snapped to hers as soon as he read the words. Was she saying….? Did she….?
“What’s this?” he asked quietly.
When I say those words to you for the first time, I want you to be able to hear them and know how true they are for me.
Jace closed his eyes immediately to fight against the wet warmth pooling there, his heart beating erratically and his body now coiled tight. There were no words for the feeling in his heart right at that very moment.
Were dreams a palpable thing you could touch and hold? Because he was certain he had the best of his dreams cuddled in his arms right this moment.
“Jafgh…”
Eyes snapping open at his mangled name on Isabelle’s lips, he took a leaf out of her book and kissed her lips softly once.
“Don’t speak, babe.”
Are you OK?
He pecked her lips again. “I think this is what happiness feels like. Push me off a building and I promise you I could fly.”
A weird rasping sound came from her lips and he realised she was laughing, or at least trying to, in spite of the damage to her throat.
You’re such a weirdo.
“I’m your weirdo?” It was meant to be a statement but came out as a question.
With a brilliant smile, she gave him a nod and his wimpy heart actually skipped a beat.
Bruised, a little broken but so totally beautiful, and she was all his – just as he was all hers.
God, he really hoped he didn’t wake up.
*
“Mum!” Jace yelled as he moved quickly through the front door later that night. “Mum, where are you?”
Moments later Maia came running into the front entrance, skidding to a halt just in front of him. Her black hair was pulled into a messy bun atop her head, she was dressed in a pair of Matt’s footy shorts and tank top she’d stolen years earlier and her face was pale and worried.
“What’s going on? Is there any news?” she asked breathily.
“Isabelle is stable and lucid. They gave her some meds to get her to sleep though, since she’s still in a fair bit of pain, but she will be discharged tomorrow. Kimberley is still unresponsive and her Mum hasn’t shown up yet. That’s why I need Mum. The doctors won’t release any information to anyone but family, and because Kimberley isn’t eighteen they need a guardian to make some medical decisions and work out payment.”
Maia’s jaw tensed. “Are you kidding me?”
“I wish,” Jace muttered.
“Jesus, no wonder Kimberley was such a basket case,” Maia seethed.
“Where’s Mum?” Jace repeated.
“She was bringing Isabelle’s family some dinner at the hospital so they didn’t have to choke down any more of that horrible hospital food.”
His Mum - totally his hero.
Jace checked his phone and noticed it was after nine. Visiting hours ended at eight so she couldn’t be too far away. He was exhausted but really wanted to sort out some support for Kimberley before he let himself pass out.
Maia watched him intently and then, without a word, grabbed his arm and yanked him up the stairs.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “I’m going to wait for Mum in the kitchen.”
Maia ignored his protests, keeping her grip iron tight as she strong armed him into his room. She shoved him so hard he stumbled and fell onto his bed.
“What the hell?” he grumbled, trying to right himself.
“You look terrible,” she told him bluntly. “We’re twins and I don’t even recognise you because you could be an extra on The Walking Dead. Take your smelly hospital clothes off, get some sleep, and then after you’ve recharged, you can be the energiser bunny again tomorrow.”
“I need to sort this stuff for Kimberley, Maia. I’ll get some sleep once I’ve spoken to Mum.”
“No,” she replied firmly. “She’s at the hospital now so I’ll call her and let her know that Team S
cown is making their next play. Between Mum and I; we will have the ball rolling before you even get up tomorrow.”
“Maia-”
She raised her hand to silence him, her chocolate brown eyes bright as she met his gaze head on.
“No Jace, you can’t fix everything, and you’re sure as hell not doing all of this alone. Isabelle comes home tomorrow and I know you’re not going to want to be a zombie around her when she’s going to need help adjusting. If you really think about it, you’re doing everyone else a favour by getting some sleep.”
He smirked at her affectionately. “You’re a bossy pain in my arse, pip squeak.”
Maia smiled warmly. “I love you too meathead, even though you’re too busy taking care of others instead of yourself.”
Jace would have put up more of a fight but his brat of a sister was right. As soon as he lay down, he was practically out like a light a second later, thoughts of Isabelle following him into his dreams.
CHAPTER 19
ISABELLE
Kimberley lay silently in the hospital bed, bones protruding, and her skin varying shades of purple, blue and yellow. An oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose, an IV drip was bandaged to her left hand, and a couple of other machines that Isabelle did not recognise were hooked up to her. If her stupid throat wasn’t such a mess, a hysterical sob would be bursting through at the utter desperation and helplessness she felt.
With a quivering hand, Isabelle combed through the tangled red mane knotted in massive clumps around Kimberley’s head.
It just all seemed so stupid now, all the drama Isabelle had forced on everyone around her, the self-loathing and pity party she was so engrossed in to the exclusion of everyone else. What Jason had tried to do, his brutal treatment of her was horrendous and damaging, but it was nothing compared to the life Kimberley had been forced to live for so many years.
Kimberley was a cranky bitch for the most part, but Isabelle could recognise that as self-preservation and her only method of survival. Kimberley didn’t even like her, yet she’d tried to help Isabelle. Apart from Tate, she had been the only other person to cut through her bullshit and give it to her straight.
Tears ran silently down Isabelle’s face. She made no attempt to wipe them away or try to halt their flow down her cheeks. Looking at Kimberley’s battered and limp body, she made a promise to herself that she was going to stop living in the past. She was determined to actively work to heal herself and the relationships around her. Kissing Kimberley’s knuckles she promised she would help her find the right way if Kimberley would just wake up.
“Hey, your parents are looking all over for you.”
Isabelle jumped at Tate’s voice, jerking clumsily away from Kimberley.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Isabelle waved his apology away and nodded towards Kimberley, tears still tracking down her face.
Wordlessly, Tate gathered Isabelle in his strong arms, giving her all the comfort and understanding she needed, but without offering any platitudes she wasn’t in the mood to hear. He kept one arm firmly around Isabelle’s shoulders while the other held Kimberley’s hand gently so they were a connected triangle.
After a few moments Tate released Isabelle. His green eyes met her hazel ones with such heartbreaking vulnerability and loss that her knees almost buckled beneath the intensity of his agony.
Every part of her wanted to tell him that everything was going to be OK and he had nothing to worry about, but she wasn’t going to lie to Tate. Instead, she pressed her lips against his cheek and cupped his jaw, trying to convey with her touch that even if things weren’t OK, she had his back and would love him through it all.
“Have you spoken to Jace today?” Tate asked quietly when their moment was over.
Isabelle shook her head.
Tate smiled a little. “His Mum cornered Kimberley’s Mum and made her sign over all parental rights to her, which is why they finally moved her to a decent room. Thank God you stole his heart, Belle bear, otherwise Kimberley would have been his sister-wife.”
Yuck. Isabelle mouthed at Tate with a sour look on her face.
His return smile was tired but genuine. “He’s not a total douche.”
Isabelle grinned back at him triumphantly, knowing that Tate was finally giving his seal of approval.
With a gentle kiss to Kimberley’s pale lips and a gentle caress to her face, Tate broke Isabelle’s heart a little more.
His eyes were watery when he faced her again but he didn’t let a single tear fall.
“Come on,” he said with an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get you out of here.”
I’ll be back. Stay strong Kimberley.
Isabelle blew a kiss to her frail savior, allowing Tate to lead her out of the room and to the front entrance where her parents were waiting.
*
Discharge papers all signed and dealt with, upcoming appointments booked in, strict after care instructions dealt out, Isabelle was all too happy to get into the car next to Tate. She looked forward to finally making it home so she could sleep in her own bed tonight, and maybe sit out on her balcony and flirt with the cutest boy next door.
“Are you feeling OK, honey?” her Mum asked anxiously from the passenger seat.
Isabelle gave her a thumbs up.
“Have you taken your next round of pain pills? How are your throat and ribs?”
She gave another thumbs up which had her Mum’s face scrunching up in concern, clearly not convinced.
“She looks a little pale,” Mum said to her Dad. “Should they be releasing her so soon? Do you think we should take her back?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think they would let her go unless they were sure,” Dad reasoned.
“They barely checked her over this morning though! We should get a second opinion before we just throw her back into it all.”
Isabelle grabbed Tate’s arm, gesturing her unhappiness to him in very vivid and very inappropriate signs which had Tate smirking in amusement.
Tell them I’m bruised, not bloody deaf.
She wrote on her board as they continued to argue about her as if she wasn’t sitting in the same car as them.
“Uh, Uncle James, Aunty Cleo?” Tate said after a cough to get their attention. “Isabelle would like me to tell you she can hear you just fine, and that she wants to go home if you could stop arguing before she gets a headache.”
The headache comment was pure genius. Immediately Cleo firmly closed her mouth and stopped fussing and arguing, while James turned his attention back to the road. Of course Isabelle wasn’t even allowed to get out of the car herself; instead Tate lifted her out as her mum fussed around her anxiously. Her Dad strode ahead to open the double front doors to allow Tate to carry her across the front stoop without jugging her bruised body too much.
“You let me know if you need me to help you escape, OK?” Tate whispered cryptically into her ear.
She raised a questioning eyebrow in return, but as they entered her house a chorus of ‘welcome home’ erupted from a room filled with Jace, Maia, Matt, Claire and Tate’s parents. Tate’s comment became very clear.
Tate let her down gently as the group descended on her for tentative hugs and lots of tearful smiles.
“You bitch,” Maia said into her ear. “Only you can wear bruises like a fashion week model.”
That made Isabelle roll her eyes and smile.
You’re ridiculous. She wrote on her board.
Maia used her finger to wipe off letters until only D- I – C were left.
“Very cute, babe,” Matt said at her side.
Isabelle pasted a plastic smile on her face as she faced Matt, not sure where they stood after all the harsh, hostile words he’d thrown her way like knives.
In turn, Matt looked a little awkward and very sheepish as he pulled a white napkin from his back pocket, waving it in the air in front of her.
“I’m glad you’re OK,” he told her sincerely, offeri
ng his hand.
Isabelle accepted his hand and gesture with a smile and a nod, relieved to leave everything in the past.
“Thank you,” Matt said with a smile. “I don’t have to worry any more about Jace killing me in my sleep for upsetting you.”
That made her smile even bigger and she squeezed his hand in reassurance.
“At least not this week,” Jace himself quipped, punching Matt in the arm before turning to Isabelle, dark circles under his eyes, dark hair rumpled, and dressed in blue shorts and a white shirt.
“Hey Angel,” he murmured softly, his eyes drinking her in and making her blush.
Moving forward he gathered her close to him, arms around her waist as his lips pressed to the side of her head tenderly.
“I’m sorry about this,” he whispered into her ear. “Maia wanted to throw you a welcome home party and this was as much as I could do to rein her in.”
She didn’t care about everyone being here even though she was exhausted and injured. She probably would have been angry a couple of months ago, but now - all she could feel was love and an unbelievable amount of gratitude for the people in this room. She knew they cared for her and had gone out of their way to prove that to her time and time again.
I love that you’re all here to make me feel safe and loved.
After Jace read her words on the board, he wrote underneath.
You’re easy to love.
She blushed, smiling shyly at him from under her lashes until Tate walked over, smacking Jace on the back.
“Simmer down Romeo - we’ve got parents in the room here.”
Jase rolled his eyes at Tate but kept his arm around Isabelle’s waist as everyone moved outside. Tate’s Dad was grilling meat on the BBQ, and her Mum and Claire were setting up plates and cutlery on a table already filled with salads and treats.
Maia, Matt, Tate and Jase lead the way to the chairs on the outdoor deck, Jase settling Isabelle tenderly on his lap, stroking his hands through her hair and down in circles on her back.
“The rumour mill is going crazy at school,” Maia said with a gleam in her eyes.
Home is Where the Heart Is (Home #1) Page 31
