by J. S. Cooper
“Luke started visiting me after Clara’s funeral.” She took ahold of his arm. “He’s become like a son to me.”
“I’m sorry about Clara,” I whispered, suddenly ashamed to be standing there as if nothing had happened. As if I hadn’t played such a large role in her demise.
“I don’t know why the Lord decided to take my child. She was my world, but I do not question the Lord’s decision.” Clara’s mom’s voice was passionate, and I looked up at her trying to study her face.
Was that how she really felt? I knew that I would be absolutely mad at the Lord if he decided to take Hudson away from me. I wouldn’t just accept it like that. I felt panicked inside as I thought about death and mortality. I couldn’t grasp how she could be okay with it all.
“Don’t get me wrong. I cried for years. I still cry, but my Clara had demons. Her life wasn’t easy.” She sighed. “I tried my best, but I couldn’t do everything. She had a drinking problem.” She looked at Luke then and squeezed his arm. “That was her problem, and I never addressed it. No one is to blame for her death but the alcohol.”
Luke grabbed her hand and started crying, and I stared at them for a few moments, confused and unsure as to what was going on. I was going to ask more questions when I remembered that I was there to see Hudson. I pushed the questions in my mind out of the way and gave them a gentle smile.
“Excuse me. I’m going to go and see Hudson.”
“Only family can see him right now.” Luke gave me a face, and I smiled.
“I’m his sister.” I grinned and looked for room J. “I’ll see you both later. It was nice meeting you.” I nodded at Clara’s mom, and she nodded back at me.
I turned around quickly and almost ran when I saw the big J outside of the door. I pushed the door open and walked in. I wasn’t prepared for the sight in the room. Hudson was lying in the bed with a bunch of different machines connected to him. I stopped by the door and just stared at him, feeling too scared and emotional to move any closer.
His face was the only thing that wasn’t covered with anything, but he looked different. It was swollen, and he had bruises all over him. I didn’t understand why he had so many bruises because I didn’t remember Channing hitting him that many times. I took a couple of deep breaths and then walked closer to the bed. I walked all the way to the front and stared down at his face.
“Hey Hudson,” I whispered, hoping for a romantic miracle. I waited for him to open his eyes and smile at me lazily. A teardrop fell as I realized that wasn’t going to happen. “Hey, Hudson, wake up,” I spoke, this time louder. His face didn’t move.
I stared at his chest and was grateful to see that it was moving up and down. There was some sign of life there. I reached down and touched his cheek very gently. His skin was a mix of black, blue, and green with some purple hues. Channing had done everything he could to make sure that Hudson lost the fight.
“It’s me, Hudson. It’s Riley,” I whispered as I traced his bruises. “I’m sorry I told you not to fight back dirty. I was wrong. You shouldn’t have listened to me. You should have beaten the shit out of him.” My hand flew to my mouth. “Oops, sorry for cussing.” And then I laughed. “Who am I apologizing to?” I shook my head and closed my eyes for a few seconds. This was a lot harder than I had anticipated it being. “I guess I fainted last night. I woke up this morning in my bed and I don’t even remember leaving the gym. Isn’t that crazy?”
I rambled on, not knowing what to say. It was weird talking, knowing I wasn’t going to get a response.
“Luke’s outside waiting to see you. You won’t believe who he’s with.” I leaned down and whispered, “He’s with Clara’s mom. Weird huh? Who knew they were friends? She said he’s been going to see her since the funeral. I didn’t even know he was good friends with Clara. But I suppose the three of you must have hung out a lot.” I paused and decided to change the subject. I wasn’t sure he wanted to hear about Clara.
“So Eden told me you’re going to go on a trip traveling around the world. I wonder what countries you’re planning on going to. Do you want a travel buddy? I don’t have the money to go yet, but I’m sure I can get a job and save—if you’re willing to wait a few months of course. Or maybe a year.” I laughed awkwardly. “I’m not sure I’ll have enough money in a few months. I still have to finish this exposé on underground fighting. I want to interview you when you wake up. I’m going to make you the star of the article.”
I took a step back then. I couldn’t stop the feelings of sadness and depression from taking over. I walked to the door and was about to leave when I decided to go back.
“Hey, Hudson, it’s me again.” I took a deep breath. “I nearly left to go and get some water and coffee. I didn’t think it would be this hard. I don’t even know what’s going on or what’s wrong with you. I miss you. You know what’s funny? The fact that you still call yourself Batman.” I started laughing. “Who calls himself Batman? I mean, it was cute when you were an obnoxious kid, but you’re a man now.” I giggled. “I’m going to get you a cape and a mask. And I’m going to make you wear it to the mall and you’ll have to run through the mall shouting, “Batman’s here!” And I’m going to take lots of photos to blackmail you with.” I smiled down at him, love filling my heart as I remembered how he’d always been there for me.
“Get better, Hudson. Please get better. I love you. I think we were destined for each other. Please just get better. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. I will always remain by your side. Please don’t leave me alone, Hudson.” I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I leaned down and gently pressed my lips against his. “I love you, Hudson,” I whispered against his lips.
And then two things happened: his eyes popped open and a nurse walked into the room and gasped.
Chapter 17
Hudson
Present Day
I was never going to live down the name ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ It wasn’t the worst name a guy could have, but it wasn’t exactly the most masculine either. If another person called me Sleeping Beauty, I thought I was going to pull my hair out and scream.
Though, I suppose it’s not as embarrassing as what happened to Riley. Having the nurse catch her kissing me was something she wasn’t going to live down either. I suppose it never feels good to be caught kissing your brother. I laughed weakly and saw Riley frowning at me from the chair next to the bed.
“Why are you laughing?” she asked me suspiciously, but I didn’t tell her why.
“No reason.” I smiled at her. “Come.” I waved her over to the bed. I watched as she slowly got up and walked over to me.
“You okay?” Her eyes searched mine with a worried expression.
“Yeah.” I nodded and reached up to touch her face. “I just wanted to look at you.”
“Okay.”
“Kiss me?” I asked her. “I need you to breathe some life in me.”
“Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes, but I could see her grinning. Riley was loving the fact that she had been the one to wake me. “I’m not a fire-breathing dragon, you know.”
“I don’t need the fire.” I grinned. “At least, not now. Not while I’m still in the hospital. Unless they say conjugal visits are okay.”
“Hudson!” she gasped, and I laughed.
“Kiss me,” I demanded, and she leaned down and gently pressed her lips against mine. “Hmm,” I muttered, grabbing her head and running my fingers through her hair as I kissed her harder.
I slipped my tongue into her mouth and we kissed each other eagerly. I closed my eyes and breathed in her smell. This was what I had missed when I’d thought I was dead. The realness of this moment didn’t compare to my memories. The smell of her was so strong and vibrant, the taste of her so sweet, the feel of her so warm. There was nothing that could ever compare to the real thing.
“Hudson.” She pulled away, slightly breathless. “That’s enough.”
“I can never have enough of you, Riley.”<
br />
“Well, we’ll have to save the rest for the moment you leave the hospital.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.” I frowned. “You’re so mean to me.”
“Has Channing been to see you?” She changed the subject. “It’s been a week since you woke up, and I was just wondering.”
“No, he hasn’t.” I shook my head. “Nick has though. Channing’s out of the club.”
“What?” Her eyes widened. “So what does that mean? He’s not going to the championship?”
“Nope.”
“Oh wow. So Justin’s going.” She looked at me thoughtfully. “He was next up, right?”
“He was next, but he’s not going.”
“He’s not?” She looked in me in confusion. “Then who’s going?”
I took a deep breath and grabbed ahold of her hand. “I have something to tell you.”
“What?” Her face went pale. “Oh my God, no, Hudson. You can’t do this. You nearly died. You have to stop letting your guilt take over your life. It’s not your fault that Clara died. Your dying isn’t going to solve anything.”
“Riley, listen to me. Please.” I squeezed her hands, my heart breaking at her obvious pain.
“Why? So you can tell me that you’re going back for round two? Do you think I want to go through this again? I can’t go through this again, Hudson. I don’t like it. It’s not right.”
“Riley, I wanted to talk to you about the night that Clara died.” I took a deep breath. “Please listen to me.”
“What?” She glared at me. “I’m getting so fed up of going over that night. I know that makes me a horrible person, but will we ever get to move past that night?”
“I saw you delete the texts.” I bit my lip, and her eyes flew to mine in shock. “I’m not the saint you thought I was, Riley. I know Clara wanted my help. I saw you delete them. I didn’t want to leave you that night. In fact, I was happy you were jealous. I thought it proved to me that you really did care for me like I cared for you.”
“I didn’t know.” She kissed my forehead. “That’s why you feel guilty? That’s why you thought I’d hate you?”
I nodded, and tears filled my eyes. “We both made mistakes that night. I knew she had an alcohol problem and I gave her more alcohol before we left. I just wanted us to be together.”
“Oh, Hudson.” She stroked my cheek. “I’m sorry. I understand why you feel a responsibility to her mom.”
“About that.” I took another deep breath. “About the fight.”
“I don’t know if I can go through this again.” Her eyes were bleak, and my heart broke at the scared look in her eyes. “What if they kill you this time?”
“I signed up for the fight because I felt guilty about that night, but there’s something else you need to know.” I took a deep breath and was about to continue when the door opened.
“Can I come in?” Luke walked into the room and I nodded, still unsure as to how I felt about our friendship.
“Luke, you need to talk some sense into Hudson. He said he’s going to continue with the fight.” Riley’s voice rose. “How is he going to continue with a fight? He has no shot at winning.” Her voice cracked, and I saw Luke give me a questioning look. I shook my head as he sighed.
“I’d hoped Hudson would have told you already.” He sat down and stared at Riley.
She looked at him in confusion. “Told me what?”
“I’m the one going to the championships, Riley.”
“What?” Her jaw dropped and she looked at me in shock. “What are you talking about?”
“I spoke to Nick and he’s sending me.” His voice sounded sad. “I never should have convinced Hudson to sign up. I should have been man enough in the beginning. I should have signed up myself.”
“No, Luke.” She walked over to him. “You don’t need to do this either.”
“Yes.” He jumped up. “Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“I need to win the million dollars. I need to give some it to Clara’s mom.” He looked at me and gave me another apologetic smile. “I’m the reason she’s dead, Riley.” Tears started rolling from his eyes as he spoke. “She wasn’t driving home from the bar when she crashed. She was driving to meet me.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. Her text message said she needed a ride home from the bar.” Riley looked confused. “She needed Hudson to take her home.”
“I think she was testing him to see if he would leave you.” Luke’s voice was distraught. “I asked her to leave Hudson. I asked her to date me. She knew he had feelings for you, but she wanted to see if he was really going to choose you over her. And when he never responded to her texts, she realized it was over. She called me and asked me to come to the house, but I didn’t want you guys to know I was in town. I didn’t want Hudson to suspect I was chatting up his girlfriend. So I told her to come and meet me.” His voice cracked as he started crying. “Only she never made it.”
“Oh, Luke.” Riley’s voice was filled with shock, and I could see in her eyes that she was as taken aback as I had been when I heard the news a few days prior. I watched as she took him in her arms and hugged him, and my heart filled with renewed love for her. The fact that her first thought was to comfort him at this time meant the world to me. “Luke, this isn’t your fault.”
“Every time I think about that night, I hate myself. I haven’t been able to function.” He sobbed. “I loved her, you know.”
“Is that why you became friendly with her mom?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “She’s a wonderful woman. She knows about that night and she forgives me. I couldn’t believe it, but she forgives me. That’s why I’m entering the fight. She’s going to lose her house. I need to get some money to help her.”
“Oh, Luke.” She held him tighter to her. “I wish you wouldn’t do this.”
“You can’t talk me out of it.” His voice was firm as he pulled away from her. “Ask your boyfriend. he’s already tried.”
“That I have.” I sighed and shook my head. “He won’t listen to reason.”
“But can you even fight?” Riley made a face. “Sorry, but I’ve never seen you—”
“Riley, shh.” I laughed as Luke looked hurt. “Now’s not the time to be asking if he can fight.”
“But isn’t that important?” Riley looked annoyed and then sighed. “I guess you know what you’re doing.”
“Yes, I do.” He nodded and gave me a smile. “Hudson’s going to train me.”
“What?” Riley’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.” I gave her a look. “He’s going to give me a hundred thousand for training him.”
“A hundred thousand from where?”
“His winnings.” I grinned. “I have someone who needs that money.”
“Oh?” She looked at me curiously.
“A friend of mine, Jamilah. You’ll meet her soon.”
“Okay.” She nodded, smiled, and walked over to kiss me on the cheek. “Just as long as she’s not an ex-girlfriend or something.”
I laughed. “She’s a kid.”
“What?” She looked confused again.
“Don’t worry. She’s not my kid.” I laughed again. “I’ll tell you more later.”
“Yes, dear.” She kissed me again, and I pulled her down so I could feel her warmth next to me.
“Okay, I think that’s my cue to leave.” Luke laughed and walked to the door. “So, I’ll see you next week?”
“Yup,” I nodded. “Start running. I want you running at least ten miles by the time we start training next week.”
“Okay.” He made a face, and I laughed.
“Now, get out of here. I want to kiss my girlfriend in private.”
“See you guys.” He left the room, and Riley just stared at me.
“I can’t believe any of that.” She shook her head. “When were you going to tell me?”
I groaned and closed my eyes. “Can we talk about something else?”
>
“What do you want to talk about?”
“How much you love me?” I opened my eyes and grinned up at her. “And how much I want to make love to you.”
“There’s no way I’m going to make love to you in your hospital bed.” She giggled.
“Why not? We’re sinners anyway.” I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yeah, but not sinners who have sex in a hospital.”
“That’s what makes it so exciting.”
“You’re so bad, Hudson.” She shook her head. “And no, I’m not having sex with you here. There is no way in hell that is going to happen.”
I changed the subject and grabbed her hand. “You know, when I was unconscious, I had a dream.”
“Not of us having hospital sex?” She rolled her eyes.
“No, silly.” I laughed. “I had a dream that we got married.”
“Oh.” Her voice was soft, and I could see the surprise in her eyes.
“Yeah. I had a dream that we were married and we had kids. Only, I didn’t realize I was dreaming. I thought I was dead. And it made me sad. I thought I’m going to miss out on so much. I realized that I had so much life to live. So many regrets to give up. I realized that I needed to forgive myself. I couldn’t hold on to that pain and guilt forever.”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“But I couldn’t quite seem to find my way out of the darkness. I thought, This is it. I’m trapped here.” My breath caught as I thought about what it had been like. “And then I heard an angel talking to me. It wasn’t the same sweet voice that had been speaking to me earlier. It was an angel that had wings and the face of the woman I loved. And as she kept talking to me, I felt something soft caressing me, like a butterfly. And I started warming up.”
“Oh.”
“And then the angel kissed me.” I caressed her cheeks and stared up at her, wondering how I had gotten so lucky. “And all of a sudden, the darkness was gone. And I knew as soon as I stared into her brown eyes that I had to make her mine.”
“Oh,” she repeated again breathlessly.
“Marry me, Riley. Please marry me. I don’t want to go another day without you in my life.”
