by KM Lowe
“We both can’t go. Someone needs to hold the fort here. Just keep me updated on everything.”
I climb off the bed like I’m in a drunken state. My legs feel like jelly. My head is a jumbled mess. I wish I’d kept her here with me. I wish I told her to forget about going home. Better still, I should have gone home with her and faced her family. Now, I’m flying across the globe to see Harleigh, to see what state she’s in, and meet her family.
Harleigh has been through so much. She deserves a fucking break. What happens if I never get to see her beautiful eyes again? Her sweet voice. Her infectious laugh. I’ll crucify anyone who has hurt her. They might have taken away the one and only thing I’ve loved in such a long time.
Chapter 27
Harleigh
Beep. Beep. Beep. I’ve listened to this continuous beeping for what feels like hours. Only I can’t do anything to move or turn it off. I don’t know where I am or what I’m doing. I feel someone holding my hand, but I can’t see who. The uncertainty of everything is making me anxious. The beeping gets quicker and rings in my ears.
“Doctor.”
Mum. I can hear my mum, but why can’t I see her?
“Please, it has been fifteen hours. What news do you have?”
Where the hell am I? Why is she talking to a doctor?
“I’m afraid it’s still too early to tell, Mrs Harrison. Your daughter has received a head trauma. We need to see if the brain swelling reduces on its own with the medication we’ve administered.”
“And how long will that take?”
“Every patient reacts to brain trauma differently. We can’t put a time on it.”
“But she will wake up, right?” asks my mum.
“It’s too early to tell. I’m sorry I don’t have any better news. Maybe you should go home and get some rest.”
“No. I’m not leaving my baby girl. Can you tell us anything about my son?”
“He’s doing well. Your husband is with him. He has a broken arm, a broken knee that we’ve splinted, and a few cracked ribs that were causing his breathing issues when he arrived. But we’ve got on top of the pain and he’s already asking about his sister.”
“Good. Some good news is better than none. Just promise me that you’ll keep my babies alive,” my mum cries.
“I promise, I’ll do everything I can.”
And everything goes silent again. I try to think about what’s happening, but nothing is making any sense. I can remember leaving Bulgaria and coming home, going for dinner, and leaving… Oh my god, Martin. He tried to run us off the road. I’m alive. Gavin’s alive. Giovani will think I’m not returning to Bulgaria if he doesn’t hear from me. He’ll be going out of his mind with worry. Why can’t my life be straightforward? Whenever something good happens, a bucket load of shit follows.
I need to get myself fit and well to return to Giovani. I must return to Giovani.
Chapter 28
Giovani
It feels like days ago since I heard that Harleigh was hurt, but it’s exactly twenty-four hours. I had to wait until the next morning before I could fly out to Scotland. Once I got on my flight, I think I counted down the minutes until I could see my girl again. I just want to hug her, hold her, and tell her that everything will be okay.
Everything has run smoothly. It’s just after lunchtime and I pull into the hospital car park. I haven’t heard anything from Lucca or Harleigh’s family. I’m not even sure if they know I’m coming here, but I couldn’t stay away. I just need to be with her.
I jog into the hospital, read the sign, and follow it until I reach Ward 23. When I come to the ward doors, I see the ICU sign.
Holy fuck! Please be okay, baby.
I ring the buzzer and wait for someone to answer.
“Hello, how can I help you?”
“Hi, my name is Giovani Russi. I’m here to see my girlfriend, Harleigh Harrison.”
“Hold on, please.”
The line goes quiet for what feels like an eternity. What is taking them so long? Why can’t they just push the button and let me in?
The door in front of me opens and two guys come out. One is older than the other, but I can tell that the younger one is some relation to Harleigh, because they have the same eye and hair colour, and the same face shape.
“Giovani.” The older man holds out his hand to me, and I shake it.
“Hi, how is she?”
He shakes his head. “I’m Rodger, Harleigh’s dad, and this is Sebastian, her brother.”
I hold my hand out to Sebastian and he shakes it. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good I hope.” He smiles weakly.
“Absolutely. Now, can someone please tell me what’s going on? I’m imagining all sorts.”
Rodger nods. “After dinner yesterday, Gavin was driving Harleigh home. They were run off the road by Harleigh’s ex. I don’t know what she’s told you about him…”
I cut Rodger off. “I know about Harleigh’s past.”
He smiles at me. “Good. That saves me some explaining as to how we got here.”
“Please, tell me that the bastard is dead?” I ask.
I don’t care how crazy that makes me sound. I detest this guy already and I’ve never met him.
“You’ll get on with my sons because they have the same attitude where this dick is concerned, but to answer your question, no he’s not. He escaped with minor cuts and bruises. I believe he’s in police custody as we speak. The truck turned over trying to get out of the way, which, from what we believe, is what caused Gavin’s car to crash and roll down the embankment.”
“And Harleigh and Gavin? They’re okay, right?”
“Gavin has a few broken bones. He’s here because, when he arrived, he had trouble breathing, but so far so good. He’s desperate to be by his sister’s bedside. Harleigh is another story. She’s on a ventilator at the moment to help aid her recovery. She has a lot of swelling on the brain from the impact of the accident, but we need to be hopeful that she’ll pull through.”
I take in a deep breath. “But she will pull through, right?”
“No one can answer that until she wakes up, son.”
I feel the bile rise up my throat and I try to keep it at bay. I feel sick to my stomach that Harleigh was just so happy a few days ago, and now she’s lying here fighting for her life. How is that fair?
“I know she’ll be happy to wake up and see you here, though.”
I nod. “I hope you don’t mind. I had to come and see her the minute my brother told me. He wanted to be here too, but one of us had to say behind.”
“Of course we don’t mind. Come on, I’ll show you where she is. Her mum is with her now.”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not. Come on.”
I’m not sure if I’m thinking about Harleigh’s family, or if I’m just chickening out now I’m here. I’ll fight the biggest businessmen, but put someone I care about in a bad way and I’m a chicken-hearted bugger with my heart on my sleeve.
We walk through the white, sterile corridors. It’s so quiet and peaceful. I’ve never been in any ICU department before, so it feels alien to me.
“She’s just in here.” Rodger points to the door he’s pushing through.
Sebastian pats my shoulder and carries on walking down the corridor. I take it he’s going to his brother’s bedside. I pause at the open door. I can see Harleigh’s bed at the end of the curtain. I walk into the room and see Harleigh’s mum first. She smiles warmly at me, even though she doesn’t know who I am.
Rodger pulls the curtain back enough for me to see Harleigh lying hooked up to all sorts of machines. Her beautiful face looks battered and bruised. Her eyes are black and blue and swollen, she looks like she’s done ten rounds with a heavyweight champion.
Tears roll down my cheek. I can’t hide my emotions. I don’t care how weak that makes me look.
“Giovani, this is Margery, Harleigh’s mum. Marge, this
is Giovani.”
She stands up and comes over to shake my hand. I can see where Harleigh gets her looks from; the resemblance is uncanny.
“It’s nice to meet you, Giovani. I’ve heard a lot about you from Harleigh.”
“Yeah…” I breathe out the breath I didn’t realise I had been holding. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know things were so bad. I thought I was going to walk in here and hold her, tell her that everything would be okay. Now…” I choke back my tears.
“Well, you can come and talk to her. The nurse said she may be able to hear us. It might help her recovery if she hears voices she recognises.”
Margery takes my hand and leads me over to the seat she just got out of. She makes me sit down and places my hand over Harleigh’s. I feel her warm skin, and it reminds me of many happy times we held hands in Bulgaria.
“I’ll just be next door visiting Gavin. I didn’t want to leave her alone, but I believe she’s in good hands now.”
“Thank you. I’ll take care of her.”
“Anyone that hops on a plane from Bulgaria to be by my daughter’s bedside gets my approval,” says Margery as she picks up her handbag. “Welcome to the family, Giovani.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just rub circles on Harleigh’s hand until the room is empty. I want to scream and shout. I’ve never felt this angry and fearful in my life. I can’t lose her… not now.
“You’ve got this, baby. You’re a strong woman. We have the rest of our lives to lead when you’re ready.”
And I will wait for her for as long as it takes.
Chapter 29
2 weeks later
Harleigh
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I don’t know how much longer I can hear that persistent beeping. It’s driving me crazy. I can hear my family around me daily, but I can’t open my eyes. Nothing I do is allowing me to open my eyes and return to my life. I’ve heard my mum cry and shout at everyone. I’ve heard Giovani pleading with me to wake up and come back to him. They might be a mess, but my heart is broken that I’m causing them so much hurt and pain.
“Good morning,” says a voice I don't recognise.
“Good morning, doctor. Any news?” asks my mum.
“Last night’s CT scan showed a significant improvement. Harleigh’s vital signs are improving daily, even off the ventilator. Things are looking positive. We’ve just got to wait for her to regain consciousness.”
“You’ve been telling us this for two weeks, Doc,” says Gavin.
“I’m sorry. I did tell you that people with head trauma react differently. I’ve seen someone with a worse head condition wake up in a couple of days.”
Nope. No more. I need to wake up. I squeeze my hand tightly, hoping that the hand I’m holding feels it. Please, someone feel it.
“Holy shit. Sorry. She’s squeezing my hand,” says Gio.
I’m happy to know its Giovani’s hand in mine. It has been there for so long that I don’t want to let it go.
“Harleigh, can you open your eyes, beautiful?”
I feel Giovani’s hand rub across my head and down my cheek. I’m feeling more power over my body than I have in so long.
I groan. I can hear it. I can feel how dry my throat and mouth are. It’s probably as dry as the Sahara Desert. I try to move my lips to speak, but they’re dry and stuck together.
“Come on, Harls. It’s time to wake up now, sissy.”
Gavin.
I feel my eyes pop open and everything in front of me is white and blurry. It takes me a few moments to make out shapes and figures, then I see Giovani hovering over me. He’s the only person I can see other than the doctor.
“Hi, beautiful.”
“H-Hi.” I croakily blurt out.
I’m not sure if that’s the dry mouth, or if it’s because I’ve never spoken for a while, or if there’s something wrong with my speech. Either way, I don’t care. I’m awake.
“Welcome back, Harleigh. How are you feeling?” asks the doctor.
I attempt to shrug my shoulders, but I’m not sure if I got it right. It probably looked very messy.
“I-I’m O-okay.”
“Why is she stuttering, doc?” asks Gavin.
“Your sister has suffered an extremely big head trauma. She may need a lot of rehabilitation before she returns to herself, and it’s possible that there may still be some weakness from the accident.”
“We’ll do all we can to help, beautiful. I promise.” Giovani leans in and places a tender kiss on my cheek. I feel my body smiling at his contact. It’s the best thing I’ve felt since I was in Bulgaria.
“I-I’m sorry.” Tears roll down my cheeks, but Giovani rubs them away.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. We just need to get you better now, and then we can look to the future, just like we planned.”
“I-I l-like that idea.”
I feel like I’ve lost so much time being stuck in this hospital. I don’t know what has happened with my family, the dick who put me here, or with Giovani and Lucca. I know for sure when I’m ready for it, I will make the most of life. I will live each day like it’s the last. Love hard, cherish everything, and make memories that are worth making. Hopefully, in time, I’ll be able to make so many good memories that it will erase some of the bad.
Epilogue
One year Later
Harleigh
Twelve long months have passed since my accident. I don’t know why I say accident, because it was intentional. Martin had set out to hurt me. In fact, we all – investigators as well – think that he set out to kill me. It later came out that all the silent phone calls I had in Bulgaria were from him. He had been following my family around for weeks to try and find out where I was. When he saw me coming out of the airport, he set his plan into action. I hate to remember that day because it holds a lot of upset for me. Not just the accident, but also leaving Giovani behind. That could have been the last time I saw him. I’m lucky to be alive. I must believe my guardian angel was watching over me that day.
“Harls, are you all ready?” asks Gavin as he enters my bedroom at my mother’s house.
“I am.”
My brothers and Giovani have been packing up everything for me over the last twelve months. Giovani and Lucca spent the winter here with me instead of traveling like they usually do. It was good to get to know them away from their work.
Giovani and Lucca have taken things back to Bulgaria with them to save me doing any lifting. Giovani has been back here for three days, and today is the day I’m getting ready to fly out to Bulgaria to start my new life. It has been a long time coming, and I’m more than ready.
We’re all flying out this afternoon, and on Saturday, Giovani and I are getting married in the hotel. The moment I got out of hospital to start my rehabilitation, Giovani got down on one knee and proposed. Of course, I accepted. I couldn’t not agree to marry him.
“You don’t look ready.” Gavin picks up my final suitcase with my wedding dress inside.
“Of course I am. I’ve been waiting for so long for this day.”
“Have I told you lately that I’m so proud of you?” I nod. “What you’ve done to get here, learning to speak properly again, walking without a frame. You’re amazing.”
At the memory of everything I’ve had to overcome to get here, to get the all clear to fly, has been nothing short of a miracle. I could have lived with a stutter or stammer, but I was determined not to let that accident take anything from me. Now, I still have a slight limp from the broken leg that didn’t heal properly. It needed to be re-broken and pinned once I was alert and complaining of pain. It was a long recovery, but it’s all in the past. I’m alive. It could have been a lot worse.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you all.”
“You’ve got a good guy down there, Harls. I’m happy for you both.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you all get along. It makes my life so much easier.” I giggle.
�
��He knows if he ever hurts you, I’ll have his head on a stick.”
“And we all know he’s never going to hurt me.”
“I know. Just don’t spoil all of my fun, Harls. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m dying for some R&R.”
“Me too. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I was last there.”
I might have had a terrible year, but my life starts today. Martin is locked up in a psychiatric ward. I hope he stays there for a long time. I won’t let him take any more from me. Not now, and not ever.
Epilogue
Giovani
“Come on, bro. You must have memorised those vows by now. You’ve been staring at them for the past two hours.” Lucca pulls the paper from my hands.
“I don’t want to screw this up. I know it’s only family and a few of our friends from here, but it means a lot to me that Harleigh knows how much I love her.” I sigh.
“And if she doesn’t know that by now, she never will. Come on. We need to make our way to the conference suite.”
I nod, stand up, and leave my office. Harleigh will be here in the next ten minutes, and I don’t want to be late.
I walk through the hotel and the wedding balloons are dotted around the lobby. Harleigh doesn’t want to close off the bar today, she just wants everyone to have fun. I can’t argue with her. I’d hang the moon and stars for her if I could. Today is all about her, the love we share, and two families coming together as one.
We walk into the conference suite that we’ve only ever used once for a wedding reception. It’s all set out beautifully. My staff and Lucca have done us proud in my absence.
“Wedding planning might be your speciality, bro,” I tease.
“Yeah, not likely to happen again.” Lucca punches my arm.
I look around the room eagerly. My mum and dad are talking to Harleigh’s mum. Everyone has been getting on well since we came together three days ago. For two families that have never met before, you wouldn’t be able to tell. Even my dad and Lucca have been on their best behaviour, and I hope that’s one bridge that lasts.
The soft harp music starts to play through the speakers. It’s soft and delicate; exactly how I see Harleigh.
