Shattered & Mended (Shaken Series)

by Julie Bailes

  “Then what is, huh? I’m done. I can’t even look at you without seeing you buried inside of her and smacking her ass. It makes me sick. You make me sick.” My brain’s pounding in protest to my screaming, and my voice comes out as a defeated whisper.

  Finally, security knocks Wyatt away from the door as they burst through, looking for confrontation. The man dressed in a navy-colored uniform looks between me and Wyatt, confused. “We got paged to come here and remove a visitor for disturbing you. Is this the guy?” he asks, jabbing his thumb to Wyatt. My eyes remain attached to Wyatt as I watch escaped tears roll down his cheek. And as much as I believed I wanted to break him, seeing his tears crush me.

  Wyatt shakes his head. “No, sir. No problems here. I was just leaving.” He swipes his tears away and averts his eyes to the floor before exiting my room. Karma came around and yanked my nipples faster than she’s done before. The pleasure I felt in breaking his heart immediately backfired and broke mine more than I did his. This evil bitch Karma needs to mind her own fucking business.

  ***

  “Knock, knock,” Sophie sings, opening the door and waltzing into my room. Oh, the nerve of this bitch. She has a brown bag in her arms and a huge smile beaming across her slutty little face. She sits the bag down on the stand next to my bed and begins pulling out aluminum containers filled with my favorite food, Chinese. What an evil little whore she is. “Girl, I’m so happy your ass decided to wake the fuck up. Gah! I’ve been dying to hear your voice,” she smiles.

  She opens the containers and, surprisingly, the smell makes my stomach roll, and not in a good way. I pinch my nose with my fingers to block the smell. “Put the lid back on.” She lowers her chin to her chest and raises her brow.

  “What? Oh. My. Damn. It’s the concussion, right, making you sick?”

  How dare she stand in front of me, just as Wyatt did, pretending everything’s fine. “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re staring at me like I put shit in your mailbox, again,” she snickers. My face is hard as stone, just like my heart is toward her. “Seriously, stop looking at me like you want to bite my damn head off.” I do, dumbass. She turns her attention back to the food and replaces the lids back onto the containers. I cock my head and watch her in disbelief.

  She finishes putting the food up and hops onto my bed. She crisscrosses her legs and pats my thigh. “Spill it, bitch; what’s goin’ on inside that crazy ass head of yours?” she probes. Didn’t I have enough conflict with Wyatt earlier? In my opinion, it was enough to last me a lifetime, and I’m not in the mood to relive this shit again. All I want to do is have my bandages removed and go home. I’m grouchy; this bed hurts my ass, and the hospital food is disgusting. But I guess now is better than later; might as well get this out the way.

  “Why did you come here, Sophie? Better yet, how can you waltz in here and pretend you didn’t betray me?” Her face falls and she looks all sorts of confused. “What the hell are you talkin’ about? You’re my sista from anotha mista. I want to make sure you’re okay. What’s your problem?”

  “You slept with Wyatt, Sophie. My Wyatt! I walked in on him fucking you. Pleasuring you the way he’s only supposed to pleasure me,” I snap.

  “Oh, hell no. First of all, I had no fucking clue my Cooper was your Wyatt—no clue. Secondly, he is not to pleasure you in any way; you’re with Blake,” she fires back.

  Yes, I am with Blake, and he’s the only one I want to be with. Wyatt’s not worth another sleepless night, but despite all that he’s done, he still owns a major portion of my heart. I don’t want him to, but he does. I want to be able to lovingly hate him, but this specific piece of our bodies–our hearts—it’s an involuntary muscle, and we have no control over it.

  “I don’t need you to point out that I’m with Blake. I know this,” I hiss.

  “Um, think you could chill it with the snappy-ass attitude? You’re hurt. I get that, but does it really make sense for you to be upset with me? How was I supposed to know the guy we’ve talked about is the same man? Honestly, Al, I had no clue.”

  I consider her statement for a moment, and let it sink in. She’s right. There’s no way she would’ve known that Wyatt and Cooper are the same person. “I know,” I sigh.

  “Do you want me to go?” she asks, standing from the bed. I nod. Not necessarily because I’m angry with her, just that I need to process all this madness. The images of her and Wyatt is too fresh, and I still can’t look at her without seeing him in her. “Okay, I’ll go. I truly am sorry that you had to see that,” she apologizes.

  “I believe you.” Honestly, I do. Do I forgive her for sleeping with Wyatt when she had no idea we were connected? I’m not sure. I’m in no position to make decisions right now.

  “I hope so. I can’t deal with your hatred, not toward me, at least. You know I would never go behind your back and betray you. I’d never hurt you, bitch, and you know it,” she smiles. She gathers the food she brought, slings her purse onto her shoulder, and heads to the door. “Soph,” I call. She turns around and flashes her dark, puppy-dog eyes at me, mascara accompanying her tears as they glide along the side of her face. “I don’t hate you. I just need some time, okay? I’ll call you once everything sets in, promise.” She smiles her sad smile and nods. Once she’s gone, I grab the phone and call Blake. I need to see him. I need him to take me into his arms and tell me everything’s going to be okay.

  The phone rings once, and Blake’s immediately on the line. “Hey, beautiful, how you feeling?” he asks.

  “You know, like I fell down several flights of stairs, kissed the concrete, and had surgery … Not bad,” I joke.

  He chuckles. “Ahhh, joking. That’s my girl,” he boasts.

  “You coming by tonight?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  “Is that even a question? You know I’ll be by. Plus, I have a surprise for you.”

  “A surprise? I think I’ve had enough surprises for one day,” I complain.

  “Yeah? What happened?”

  “Don’t really want to talk about it right now. I can tell you that my memory came back, many unwanted and sickening memories.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. Listen, I have one lady I’m waiting on to begin pushing, but it shouldn’t be long. It’s her fifth baby, so the little sucker should fall right on out,” he says matter-of-factly. “You’re nuts,” I laugh.

  “Only for you,” he replies seductively. His voice gives me spaghetti arms, making it even more of a struggle to hold the phone up to my ear.

  “Oh, yeah? Well, I’ve got something that only goes nuts for you,” I purr.

  “Don’t, dammit. Don’t you try to get me wound up. You know you’re restricted from having sex, right?” What the fuck? No, I didn’t know one could be restricted from having sex. I sit in silence, pondering my sex- forbidden doctor’s order. “Babe, they’re calling for me. I gotta go. Like I said, this shouldn’t take too long. I’ll deliver this bambino, shower, and be up right after. Love you.” He ends our call before I’m able to say it back. Along with many things I wish to forget, how time consuming Blake’s career is, that’s one of them.

  Wet warmth wakes me as Blake covers my face with kisses. “Hey, baby. Sorry it took so long.”

  I pull my arm up and wrap it around his neck. I pull him to me and gently cover his mouth with mine. “It’s fine. I was sleepy anyway. What happened to that baby sliding right on out?”

  He smiles against my lips. “Apparently, kegels work, even for those women whose pussies look like it’s been hit by a meteor,” he shrugs.

  “Not funny, Blake,” I scold, gently slapping the back of his neck. “That could be my pussy flappin’ in the wind in only a few months.”

  He pulls his head back, pokes his lips, and scrunches his brows. “No, it won’t. You need to recognize you’ve got the best doctor in the biz, baby.” He’s so sure of himself, so cocky and confident. I’ve never once doubted he’s the best doctor I’ve ever known, but he’s no plastic surgeon,
which is exactly what I’ll need after pushing two humans from one of the smallest parts of my body.

  “No. There’s no way I’m letting you deliver our babies. It’s just—it’s weird.” He arches a brow and pulls back. “Plus, you’re only a resident,” I add.

  He frowns and places his hand over his heart “Now, babe, that’s not nice. I’m a badass physician,” he brags. He pushes off the bed and goes over by the sink. He rummages through a few drawers and returns with a weird pair of scissors. He brings the scissors up to the side of my head.

  “WHOA! Look here, Edward Scissorhands, Dr. Dixon says to stick with your part—not his. That’s your part there, not here,” I say, pointing from my lady bits to my head.

  “Calm down, Al. Believe me, I know what my part is,” he winks. “All I’m doing is removing your bandages. Don’t worry, Dr. Dixon left the orders in your chart,” he adds. I relax back into the pillow and allow him to begin snipping. It only takes three snips before he’s unwrapping the bandages and pulling them away from my head. I didn’t realize just how taut the bandages were before, but now that they’re off, it’s like breathing in a breath of fresh air. My head doesn’t feel as heavy, and I’ve never been happier to feel my nappy hair fall around my shoulders.

  “Blake?”

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “Can I feel it? Can I feel how much hair is missing?”

  “I don’t really want you touching it. Even though you’re getting antibiotics, I don’t want to raise the risk of infection,” he advises.

  “Okay,” I mutter sadly.

  He walks back over, grabs some supplies and brings them over to the tray beside him. “I’m just going to clean the wound, and then I have that surprise I promised you.” I nod, nervous that the only reason he doesn’t want me to feel the back of my head is because he fears I’ll freak out. I’m sure they shaved more than they claimed. The spot he cleans gets cold and tingles. He puts some sort of ointment over it and is finished. He removes his gloves, tosses them in the trash, washes his hands, and comes back over, sitting in the rocking chair.

  He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He opens it and pulls out a flimsy, medium square picture. “You ready?” he asks.

  “You bet,” I reply. He places the picture on my lap, and a smile immediately spreads across my face. I stare at the picture of our little jumping beans in complete bliss as Blake describes what we’re looking at.

  “You see this? That’s his arms,” he points out.

  “A boy, huh? What makes you so sure it’s a boy, Dr. Andrews?”

  “These balls are manly, baby. They make men,” he jokes. Shrugging, he continues on to the next baby. “But don’t worry, they make girls, too. You see this one? This one’s our prissy little princess.” He continues to babble on about the babies, pointing out their heads and small tadpole bodies. I already know what I’m looking at, but he’s excited, and I’ll keep on pretending like I don’t. I let him have this moment of pure euphoria.

  I lean up and capture his mouth, silencing him for just a moment. The kiss I give him provides more emotion than words. My kiss is full of love, intense passion, appreciation, and elation. He breaks our kiss by speaking against my lips. “Wow. You’re not going to make following the doctor’s orders easy, are you?” I shake my head and continue to devour his mouth, loving the taste of his tongue and the smell that’s distinctly him. He takes my bottom lip between his teeth. “Got something else for you, so chill it with the teasing.”

  He unleashes my lip and stands. He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a white gold necklace. He kneels down beside me and places his hand on top of my lap. He opens his hand, and in his palm is the most beautiful heart-shaped locket. On one half of the locket, there are two sets of footprints, and the other holds an engraving: ‘Seasons are many, their reasons are few. What’ll always remain is my love for you.’ Tears of joy stream down my face as I open the locket and see the pictures. On the right is a picture of Blake and me out by the ocean. He’s standing behind me with his arms wrapped around my neck, and my hands are clinging to his wrist. My head’s resting back on his shoulder and our lips are connected. On the left of the locket, he’s had the picture of the twins shrunk down to fit inside perfectly.

  I’m a blissful blubbering mess. It could be my hormones, but I’m betting it’s the overwhelming amount of love I hold for the most beautiful and thoughtful man God’s ever created; aside from Jesus, that it. “It took all my might not to buy you the biggest and most beautiful diamond they had, but I know how your mind works, and I don’t want you thinking I’m proposing just because you’re pregnant.” His fingers trace my left ring finger as he speaks. He looks up to me and says, “Don’t I get a kiss? I mean, they say every kiss begins with Kay.”

  I snort from the heavy laugh-and-cry mixture. “You went to Kay’s?”

  He shakes his head. “Of course not, I went to Jared,” he smiles.

  “Just get your ass up here so I can give you a kiss you deserve, Dr. Andrews,” I tease, scraping my teeth over my bottom lip.

  His hand cups the side of my face, and his thumb traces my bottom lip. “You keep that shit up, and I’m going to be Googling safe sex helmets.” Note to self, search sex helmets.

  Nine

  ~Wyatt~

  It’s been two long, sleepless nights. I granted Allie her wish; I left and haven’t returned to the hospital. Her vicious words sent chills down my spine and my world crumbling down around me. Staying away from her when we’re in such close proximity is hard, really fucking difficult. I’ve hopped in my Jeep several times a day and driven to the hospital, but I haven’t stepped a foot on its ground. I want nothing more than to walk right into her room and demand for her to tell me exactly what she saw between me and Sophie, make her tell me how I can get our daughter back. I can’t. Lucille made me promise I’d let Allie settle in at home before approaching her with such a sensitive topic. Lucille keeps me updated and tells me Allie should be released either later tonight or early tomorrow, but she and Allie are in opposition about where Al should stay. Lucille wants her here in her own home, but Blake believes Allie will be better off staying with him.

  Blake doesn’t want Allie anywhere near me. He claims it’s because I’ll put stress on her, and he’s right. However, I still believe it’s because he feels threatened by me, and he damn well should. She doesn’t belong to him. Deep down inside, he knows it. Lucille asked me to stay out of Allie’s sight the first few days she’s home, and I agreed. She won’t put me out because we’re family, but she still has to put Allie first. That’s perfectly fine with me; Allie will always be first. But once Lucille returns to work, we’ve made arrangements for me to be here with Al, as long as she agrees to it. Which won’t be easy because she’s so damn hardheaded. Hopefully, she’ll stow her stubbornness for a few days and let me help her. My heart jumps into my throat as my phone blasts through the dead silence of the house.

  “Wyatt,” I answer.

  “Mr. Cooper?”

  “Yeah, that’s me,” I confirm.

  “Good evening, this is Fallon calling from Onslow Memorial. I’m calling because Dr. Ruben would like to speak with you about your results.”

  “Sure. I have a few moments to talk.”

  “Oh, I apologize. I should’ve made myself a little clearer. Dr. Ruben would like for you to come in so he can go over the results with you, in person. When can you come in?”

  “I can make it there in forty-five minutes.”

  “Perfect,” she begins. “I’ll let Dr. Ruben know you’re coming. Once you get here, just drop by the front desk and ask them to alert me that you’re here,” she finishes.

  “On my way.” I hang up, grab my keys, and dart to my Jeep. I drive like a maniac to the hospital, but once I get there, I remain in my Jeep like a fucking idiot. I should be sprinting inside to get my results, but what if they aren’t what I hope? What if I did sleep with Sophie just because I was drunk? I’ve nev
er gotten so drunk I couldn’t remember events that happened while I was throwing back a few brewskies, but I’ve heard it happens. Bolts of anxiety travel through me as reality sinks in. When I walk through those doors and get my results, it’s decision time. Will I fight or take flight? I’ve told myself that if I did this to myself, I’d walk away. But now it’s crunch time, I’m not sure I can make her a past memory. All I know is her. All I want is her. My future, it’s all her.

  My door pulls open, and I rear back my fist ready to bust some face. “Whoa there, lower your guns,” Lucille orders. Shit. She can’t creep up on me like this. I’ve spent the last four years watching my back and can’t be held responsible for my actions when someone sneaks up on me. And I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hit a woman, especially the woman I view as my mother.

  “Sheesh, Lucille, you can’t do that shit,” I breathe.

  “I know. Sorry, I forget,” she frowns.

  “Why are you sitting here in your car looking dazed and confused?”

  “I’m just here to get my results,” I announce.

  “Results? The drug screen?”

  “Yeah. They asked me to come in for them. For some reason, he couldn’t tell me over the phone.”

  “That’s great news, Wyatt!”

  “Great news? Why do you say that?” I ask.

  She smiles and motions for me to exit the Jeep. I hop out and her arm hooks mine, and she then leads me to the ER entrance. “Because, they only call you in if something’s abnormal. If your test was negative, they’d have told you over the phone,” she explains.