His Promise

by Eddie Cleveland

  Talk about bedside manner.

  “Colt, I hungry,” Madison whines at me.

  “You should take her home,” Isabella whispers. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  I can’t be sure, but I think she’s smiling from the doctor’s news under her mask.

  “I’m not taking her home. We’re staying with you,” I tell her firmly.

  “Oh, Colt, you can’t stay in this room. Where will you two sleep?” Shirley jumps in. “If you want, we can take Madison for the night…”

  “No!” Madison clings her arms around my neck.

  I have to say, I agree with her.

  “Thank you, Shirley. That’s really nice of you. I think you’ll understand that I don’t want to be away from either of them right now. No. Madison stays with me, and I’m staying put. I’m going to get us upgraded to one of the suites here. They have pull-out beds and TV for Madison. We’re sticking together.”

  Shirley looks uncertain, but John jumps in, “That makes a lot of sense. It’s good to see you taking care of everything. I can see our daughter is in good hands.”

  Isabella looks exhausted, not that I can blame her. The best thing might be to see if I can upgrade this room now, so she’ll be more comfortable.

  “Mr. Grant? Can we have a word, sir?” I turn to meet the familiar voice at the door. The officer from the park and his partner are waiting for me in the hallway.

  “Certainly. Thank you for waiting. I appreciate it.” I smile, but in my exhausted state I can barely move my lips. The drama of the day has taken its toll on all of us.

  “No problem, sir. We just need to get your statement, and we’ll be on our way.”

  I give Isabella a quick kiss and carry Madison out of the room, following the officers down the hall. I hope they’re right about this being quick, because I meant what I said. This family is sticking together, and I don’t plan on letting them out of my sight again any time soon.

  41

  Isabella

  “No, Lisa! No!” I wake myself up screaming. Cold sweat is beading on my forehead, stinging my stitches.

  “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here.” Colt stands up from the chair he has set up beside my bed and runs his broad, warm hand over my hair.

  This is our last night in the hospital. After three days of observation I’ve been cleared to go home. I’ve been reassured six ways from Sunday that my baby is fine, yet I can’t shake these chilling nightmares.

  Lisa and her crazy eyes haunt my dreams. Except when I’m asleep my mind keeps playing tricks on me. In my dreams, I’m convinced I can feel the cold metal of the switchblade on my belly, only to wake up to the cold monitor belt digging into me.

  “Colt? What wrong?” Madison sits up on the pullout sofa and rubs her eyes. Her hair is strewn around in a little puffball of bed head, making her look like a little Einstein.

  “I’m sorry, Madison. I just had a bad dream,” I reassure her as Colt goes to tuck her back in.

  “No, I want up. I give Isabella hug.” Madison refuses to let him pull the sheets up around her.

  Shrugging in defeat, Colt lifts her up and brings her to the side of the hospital bed.

  “Isabella, it okay. I make it better.” Madison reaches out her adorable little arms to give me a hug, but Colt holds her away from the side of the bed.

  “No, Madison. We have to be careful of the strap there.” He nods toward the baby monitor wrapped around my belly.

  “Don’t worry, it’s okay. Besides, I could use a baby hug right now.” I smile. Two days ago this would’ve been impossible with all the tubes and machines attached to me. However, now I’ve been taken off the oxygen and IV, so the only thing tethered to me is the baby monitor. It’s annoying to try to sleep with it on, but I find the constant connection to the baby reassuring.

  Colt gently places Madison on the mattress, and she snuggles in against me. I shimmy back until the cold metal guard rail is pressed up against my back and pull Madison against my chest.

  “There’s room for one more in here.” I pat the sliver of space on the mattress.

  “I don’t know.” Colt’s eyes flicker over to the door.

  “What are they going to do? Kick us out? Get in here,” I tease him.

  Colt looks at the mattress, then at the door, and gives in. How can he resist? As soon as the three of us, or should I say four of us, are squished together, a sense of peace washes over me I haven’t felt in ages.

  “Everything okay now?” Madison asks me.

  “Yes, hon. Everything is perfect.” I smile.

  Madison’s breathing grows deeper until I’m listening to little baby snores with a smile on my face. Is there anything cuter?

  “Isabella, I love you.” Colt twists onto his side, so he’s facing me.

  “I love you too,” I whisper. I watch his expression change under the moonlight. This hospital room, one of the luxury suites, is more like a hotel than any hospital I’ve ever seen. If it weren’t for the nurses checking in on me and my monitor, I would forget where I am.

  “This just feels right, doesn’t it? Our little family. Soon it will be a bit bigger.” He traces his fingertips over my belly, and I smile as the baby gives him a tiny kick. “We’ve got a fighter on the way. She’s gonna be a scrappy one, just like her mom.” His eyes twinkle.

  “She?” I raise my eyebrows at him. “What makes you so sure the baby is a girl?”

  “Just a feeling, I guess.” Colt goes quiet.

  Did he fall asleep too?

  “You know, the other day when Lisa attacked you…” His chin trembles. “I thought I lost you and the baby. I’ve never been more terrified in my life.”

  “But everything is okay now,” I reassure him. “We got through it.”

  “I know. It’s just, well, when I went on that walk with your dad, I asked for his blessing.”

  “His blessing?”

  “Yes, I told him I would be proposing to you and asked for his blessing. He was really happy. I was walking on a cloud and then this happened. It shook me up, you know?”

  He’s going to propose? My heart flutters in my chest with excitement as my face cracks out into a huge smile. I’m a little shaken up myself right now, but not because of Lisa. Colt talked to my father about proposing to me!

  “Originally I had this whole big YouTube style proposal in mind. I thought it should be larger than life, like a horse-drawn carriage ride and dancing. The whole nine. Now, I know it doesn’t matter. None of that matters. Not to me. The only things that matter are all lying in this bed. I love you so much, Isabella.” He rolls over and walks to the chair where his coat is lying and grabs a little box.

  My heart leaps into my throat. I’m in a haze as he quickly slips back into the bed and opens the lid, revealing a stunning diamond.

  “Oh my! Colt, it’s gorgeous.”

  “No, you’re gorgeous. This here, it’s just a ring. I had it designed for you because I wanted to get you something that was worthy of sitting on your finger, but I failed. There’s no ring in anyone’s imagination that is good enough for you. I hope this one will do.”

  I can hardly catch my breath as he pours out his heart. I’ve never seen him so vulnerable before, so open.

  “Isabella, I can’t imagine my life without you, and I hope you won’t make me. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He tugs the ring free from the box as my hand shakes nervously in the air.

  “Yes. Oh my God, yes! Of course.”

  He has to hold my hand steady so he can slide the ring down my finger. Even when he lets go, I keep my hand hovering in the air, just staring in disbelief. Colt leans over Madison and kisses me tenderly. It’s all so perfect, I can’t help but wonder if I’m about to wake up and find out this is just another vivid dream.

  “I love you,” he whispers as he lies back down against the pillow.

  “Colt, I love you so much. This is amazing. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep now.”

&nbs
p; “You should try. You still need to take it easy,” he murmurs, his voice betraying how tired he is.

  “I’ll try, I promise.”

  However, two minutes later Colt is breathing deeply, and I’m still staring at my finger.

  Isabella Grant. It rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Isabella Grant. Mrs. Isabella Grant. My thoughts drift off into white gowns and confetti as my eyelids grow heavier.

  42

  Colt

  “I’m sorry, Colt, but the law is the law. She’ll still be locked up. It’s just that her term will be served in a mental institution instead of prison. However, even with good behavior or whatever kind of dog and pony show she tries to pull off in there, they aren’t going to set her free. That much I’m certain of,” my lawyer prattles on as I stare at my phone in disbelief.

  “Isn’t there anything you can do? That woman deserves to be behind bars, not in some cushy fucking country club for crazies.” After everything Lisa put my family through, even prison is too good for her. There hasn’t been a night that’s gone by in the two months since the attack where Madison or Isabella haven’t woken in tears. Anger surges through me with the same potency it did when I had to talk myself out of snapping Lisa’s pathetic neck.

  “No, the ruling has been made. There’s nothing else that can be done. Frankly, I thought you would’ve been happy. Lisa isn’t going to be getting outside those walls for a long, long time. Plus, she’ll be getting the help she desperately needs while she’s in there.” Frank’s optimistic tone makes me want to reach through my phone and slap him with the back of my hand.

  “Fine, well, at least she’s locked up. That’s something anyway. Thank you for keeping me up to date, Frank.” I hang up the phone and take a deep breath. I should be happy that Lisa is out of our lives for good, but I can’t help but feel like she’s evaded justice, yet again.

  “Where is Mama?”

  I whirl around as the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Madison is standing in the middle of the room, looking up at me with her big, brown eyes. How much did she hear?

  “Madison, I didn’t hear you come in here. Where’s Isabella?” I look over her shoulder for my missing fiancée. She’s surprisingly stealthy for a toddler. Or maybe I couldn’t hear her over my yelling. It was probably the latter.

  “Isabella sleeping on couch,” she explains matter-of-factly. I’m not surprised. At eight months into her pregnancy, Isabella tires quite easily these days. “Where’s Mommy?”

  “Honey, come here.” I crouch down and hold my arms out to her.

  Madison crosses her arms over her chest and sticks her bottom lip out about a half mile.

  “Where is my mama?”

  Christ, she’s stubborn and relentless. The teen years are going to kill me.

  I walk over to her and swoop her up until I have her dangling upside down from my shoulder. Giggles erupt from her as I swing her around, under my control. I stop and flip her back up, placing her back on her feet, and she begins to squeal.

  “Again, spin around again!”

  I guess I still have a few distraction tactics up my sleeve. I pick her up to her delight, smiling as her laughter bubbles up again. The question is—how long can I distract her before she starts wanting real answers?

  “Colt, I swear your meals are getting better every day,” Isabella talks around her last bite of the prime rib I cooked for supper. It’s amazing that with her appetite lately she’s still so small. With a month to go until she’s due, I had expected her to be as big as a house by now. Instead, the only change has been in her belly, which is now the size of a beach ball.

  “Well, it wasn’t very hard to make. But I’m not going to turn down a compliment, so thanks.” I smile and stand to clear the table. I sigh as I pick up Madison’s abandoned plate of food. Every night she eats like a bird. It makes me wonder if she’s getting enough vitamins. “Madison? Are you sure you don’t want a little bit more of this, honey? I’m getting ready to put everything away.”

  She looks up from her pony toys and scrunches her nose at the plate I’m holding. “No way. I play pony,” she declares.

  Well, excuse me.

  “What do you think there, Mama? You up for a movie tonight? Or are you tired?”

  Isabella smiles and rubs her hand over her belly thoughtfully. “I’m feeling pretty good right now, but who knows how much energy I’ll have in an hour.” She heaves herself out of the chair with a grunt.

  “No!” Madison yells at us from the living room, making us both stop in our tracks and look over at her.

  “What’s wrong, Madison?” Isabella’s eyebrows rise with concern.

  “You not Mama!” She cries. “Colt, where’s my mama?” Her big eyes are searching my face for answers.

  I thought I’d escaped this earlier. I guess I was wrong.

  I put the dishes down and pick Madison up off the floor with her pink pony dangling from her hand. “Madison, I’ve told you before, your mom is at the doctor. Remember? Like Doc McStuffins,” I reassure her.

  She begins violently shaking her head. “No. I don’t want Isabella anymore. I want my mommy.”

  I start to walk her down the hall to her room, so Isabella doesn’t get upset. The last thing I need is both of them in tears.

  “No, wait. Let me talk to her.” Isabella rushes to my side.

  I arch my eyebrow uncertainly.

  “Colt, please. Let us work this out.” She holds out her arms expectantly.

  Against my better judgment, I hand Madison off to her. To my surprise, she snuggles up against Isabella despite her earlier protests.

  “Isabella, I miss my mommy,” Madison whispers to her as Isabella walks her over to the couch.

  I head back to the kitchen so I can give them some space. There’s no telling how Madison is going to react from one second to the next, so I don’t want to wander off too far. I start loading the dishes into the dishwasher as quietly as possible so I can listen in on their chat.

  “Madison, I know you miss your mom. Those feelings are completely normal. Being away from someone you love isn’t easy. You know, when I was younger, I had to live away from my mom too.” She runs her hand through Madison’s hair lovingly.

  “You did?”

  “Mmmhmmm, it’s true. I was older than you, but I still missed her a lot. I know how hard it is with all these feelings you’re having. I went and lived with my uncle and aunt, just like you’re doing right now.”

  “We the same!” Madison smiles at the idea.

  She loves finding common ground with people, so Isabella is captivating her with this story. I have to admit, she’s captivating me too. I knew she had left her parents’ house as a teen, but we’ve never really gotten into it beyond that.

  “That’s right, we are the same. You know what? We’re a little different, I think. Since you are much younger than I was, that makes you much, much braver. But you already knew you’re brave, didn’t you?”

  Madison nods enthusiastically and puffs her chest out proudly.

  “See, when I lived with my aunt Jill, I didn’t like how she did things because it wasn’t the same way my mom did them. She cooked my food a little different, and she watched different television shows. Even her laundry soap was different. It made me miss my mom even more, which made me kinda angry with Aunt Jill.”

  “Like me.” Madison holds her small hand against her chest and watches Isabella more intently than any of her favorite TV shows.

  I’m still holding the same plate as when they started this conversation, just hovering it in midair. I put the dirty dish down and focus on the moment Isabella and Madison are sharing.

  “That’s right, just like you.” Isabella touches the tip of her finger to Madison’s nose, and she’s instantly rewarded with a big, toothy grin. “Now, your mom is going to be gone for a while, just like mine was, so maybe the thing that helped me will help you too. Do you wanna know what it was?”

  “Ya!” Madison clasps her hands
together as her eyes light up.

  “Okay, well, one day my aunt Jill took me out for a fun day. Just she and I spent the entire day together. She took me to my favorite stores, and we ate at my favorite restaurant. I had so much fun with her, I even stopped missing my mom for a bit. I got to see it was okay that Jill was different from my mom because she was still great in her own way. Do you think you’d like it if you and I had a special day together?” Isabella looks down at Madison while my niece ponders the question.

  “Just you and me?” She looks up at Isabella for clarification.

  Here it comes, she’s gonna freak out again.

  “Yay, I want special day!” Madison beams at Isabella so wide, I swear the living room just got a little brighter.

  “Oh, a special day!” I interrupt and make my way from my hiding spot in the kitchen. “What do you two ladies have in mind?” I look at Isabella, wondering if she knows what she’s getting herself into. If she’s concerned, it doesn’t show. Instead, she’s just waiting patiently for Madison to think it over.

  “I want see la-la-fonts!” Madison finally answers.

  “Is that a movie?” I ask.

  “No, la-la-fonts and monkeys too.” Madison is getting amped up just thinking about it. She hops off the couch and begins dancing in circles on the rug.

  “Do you mean you want us to go to the zoo, Madison?” Isabella jumps in as a translator. Pregnancy must have unlocked some secret compartment in her mind. Now she’s like the toddler whisperer or something.

  “Ya! Zoo!” Madison jumps up and down, clapping her hands in glee.

  “Perfect, we’ll have our special day at the zoo then. I think that sounds wonderful.” Isabella smiles and despite my worries, I smile too. It’s incredible how seeing my girls happy makes my heart soar.

  “Okay, we can talk about this more once you get your pajamas on and brush your teeth. It’s time to get ready for bed.” Someone has to be the buzz kill, I guess, or else Madison would try to stay up dancing like this all night.