Broken Survivor

by Jennifer Labelle

  During their quick meal, they talked about everything but what was currently going on for a brief escape. The tension was high until an hour after they got back. She’d been playing cards with Jess when the doctor strolled in still wearing his scrubs, and they were all finally able to breathe easy again with his news. The surgery had gone well and Skye would be okay.

  But it didn’t last long.

  ***

  Only a mere twenty four hours had passed when the phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “The hospital just called. Skye is in a coma. She’s really sick from the operation. Can you tell Alex?”

  Wait, what? Richard was so upset that he was talking fast and confused her.

  “But she was doing so well. Zander went to see her this morning before work, and she was talking and eating ice chips. How?” He’d called Holly that very morning to share the good news. He’d been so happy he’d gotten to talk to his mom so soon and said she was in good spirits.

  “I aim to find out” was her father-in-law’s gruff reply. “I’m on my way back to the hospital as soon as I hang up.”

  “Okay, I’ll call Zander right away, and he’ll probably meet you there. Can you keep me updated, please?”

  “Uh-huh, can you call the others too?” He grunted. “I’m not in the right mindset to call a bunch of people. Yours was the first number I found, and I need to go find out she’ll be okay.”

  “Of course I will.”

  “Thanks,” he muttered and then hung up.

  Her heart sank thinking about his poor mother, and now she was designated to be the bearer of bad news to the rest of the family. Were they ever going to catch a break?

  ***

  “Honey, is that you?” She heard the door open, but she was too busy giving Ashton a bath to check if it was Zander or someone else from the family. They all lived pretty close by.

  “Yeah.” Zander sighed and leaned against the doorframe a minute later. His eyes looked haunted with dark circles surrounding them, and his hair was messed up as if he had been tugging at it in frustration or helplessness. He looked utterly exhausted and defeated. “It’s not so good.”

  “What happened?” Holly stood to grab a towel.

  “In a minute.” He took it from her hands and wrapped their son up before he held on to him. “Hey, Little Man, I missed you today. Let’s get you dressed in your PJs and then daddy could use a big hug.”

  She couldn’t help but smile when their son nodded and hugged his dad the whole way. Once Ashton was dressed and busy with a snack, it was down to business again.

  “How is she?” The suspense was killing her. How “not good” where they talking here?

  “It’s pretty bad. Apparently she’s got an infection and is fighting off pneumonia. I don’t get it. I talked to her just this morning, and she looked amazing considering everything she went through, and now she’s done a complete three-sixty in the opposite direction.”

  “Will she be okay?”

  “They’re not sure. Right now they have her in a drug-induced a coma and they’re giving her some antibiotics. We’ll know more in the next few days.” His shoulders sagged, and her heart broke for him a little more. “She looks horrible, Hol. She’s got tubes everywhere. There’s a couple intravenous lines in her arms, she’s got a feeding tube down her left nostril, and one huge mother of a tube down her throat. That shit’s stuck in my head now.”

  “Your mother is a strong woman. Don’t give up on her yet.” She rubbed his back for comfort. “Is there anything I can do? Are you hungry?”

  “Nah, I grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria with my dad and brothers. I’m going to probably just take a shower.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll only be a couple minutes.”

  Holly bit her lip as she watched him go down the hall, wishing there was more she could do for them all. Zander had stood by her when there was no one else, and his family had kind of adopted her into the flock. Being so useless was maddening.

  ***

  It was a month of waiting and worry before Skye was out of danger and in the clear. She was doped up, weak, and the drugs must have been good because she was funny as hell on several occasions after she finally woke up.

  “Hey, it’s about time you joined the living again.” Holly squeezed her hand. “You gave us quite the scare. Welcome back.”

  “I don’t remember anything. How long was I out?” She looked dazed and confused.

  “It doesn’t matter right now.” Richard choked up but looked overwhelmed with joy that his wife was finally alert. “We’re just glad to see those eyes again.”

  “I’m happy you’re all here.” She lifted a hand and reached toward her husband before looking at them all. There was a full house with her three sons, their significant others, and their dad. They were driving the hospital nuts. “Shelby came to see me earlier, and she was completely naked. I couldn’t believe it.” Her eyes widened and she turned a bright scarlet while she rehashed the experience.

  “Well”—Jess giggled.—“I’ll have to have a word with my sister, then.”

  “Seriously?” Holly arched a brow as she whispered toward her sister-in-law/former foster sister. “There’s no way she would’ve…”

  “Shelby’s on vacation with her boyfriend. There is no chance in hell she could’ve come to visit her today. They’ve been in Florida for a week now.” Zander and Sebastien overheard her too, and they all burst out laughing.

  Skye went on. “And there’s this old guy down the hall that’s driving me crazy. You can’t miss him because he’s the one with no legs but he keeps running up and down the hallways and screaming loudly.” She huffed. “It’s giving me a headache.”

  Everyone in the room bit back another laugh, trying desperately to hold it in, but Jasper ruined it with his reply of “Really?” as if he believed her, and the whole room erupted again in a fit of giggles.

  “What?” he asked, so his father stopped to explain.

  “Think about it, Jasp. How can a man be running up and down the hallways with no legs?”

  His forehead creased to think about it for a second before the words registered. “Oh, right.” He blushed and did an awkward chuckle of his own.

  “Those must be some good drugs you got there, Mom. Any chance you can bring some home with you? Oof.” Sebastien keeled over when Jess elbowed him in the stomach.

  “Be good, would you?” she said.

  When push came to shove, everyone was laughing and joking around from relief. It had been a tough, strenuous month, and things were finally looking up again.

  ***

  Jasper was getting married, and Skye was absolutely heartbroken. She couldn’t go.

  The plans were set for a beautiful wedding on the beach in the Dominican Republic, but she wasn’t healthy enough to travel yet and wouldn’t be for quite a while.

  “My dream has always been to see each of my sons get married, and it’s not going to happen now. You’ve been with Alexander for a really long time, Sebastien has been with Jess forever, and the one son who decides to tie the knot has been with his girlfriend for way less time and I’m stuck here. I don’t think I’ll ever see it happen.”

  “Well, maybe not with your oldest due to unforeseen circumstances, but you never know.” Holly shrugged. “He promised to take a ton of pictures and changed their plans a little bit to accommodate a small reception once they get back, so at least there’s something. Everything’s been planned for a while and nonrefundable. Otherwise, I’m sure he would’ve waited until you were better.” Holly looked at Zander with wide eyes and tilted her head toward her other half to jump in at any time. Thankfully he did.

  “She’s got a point, Mom, and Holly and I plan on tying the knot eventually. We’ve talked about it before, so try not to stress out too much. It’s not good for you.”

  We have? Yeah, maybe like years ago. She shook her head at him. “There you go.”

  “If you say so.” His mother
snorted. “Don’t get my hopes up if you don’t mean it.”

  “I won’t,” he said, and it surprised both women.

  We totally need to talk, mister. There are things that need to be said and sorted out, because as good as it sounds to marry you, I am also okay with the way things are. No pressure. She loved him to pieces, but did she really want him to propose because his mother had practically begged him for a wedding? She eyed him across the table, and as if he could feel her eyes on him, he looked back.

  “What?” He shrugged without a clue.

  “Nothing, but I think we’re going to have to discuss it some more before we go picking dates and start looking for some venues.”

  “O-okay.”

  Hours later that night after Ashton was snuggled safely in his big-boy bed was as good a time as any to continue the discussion.

  “He’s out like a light. What’chya watching?” She dropped down on the couch beside him and put her feet up.

  “Third Watch.” He turned the volume up a little. “I can’t believe there are only a couple shows left until the series finale. I love this show.”

  “Yeah, me too. Looks like I pretty much missed this one, though,” she said and gestured toward the TV. “There’s what, maybe five minutes left?”

  “Less if you don’t count the commercials.”

  “Good point. Since the show’s over, you think we could maybe bring up what happened earlier today?” She turned to face him. “We talked about getting married a couple years ago, but it never came back up again. So I’m sure you can imagine my shock when you pretty much told your mother that it was going to happen, and it sounded like soon.”

  “Well, isn’t it?” He grabbed the remote and muted the TV before really looking at her to wait for an answer. “Telling her she’d see us get married eventually made her happier. It’s killing her that she can’t go to Jasper’s.”

  “I know, and I guess it will happen one day. I just need to know you want to marry me for you, not because your mother wants us to. I would love to be your wife one day, but I’m just as happy with the way things are between us now. So there’s no pressure. Can you understand where I’m coming from with this?”

  “I think so. So will you, if I ask?” He smirked and got down on one knee.

  “Are you kidding me?” She shoved him off balance playfully and laughed nervously. “I think you already know the answer. Are you seriously asking me right now?”

  “No.” He winked. “I think maybe we could start checking out a few places we might like to have a wedding. But I don’t want to ask you when you’re expecting it. That and I still have to get you a ring so I can do this properly.”

  “Well, okay then. Thanks for getting my heart racing and my hopes up.” She pouted but he kissed it away. “Aren’t we doing this a little backward?”

  “Not backward, just in our own way,” he disagreed. “Who wants to stick with a boring old tradition all of the time, anyway?”

  “Not me.” She tugged on his bottom lip gently with her teeth and let it pop out of her mouth. “I love you.”

  “Ditto,” he grunted, and then carried her off to bed caveman style while she squealed with delight.

  They were somewhat engaged.

  ***

  Zander waited until Christmas of that year before he got down on one knee again with a beautiful ring this time, as promised, to pledge his undying love and devotion. He asked for Holly’s hand in marriage the proper way in front of their son and family members, which she accepted with enthusiasm. His mother would get the gift of a dream fulfilled, and they were about to make their relationship the most official possible. ‘Til death do them part.

  ***

  Every little girl dreams of her big day and imagines who her groom might be, a dashing white knight or a handsome Prince Charming who sweeps them off her feet into her very own happily ever after. Okay, so maybe they all get their illusions from the fairy tales they’re subjected to like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, or Beauty and the Beast. Nobody thinks about the wicked stepmother, the witch, or the psycho townsmen out for blood. They fantasize about the beautiful white dress, the pretty hair, the tiara, the flowers, and the moment you walk down the aisle and look into the eyes of your husband-to-be. Because it’s the awe on everyone’s faces and his reaction when he first lays eyes on you, while you’re in that princess attire, that counts the most while you make the long journey to get to that moment in time.

  Holly knew all too well of the other side to that illusion, had lived through the dark side of love as a spectator her entire childhood by watching her parents, and knew without a doubt how lucky she was now.

  Her wedding was another emotional time, and she missed her mother still more than ever for not sharing the many important moments of her life while they prepared for the big day. She cried through finding the perfect gown and continually longed to fill the emptiness Emma’s absence had left in her. She had tried her best to get through the rest of her planning, and not soon enough the stress of preparing everything was over, and it was her time to shine.

  ***

  June 2005

  Six months later

  “Happy Birthday!” Chrystal cheered and wrapped her in a big hug. “Are you ready for this?”

  “Are you talking the bachelorette party or the wedding?” Holly arched an eyebrow. “Because to tell you the truth, my feet are toasty-warm for the wedding. It’s this right here I’m a little worried about.” She pointed around her cousin Mercedes’s living room to the women already drinking and having a good time. With two weeks to go until the wedding, they all decided it would be cool to celebrate her last remaining single days on her birthday to kill two birds with one stone. She hadn’t been out to party in years, and the last time hadn’t turned out so well when she’d ended up with a steel-toed boot to the face. Stupid stripper!

  Life revolved around her little boy now. Her heart swelled thinking of her two guys at home. Zander had decided to wait until the following weekend for his bachelor party to save on babysitting fees.

  “You just wait. I’ve got a couple of surprises in store for you.” Her sister chuckled evilly, and it made Holly think that maybe Chrystal had had a little too much to drink already.

  “Okay then, let’s get this party started.” They wandered the room some more so she could greet everyone who had come to celebrate. Tamara, Mercedes, Porshia, Nadia, and a few of her coworkers. Sonya, Andrea, and Cora had come as well, as had Jess and Shayla, and Shayla’s friends Tyra and Leah.

  “You look like you could use one of these.” Someone familiar tried handing her a drink.

  It can’t be…

  Holy crap! Holly’s eyes widened in disbelief, and then she was tackled into an enthusiastic bear hug, alcoholic beverage forgotten. “Jules? I can’t believe it!” They jumped up and down. It’d been years since they’d seen each other. As a matter of fact, the last time had been Jules’s last night in Ottawa when they’d had the threesome with Zander. They’d spoken a few times over the phone since, but it hadn’t lasted long, and both women had since lost touch with each other.

  “I know, right?” Her friend laughed. “Chrystal tracked me down, and when I heard you were marrying Alex, I had to at least be here for this. You’re looking good, Hol.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” Holly winked. “It’s so good to see you. Wow, talk about memories, huh?” They’d gotten into a lot of mischievous things together back in her drug-induced days to make her forget the mommy and daddy issues. “So how’ve you been all these years?”

  “Pretty good. I’m in a long-term relationship with a great guy. Maybe next time I’ll bring him with me. My mom passed away too about two years after I left here, but otherwise I’m pretty boring now that I’ve grown up.” She pouted.

  “Boring is something I highly doubt you’ll ever be, but I’m happy for you. Sorry to hear about your mom. She was a beautiful person inside and out.” They were still standing close, so she embrac
ed Jules again.

  “It’s okay, at least she’s at peace now.”

  She could sense they needed a subject change. Talking about moms and death would be party over for the both of them. “So how long are you staying?”

  “I could only book enough time off for two days, so I’ll have to leave tomorrow afternoon.”

  “So I guess we’d better make the most of it, huh? And we’ll have to exchange contact info again before you go back.” She grabbed Jules’s hand and tugged her forward. After introductions, a little mingling, and three drinks, it was time for surprise number two for this shindig her sister had planned.

  “Okay, everyone, are you ready to get this party revved up another notch?” Chrystal shushed everyone as she stood by the door. “We all know that the last time Holly really went out it wasn’t a very good experience. And, in case any of you don’t know, I’ll give you a brief rundown.” She snickered. “We were celebrating Tamara’s birthday at Hot Tamales, and she got booted in the head by one of the hunky male dancer’s boots. Landed straight on her butt, she did.”

  “They get it,” Nadia, bless her soul intercepted after noticing Holly was turning a good shade of pink thanks to her lovely sister and her big fat mouth.

  “Sorry, honey. What I meant is I wanted to turn that last experience into a better one for you this time by bringing some sexy eye candy to you. No boots allowed.” She opened the door, and then the mumbling curiosity of her guests turned into music filling the room and erupting cheers when two very good-looking, incredibly muscular men entered the house.

  Her mouth dropped, and the sight of them left her speechless for a second.

  “Which one of you pretty ladies is the bride-to-be?”

  They all pointed in her direction. Oh, sweet baby Jesus, here we go! Both men smirked and sauntered toward her with a confident, cocky sway. She was trapped and became the filling of a sandwich full of hard male flesh surrounding the chair she currently sat in. It was difficult to know where to look sometimes. Before long, male clothing was being taken off, and her hands were being placed on ripples and ripples of sexiness, touching big arms, large pecs, and flat abs. When they tried to make her go lower, she snatched her hands back and shook her head. Pants were soon flung in the direction of the partygoers patiently awaiting their turns, and after Holly dodged a few thrusts of their hips and very aroused male genitalia visible through their boxer shorts, the men finally moved on to give some of the others their loving.