Unbreakable (Unrestrained #4)

by S. E. Lund

  “We’re just checking everything out,” McDonald said, his voice reassuring. “Did your husband tell you why he wanted protection for you?”

  Just then, Drake walked in and the two detectives turned to face him. “Did I tell her what?” he asked, coming over to my bedside and kissing me. He turned to the detectives. “You should have waited until I was back.”

  “We were asking her if she knew why you hired a bodyguard for her.”

  “She knew,” Drake said, holding my hand. “I told her everything. Do you have any more information about the car involved in the accident?”

  “We do,” McDonald said. “We believe it wasn’t an accident and that Dr. Monroe was the driver of the car that struck your wife.”

  I covered my mouth with a hand, horrified that they thought Lisa had done it. “Why would you think that?” I asked.

  “The car had been rented by Dr. Monroe.”

  Drake was rubbing his forehead, grimacing. “I can’t believe it.”

  “You wanted security for your wife,” St. James said. “You must have felt concerned about her safety.”

  “I was, but I thought I was being overly cautious. I really didn’t think she’d do anything like this…” Drake heaved a heavy sigh. “Have you spoken with her?”

  “We’ve been unable to locate Dr. Monroe. We’ll keep you informed about the case when we have any more information. In the meantime, if you think of anything else, or if she contacts you, please call us right away.”

  Drake nodded and we watched as they left the room. He turned to me, his face ashen.

  “Kate, I’m so sorry. I had no idea she’d do something like this…”

  “She’s insane,” I said and shook my head in wonder. “Did she think you’d be hers with me out of the way?”

  He sat on the chair by my bed and took my hand, kissing my knuckles. “I can’t imagine what she was thinking, but she clearly wasn’t rational. I thought the most she’d do was try to hurt me, expose me by telling the administration about my past. I never thought she’d really hurt you…”

  “It’s not your fault, Drake,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You can’t help it that you’re so desirable that you drive women crazy…” I smiled and finally, Drake smiled as well, but then he bent down and held my hand to his forehead.

  “If you hadn’t pulled through…” he said, his voice breaking.

  “I did,” I said and rubbed the back of his hand with my thumb. “I’m alive and so is Sophia. The nurse said if I can get up and use the washroom tonight, I can see her tomorrow and maybe feed her if she’s up to it.”

  Drake looked up and then he smiled at me, wiping his eyes. “She’s drinking from a bottle,” he said excitedly. “When I was there, they let me feed her a tiny amount of breast milk from the bank.”

  That made me extremely happy. “Did you take a picture of her?”

  “I did,” he said and pulled out his cell. He scrolled through some images and then held the cell out for me. “There she is.”

  I took the cell and examined the photo. Sophia was tiny, with red skin and a tiny pink knitted cap on her head. Her eyes were closed and a thin tube led into her nose.

  “She looks so delicate,” I said, awe filling me that she was so premature but was doing well.

  “She is, but she’s also strong,” Drake said, his eyes bright. “She’s breathing well on her own, and her vitals are all stable. We may be able to take her home in a couple of weeks, depending on how well she is and what supports we have at home. I was thinking of hiring a nurse for the first few weeks to help us. You’ll need care and so will Sophia.”

  “I want to go home as soon as possible,” I said and tried to change position. When I did, my wound hurt and I grimaced.

  “You can use your pump, if you’re in pain.”

  I shook my head. “I’m fine. I have to get up eventually or I won’t get to see her.”

  Drake stood and leaned over me, stroking my cheek. “Now, Mrs. Morgan, I’m going to have to put on my stern doctor persona and tell you to take it easy. You need to rest and recuperate from your surgery. Do you understand?”

  I smiled as he kissed my forehead. “Yes, Doctor Morgan,” I said, pretending to be chastised. “I understand.”

  “Good,” he said and tucked my blanket in. “Now, I have to go and get something to eat or I’ll pass out. Rest for a while.”

  “I will.”

  He kissed me and then kissed me again, then left me alone.

  After a while, the sounds of the ward lulled me into a pleasant state and I dozed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Drake

  Kate and Sophia were both strong and improving every day.

  The next day, after she’d successfully gone to the small washroom in her room with the help of the nurse, she was given the all-clear to go in a wheelchair to the NICU so she could finally see Sophia.

  The NICU can be quite alarming to new parents who are still recovering from labor and delivery, with the monitors, telemetry and constant activity. Kate was determined to be calm and fearless. She sat still while the nurses brought Sophia over, gingerly working around the leads and tubes, before placing Sophia on a pillow in Kate’s lap. Kate did her best to cradle Sophia using her arm, but could bear very little weight, and wouldn’t be able to pick Sophia up for six weeks.

  “Oh, my God, she’s so tiny…” Kate said and touched her head.

  The nurse was excellent, showing Kate how to hold her without actually lifting her.

  “Can I nurse her?” she asked, glancing up and her expression of hope was so blatant, that I felt bad for the nurse.

  “You can express milk and we can give it to her, but you’ll probably wait a week or so to nurse for the first time. Before they’re thirty weeks, they’re sometimes too small. We’ll get a pump for you and you can start expressing.”

  “Won’t it be good for my uterus to nurse?” she said and took Sophia’s tiny hand in hers. It was then I realized that we hadn’t told Kate yet that she’d had a hysterectomy. I glanced quickly at the nurse, who I was sure knew Kate’s history. I gave my head the slightest shake to indicate Kate didn’t know yet about her surgery.

  “We always encourage mothers to breastfeed if possible,” the nurse said, quick to change the subject. “It’s best for both mother and baby. You should be well enough to breastfeed her once she’s ready.” The nurse smiled at Kate and that seemed to please her. She turned back to Sophia and touched the hair on her head, which had dried and was now fluffy and light brown.

  I let Kate stay with Sophia as long as she wanted, but she soon tired and so I wheeled her back to her room on the ward and helped her back into bed. I checked her stitches and got her settled. She had to use her morphine drip for the pain and so I let her drift for a while. The exertion and the morphine combined to make her drowsy, so I tucked the blanket in around her and then went to get a cup of coffee, trying to work out how I would break the news to her that she’d had an emergency hysterectomy and would never get pregnant again.

  On my way back from the cafeteria, I saw Detectives McDonald and St. James in the hallway waiting outside Kate’s room. Thankfully, they didn’t go inside and wake her. The nurse must have told them I was getting a coffee and would be right back.

  I walked up to them, irritated that they were already back already to try to bother Kate some more, despite how sick she still was.

  “Detectives,” I said and stood between them and the door to Kate’s room. “What can I help you with? My wife’s sleeping. She’s still recovering and needs her rest.”

  “That’s fine, Dr. Morgan,” McDonald said, slipping his hands in his pockets. “We’re here to talk to you. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

  I glanced around the ward and saw a family conference room down the hall. “We can go in there.”

  They followed me inside and we sat at the table, the two of them on one side and me on the other.

  “Dr. Monroe
is in police custody,” McDonald said.

  “So you’re sure it was her,” I said, adrenaline coursing through me at the confirmation.

  “She’s been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and hit and run, among other charges.”

  I leaned back and shook my head, still unable to believe that Lisa could do something like that to Kate.

  “How likely is it that you’ll get a conviction?”

  “That’s for the courts to decide.”

  I exhaled and rubbed my forehead. “She needs to be put in jail. She could have killed my wife and my baby. We’re lucky that Kate’s bodyguard had first responder training in the Marines.”

  “We’re going to want you to come into the station and give a statement,” McDonald said.

  “I can come down later today, if you want,” I said, nodding.

  “That’s fine,” McDonald said. Then he stood and fastened the button to his suit jacket. “That’s all we need for now so you can get back to your wife.”

  He smiled at me, finally, and the two left me sitting in the conference room. I sipped my coffee, still feeling strange about the whole thing. Frankly, I’d been too shocked and in fear for Kate and Sophia to think very much about Lisa and the attack. I was glad they had her in custody and that all this would soon be over.

  I checked my watch. Kate had been sleeping for a while and so I went to her room and quietly slipped inside. I took the chair by her bed and removed my cell to check my email.

  There was a text from Fred Parker.

  Drake, I’m so very sorry to hear about the attack. Honestly, I had no idea that Lisa would do something like this. We’re all in shock. We want you to know that if you need to, you can finish the fellowship on your own time. The department understands that you will need time to adjust and care for your wife. Let me know when you want to continue with your fellowship. We’ll do what we can to accommodate you.

  I sent him a text in reply, thanking him for his understanding and that I would probably wait a year before I finished. I wanted to spend that time with Kate and Sophia. Almost losing them both drove home to me how fragile life was and how in a brief second, my perfect life could turn on a dime.

  Kate shifted on the bed and I watched her eyelids flutter. She looked at me and smiled, snuggling down into the bed.

  “I slept for a quite a while,” she said. “Even just a trip to the nursery exhausted me.”

  “It’ll take some time for you to get your strength back.” Then I sat beside her on the bed and took her hand in mine. “I have to tell you something,” I said, and it choked me up to have to tell her but I wanted her to know about her hysterectomy from me instead of from one of the staff.

  “What?” she said and my tone must have alarmed her for she frowned, her face blanching. “Is something wrong with Sophia?”

  “No,” I said quickly, feeling bad to alarm her needlessly. “No, Sophia is doing wonderfully.” I leaned over her and looked in her eyes, stroking her cheek. I kissed her tenderly. “Unfortunately, when they brought you into surgery, you were bleeding profusely from a small uterine tear. They tried everything they could but in the end, given the C-section and your other injuries, they had to do an emergency hysterectomy to save your life.”

  I watched her face and it changed only slightly. “You mean C-section?”

  I shook my head. “No,” I said softly. “They had to take out your uterus. They couldn’t stop the bleeding and you’d already had several units of blood. They couldn’t save it. I’m so sorry.”

  She frowned and looked away. I stroked her hand with the back of my thumb and then kissed her palm, wanting to touch her, to reassure her. Then she turned back and there were tears in her eyes.

  “So I’ll never have another baby?”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, but they had to do it to save your life.”

  She exhaled, her breath ragged and I knew she was overwhelmed. It was too much to take in – waking up in a hospital ICU with no memory of what happened to get there, learning Lisa tried to kill her, being rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section and then hysterectomy. Her baby premature by ten weeks and in the NICU. Breaking down was understandable.

  She looked at me, tears overflowing and running down her cheeks. “I guess we won’t be having any more children,” she said, her voice breaking. “I hope you didn’t want more.”

  “I want you,” I said and leaned down, kissing her, stroking her cheek. “You’re alive. Sophia’s alive. That’s all I care about. We’ll be a family, the three of us.”

  Then I lay down on the bed beside her and cradled her in my arms, holding her while she wept.

  Finally, on the tenth day since Kate was admitted to the ward, she was discharged home with a special duty nurse to help her. We’d been successful getting Kate started pumping her breasts and stocking breast milk, so that alleviated some of her fears about Sophia not being breastfed. Sophia was stronger every day and was being fed Kate’s breast milk but she wasn’t ready yet to be bottle or breast fed and so we had to make do with Kangaroo Care, with tiny Sophia nestled against Kate’s bare breasts or my bare chest for some skin-on-skin contact, which seemed to help babies improve.

  For the first few weeks after Kate was home, I brought her back to the hospital and we’d stay all day so she could pump as frequently as possible and keep Sophia supplied with milk. There was a day room Kate could stay in between feeds so she could rest and recuperate.

  Sophia did so well that she was discharged home three weeks after being delivered, on a warm summer day, six weeks premature but a little trooper like her mother and grandfather. I credited Ethan’s bulldog determination and hardiness for Sophia’s own survival instinct.

  “She’s strong like your dad,” I said to Kate, when Sophia lay crying lustily in her crib in our 8th Avenue Apartment. “Impatient and determined.”

  Kate laughed softly while I picked up Sophia from her bassinet and placed her gently into Kate’s arms for a feed. “Hopefully, she won’t look like him.”

  I glanced in her eyes and saw a gleam in them. “At least, not until she’s sixty,” I said with a grin. “She looks like you.” I watched as Kate got Sophia latched on and settled down to feed. “Tiny face, pointed chin, chestnut hair.”

  Kate tucked the blanket around Sophia. “With your eyes.” She turned to look at me, smiling.

  “I hope her eyes turn green like yours,” I said and bent down to kiss her and then I kissed Sophia’s tiny head. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of happiness filled me, making me choke up with emotion.

  I felt as if I’d been through a nightmare, and had only just awoken to discover that I was still alive and well and safe in my bed.

  The three of us survived pretty much the worst that could have happened.

  I knew we’d be stronger as a result and that whatever came along, our love, our bond, was unbreakable.

  EPILOGUE

  Kate

  Almost a year to the day that Sophia was so unceremoniously brought into the world during a crash C-section at NYU hospital, the three of us arrived at a small forested area not too far from a remote landing strip in Ethiopia. Michael Owiti had asked if he could join us, since he had never seen the grave site and wanted to visit. Drake agreed and so we met Michael at the airport and made the trek together. We’d arranged a team of local guides to drive us to the area, before making our way to a site in Kenya where we’d stay for a few days, sleeping under the stars.

  I had been a bit anxious about traveling with Sophia but Drake assured me that she was as healthy as any other one-year-old, and would be fine.

  Almost two years earlier, I’d purchased plane tickets so that Drake and I could travel to the crash site and visit Liam’s grave beneath a tall baobab tree that stood not far from the site of impact. Drake carried the GPS while I carried Sophia, who was now getting quite big for a baby who started out her life as a preemie. Michael walked behind us both, his face grim. Perhaps Liam
’s death was becoming more real to him now that he was visiting the grave. Only moments earlier, he’d been all smiles, talking to Sophia, making funny faces to get her to laugh, his big hands playing with Sophia’s tiny ones as if he couldn’t get enough. He was a pediatrician, and loved children.

  Our guides stood off in the distance beside the vehicle, watching, rifles at the ready just in case anything decided to have us for a meal.

  “This is it,” Drake said and shaded his eyes with a hand, staring up to the top of the tree. After his death, Liam’s body had been cremated and his ashes buried at the foot of the tall tree. Drake had flown from Manhattan to do the deed but hadn’t been back since.

  Michael stood beside Drake and the two men stood in silence for a while, each probably remembering the man in their own way. I never met Liam, but he loomed large in all our lives. From photographs of Liam before he died, I could see where Drake got his good looks for Liam had dark hair, blue eyes and a strong physique in addition to a stunning smile. No wonder he’d had dozens of women.

  I held Sophia, who was wearing a tiny hat with a wide brim to protect her fair skin from the intense heat and tinier sunglasses.

  “This is where your grandpa is,” I said to her, kissing her cool plump cheek. She had her pink plush bunny in her hand and was chewing on the ear. I removed the bunny ear and put her pacifier in her mouth instead, and she sucked happily away. Only recently weaned, she still was very oral and sucked on everything she could get her grubby little hands on but now that she could toddle, she wasn’t interested in the breast anymore. She liked carrying her bottle around while she inspected the world.

  She made an incomprehensible babble and Drake turned around to look at her. He came over and reached for her.

  “Here,” he said and took her into his arms. “Let me hold her.”

  I let her go, and watched as Drake carried her over to the tree, which had a small plaque nailed into the wood. I went closer and saw the plaque, which Drake had placed there when he buried Liam’s ashes. I leaned closer and read the inscription: