I shook out of Ford’s hold and walked into the room. “Sorry for interupptin’.”
“Shayne, this ain’t a good time and you and I both know you aren’t allowed to be here. Don’t make me call security.”
I didn’t budge. “Not a good time? Isn’t it, though? Her moving to better facility is a good thing. I mean, surely you want Ash to recover, right? You aren’t just tryin’ to take her home to keep her away from me, are you?” He stood there, shocked that I’d heard his conversation. “You know, I always knew you were an asshole, but I never believed that you would put your daughter’s well-being at risk to keep her away from the life that she loved.” I’d had it with him trying to keep me away from her and from the look on his wife’s face, she didn’t know half of what he’d done to me. “What happened when she visited you that day? Did she tell you to leave us alone? Did she tell you to stay away from us? You’ve got no right to do this to her!” I was more than angry.
He pointed towards the door, but Ford walked in, having my back immediately. “I agree with my cousin.”
Ash lit up when she saw him and I wondered if she even understood what was going on. “I want both of these men escorted out of here, right now. Call the police if you have to.” The truth hurt and he wasn’t about to admit that he was in the wrong.
The nurse rushed over towards us. “Maybe you should both wait outside.”
“We’ll go, just as long as we know she’s goin’ to the rehab center.”
The nurse smiled. “The doctor won’t release her to her father. He told him that yesterday and all last week. I think he thought he could pull strings, but for the sake of the doctor keeping his license, there’s no way he would release her,” she whispered.
It also helped that she’d seen me visiting Ash. I’d explained to her that Ash was my girlfriend and that we had twins. She wanted to help me, unlike the nurse from the shift before her.
Once outside of the hospital I looked at my cousin. He shook his head. “That is some messed up shit, right there.”
Ash was still inside, probably dealing with more of her father’s bullshit. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should go back in and tell her everything’s okay.”
“I don’t need to tell her that, Shayne. Somewhere inside of her head, she already knows it. There ain’t no reason to give her false hope. If you’re goin’ to fight for her then we need to approach it with honesty.” He looked back toward the door and pushed me along. “Come on, lets get out of here. I’ve got a feelin’ that Ash will be at the rehab center by nightfall. Then you can visit her whenever you want. Think about it Shayne, even if she doesn’t remember what you have, you can always show her all of the reasons why she fell in love with you. This ain’t the end, cuz.”
“So I should just ignore the protective order?”
“No!”
“I don’t want to go to jail and if I did I’d lose my chance of ever gettin’ the kids.”
“There’s got to be a way around it all. The first thing you need to do is call the courthouse and see what rights you have. Obviously it’s a phony charge. You’ve never been a threat to anyone. Your dad used to be good friends with the sheriff. Do they still hunt together?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea what my old man does with his free time.”
“You need to talk to him, Shayne. You’re goin’ to need as many people on your side as you can get.”
I couldn’t tell my cousin that I’d thought about ending my life. He needed to see that I was strong, not someone weak and willing to give up.
My dad had never been in my corner and now more than ever he was pissed at me. I couldn’t count on him being on my side, but it was at least worth a try. If there was one thing I did know about my dad it was that he didn’t like being lied to or looked down upon. There was a chance that Ash’s dad actions could set my dad over the edge, and with his help I’d be able to finally take him down.
I suddenly smiled, realizing that maybe, just maybe, I could get them all back.
I thought about having Ash at home with me. I imagined coming home to her and the twins. I’d be able to make her love me again, even if I had to start over. That thought gave me the motivation that I needed. Suddenly my hope was returning and I had a lot of convincing to do to make it all happen.
Chapter 28
Shayne
I walked into the office and saw him sitting there. He noticed me right away and crossed his arms. “I was wonderin’ if you were goin’ to ever talk to me again.”
“I need to get some things off my chest.”
“I’ve got a bunch to say to you, too, son. It seems I was wrong about a lot of things. It took some balls to do what you did for your brother and for this family. Had I have known the impact of what it would have done to you, maybe I could have done things differently.”
It was the nicest thing he’d said to me in as long as I could remember. “Dad, I’m not here to dredge up what could have been. I’m here because I can’t live without Ashley or those kids. I’m the only dad they’ve ever known. I did it for Parker at first, but the longer I spent with Ashley the more I knew it was what I wanted. I know you could never understand, but it’s the truth. I love them. I’d die before I let anything to happen to them. I don’t care if I’m the uncle or the biological father. They’re my blood and I want to be their dad. Can’t you understand that? It’s never been about pride. Now, her dad is doin’ all he can to keep me away from them. I need to do somethin’.”
He placed his hand flat against the desk. “Why couldn’t you come to me with this, Shayne? Why’d you let it get so out of hand? Your brother,” he cleared his voice. “He’s really disappointed your mother and I. I can’t say that I’m happy you took the blame, but I feel real bad for treatin’ you like you didn’t deserve to be a father. If all of this has taught me anything it’s that you’re completely devoted to those kids and their mother. I just wish I’d seen it sooner.”
“Dad, I’m not hear for apologies. I’m here because I’m not givin’ up. I’m gettin’ a lawyer and I’m bringin’ my kids home. Ash would want it that way. She’d want them with me, livin’ in that house that I bought for them. She’d want them to grow up happy, not feeling like prisoners in that big house with that monster. To make matters worse, he had me served with a protective order. I can’t go within five-hundred feet of her.”
He started wiping his face with the palms of his hands. “Jesus Christ. Are you really prepared to go against someone like him, son? He’s got a lot of friends in high places.”
I stood and paced around the room. “I don’t give a shit what he’s got. I’m gettin’ my kids back.”
I think it was at that moment where he knew that he couldn’t say or do anything to scare me out of it.
“I’ll support whatever you want to do, and if I need to get up and tell that judge you’re a good man, I’ll do it with pride, because I’m real proud of the man that you’ve become, Shayne. I don’t know when it happened, but you’ve changed. Let me make some calls and find out how to get that protective order dismissed. He can’t use the law like that to his advantage.”
I walked over and hugged my father, trying to remember the last time he’d ever said anything nice to me. After the past few months it was so comforting having his support. I needed all of the help that I was going to get.
It took my dad one phone call to find out that the protective order was never filed. We weren’t sure who he’d called to draw it up, but there was no record of Mr. Tilly filing one, or me having one in my name. Just knowing that made me want to drive to his house and beat the shit out of him.
For the man to go to those extremes told me that there was a reason he didn’t want me around Ashley and it wasn’t just because he didn’t think I was good for her. I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that he was afraid one day she was going to remember something and he didn’t want his secret getting out.
Things between my father and I pr
ogressed. It was slow, but we were making constant progress. More than anything, he was on my side, doing whatever had to be done for me to get the twins back. He’d called his lawyer and even had a couple meetings with a social worker that dealt with custody with non-related people, like friends of the family.
While we were working on our problems, my brother was distancing himself from the family. He’d chose to come out with the truth, but wasn’t prepared for the consequences that it would entail. He wanted nothing to do with the twins, and now nothing to do with his own family.
My mother was a mess over it. I’d gone to their house for dinner one night and she’d broke down, crying that she’d failed the twins. I knew she was talking about my brother and sister, but didn’t see why she felt that way. Sure, Peyton was hardheaded, but her heart was always in the right place. She might not have gone off to college, but she was the baby of the family and none of us ever saw her becoming a doctor. She’d always been the kind of woman that was meant to settle down and be a mother herself.
I’d spoke to Peyton a couple times, but she still hadn’t moved her stuff back in my house. My sister never liked drama, so I figured when things started going wrong with her and Jamey’s relationship again, she’d be banging on my door. It was fine by me, considering I’d do anything for my siblings. Peyton was still young and she had so much growing up and learning to do. If she was anything like me, it was going to take her a while.
Ford kept his promise, coming over as much as he could to help me finish the house. We spent an entire weekend installing new siding and that following weekend my dad came over to repair the old front porch. Though very old, the house looked brand new from the outside and just the same on the inside. I’d worked hard with the focus of bringing my family home, and now that it was finished I was hopeful that one day the house would be full again with the three people that meant the most to me.
I had to keep fighting for them, no matter how long, or how hard it got. I wasn’t going to give up, not when I’d come so far.
That’s why it only took me a few days before I started visiting Ashley at the new rehabilitation center. I knew her father didn’t show up during the day, so I went then. I really thought that I’d be on some list keeping me from seeing her, but nobody said a word to me. When her mother showed up, I could have sworn she’d call Ash’s dad or the police. Instead she walked away, leaving me there alone with my woman.
I won’t forget the day he showed up when I was there. He turned, right away, trying to notify someone, and I called his name. “Mr. Tilly, you might want to rethink that decision on account of the falsified documents you had me served with.”
He froze in place and said nothing in his defense.
“The way I see it is that you can go ahead and call someone to remove me, but I can in turn take my fake papers to a judge and have your title removed, probably immediately. Now, I don’t know what you’re scared of me findin’ out, but you sure as hell ain’t goin’ to keep me away from my family, not now, and not ever.”
He walked out, never saying a single thing to me. I couldn’t believe it. He was supposed to be a well-respected government official. I knew Ash had no clue what was going on, but I sure as shit was going to fill her in whenever was ready to hear it.
It still hurt me so much being around and her not knowing me, but I knew she wouldn’t want me giving up. Each time I visited I had hope when I arrived and left broken hearted.
As my hope continued to test me I stayed resolved to the fact that time healed all wounds. I knew she may never be who she was before, but it didn’t matter to me. I was going to love whoever she was, because that’s what love was all about.
Chapter 29
Shayne
Ashley had been at the rehabilitation facility for one month and she was making progress every day. After three weeks there she was trying to feed herself and beginning to say small broken words. Her motor skills were improving and they were already talking to her about working on standing up.
I was so proud of her, and brought her gifts each night after work. Though confused about my visits, I started bringing her pictures of the two of us together. It all began when I showed her a picture from my phone. I did my best to show her pictures of only her face, so she wouldn’t get herself upset about seeing a pregnant belly.
At first she didn’t seem excited to see me, but I refused to give up.
Her father barely came to visit her and I hadn’t seen the twins since they’d taken them from me. I’d finally met with a lawyer that told me my options were very limited. Aside from a birth certificate that falsified information, I had no feasible link to the kids that would oversee their biological grandparents.
I did try to see them once a week. I’d wake up early on Saturdays and head over to their house. Each day they’d tell me to leave their property. I think sometimes I wished they’d answer the door holding one of them, but it never happened. Then I wondered if they’d hired a nanny and if they even paid attention to them. My heart ached to have them back in my arms, but like Ford had told me, I had to be patient.
During her second month in rehab I noticed a huge change. When I walked in the door to visit she’d address me by my name and smile. She’d let me kiss her on the cheek when I got there and sometimes when I left. Her speech was improving and sometimes she would amaze me.
One particular visit she really shocked me. She’d been working hard learning to write again. It was going slowly, but she’d managed to write enough to want to show me. On a piece of paper she’d written my name. I know it wasn’t much, but it meant everything to me. I think that’s why the words slipped out so easily. “I’m so proud of you, baby. I love you so much.”
Her eyes widened and I could tell she was utterly shocked. Even though she sometimes spoke, she said nothing.
I freaked out, not knowing what to do, so I left the room. When I’d calmed down and went to walk back inside I found her crying. I sat down beside her and went to touch her cheek, but she moved away.
I felt so rejected, like everything I’d been doing had turned out to be a waste. It was a difficult moment to have to deal with.
I stayed away for four days before I could bring myself to face her again. I didn’t know if it was the drugs or if she really didn’t remember, but Ash acted like nothing had happened.
I decided at that moment that I had to be careful, but Ash wasn’t going to let me. I’d no sooner walked into the room when she gave me more reasons to strive for her to regain her memory. “Shayne … I … missed … you.” It took her an extremely long time to get more than one word out at a time.
Hesitantly, I walked over and kissed her cheek. “I missed you, too.”
“I … remembered … somethin’.” She spoke slowly, braking in between words.
Every time she said anything, I felt myself getting choked up. Her progress, though slow, amazed me. “What did you remember?” Silently I was begging that it would be our life together.
“I … remember … living … together.”
I had to remain calm. For months I’d waited for this moment and I couldn’t get excited in case it was just a momentary memory and nothing more. “You did?”
“Did … we … live … together?”
“Yeah, we did.”
“I … don’t … understand.” She started to cry and I felt horrible for her.
I’m not sure why I thought it was a good idea, but I pulled out my phone and found my favorite shot of the two of us. My hands were shaking and all I could think about was that moment when I thought she was going to die. I remembered wanting to die without her, feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. She had to know why I visited every day. She had to know that I wasn’t going to stop until we were together again.
I handed her the phone and felt tears running down my face. This was a do or die situation. She could have thrown it across the room, or even told me to never come back again, but instead she
stared right at it, tracing our faces with her fingers. “Ash, I - ”
She looked right at me. “My … babies. Shayne, … my … babies. No! No! Shayne!” she kept repeating it until the nurse rushed in to see what was the matter.
I grabbed her hand and forced her to look me in the eyes. She remembered them and even though it was a huge ordeal, she still had a long way to go. “Calm down, Ash. The twins are okay. I promise you that they’re fine.”
I had to take the nurse into the hallway and explain what had happened. She actually seemed thrilled that Ash had such a breakthrough.
When I went back into the room she was crying harder. We’d explained plenty of times why she was in the hospital, and she understood that there was a part of her life that she couldn’t remember, but I wondered how this would affect her. Obviously she’d want to see them and I had to find a way to make it happen.
“Shayne, please … help … me. Beka … Eli ... Where are they?”
I wiped away her tears. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“The … picture. I … was … pregnant. You … got … me … chocolate … cake,” she paused for a second, “and … we … ate … it … in … bed.”
I freaking lost it. My lips pressed against hers and we cried together. “I missed you so much, Ash. I thought I lost you.”
When I pulled away she wiped my face. “Don’t … cry.”
I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it. “I’m just happy, that’s all.”
“So … confusing, but … I … remember. I … remember … the … twins … and … I … remember … that … I … love … you.”
Words could not describe what I was feeling. It was as if someone had jumpstarted my heart again. Every emotion that I could have was rushing into my mind all at once. “I thought I’d never hear that again. I’m sorry for cryin’, but I’m just so happy, Ash. This made it all worth it. I’ve spent the last several months wondering how I was going to live my life without you. Baby, I don’t care how long it takes. I don’t care how many months we have to wait to get you home. None of that matters as long as I know it’s going to happen. I missed you so damn much.”
Remember Me Page 17
