My Salvation

by Michelle Dare

  She reached to the side of her stomach. She felt something wet and when she pulled her hand away it was covered in blood. A muffled sob came from her and she fell to the floor. Erik caught her and yelled for help. He laid her on the floor and held her hand. She truly thought she was going to die.

  Her voice shook when she tried to speak. “T-t-tell Owen that I love him.”

  Erik spoke in a low, soft voice. “Ssshhh, try not to talk. Help is on the way.”

  The last thing she remembered was the scared look in Erik’s eyes as he told her over and over she was going to be okay.

  * * * * * * * *

  Owen opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to figure out where he was. He heard beeping and noticed the lights in the room were dim. The bed he was in was slightly elevated and white blankets covered him.

  He tried to move, but his body felt heavy. Lifting his arm slightly, he noticed someone was sitting next to him, slouched over in a chair. He tried to talk, but all that came out was a groan.

  The person next to him woke at the sound and reached over for him. “Owen, thank God. Don’t try and talk. I’ll get the nurse.”

  Ethan reached over him and pressed a button on the remote at his side. “You’re in the hospital. Mia drugged you and you were unconscious.”

  Trying to search his mind, he couldn’t find anything. He didn’t even remember seeing Mia and wondered why she would drug him, but he did remember going to work with Cali. That was the last memory he had.

  “Cali?” came out on a whisper. He didn’t like the look on Ethan’s face. He had shut his eyes and taken a deep breath.

  Opening them, he said, “Owen, I don’t know how to say this. Cali was shot in the abdomen by Mia. There was blood everywhere. It was awful. I’ve never been so scared. When I got there, she was unconscious and Erik was holding onto her. Steven shot Mia, killing her.”

  His chest constricted and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He tried to sit up but Ethan was pushing him back onto the bed. A nurse came through the door with a doctor behind her.

  The doctor moved quickly to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Matthews, you have to relax.” He was unable to fight against their hold, his body still feeling heavy.

  “Now that you’ve calmed a little, let me introduce myself. I’m Dr. Lee. You were brought in unconscious. After we did some testing, we determined you had been drugged with Rohypnol. You may also know this as the date rape drug. You should start feeling better within the hour and be able to go home soon. Do you have any questions for me?”

  The doctor said he could leave soon. It was Caliana he wanted to know about. “Cali? I need to see her.”

  “Your girlfriend, right? I’m not her doctor, but I’ll find out what room she is in and let you know.” He nodded and closed his eyes.

  “I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on you.”

  Once the doctor and nurse left, Ethan spoke. “Mom’s in the cafeteria getting some coffee. You gave us quite a scare. I don’t remember ever seeing her that upset. Plus with what’s going on with Cali,” Ethan paused to shake his head. “We just want you to both be okay.”

  “Want to know about Cali,” Owen said. His head was still a little fuzzy, but he was fighting it.

  “When Mom comes in I’ll go see what I can find out. Her parents are on the way. They took the first flight they could get.”

  “Thank you.” His eyes became heavy and fought to stay awake, but eventually gave in.

  An hour later he was awake, but this time was more alert and his body felt lighter. Ethan and his mother were sitting beside him. He was getting anxious and wanted to go see Cali.

  He buzzed the nurse and asked if he could be discharged. The doctor came in and signed the papers to be released. She told him if he started feeling sick he needed to come back in.

  Before he could leave the room, a police officer came in to take his statement. He really didn’t have a statement to give though. He remembered the morning, but nothing after. The doctor had mentioned memory loss is common with being given the drug.

  He quickly got dressed and left. Standing outside was Steven. He walked up to Owen and hugged him. “Glad to see you’re all right, my friend. I was worried about you for a little bit there.”

  “Thanks, but you know you’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”

  Steven chuckled. “Oh I know.”

  “Walk with us. I want a quick rundown of what happened, but I need to see Cali.”

  Ethan led the way to her room. Steven gave him a high level account of what happened and he could hear his mother sniffling behind him, upset by what she was hearing. He kept walking unable to stop to comfort her. Cali was all he wanted in the moment.

  He was glad Mia confessed to everything before she was shot. They now knew who was responsible. Steven told him the last thing he knew the police found Rob and Ian and arrested them both. Owen wished he would have gotten a hold of them first so he could have beat the shit out of them.

  Reaching Cali’s door, a nurse approached them. “You can’t all go in. Only one at a time and only for fifteen minutes. She just came out of surgery.”

  “How is she?” Owen asked.

  “Are you her husband?”

  “No, but I’m her boyfriend and she lives with me.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but I can only release that information to her family.”

  “I am her family! Her other family hasn’t arrived yet. Please, I need to know if she is going to be okay.” He was pleading with the nurse, not knowing what else to do.

  “All I can say is she is in critical condition and on a ventilator, which you will see when you go in.”

  He had to put a hand on the wall to hold himself upright. The room started to spin. The thought of a machine breathing for her and she wasn’t able to do it on her own, made it difficult for him to keep his balance.

  ~ 24 ~

  Owen froze the second he saw her. She was covered with a blanket and had tubes coming out of her. The worst was the one coming from her mouth. He slowly walked over to the side of the bed and pulled a chair over.

  He brought his hand up and lightly brushed her hair from her face. “I’m so sorry, Cali. It’s my fault you’re laying here. I swore to protect you and when you needed me most, I couldn’t help.”

  A lump formed in his throat, but he forced it down. He had so many emotions rolling through him making him feel sick. His mind whirled with all of the ways he could have avoided her being shot, but it didn’t matter. She was shot and there was nothing he could do to turn the clock back.

  There was blood in her hair, presumably from someone touching it with bloody hands, maybe even her. Her face was clean, but he noticed a little blood on her nails. She looked pale and fragile. He always considered her fragile, but seeing her in a hospital bed, he worried any minute she was going to leave him. He didn’t know what he would do if she were gone.

  He wasn’t very religious, but in that moment he sent up a prayer, promising to always stand by her side. To protect and love her for as long as he lived, if she would just pull through.

  Owen pulled the chair as close to her as he could. He took her hand in his, careful to not disturb the IV. He felt like he was in a nightmare and kept hoping he would wake. It would all be a terrible dream.

  He stayed in the chair well over the fifteen minutes. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when someone knocked softly on the door. Lifting his head, he saw Cali’s parents standing in the doorway. Her mom had tears in her eyes and her dad looked like he was barely keeping it together.

  Owen stood, embracing Cali’s mom in a tight hug. She started sobbing into his shoulder and he shifted to help her sit in the chair. Her dad bent and kissed Cali lightly on the head. None of them said anything, just sat and stared at the hospital bed.

  A half an hour after her parents arrived, the doctor came in. She was tall, slender and had short brown hair and black framed glasses. “Hi, I’m
Dr. Bradley,” she said, extending her hand to each of them.

  After introductions were made she spoke to Owen. “I’m sorry, but can I please talk to Caliana’s family in private?”

  His body became rigid. He didn’t want to leave, but knew how the privacy laws worked. According to the law he wasn’t considered family and knew he needed to leave. He took one step before a gentle hand gripped his arm. He looked down to see Cali’s mom holding onto him.

  “I want him to stay,” she said. “Whatever you have to say to us, you can say to Owen. He’s her family too.” He sagged in relief and made a mental note to thank her later.

  The doctor nodded. “Caliana had a bullet wound to her lower, left abdomen. She lost a substantial amount of blood by the time she arrived in the emergency room. Once we assessed the wound, we rushed her into surgery and began operating.

  “The damage to her small intestine was repaired quickly. We were pushing blood into her the entire time, replacing what had been lost, but her vital signs started rapidly deteriorating as we were closing. Life-saving measures were needed. We were able to bring her back and keep her stable from that point on.”

  Looking over at her mom, Owen saw her holding a tissue to her nose as she cried quietly. Standing behind her, with a comforting hand on her shoulder, was Cali’s dad.

  “Right now we are keeping her sedated so she doesn’t fight the tube in her throat. Tomorrow we will wean her off of the sedation and ventilator. We’re hoping she does well once the sedation stops and starts to fight the tube. She isn’t out of the woods yet. Even when she does wake, recovery will take some time.”

  No one could speak. The room was silent except for the steady beeping of the machines. Dr. Bradley checked Cali’s vitals and said she would return to check on her again in a little while. She also said if they had any questions to have the nurse at the desk outside page her.

  He felt like the air had been sucked out of him, unable to form words. The thought of her almost dying made him lightheaded. He took a step back and sat on the windowsill. Guilt washed over him as his body began to tremble.

  After sitting with her parents for a bit, he asked if they wanted some coffee. He needed to have Steven tell him the entire story, then would send him home to sleep.

  Stepping out of the room he saw Erik sitting in chair to the right of the door. He didn’t notice him until Owen put a hand on his shoulder. Owen nodded to him and Steven, who was leaning against the wall opposite of him. Both men were to follow.

  He noticed Ethan and his mom were no longer there, but knew they would be back. Cali was as much a part of his family as he was a part of hers.

  Walking to the cafeteria, they both gave every detail. He couldn’t believe what had happened while he was knocked out. He always thought Cali was brave, but standing her ground with a gun pointed to her head was true courage.

  And when Steven told him how Erik threw himself in front of her to block the bullet, he couldn’t have been more grateful. It solidified the decision he had been mulling over.

  “Erik, I would like for you to become a permanent part of the team. That is, if you want to. I know the position was only temporary until we figured out who was responsible, but you’ve proven to be someone I don’t want to lose. A substantial pay increase would also be provided. You don’t have to answer me now, just let me know when you decide.”

  There was no hesitation when he said, “I accept. There is nothing to think about. I will continue to protect her and you with my life.”

  Owen nodded, clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. He saw that Steven was smiling over Erik’s shoulder. Pulling back, Owen said, “We are honored to have you.”

  The men helped Owen carry the coffee and told them both to go home and rest. He would keep them posted if there was any change. In the room he handed the cups to Cali’s parents and took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.

  Exhaustion was evident on their faces. He placed a call to a hotel close by and booked a room for them. A cab was also called to meet them at the hospital lobby.

  They fought about leaving, but were assured they would only be a couple of blocks away and if her condition changed, no matter the time, a call would be made. Finally giving in, they thanked him and left to get some rest.

  The nurses were not happy about letting Owen stay overnight. He wasn’t leaving unless someone tried to physically drag him out and knew no one would be able to. Every time a nurse came in to check her vitals, he woke. The reclining chair wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but he would sleep on the floor if it were his only choice. He didn’t care as long as he was close to her.

  He must have fallen into a deep sleep, because a hand shaking his arm woke him. Sitting up quickly, Ethan had to jump out of the way to avoid having his head slammed into by Owen’s. “Hey man, didn’t mean to startle you. Just wanted to let you know we were here.”

  Taking in his surroundings, he noticed Cali’s parents had arrived too. He couldn’t believe he didn’t hear anyone come in. A different doctor was doing rounds and said he would return in an hour or so to start waking her.

  Dragging a hand through his hair, not really caring how he looked, he stood. Simply looking at her caused the lump to reform in his throat. He needed to stay strong even though it was tearing him apart inside that the woman he loved more than anything else in the world was lying in a hospital bed, needing a machine to breathe for her.

  Owen wanted to be there when she woke, but everyone insisted he get something to eat before the doctor came back. Realizing he hadn’t eaten in twenty four hours, he knew he needed food. Once she woke up he wouldn’t be leaving her side. He noticed when he walked through the door Erik was in the chair again.

  Asking Erik to join him, both men went to the cafeteria. Owen bought him lunch, refusing to let him pay. Taking a seat, he said, “Erik, I didn’t realize you were here. It was nice of you to come, but not necessary.”

  “I want to be here. I feel like it’s my fault. The bullet should have hit me, not her.”

  Owen shook his head. “You did all you could. Cali wouldn’t want you beating yourself up over this. As a matter of fact, she would probably yell at you for it if she could.”

  “I want her to wake so I can apologize.”

  “The guilt won’t get you anywhere. Trust me, I know. I was useless and was down when she needed me most. I will never forgive myself for her being in the hospital, because of me." His eyes focused on the food in front of him on the table, making his stomach roll.

  “I guess she’ll have two of us to yell at when she wakes.”

  “Yeah, it sounds like she will,” Owen said.

  They sat, both picking at their plates, only eating a portion of the food. Throwing their food away, they went back to the room. Owen checked his watch and realized they spent more time in the cafeteria than originally planned. The doctor was walking into the room as they were.

  The doctor asked anyone that wasn’t family to leave. His feet were firmly planted on the ground. No way he would leave. He wanted to be near when she opened her eyes. The doctor stopped the medicine and stood by the bed with a nurse on the other side.

  Fifteen minutes later Cali started coughing, fighting the tube. The doctor moved swiftly to remove it. Owen approached the foot of the bed, unable to stay back knowing she was waking up.

  Blinking a few times, she began to look around the room. Her eyes slowly moved from person to person, finally settling on Owen. Tears starting welling in her eyes when she saw him. He went to the side of the bed and took her hand in his.

  The doctor told her everything was all right, that she was in the hospital and had to have surgery to repair the gun shot she suffered. Cali tried to sit, but squeezed her eyes shut, wincing. The doctor asked the nurse to give her more medication for pain.

  Her eyes never wavered from him. On a whisper, she said, “Owen?” The doctor had mentioned her throat would be a little sore from the tube.

 
Fear was apparent in her eyes. Pulling a chair to the bed, he sat by her side, never taking his eyes off of her face. He was so overcome by emotion that a tear escaped and ran over his cheek. Reaching up, she captured it with her finger.

  He stood and leaned over to whisper in her ear. His voice was shaky. “I’m so happy you’re awake. I worried I would never see your beautiful eyes again. I love you, Caliana. Please don’t ever scare me like that again. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  He pulled away so he was only inches from her face. Her bottom lip began to tremble. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He couldn’t believe she was worried about him. There she was lying in a hospital bed, just woken up and she was asking if he was okay. “I’m fine, beautiful. No one is going to be able to take me from you.”

  “I love you so much.” Giving her a quick kiss, he sat in the chair.

  “Mia?”

  “She’s dead, Cali. Steven shot her.”

  She nodded and began to cry. Sniffling, she moved her hand to wipe them away and turned toward her parents. Her mom leaned over to give her a gentle hug, crying too, and her dad kissed her on the cheek. Owen wasn’t sure when the last time was she had seem them.

  He stood to leave, giving them time alone. Cali’s arm reached for him. “Don’t leave.”

  “I was going to give you some time with your parents. Ethan and Erik are out in the hallway. Would you like to see them?”

  “Yes, but please Owen, don’t go far.”

  “I won’t. I’m just going to step out in the hall.”

  Nodding, she loosened her grip and he could see she still looked afraid. It tore him apart that she was scared. He would do whatever it took to make her feel safe again.

  Out in the hallway, he told the guys she was awake. Steven was standing in the hallway beside Ethan. He told them they could see her, briefly. The pain medication would make her tired and he wanted her to rest.

  The men followed him into the room. Steven went first, giving her a hug, saying how happy he was she was awake. Ethan stepped forward next. He squeezed her hand, said he considers her family and was thankful she was okay. Anything she needs during recovery, to ask him. Owen could tell their words were touching her by her tears.