by Tigris Eden
''Sure, I’ll take you back, but understand this, if shit is going down, and I find out my girl is in danger…fuck my badge, I'm lighting your ass up. Then I’m tossing you over to my wife."
As if Lola was a threat to him. She was scary, but she wasn’t that scary.
"I have a handle on this, Bear. Let me and my people do our jobs. We're working on it, and I won't rest until that motherfucker is taken out."
Bear gave a sharp nod of approval, and the two of them made their way back to the hospital.
Jackson was surprised to see Vivian at the hospital. She was dressed as if she were ready to hit the runway.
“Why are you here?"
She had the nerve to look appalled at his question.
"I'm here to be supportive, Jax."
Why me? Can’t there be any decent exes in my life? Those that don’t bug, bother, or try and disrupt my life.
"Don't call me that, Vivian."
There was commotion around the corner, and Jackson knew it was Lola.
Fucking hell.
"The fuck is this ho doing in the hospital? Get her out of here, 'cause if I do it, y’all gonna be wiping this trick up off the muthafucking floor." Lola had her hands on her hips, and she was standing on her toes; Jackson knew exactly what that meant. She was ready to put hands on Vivian. India and Chantelle, her trusted posse, were there, as well.
"You need to leave, Vivian. I don’t want you here,” Jackson said, trying to keep the peace.
"Yeah, bitch, get gone." That was Chantelle. India was the only semi-calm one out of the trio.
“Chantelle, I got a handle on things," Jackson chastised.
“Hmph, looks to me you don’t have a handle on anything, Sheriff."
"Chantelle, hush up." This came from India. She pulled her sister and Lola back towards the waiting room.
"They're a bunch of fun," Vivian said as she eyed Jackson with appreciation. The woman wouldn’t give up. She didn’t want to be supportive of his situation. She saw this as another opportunity to be a pain in his ass.
“You need to leave, Vivian. I'm not gonna tell you again."
"You need to come home, Jackson." Vivian stepped closer. Jackson stepped back. The last thing he needed was one of the twins—or Lola—to round the corner and catch them standing close. It wouldn’t matter if he had no interest in Vivian, but it would matter to Lola’s or Chantelle’s perception, they’d do nothing but start a fire that would take years to put out.
"How many ways do I have to say it, huh? I'm with Anna. I go where she is."
"That makes no sense, Jax. Basically, what you’re saying is if she dies, then you’re going to follow her.”
There was force behind Vivian’s words, enough force that Jackson actually took a step back and balled his fists at his sides. If he hadn’t moved, he was sure his hand would have reached out to choke the life out of the woman standing in front of him. Instead of addressing what she’d said, he ground his molars and breathed through his nostrils.
“Ava needs her father at home with her."
Calm. You can do this. Shut her down and get back to Anna.
"I have things here. I'll see Ava when I return back to Beauville."
Jackson turned, leaving Vivian in the hall. When he rounded the corner, the attending physician was speaking to Pearl, who had a tight grip on The Mayor's hand. Please don't let there be anything wrong. He was holding on by a thread. A very thin thread.
"Is everything all right?” Jackson asked, walking up to Pearl and the doctor. The doctor turned towards Jackson, a grim look on his face.
"Mr. Storme, the surgery was a success. All of Anna's vitals are good. We're going to slowly pull back on the meds. She will be awake soon. What I was explaining to Miss Macon, is that the road to recovery may be difficult. Anna suffered blunt force trauma to her skull. She may show signs of memory loss. Muscle memory should be okay, but we won’t know the type of treatment she’ll need until she wakes up. I just wanted to prepare everyone for what may be ahead."
“Are you saying my cousin won’t know her own people?" This came from Lola.
The doctor looked over Pearl's shoulder at Lola, who was doing her best to keep her game face. Jackson could see Lola’s eyes brimming with tears.
"No, ma’am, I'm saying it’s a possibility."
"But it’s not for sure, right?" Pearl questioned.
“That's correct.”
Jackson stood there, listening as the doctor spoke about recovery time. The help Anna would need once she was released to go home, and what her daily regime would entail.
“We'll assign someone to her for physical therapy while she's home recovering. The first week will be daily recovery, but it will taper down until she is fully rehabilitated.”
“When will she be awake?" Jackson asserted. He just wanted to see her beautiful brown eyes, her smile, hear her voice. Anything.
“We're slowly bringing her out of her coma, Sheriff Storme."
Jackson nodded his head and politely excused himself. He wanted to be with her. Needed to. Anna was his best friend, his lover, and as soon as he could, he was marrying that woman, knocking her up, and starting the life he’d always wanted. But before he could do any of that, he needed to find the bastard who'd stabbed her. He would ensure Anna’s safety. His family’s, as well. Tony Peretti and his enforcer, Fabiano, weren’t finished. Anna was his warning. Next, they'd try to send a different kind of message. If they knew about him, it was possible they knew about Treat, which meant Joey was a target, too. He pulled the chair out of the corner, repositioning it next to Anna's bed. The breathing tube no longer in her mouth gave him hope. Her skin was too pale, but he could see a hint of warmth in her cheeks. Jackson bent over the bed, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm here, Annabelle. Right here." Jackson sat and lightly entwined their fingers together while resting his head on the side of the bed. This wasn’t the first time he’d prayed, and it wouldn’t be the last. Again, he asked for all manner of things, but he kept coming back to one request. A long and love-filled life with Anna, however he could get it.
Until Her: Chapter 2
My body is sore all over. It feels like my muscles are too tight and locked in place. Someone is holding my hand. It’s odd and foreign. My throat hurts, and my mouth is dry. Too dry. I try moving, but can’t. There is something attached to my leg, and that’s about when I lose my damn mind.
"I want to get up," I croak. The hand holding mine doesn’t move, so I try again. "Up." My voice is stronger, but not louder. Nothing happens. I can feel the blood flow in my fingers. I can move them, I know I can, I’m just too afraid there will be pain. But I really want some water. And to possibly sit up.
I wiggle my thumb first, and when there’s no pain, I sigh. I flex my entire hand, and that’s when I hear Jackson's voice.
"Anna?"
I don’t know why I don’t answer right away. My heart is heavy. Full. At the same time, it knows. My heart knows the sound of Jackson’s voice, and I’m so relieved he’s okay. Silent tears heat my skin and slide down my cheeks into my hair and ears. I want to open my eyes so badly, but I’m scared. Afraid of what I might see. The bed moves, and Jackson tries, unsuccessfully, to untangle our fingers, but I hold on tight. I can’t let go, won’t. Panic is starting to take hold. I can hear alarms and beeping.
The sounds and commotion aren’t helping my state of anxiety. I’m confused and disoriented. Then I hear him, feel him surround me like a comforting hug with the sound of his voice. Stay. Please stay.
"Baby? Anna? I'm not leaving you, just want to get the doctor in here to check you out. Please, baby, nod your head if you understand.”
I don’t want him to leave so I don’t nod. Instead, my mind provides the missing pieces to the puzzle. Like a fragmented jigsaw, images start falling into place. Jackson said “doctor.” I'm in a hospital.
"Oh, God," I croak out. I was stabbed. Not once, but twice. The night Jackson asked me to be his
wife, I was attacked in our home. My body remembers the pain. The cold tile. The warmth of my blood as it seeped from my wounds onto the floor, surrounding me in its warmth. I think I go into shock because my body won’t stop seizing. Then there's nothing. Just warmth and the feathers, I can feel the feathers. They comfort me, lull me into a calm and wash away my dread. I know I shouldn’t be back here, but at least here, the pain is gone. The memories incoherent to my overworked imagination. I can hear Jackson's voice in the distance. My heart responds, even aches for him, but my body refuses to comply.
"Wake up, baby, come on, I'm here. Right here." Jackson's voice is strong. Magnetic. The sound pulls me closer to the pain, and although I want to shy away from him and luxuriate in the softness of the feathers, I don't.
"Baby girl, this is your momma. You come on back, sweet baby. Let go of the warmth. I know you’re scared, my precious, but I promise only good things are in store for you on this side. Come on back now. Jackson needs you. We all do."
Pearl continued talking softly to Anna as Jackson held her hand. The doctor was in the room, monitoring her vitals. She was calm now. She'd clearly been upset after realizing where she was. He could only assume she remembered the night she'd been stabbed. Lola and the twins stood in a corner of the room near a window. Bear stood at the door, his mood sour as he watched from where he loomed.
"Let’s allow Miss Macon some rest. She should wake up soon. She's exhausted, and we need to give her time to heal. It was a major surgery, and these things take time."
"He's right," Pearl said, grabbing Jackson lightly on the shoulder. "Let her rest, Jackson. She'll be home soon. My baby girl is a fighter."
He didn’t want to, and only conceded because Pearl had a hold of his hand. She tugged him until they were in the waiting room. The others were already there. Vivian included. She just wouldn’t leave. Pearl turned in the direction of Jackson’s ex.
"You should be back in Beauville, seeing about your baby. Being here trying to agitate the situation only puts you in a bad light. Makes you look less of a woman."
Jackson couldn’t have said it better.
Josephine, his sister, who everyone called Joey, was there, as well. He still hadn’t visited his brother-in-law. It was on his list, but with Anna’s state, he couldn’t pull away.
"What is she doing here?" Joey asked. Her voice a quiet whisper. His sister had her black hair in a messy bun. Her green eyes were dull, and her face was puffy from crying.
"She's leaving." Jackson turned his attention on Vivian, who stood there with her lips pushed out and her face scrunched into the shape of someone who’d tasted something so sour it hurt.
“Jackson, Treat's looking for you.”
“All right, honey, let’s go.” Jackson pulled his sister into the comfort of his arms, and the two of them took the elevators two floors down to visit his best friend, his brother-in-law, who was also his fiancée’s half-brother. It was so trippy that the two of them were brother and sister.
When they entered Treat’s room, he was sitting up in bed, watching the news. The moment he saw Jackson, he muted the television.
“How is she?” Treat asked.
“She’ll pull through. There’s a chance of memory loss, but she woke up for a moment before going back to sleep. I think she remembers being stabbed.”
Treat sighed, his shoulders slumping.
"Doc says I can leave day after tomorrow."
Jackson nodded. He wondered how long it would be before he could take Anna home. She'd been here too long. Seven days of this was wearing him down. Joey placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.
"You go on back to my girl. Help her pull through. Talk to her, Jackson."
"About what?"
"Any and everything. Make her understand and believe things are always better when you're awake."
Jackson stayed with Anna. He talked to her. Told her about himself. His job. Everything. He told her things no one else knew about him. Even the embarrassing things.
"I remember that one time you came to sleep over with Joey. Treat and I, along with a couple of guys from school, were out back in the pool house drinking beer. Christ, I think you were like thirteen or fourteen. You were so scrawny, Anna. Your body all sticks and bones, and I remember you and Joey swimming in the pool and her saying something that lit your entire face up. Your smile, even then, was heart-stopping. Only, I didn’t realize it then. Just knew you had an infectious light. I used to make you laugh all the time just to see it. You started my days even then. We need to start our life like that all the time, Anna. Come on, sweetness, open your eyes and give me a smile."
The words he said were true. Anna's smile was wide and wonderful and always reached her alluring brown eyes. She could make anyone feel comfortable.
"India has been looking after things. She won’t start working on the store until you get out of bed and start giving orders.” Jackson found himself chuckling. Anna could be bossy when it was called for. Jackson rested his hands on his lap and hunched his shoulders forward. Joey had said to talk, keep her from sleeping. She had to wake up.
“I had to keep everyone out. So many people showed up the first two days." They had to. Methodist's ICU wing had been packed with people from Beauville. The same people who were gossiping about him and Anna just last month. Jackson knew once they returned home, his fridge would be full of casseroles, pies, ice tea and all manner of food. He wouldn’t have to cook for weeks. Perfect. He could spend all his time with Anna. Tracey had given him two weeks off duty once Anna was home. He'd make sure to take all manner of precautions. Not just for Anna but also for his entire family. Things were going to get worse before they got better.
“I was thinking we should get Ava a puppy, or maybe a kitten. At least, until we get more babies in the house. I don’t want Ava to grow up without any brothers or sisters. We should give her at least two, maybe three more siblings. What do you think, baby?" Jackson paused in speaking. Hoping she'd make a sound. Something. But she said nothing. Leaning forward, Jackson rested his head by her hip and lay quiet for a time. He didn’t move. He lay there, listening to her soft breathing and the heart monitor as she slept soundly.
“Ava needs two of each,” came the broken whisper of Anna. Jackson thought he’d only imagined that he heard Anna's voice. He didn’t move. Too afraid the illusion would disappear. But then the bed moved, and her fingers were sifting through his hair. Time slowed. Halted. Jackson refused to move. His current state crippling. He was a man, and men didn’t cry, or at least he didn’t. Or, didn’t used to.
“Five kids total,” Anna's voice said again.
“Anything you want, baby.” Jackson took a deep breath and let it out slowly as tears continued to roll down his face.
"Jackson Storme, are you crying?"
"No."
"Good, ‘cause I am hella thirsty. Feels like something was jammed down my throat and made it raw."
There had been a tube down her throat, but he wasn’t about to remind her.
''Anything you want. Let me just call the nurse in and see about finding the doctor. Please don't go back to sleep. Okay?" Dang, did he just whine? Jackson cleared his throat, stood, and before leaving the room, bent and kissed Anna on the forehead. He didn’t want to leave her, and could have pushed the call button, but he was an emotional mess. He needed to shore up his defenses, and be ready to shoulder Anna and any of her fears. It was his right. His duty. He would protect her in all the ways she needed to be protected and see her through whatever life put in their way. He was just about to leave the room when he turned back to look at her one last time.
Her hand reached for his, and Jackson could see the panic in her eyes. She wasn’t going to stand for him leaving the room. He made his way back over to the bed, and winked.
"How about I just push the call button?"
She smiled a small smile for him then. It was one of relief. Tears were brimming, and before one co
uld fall, Jackson was bent over her, kissing each of her eyelids. She still cried. Hell, they both were. He was just as relieved as she was. Jackson pulled back and reached for the call button. Anna lay in bed, the tears silently running down her cheeks.
"Baby, please stop crying."
Anna nodded her head, but the tears kept coming. Jackson pressed the call button.
"Nurse Able."
"Anna's awake, can you get the doctor? Also, can you get her a glass of water for her throat?"
“Yes, sir. I'll be right there.”
Jackson sat back in his chair, pulled his cell from his pocket, and fired off a text to Joey. She'd let the others know that Anna was awake. He hoped they wouldn’t all try to bombard her, but he knew of one person who would, and sure enough, Lola was the first to show, even before the doctor.
"Oh, my Jesus! Annabelle Macon, look at you! Hot ass mess, I tell ya. We gotta get that taken care of ASAP, honey bee."
Jackson watched the train wreck that was Lola. Her hands waved madly in the air, and the entire time, Anna stared wide-eyed and maybe a little scared.
"Calm down, Lo."
Lola's light brown eyes swung his way, and Jackson knew she was ready to do battle on her cousins’ behalf.
"Calm down! Calm down?! You calm the fuck down. It’s because of you, my cousin is lying there in that hospital bed. You, not me. So you back your ass down."
"Lola Mae Danvers."
It was Bear. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was sinister. Lola turned to look at her husband, and Jackson was shocked at her expression. He would have never thought there was a tame bone in Lola's body. Bear walked over to his wife and folded her into his large arms. His eyes warning her when she was ready to protest. Instead, she bowed her head and melted into her husband’s hold.
"Wildcat, Jackson is trying to spend time with Anna. She's his. Let him handle things.''
Lola was about to say something, but Bear stopped her with his sharp words.
"What I say, Lo?"
