by Harlow James
“Hello? Pfeiffer? What’s wrong, darling?” A sleepy voice answers the phone, worry etched in every word. “Pfeiffer? Are you there?”
I finally manage to clear my throat before I speak. “Mrs. Winters? This is Cash Williams.”
“Oh,” she pauses, and then continues. “Yes, I know of you, young man.” The fact that Piper told her mom about me offers me a level of comfort right now I was desperately seeking. “But if you’re calling me from that phone, I’m sure there is a reason.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Well? Is Pfeiffer okay? Where is she?”
“She… she’s been shot, ma’am.” Saying the words out loud make me want to vomit and kill someone.
“What?” She barely speaks, and I know right then that this situation is her worst fear.
“She’s been shot. She’s… she’s in surgery right now. I overheard her talking on the phone with you the other day, but she never got to fully explain. It’s… it’s a long story, but I thought you should know.”
“Frank. Frank!” She screams on the line, the rustle of bedding clear in the background. “Pfeiffer! She’s been shot, Frank! We have to go to her, now!”
“I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe until you get here.”
“Frank! Move!” She’s crying and frantic, a feeling I know all too well now. “Yes, Cash. Please stay with our girl. We will be there soon.” And then the line goes dead.
“FUCK!” I run out of her closet and punch a hole in the first wall I can find, pummeling the drywall over and over as it crumbles beneath my fist, spilling to the ground beneath me. My chest heaving, my eyes watering, my pulse racing, I stare at the scattered mess before me, finding irony in how the shambles of the material at my feet is exactly what my heart feels like right now—in a million fucking pieces.
When I arrive back at the hospital, I ask if there is any update on Piper Davis, hoping that the nurse from before will show me the same kindness and give me some details. But it’s almost three hours before her short stature makes its way through the double doors, searching me out.
I shoot up out of my chair like a bull from the pen, ready to do something, go somewhere, or say anything that I need to. She flicks her head to the side, indicating I should follow her as we walk around the corner.
“She made it out,” she sighs, and I follow suit, resting my hands on my hips as relief floods my body.
“She’s going to be okay?”
“Well, she lost a lot of blood and there were some complications… but overall, yeah, she should be okay.” There’s a look in her eyes that tells me she’s not giving me the entire story, but I can’t focus on that right now. She’s going to live—my girl is going to live.
“Thank you. When can I see her?”
“She’s in recovery right now, but as soon as they move her to a room and get her settled, I’ll come get you again.”
“Thank you so much…”
“Alice,” she reaches to shake my hand and I do, but then pull her into a hug and grip her like the lifeline she has been for me.
“Alice. Thank you. I fucking love her. If something were to happen, I would have lost my damn mind.”
When I release her, she speaks. “I can tell. She’s lucky to have someone like you. I’ll come get you soon.”
I take a seat in the hall, desperate to be away from the other people so I can be alone with my thoughts. I’m dead tired, but nothing could make me sleep right now, not until I can see her and touch her and know that she’s right where I am.
True to her word, about an hour later, Alice retrieves me from my seat, escorting me down a few halls and into a wing marked, Recovery. We stand in front of a room in the ICU with clear windows that I can see through. And when I see my beautiful woman lying helpless in that bed, I fucking lose it again. Gasping for air, clenching my fist to my chest, I back away until I hit a wall, tears leaking from my eyes as Alice walks towards me and takes me in her arms. I fucking cry like a little boy, years of unreturned love pouring out of me while I stare at the one person who has made me feel every bit I’ve missed.
“She’s gonna be okay, Cash. She has a long recovery ahead, but she’s going to be okay.” Alice rubs soothing circles on my back as she holds me, not even bothered by my intense display of emotions. She supports me for what seems like forever, until I feel her move away and I stand up tall, ready to finally see Piper.
“I’m good. Thank you, and… fuck, I’m sorry for getting so emotional.”
“Not a problem at all. Would you like to go in?”
“Can I?” I look beyond Alice, staring at Piper in that bed with a tube down her throat and various other ones streaming from multiple points in her body.
“Yes. Just wash your hands at that sink over there,” she points in the other direction. I slowly move, fighting to keep energy in my body right now, my entire mind and body drained from my life at this moment.
Once we’re inside, I step up to her bed slowly, almost afraid to disturb her. “She’s heavily sedated, so you can touch her hands and sit next to her. Just be mindful of the tubes. But talk to her, Cash. Most healthcare professionals will tell you that speaking to them while they’re like this actually helps. The patients themselves will often remember things said to them during this time too.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“I’ll leave you alone with her. Just press the buzzer on the remote if you need anything.” She points at the remote next to Piper’s hip and then winks at me, sauntering off.
Inhaling deeply, I reach for her hand as I take a seat in the chair next to the bed. “Fuck, sweetheart. This is not how tonight was supposed to go.” I’m trying to speak and not break again, grateful that the cry I got out in the hall is helping me hold it together. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my life, Piper. I need you to wake up soon, baby, so we can fix all of this. I have so many goddamn questions, I’m going insane. I don’t know if you heard me while you were in my arms… but I meant what I said, Piper. I love you… so fucking much. I’ve… I’ve never said that to a woman in my life, except for Birdie. You are the most important thing to me, so I need you to be strong, be the fighter I know you are, and wake up so we can sort all of this out.”
I press my lips to the top of her hand, holding them there for what feels like an eternity, soaking up the feeling of her skin beneath mine, much warmer than it was hours ago when she was bleeding in my arms. Before I realize it, I’m resting my head in the empty space on the bed beside her and sleep overtakes my body for an unknown length of time.
“You must be Cash,” a woman’s voice comes from behind me, pulling me awake as I open my eyes and take in my surroundings, instantly reminded of where I am and why. As I turn to face her, I swear I see Piper in thirty years standing before me, dressed in a dark blue suit and her hair styled to perfection. Beside her is a man I can only assume is her father, with a head full of white hair and dark blue eyes just like Piper’s.
Moving to stand, I cover the few feet between us and reach out to shake both of their hands. “Yes, I’m Cash Williams. It’s good to meet you, although I wish it were under different circumstances.”
Both of their eyes well with tears as they sway around me and rush to their daughter’s bedside, taking a seat in two chairs. “Us too. What happened?” Her mother asks, her father remaining silent and stoic beside her.
I spend the next few minutes filling them in on what happened and what I know so far, including her injuries. “All I know is that she was shot in the stomach.”
“Our baby, Frank. This is exactly what we were trying to avoid. Thank God she didn’t die, because that was definitely their goal.”
My brow furrows. “They? Who are they? Did you know someone was after her?”
“The entire reason she was here is that someone was after her, boy,” her father finally speaks up. “I thought we were doing the right thing, sending her away so she could continue to live her life while we cleaned up
his mess… but we were wrong.” His eyes flick back to Piper in the bed. “We were so wrong.” He moves to stand and I follow his lead.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know. I have so many questions. I know her as Piper Davis, not Pfeiffer Winters. I only know what she told me, but please believe me when I say, that I’ve fallen in love with your daughter and I want to be with her, despite what brought her here.” It’s a moment of clarity that I found, staring at her in this bed, holding her in my arms while she nearly bled to death. I want her no matter what, and I want everyone to know that, most of all her parents.
“I appreciate you saying that. It means so much to know that she found love again after what Mason has put her through…”
“Mason? Her ex? I thought he was dead?” My eyes bounce back and forth between her mother and father as they share a look as well.
“Is that what she told you?”
I swallow. “Yes.”
“Well, she is correct. Mason’s body was found off the shore of the Long Island Sound outside of New Haven just two days ago.”
“Long Island?”
“Yes, we’re from New York. The Hamptons in particular.”
“Fuck. She told me she was from Charleston.”
Her mother shakes her head, looking back down at her daughter. “That doesn’t surprise me. We used to visit there during the summer every year. It was one of her favorite places. Please know this, Cash,” she glances back up at me. “Any lie my daughter told you was for her protection, not to hurt you intentionally.”
And that’s one piece of information I needed to hear so badly. “Thank you. She was literally about to fill me in on her story before all of this happened.”
“Excuse me? Are you Mr. and Mrs. Davis?” The surgeon comes in at that moment, interrupting our conversation.
The two share a look again and then nod.
“I’d like to speak to you about your daughter, please,” she eyes me, indicating I should probably leave.
“I’m gonna grab some food. I can’t remember the last time I ate,” I flash a weak smile and then exit the room, turning back to watch the looks on their faces as the surgeon fills them in on her status. A few minutes pass and then Piper’s mother buries her face in her father’s chest, crying dramatically as he consoles her, brushing his palm along her back.
Fuck! What did she just say that would warrant a reaction like that? What happened to her that I don’t know about? Alice said she would be fine and now her mom is bawling. Hoping she’s just overly emotional about the entire situation, and it’s not something serious. I turn and walk away, locating the cafeteria, eating some of the crappiest food I’ve ever consumed, and then call Luke to see what information he’s been able to gather in the last few hours.
Chapter 27
Piper
I have no idea what day it is or how much time has passed. The last thing I remember was the man from the hospital walking up to me in the parking lot of my apartment complex with a gun in his hand, declaring that his presence was to pay the debt I owed the Montevallo family. The hot heat of the bullet piercing my skin was unlike any pain I had ever felt before, stealing my breath away and any energy I had to fight the gravity pulling my body to the ground. The gun was pointed at my chest, but as I turned a noise in the distance pulled the man’s attention, so when he pulled the trigger, he hit me in the stomach, and luckily not my heart. I vaguely remember Cash holding me before I lost consciousness, but as I lie awake in the hospital for the first time in days I assume, I am desperate to know what happened.
“She’s awake! Frank, she’s awake!” My mother’s shriek pulls my eyes to her standing in the doorway with a coffee in her hand as she scurries to my bed and throws her arms around my neck and my father follows her into the room. It takes me a few moments to take in my surroundings and clear the blurriness from my eyes.
“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here? How did you know what happened?” My words come out slow as I adjust to the light and struggle to talk from the lack of moisture in my throat. My mother rushes to me and puts a cup of water to my mouth, letting me drink from a straw. Instant relief coats my throat, but the effects of the tube that is typically protocol will take days to go away completely.
Tears leak from her face as she watches me, and then she takes a minute to pull herself together before she can speak. When Elizabeth Winters releases her poised mask, she lets out her emotions, and then puts them right back inside where they belong.
“Cash called us, darling.”
“Cash?” Instantly my heart rate picks up, indicated by the beeping of the monitor beside my bed.
“Yes. He found your phone and called us from it. We immediately called Michael to power up the private jet, and flew here as fast as we could.”
“How… how long have I been out?”
“Four days,” she runs her fingers down my cheek as my stomach twists. Four days I’ve been lying here while I’m sure Cash has been in utter turmoil. I never got to explain everything to him before I got shot. And then he had to call my parents, and I instantly wonder how much they’ve told him.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you, Mom, I am… but where is Cash?”
“He said he had to run an errand and then he would be here. He hasn’t left your side except to sleep, darling. And gosh, he’s so handsome. Such a catch,” she winks at me, and then I let the tears fall from my eyes. My mother and father are here—my parents that I haven’t seen in over eight months, and I can’t believe how amazing it is to touch her and hear her voice in person and see my dad in all his powerful glory again.
“God, I missed you, Mom,” I cry, reaching for her as we hug and squeeze as tightly as my pain will allow.
“Pfeiffer,” my father says breathlessly, standing to my side, studying me like I’m not real and may vanish right before his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay, sweetheart. My God, if they would have succeeded…” he trails off and I interrupt him.
“It was the Montevallo’s, wasn’t it?” I ask, wiping tears from my cheeks and admitting what I knew in my heart and filling in the gaps.
“Yes. They sent one of their thugs to do their dirty work. Cash has filled us in on what he knows. He also said it was the man that ran into you in the hospital that day when he brought you coffee.” The hairs on my arms stand tall, accepting that my intuition was telling me that day that something was off, but I didn’t listen.
“I know. I saw his face before he shot me.”
“There’s more,” my mother says, turning to my father.
“Okay. But can I get some pain meds before you keep going?” I wince as the adrenaline subsides in my body and the pain comes on strong. I reach for the button on my remote, paging the nurse on call, hoping it’s someone I know.
“Well, look who’s awake…” Jess teases as she walks into my room, giving me a sly grin while reaching for the morphine drip.
“Hey, Jess.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I understand now why we give morphine to the GSW patients. This freaking hurts,” I chuckle.
“Yeah, hold on. I’ll make it all better in a second.” She injects a needle into the tube as the fluid burns while I feel it flow through my veins.
“Thank you,” I reply while closing my eyes, grateful for the reprieve.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Piper. I’ll come back later to catch up.” She leans down and gives me a hug, swiping under her eye before popping back up and nodding, exiting as quickly as she came in. Sleep threatens to overtake my body, but I desperately want to hear what my parents have to say.
“You said there was more?” My words are slightly slurred, but I’m still coherent enough to listen.
“Yes. Mason… well, Mason was found dead, darling.”
That makes my eyes pop open, sinking in the irony that I told everyone he was dead and then he actually turned out to be.
“Oh. Wow. Uh, what happened?”
“We don’t know, jus
t that his body washed up on the shore of the Long Island Sound almost a week ago.”
“So if they killed him, why did they still come after me?” I struggle to adjust myself in the bed as my mom rises from her seat and fluffs my pillow, placing one behind my back as well.
“Because I wouldn’t pay his debt,” my father says through clenched teeth, and then his lips tremble. “It’s my fault you’re in this bed, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself.”
“Dad…”
He holds his hand up. “No, Pfeiffer. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been so far away from us. They wouldn’t have been so desperate to find you. I should never have sent you away, and now you can’t….”
His last two words make my head tilt in curiosity. “What, Dad? What can’t I do?”
My mother covers her mouth with her palm and my father just stands there.
“What happened? What’s wrong? Will someone please tell me…”
“Pfeiffer… there were complications from your wound, darling,” my mother starts, reaching for my hand. “The bullet went through many organs, honey, but most importantly… it ruptured your ovary and fallopian tube.”
And in that moment, my entire future flashes before my eyes—the visuals I saw of Cash and me one day, his strong arms holding our child as he bounced them around the room. They all fade to black.
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, covering my own mouth to prevent the scream I feel building from escaping.
“Pfeiffer, you still have one good ovary and fallopian tube… but conceiving may be difficult. There’s a chance it might not happen,” my mother mumbles through her tears as we both shudder from sobs, but my medical knowledge knows the reality of what I’m facing now.
Oh my God. My desire to have a family of my own has been ripped away from me. I know there’s still a chance, but I’ve had issues with regular periods my entire life. As a nurse, I know that the absence of an ovary doesn’t mean you can’t conceive. In fact, the body should take over and the remaining ovary should do all of the ovulation. But seeing as how I’ve never had a predictable cycle to begin with, all I hear is yet another obstacle I face in having a family someday. In this moment, all I feel is the loss of a child I never even had, but knew eventually was a possibility. Now that possibility is so slim, it feels daunting—like life needed to take one more thing to punish me for whatever karmic debt I owed.
