by Tara Sue Me
“You need to wake up,” she said. “Everyone’s waiting outside, but they can’t come to see you until you’re in a room. And I don’t think they will move you until you wake up.”
He cracked one eye open, looked her way, and closed it again. “Maybe later.”
“No, I think you need to wake up now.”
He sighed. “Can’t go so hard this time.”
She looked over her shoulder, but no one was listening or looking their way. All the employees were busy with other patients or on the phone.
“You shouldn’t have gone so hard the last time,” she whispered. “I never could understand what you were thinking.”
“Thought you were hot. Now you’re bossy.”
She rubbed his shoulder. “Get used to it. I need you to wake up. I won't stop being bossy until you do. Besides, what do you want to be stubborn for?”
“Doctor said you had to be on top.”
“Orson, shut up.” She looked over her shoulder again. No one was paying them any attention. Or was the nurse at the desk smiling a bit too much?
“When you’re on top, I can play with your -”
She slapped a hand over his mouth. “That’s enough. We’re not having this conversation right now.”
He kissed her palm. “Make it up to you.”
“You can do that but first wake up,” she said, and he shook his head. “Yes,” she insisted. “I need you to wake up all the way.”
“That’s right, all the way.”
Fucking hell.
“How’s he doing?”
She turned to find the nurse with the big smile standing off to the side.
“He’s still stubborn,” Kiara said. “He won’t open his eyes and he’s talking, well….”
The nurse stepped closer, looked at the machine tracking his pulse and blood pressure. “Mr. Kent. It’s time to wake up. Come on. You can sleep later.”
“Kiara,” he said. “Is she here? Did she leave?”
“She’s right here.” The nurse winked at Kiara. “Why don’t you wake up and talk to her?”
“She has to be on top.”
“Orson. If you weren’t in the hospital. I swear…” Kiara didn’t think she’d never been more embarrassed in her entire life. Exhibitionism was one thing. Entertaining the hospital staff quite another. Thank goodness they were all so professional.
“I’ll let you two work that out.” Before leaving them alone again, the nurse reassured Kiara, “He should come out of it in another minute or two. Anesthesia impacts everyone differently.”
Yes, obviously. And it totally did away with his filter.
As the nurse passed by, she put her hand on Kiara’s shoulder and said, “Compared to some of what we hear, what he’s been saying is relatively calm.”
“Thanks,” Kiara said, not really feeling better or thankful and still embarrassed to her core.
When the nurse left, Kiara turned back to the hospital bed and touched Orson’s cheek. “Come on. Wake up now.”
He stirred a bit, but this time, he opened both eyes and when he spoke, his voice no longer had the dreamy quality to it. “Kiara?’
She stroked his forehead. “Welcome back.”
He lifted his head and looked around the room “Did the surgeon say how it went?”
“He told me there was no reason for you not to make a full recovery as long as you followed his advice.”
“I think I remember that,” he said.
“Oh, you do. And now half the hospital staff knows it, too.”
“Damn.”
“Uh huh,” Kiara said. “Kinda like that.” She picked up a cup of water and held it to his lips. “Don’t worry about it right now. Let’s just get you out of the recovery room. There’s a roomful of people who can’t wait to see you.”
Chapter 26
Kiara/Orson
Kiara refused to leave Orson’s room that night. He’d ended up almost dead because of her. As it was, he had a busted foot that would probably never be normal and would always cause him pain. Kelly told her she was being ridiculous. How could it be Kiara’s fault when it was his stepmother who got him caught in a trap and tried to stone him to death? To which Kiara only rolled her eyes and replied that he was only outside in the first place because of her.
Kelly had stomped away and told Evan to come on so they could go home. All the while mumbling she’d had enough crazy for one day.
It was quiet now. Or as quiet as a hospital at night could be. Orson slept peacefully at the moment, no doubt the painkillers helped. Kiara wasn’t sleepy at all. The only thing she could think about was the item in the brown paper bag at the bottom of her purse. She had to wait until the morning because the instructions said the test was more accurate with a first morning specimen, especially considering how early she’d be.
But if she was pregnant, how would Lenora know before the test showed a result? She wanted to yell, “Who’s the witch now, bitch?” But didn’t because even though she was mean and hateful person, Lenora had still been a person, someone’s daughter, and an innocent baby at one time.
Yet the question repeating inside her head wasn’t anywhere near as deep as what made a person evil or good. No, her brain pondered a much more life applicable question, what made a urine specimen first morning, excluding the obvious? Seriously. How much time had to pass after the last specimen of the night before they considered the next one the first morning? And did it count if you didn’t sleep? If she had to go at four in the morning, should she test then or hold it until six?
Eventually, she gave up the pretense of sleep, and sat in the somewhat darkness of the not quite quiet hospital room and waited as time crawled toward dawn. She purposely didn’t think beyond taking the test. No need to worry about a result until she knew what it was.
She woke with a start at the sound of voices in the hall, shocked she’d dozed off. Orson was still asleep; a good thing because that’s what his body needed to repair and heal. She glanced at her phone to check the time. Five thirty-six.
It was time.
Moving so as not to make a sound, she grabbed her purse and cracked the door just wide enough for her to get through, closing it behind her. A nursing assistant at the desk looked up at her in question. Kiara mouthed, “bathroom” and pointed at the public restroom sign close to Orson’s room. The assistant nodded and went back to whatever she’d been doing.
The restrooms were empty, but Kiara went inside the larger one designated for families since she’d have more room. She opened the box, read the directions one more time, unwrapped the test, and went for it. The directions said to read results in sixty seconds. She placed the test on the countertop and refused to look at it while she washed her hands. Counting in her head, she refused to look until she hit seventy-five, using that number because she counted too fast.
There was no mistaking the result.
Orson’s first thought upon waking up was that something was biting his leg and wouldn’t let go. He opened his eyes and looked down, expecting to see a dog or perhaps a mountain lion, but all he saw was what looked like a cast.
All at once, everything came back to him, and he groaned.
“Orson?” Kiara asked from somewhere to his right.
He turned his head to look at her and thought she looked worried, but that was probably because he’d just woke up. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey, yourself.” Her smile was small and tight.
“Lenora?” he asked. There was something else he needed to ask her, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember what it was.
Kiara shook her head. “Jedidiah shot her. She didn’t make it.”
He expected to feel something, relief that she was gone, anger that nothing would bring his mother back, something. But he felt nothing. Maybe he would later. Maybe not. He won't worry about it. Life was too damn short.
“What did they say about my foot?” he asked her.
“You’re lucky you didn’t lose it. Apparently
, your boots ended up saving it.”
“Is that right? I need find the brand name so I can say thank you and let them know they have a customer for life. Do you think they might want me for some commercials? That’d be fun.”
She made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat. “I'll let your nurse know you’re awake.”
Orson watched her walk away, but for some reason, he had to see her face. “Kiara?” She stopped and looked over her shoulder. God, she was gorgeous, even after sleeping in the hospital all night. “I love you.” Which was not what he meant to say, but the words were true, so he left them there.
Shocked flickered across her face, followed by the most beautiful expression of joy he’d ever seen.
And then it was gone.
Followed by a smile he might not have recognized as fake were it not for the stunning display of truth that preceded it.
“I’ll be right back,” she whispered and slipped out the door.
Three hours passed before they were alone again. Between the doctors and the specialists, and the therapist, along with a good number of staff and local friends, there was always somebody with them. Kiara disappeared at one point, but he was talking with Kelly as they worked with the hospital’s security team to keep the press out of the area.
Not that Kiara looked particularly like she wanted to be alone with him, and he felt certain if she could avoid it, she would. At the moment, Kiara stood in the corner of his room talking with Kelly. Orson realized the only other person in the room was Evan, and he told his business partner to step outside and to take his girlfriend.
“Kiara,” he called since for a brief second she looked as if she would follow her sister out. She wavered, obviously perched between running and talking with him. He wasn’t sure which she’d choose, but his shoulders dropped in relief when she walked to his bedside.
“I understand from the surgeon my foot will be in the cast for several weeks,” he repeated to her what he’d been told by several hospital staff during the day. “I’d like to ask if you’re available to stay on with me?”
She didn’t answer right away, which frightened him. That she might say no, never crossed his mind, but as the seconds of silence grew, he realized maybe it should have.
“The thing is…” She licked her lips. “I’d only planned to be at the ranch for another five days, and since you’ll be in here until at least tomorrow, I made arrangements to move out. One of my colleagues will come to take my place until you can find a replacement for me.”
“A replacement?” he asked. “There is no one who can replace you.”
“Thank you,” she said, as if he were pacifying her. “But we both know that’s not true.”
“Does this have anything to do with what I said this morning?”
She looked surprised he remembered. Maybe she’d thought him high on painkillers when he spoke of his love. “No,” she said, but he wasn’t sure he believed her. “It’s not that. It’s… I found a new job.”
That took him aback. “I didn’t know you’d been looking.”
“It’s here actually,” she said. “It sort of fell into my lap and I couldn’t turn it down.”
“What about Randy?” he asked.
“We’re still working on that,” she admitted. “Kelly’s helping.”
Of course she would, Kiara was family. He’d expect nothing less from her. “I see.”
“She has a lot of connections.”
He nodded. What was done was done and there was nothing he could do about it. If she didn’t want to work with or for him, he wouldn’t make her. He wouldn't be another Randy in her life. “I wish you the best, and I know you’ll be great at whatever you do.”
Chapter 27
Kiara
Kiara’s plan had been to be out of the ranch house when Orson was released from the hospital. She’d be the first to admit it appeared to be the coward's way out. Maybe it was, but she didn’t see a better way. All she knew was she had to get away and find somewhere she could think and be alone. Maybe then she could come to terms with the results she received in the hospital. One from the urine test. The other, a confirmation from the hospital lab later in the day.
She was pregnant with Orson’s child.
They’d been together for less than two months and had known each other less than six. And now she was pregnant. She’d never claimed to be an expert in relationships, and her own record with the opposite sex was less than stellar, but there were universal relationship truths everyone knew. Right up at the top was never let a child be the only reason you stayed with someone.
Orson would never break up with her once he knew she was pregnant. Likewise, she could never be with a man when she’d always wonder in the back of her mind if he was only with her because of their child.
Not that she planned to keep her pregnancy from him. That wouldn’t be right, either. She would tell him. Just not right now. Not today. If she couldn’t deal with it, how could she expect him to? She wasn’t sure he’d even heard Lenora when she referenced Kiara’s pregnancy. Certainly, he’d have brought it up if he had, right?
She hadn’t even told Kelly the test result, though the way her sister’s knowing gaze followed her whenever they were in the same room made Kiara suspect she knew the truth. They had always been preceptive about the other. Kelly told her she was making a mistake, leaving Orson’s house today with everything unresolved.
Too bad, that was life, some things were unresolvable. Kiara shoved the last of her underwear in the suitcase. Or at least they needed time to resolve. This was one of those things.
“Are you leaving?” Orson asked from the doorway, causing her to jump.
She couldn’t look at him. The guilt would be too much knowing she was leaving him not only with their relationship unresolved, but without telling him about the child she now carried. “There’s no reason for me to stay.”
He was quiet for long seconds, then said, “I see,” and walked away.
Her hand stopped, suspended in the air. What the hell did that mean? Why should she stay? There was no reason. Was there?
He’d never said or done anything to suggest he wanted more than a playmate for a scene or two. Never.
Unless you counted the, “I love you,” he’d surprised her with at the hospital. But you couldn’t count it if the person saying it had been high on painkillers, and had only said it because the medication made him loopy. Right?
She slammed her suitcase shut and followed him down the hall. “Wait a minute.”
He stopped, but didn’t turn around.
“Tell me,” she whispered. “Why I should stay.”
He turned around in an ungraceful hobble thanks to the cast on his foot, and though he was trying to hide it, she saw how hurt he was that she was leaving.
“No,” he said, his voice all gravely and rough. “I said it once, and I don’t regret it, because it’s true and you should know. But, to be honest, ever since I woke up this last time in the hospital, you’ve been looking at me differently than before. I don’t know why. So, no, I’m sorry, I won’t tell you why you should stay. Stay because you want to for your own reasons.” He shook his head. “If you take nothing else away from our time together, remember to do what’s right for you.”
It took her longer than it should have to understand what he was saying. When she realized his meaning, she sucked in a breath. He won't argue for himself because he’d only be using words, and words, he’d said many times, were cheap and anyone could throw them around.
He wanted her to look deeper. To look beyond his words, to his actions. Instead of telling her he loved her, he wanted her to look back on their time together to see if she could see evidence of his words.
She would look back, but not today. Not with everything so raw and her emotions everywhere because of the pregnancy. Not when she felt so fragile. She closed her eyes, hearing in her mind how Orson would respond if she told him she felt fragile. He would tell her there
was nothing fragile about her. That she was strong and brave.
If that was the case, then now was the time for her to prove it to herself.
She opened her eyes. “I have to go. At least for now.”
There was no judgment or disappointment in his voice or expression. “Okay. Anytime you want to talk, I’ll be here.”
Another action and not just words. “Thank you.”
He stepped aside and let her walk out of his life.
Kiara drove the short distance to Kelly and Evan’s house. Because her new job was closer to their place and because the authorities still hadn’t tracked Randy down, everyone agreed she shouldn’t be staying alone. Kiara hadn’t put up a fight, not after realizing she wasn’t only looking out for herself any more. She’d be damned if Randy or any of his crew would come close to her child.
She pulled up to their house and noticed Kelly’s car was in the drive. Not altogether unusual, the couple often rode into work in Evan’s truck. Kiara grabbed her toiletries and purse, deciding she’d get everything else out later.
“Kiara?” Kelly’s voice floated down the hall.
“It’s me,” Kiara replied.
“Drop your stuff off and then meet me in the kitchen. I have hot tea and pumpkin muffins.”
Kiara couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s attempt to make her feel at home. Though when she shared that with her five minutes later as they were sitting down, Kelly laughed.
“I didn’t do this to make you feel comfortable,” she said. “I did it to make you talk. Now, eat a muffin and spill.”
Kiara couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s ploy. She took a big bite of muffin, knowing she couldn’t talk with her mouth full of food. Of course, that didn’t deter Kelly.
“It’s just us here,” Kelly said. “And I won’t tell Evan until you tell me I can. Was it positive?”
There had never been secrets between the sisters, and Kiara won't have them today. She swallowed the bite of muffin in her mouth and took a sip of tea. “It was positive,” she said. “Although I feel awful telling you before Orson.”
