with me, even though I can’t see him.
“I can’t do this without you, Rhett, I can’t,” I whisper into the raindrops.
“Darby.” My whole body shakes. “Darby, it’s a nightmare. Wake up!”
I pry my eyes open and fight to unkink my neck. I’m curled up in a tiny chair in a sterile waiting room.
“You were having another nightmare.” Ava cradles me in her arms.
“Is he out of surgery?”
She shakes her head side to side and hugs me tighter. I notice Zane is still pacing the tiny waiting room.
“He died,” I whisper into Ava’s ear. “He died, and I was at his headstone.”
I push back, and run my hands down my front and exhale when I don’t feel a baby.
“Jesus, it felt so real.” Tears burst from me.
My eyes ache with each tear that drops. I killed my father. His goons shot Rhett and then cops shot them. It was complete and utter chaos, but I was only focused in on holding Rhett to me as long as possible. The paramedics rushed in way too soon. It was bittersweet because I didn’t want to let him go, but knew I had to.
The cops ordered the paramedics to work on him first. I stood over my dad’s dead body listening to the officer call in on the radio to apprehend my mother. His men bled out on the carpet of the hotel room.
“Thank you,” I whispered to the familiar detective’s face.
“Go to the hospital. We’ll be by later to question you.”
“He’s still alive.” Ava grips my face, forcing me to look at her. “He’s fighting on the operation table for you, Darby. You have to stay strong.”
She shoves a bag of clothes in my hands. “Go change.”
“I don’t want to take him off of me.” I look down to the blood soaked clothes.
She grabs my hand, not giving me a chance to disagree. She locks the door to the bathroom off the waiting room. I stand frozen, staring in the mirror at my wild hair and blood covered clothes. I run the pads of my fingers over the stains on my shirt, struggling to hold onto the last pieces of Rhett.
Ava drags down my pants and panties and then gently pulls my shirt over my head. I break down into sobs when I see the burns on my abdomen and Rhett’s blood stains. My body wracks to the point of pain. Ava’s arms wrap around me and she just holds me while smoothing down the back of my hair.
“I’m so mad at him. Why did he do that?” I ramble on. “He told me to shoot and attacked them. He wouldn’t back down and was shot.”
“Pray, baby girl, pray to God. Rhett is fighting for you. You need to fight for him.”
My skin pricks with fear and trembles with sadness. The thought of living life without him wretches my gut.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Ava turns on the faucet and starts wetting paper towels. “There’s a shower down the hall. Would you prefer that?”
I shake my head side to side, staring at my naked figure in the mirror. I don’t even recognize myself through the haze of confusion. Ava’s tenderly wiping away the blots of blood over my burns. I feel nothing as she cleans me up. The rapping sound of the paper towel dispenser makes me flinch as she continues to clean me up.
“Raise your foot.” She slides a fresh pair of panties up my legs. I let her dress me and obey all her commands until I’m in loose sweats and a tank top.
She uses her pointer finger to poke down my boobs.
“Jesus, how do you hoist these things around?”
We both share a giggle at the fact I’m busting out of Ava’s bra.
“They wouldn’t let us into your hotel room since it’s a crime scene.”
I wipe confusion off my brow. “When did you get here?”
“Oh, sweetie, we’ve been here for a half a day.”
“Jesus, it’s like I’m in a tunnel that never ends.”
“You were only by yourself for a few hours. When you saw Zane’s face, you went ballistic and a nurse gave you a shot.”
“I don’t remember any of it.”
“It’s shock. They wanted to put you in a room, but Zane talked them into letting you stay in the waiting room with us.” She unlocks the door and opens it for me.
Zane is still pacing the tiny waiting room. The pain on his face crushes me and I have to force my gaze from him.
“Where’s Charlie?” I ask, taking a