She turned to the man who was her friend, and I saw the pain written in her eyes. I knew he cared for her as more than just a case, but I am sure she wouldn’t see it that way.
“I was just an assignment to you. I thought you were my friend.” She had tears welling in her eyes. I tried to console her when she turned her wrath on me, too.
“You knew, didn’t you?! You asked why Travis was leaving my apartment, you thought he was my lover that night. What is wrong with you? With either of you, with friends like you two lying asses, who the fuck needs enemies. I am done here,” she looked at me and Travis with anger “with all of you!”
She stormed out of the room out the door, on to the sidewalk. She tried to push me away. “Let me go, you don’t love me. You lied to me.” She tried to take off her engagement ring and I grabbed her hand in anger and fear, and turned her to me, and held her by her upper arms, so she couldn’t leave me.
“Don’t you ever try and take that off again. You are going to be my wife and we will get past this. I will never let you go. I love you. It wasn’t for me to tell you. It was a part of protecting you and I would die to protect you.” I wasn’t above begging and pleading, but she saved me from having to do that.
“Rick, I am sorry. I love you too.”
It was then that out of nowhere a car of masked men appeared and opened fire. I pulled her down and reached over her. I guess, I had to live up to my words, or die by them. The loud pops were going off until all I could hear was screeching tires and my Red screaming. My head was ringing as I fell to the ground, and all went black.
Chapter 14: Samantha
I sat there in the waiting room, with his family, as they operated on him. I was still covered in his blood, but I didn’t want to change. He touched these clothes as he protected me. His smell had still been all over me and I didn’t want to lose it.
I couldn’t stop the tears that cascaded down my face. It was all my fault. If I hadn’t stormed out of there, they wouldn’t have attacked. If I hadn’t had rotten parents, none of this would have ever happened. If I hadn’t gone to the salon, after my mother’s begging, I wouldn’t have met him.
But the thought of not meeting him, was something my heart couldn’t bear. His sister came up to me and hugged me tight. I sobbed harder. I knew they felt the same way I did, it had to be devastating to them too, yet they were comforting me.
“I am so sorry.”
“No, it is not your fault. My brother chased after you, remember.” I cried my heart out. He told me how we needed to seize the moment. I told him we should wait and that we needed time to plan a wedding. Now, all I needed was him.
While everything was happening, I felt like that time went into slow motion. The gunmen drove up, and I didn’t even get a look at them. Rick had just told me that he would do anything to protect me, and he had. I didn’t even notice that I had been bleeding until they had carted him away and the paramedics took me in the ambulance. I wish he would come back to me. I feel so, empty, inside.
It was six hours later when we finally heard from the surgeon. I didn’t even hear his words, because the look of sadness, and pity on his face said enough; I fainted dead away.
It has been three weeks since that horrible day. Travis and Rick’s family handled the funeral because I couldn’t barely move. My heart was broken and my tears constantly flowed.
I woke up this morning in the O’Connell family mansion when I was running to the bathroom. I was vomiting like crazy. I hardly ate since that day, I felt like a big part of me died that day, his family had to force me to eat. This was the second day in a row. I thought it was because I every night I would wake up from the nightmare, missing Rick. His parents had taken me in. I moved into his old bedroom, just to hold on to some part of him.
I heard footsteps behind me, followed by the water from the sink running, then off. “Drink this.” I nearly jump out of my skin.
It was Rick’s uncle John. “My dear, don’t be scared. I know what you meant to my nephew and now you have a little one coming too.”
I took the water from him and it dawned on me we hadn’t used anything in our short time together. “I am pregnant.”
Epilogue:
It had been the fastest eight months of my life and now my little Rick was here. “Don’t you look just like your daddy, little man?” I was proud as I stared down at my son.