Missing Grace(75)

Closing his eyes, he put his ear to her mouth and tried to hear her breath. "Please. I love you, baby, so much," he whispered again.

Just as one of his tears hit her cheek, Ben was yanked backward as Barnes shouted, "Get out of the way. I'm a doctor."

"You're a fucking psychopath. Don't go near her," Ben said, gaining his balance and scrambling back to protect her.

"She's hurt. We've got to get her to the hospital," Barnes said, holding his arms out dramatically toward the gathering crowd hovering around them. "Jane? Can you hear me? Jane?" There was no response so Barnes grabbed her wrist to check her pulse. "She's not responding. Call nine-one-one."

Ben knocked Barnes's hand off her, and said, "Don't call her that and never touch her again or I'll fucking kill you."



       
         
       
        

While Ben went down to protect her still body, Barnes threw his arms in the air trying to gather support from the crowd. "Did everyone hear that threat? Witnesses, Edwards, witnesses. Tsk-tsk. You forget she's my fiancée. She's marrying me."

If Ben had been paying any attention to him or to anything other than Grace, he would have heard the audible gasps of the strangers surrounding them, but he ignored Barnes and all the others. He was focused solely on Grace.

"An ambulance is on its way," a random person shouted.

Ben brushed Grace's hair gently from her face and leaned down to rest his cheek against hers. He closed his eyes once more as his tears ran down her cheek. "Grace, I love you. Come back to me, baby. I need you. I can't live in this world without you."

Just as he felt the most delicate touch on the back of his head, Ben heard, "I can't either, my love."

Ben's head popped up, and he saw her eyes were open. They weren't wide, but they weren't doe-eyed like he'd come to know more recently either. They were half-mast, but focused. A lot like . . . he didn't dare get his hopes up. Not this time. It was dangerous to live in that level of optimism. But he did test the waters. "Grace?"

"Ben."

"Are you?" He was afraid to say the words, but looking at her just a few inches apart, he had to. "Are you back?"

She smiled weakly, but it was glorious to Ben. Her fingers gently stroked through his hair, and she whispered, "I was always with you." She tapped his chest with her other hand. "In here."

Ben pressed his lips gently to hers as Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back slowly. If they had been paying attention they would have heard Barnes swearing. But they didn't because Ben and Grace were reunited.

When she tried to sit up, Ben told her, "Stay still. An ambulance is on its way. You need to be checked out properly. Do you remember anything beyond the last-?"

"I remember everything." She smiled ever so slightly. "My life. My family. You, Ben. I remember you and our love. But I also remember the last three years and wish I could forget those. I'm so sorry. I'm so-" Tears slid down Grace's face.

Ben kissed her, wanting to eat her words, not wanting her to ever feel sorry or bad over an accident she didn't cause. "No, it's not your fault. Please, just take it easy now. We have our whole lives to talk. Let's just make sure you're all right first."

He started to get up off the pavement, but Grace grabbed his arm. "Don't leave me."

Lowering himself back down, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "I will never leave you. I'll stay by your side forever. I promise. But I need to talk to him." 

Grace nodded, and rested back down. "He's not worth the time we've wasted on him-"

"Stay here and don't move. I have to go after him. He tried to change fate, but destiny wasn't having it." Ben got to his feet and saw Barnes maneuvering through the dispersing crowd. "Hey, Doctor. You can run, but the hospital knows what you did. You won't have a job at Memorial or anywhere else after I'm through with you." Ben raised his voice even higher to make sure the bastard could hear him loud and clear. "How much time do you think you'll do for committing fraud and tampering with medical files?" Barnes took off running, and Ben began running after the coward.

He stopped though, refusing to leave Grace by herself. He would be happy if he never saw Barnes again, though he'd be even happier to come face to face with him in court to get Dr. Chicago Under Forty put away.

Ben hurried back to Grace's side.

"Ben?" Grace reached for him as the sounds of sirens got closer and an ambulance came to an abrupt halt at the curb in front of them.