“Ma’am, I am sorry to have to say this, but this is a life or death situation. We can’t wait for anyone. Right now you and your babies are in serious danger. We need to get them out and stop the bleeding, before your kidneys and other organs start to shut down.”
I couldn’t speak. All I heard was that it was life threatening.
The nurses were already running around, prepping for the surgery.
It was all happening so fast.
What if I died? What if me and the boys died? How would Bella get through it? I didn’t want her ever losing her father, but now she could possibly lose me instead.
I needed Ty. The last thing I said to him was that I hated him. Those were going to be the last words he ever heard from me. No, please God, just let me tell him that I will always love him, no matter if we were together or not. Let me tell him that he is the only man I would ever love. Don’t take my life without me telling him that. Please don’t let me die.
Chapter 20
Ty
I’d no sooner got off the phone with Van, when my phone rang. I saw the name “wife” appear and answered it without hesitation.
Miranda?
Hi, Daddy. Izzy.
Hey, Sweetie. Are you with Mommy?
Yeah, were driving.
To Uncle Colt’s house?
Yes
She had packed their things and never looked back. It was hard to talk to my daughter when all I wanted to do was break down.
Well, Noah will be excited to see you.
I know.
Can I talk to Mommy, Iz?
She says she can’t talk when she’s driving.
Okay, well, at least tell her that I love her.
Okay
Are you okay, Iz?
Yeah, Mommy says I’m going to surprise Noah.
I started thinking about not being able to see her and I was getting all choked up. The last thing I wanted was to upset Iz. She didn’t need to know what was going on between her mother and I.
Be a good girl for Mommy, okay?
Okay, Daddy.
I love you so much, Iz.
I love you too.
You know you’re Daddy’s favorite little girl, Please don’t ever forget that.
My voice started squeaking and I knew I had to get the hell off the phone.
I know, I promise I won’t forget.
You’re my best friend forever.
You’re my best friend too.
I love you, Iz.
You already said that, silly.
Don’t forget to say your prayers and brush your teeth. I miss you so much already
Okay, I miss you too.
I heard her hang up the phone before I could say goodbye. It was probably a good thing, considering I was such a wreck. I hadn’t just lost Miranda from lying, I had lost my little girl. It hurt so much to hear her say they were going to Kentucky, because I knew Miranda didn’t plan on coming back.
I kept thinking about how difficult it would be for Miranda to explain all of this to our daughter. She wasn’t exactly okay with me not saying goodnight to her, not even for one night. Since she was too young to remember, I had tucked her in at night and made her brush her teeth and say her prayers.
The bottle of liquor was disappearing by the second. I’d hit rock bottom. I cried worse than I’d ever cried in my entire life. Miranda consumed me in every way. I felt like I needed her love to breathe. I needed her in my life, supporting me and guiding me to be the man I knew I wanted to be.
My daughter was the sunshine to my day. She filled my heart with love and when we were together, I just wanted to give her the world. She knew she had me wrapped around her little finger and I was completely fine with that.
I walked into Izzy’s room and looked around at what was left. Sure, the furniture was still in place, as were all of Iz’s toys, but there was just enough missing for it to be apparent. I fell down onto her bed and buried my hands into my face.
All of the tears in the world couldn’t bring back what I‘d lost. The damage had taken its toll and I was certain that, even with time, I would never get over this pain.
I thought about my friends who had divorced parents and how sad it was for them to have to see their dads or their moms on the weekends, and if they lived out of state it was more like some holidays. I didn’t want that for my daughter, or my sons. I needed to see my kids every day.
If Miranda wanted to live in Kentucky, and she didn’t want me anymore, I would have to find a place there so that I could at least be close to them.
I’d do anything to be close to them.
Maybe in time, she and I could be friends. Maybe, after years passed, she would give me another chance. All I knew was that it would be my new life’s mission to prove to her that I wasn’t the guy she saw me as. I was the husband that was so infatuated with her love, that no other woman could ever make me stray. I wished she knew that.
I honestly don’t know how long I was in Izzy’s room, but my cell phone ringing woke me up. I cleared the sleep away from my eyes and realized where I was. Following the sounds of the ringing, I saw the number was from a weird area code. When I went to pick it up, they’d already hung up. I sat the phone down and pondered on finishing the liquor sitting in front of the table. Just before I grabbed the bottle, the phone rang again.