My mother must have been freaking out by now. I can’t imagine her getting that call. As Ty fed me another chip, it all hit me. “Oh my God, did you have to call and tell them?”
“You mean your mother? Well, of course I did. Actually, I called Colt, because calling your mother would have been too hard. None of this was very easy for me. In fact, at first, I didn’t know you made it. They wouldn’t tell me anything. They just kept taking me to the boys instead. I begged and pleaded and finally they let me see you while you were in surgery.”
I cut him off. “In the window?”
“You saw me? When I looked at you, you were so lifeless. You looked so horrible and they wouldn’t let me in there with you. I swear I tried, Miranda. I would have done anything to get in that room with you. I was so afraid. I can’t live without you, Baby, not even for a second. You mean everything to me.”
I wanted to argue with him; to ask him why he would sleep with Heather, but I was just too weak to confront him about it. My life had just flashed in front of my eyes and I needed to focus on what was best for my family and our future. Maybe Ty and I would never work, but I needed to at least try.
I was so hurt and even after just waking up; I could still see those pictures flashing through my mind. On the other side of my angst, there was an overwhelming feeling of need. Maybe it was selfish, but I didn’t want to give up my family. Just moments ago, I’d thought that my twins were stillborn. What kind of mother would I be to take away their father that adored them? I had to find a way to make things work with Ty. I had to hope that in some way this terrible circumstance would make him want to be with only me.
It was so important for me to be optimistic, because without that, all I had left was doubt.
“I need you.”
He looked me straight in the eyes and I could see the understanding radiate through him. “I’m here. I’ll be here as long as you let me be.”
I couldn’t answer that, because up until my accident, I had been sure I wanted to get far away from him.
Everything had changed.
“Okay.”
Knowing how hard it was to talk, Ty kept our conversations to a minimum. He laid his head next to me on the bed and held onto me as I fell back asleep. I woke up to someone pricking me for another blood test. Ty stirred and winked at me as he sat up. He was so handsome, especially after not being able to shave for a whole day. His brown eyes looked exhausted.
“You should go somewhere and sleep.”
He pulled my hand up to his mouth. “I’m not leaving here unless you’re with me.”
“Well, I’m going to need my driver to be well rested. You will be traveling with a lot of precious cargo.”
Ty rolled his eyes at me. “Trust me; I know how precious that cargo is. I’d die myself before I’d let anything happen to the four of you.”
I let out an air-filled laugh and shook my head. “Let’s not talk about death anymore.”
“Fine by me. I’m kind of glad that I don’t have to start wearing black every day. I mean, for me its fine, but I didn’t want Iz going all Goth on us yet. She needs to at least turn ten before that happens.” His white teeth were displayed for the first time. I loved that he had given me something to smile about. “There’s that smile I love.”
“It hurts to laugh.”
He looked down at my body and pulled the covers away. “Yeah, I bet it does. It looks good though. The doctor says your scars should be minimal. They’ll be hidden anyway. I mean, only I’ll be able to see them when you’re naked.” His reply was loaded and I knew what he wanted out of it. He wanted me to agree with him; to accept his apology in some way and be able to move forward.
“Ty, I’m not ready to talk about this.”
“Being naked or being naked with me?” He was very serious.
“Both.”
I could tell it hurt him. He closed his eyes and looked away from me. His hand that was holding mine pulled away. I watched him run his hands through his hair with his back turned to me. “I get it, I really do. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but one day when you’re ready, I want you to hear my side of the story. Maybe it won’t change your mind, but you need to hear it.”
He turned around and sat back down beside me, but instead of touching me, he put his hands into his face again. I reached for him. “Ty.” He looked up and gave me his hand. His eyes were full of tears, but none fell. I wondered how many times he’d cried for me in the past day. I couldn’t imagine what he went through. “I’m not going to leave you. I want to raise our children together. You need to know that I love you. I just can’t get over what happened right now.”