Silent Love(26)

Pulling back, he wiped his face. "So was I, baby, so was I."

Their eyes searched each other, pure relief evident on their features.

Their room bustled with hospital staff coming in and out, but that  didn't matter to anyone in the room. Beth was back and her health would  return.

"That's it, as soon as you're out of this hospital we're getting married," Sean blurted.

Eyes still shedding tears, Beth nodded. "Okay."

"Now wait one minute." Mr. Connors cleared his throat. "I'll have none  of that. I'm walking my daughter down the aisle in a church ceremony."

"We'll up the date, sweetheart," Mrs. Connors interjected. "So everyone gets what they want."

"Yes," Sean agreed and turned back to his girl. "So I can keep an eye on my Beth."

"She was my Beth well before you came along," Mike challenged.

"Michael," Jill said softly.

So much for his camaraderie with Beth's father. They were back to their  pissing contest over the woman they both loved, only with a more  respectful banter.







Two days later, Beth was transferred to the step-down unit. Every four  hours she received breathing treatments from respiratory who didn't care  if she was sound asleep in the middle of the night. They woke her  religiously. Exhausted, her parents finally went home in the evening to  get some rest, but assured her they'd return first thing in the morning.  Sean refused to leave her side.         

     



 

Feeling lethargic, she hit the remote to position the bed into a lying  back posture. The television sound was turned down low, and the lights  in the room were dimmed. Sean sat in a chair next to the bed that he  dwarfed. There was no possible way he was comfortable.

"You don't have to stay," she said softly. Slowly her voice started to  return to normal though still had a scratchy tone. She could feel the  pain subsiding, which was why she tried to keep the talking to a minimum  for the time being.

"Yes, I do," he said and gave her a look that said he wasn't to be trifled with.

"You look uncomfortable."

"It's nothing comparably," he said.

Tilting her head, she didn't understand what he meant.

He seemed to comprehend she didn't grasp his meaning. "I mean, I'll put up with the pain so long as you're alive."

"Oh," she breathed.

Lips quirking, he said, "Yeah, oh. Get some rest. You look tired, honey."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically.

His smile grew wide. "You're welcome. I say that because you have dark  circles under your eyes, and you're starting to look pale again. That's  all."

Sighing, she closed her eyes. "You're right, as usual."

She imagined he loved hearing those words spill from her mouth.  Succumbing to the onset of exhaustion, her body drifted into a deep  sleep. Well, at least for four hours.







After only a couple of days, Beth's condition continued to rapidly  improve, which got her transferred to the general admission floor. The  doctor even said she'd probably be discharged within the next day or  two, that sent her mind back to her home. According to Sean and her  parents, her house was destroyed. A pile of charred debris. Everything  she owned, ashed. Sadness crept over her. She hadn't had much in the way  of material objects, but what she had she was proud that she'd earned  it on her own without help. But worse than anything, the loss of her  home was causing an argument between her father and her fiancé.

"Beth will come home with her parents until you're married. That's  final," her father ranted. His jaw clenched, his chest puffed out, and  he menacingly crossed his arms over his chest. She watched her mother  swoon and lick her lips. Good lord.

"She can move in with me and get acclimated to living together," Sean said.

"We're both home to take care of her. You have to get your office up and  running. How long will you be gone during the day? Hours at a time? Not  only that, she can't be left alone in your house until you get that  system installed," her dad demanded.

Sean stiffened, his chest puffed, and he grew a couple of inches in  stature. Was this what her life would be like with these two men?

"She'll be perfectly fine. My brother will be there to look over her as  well. What better care could she get than from a doctor and a nurse?" he  said.

"Wait...you're brother is living with you." Her dad turned to her. "You're moving in with him and his brother?"

"Dad, they're very close. They need each other, and if you saw the two  of them together you'd understand. Ryan is a good man. He acts like my  big brother, something I've never had," she said softly. Her father  visibly melted sympathetically. It wasn't as if her parents didn't want  more children, but her mother suffered complications after having her  and couldn't get pregnant again. "I love Ryan, too, Daddy."

"There isn't some weird ménage stuff going on here, is there Elizabeth?  Because I'll drag your ass back home and lock you up." Her dad pegged  her.

"Dad!" She cringed.

"Michael!" Her mom clearly shouted.

Sean came up to her side of the bed. "Mr. Connors, your little girl will  be looked after as my wife and as a sister my brother has never had."

She looked at Sean, mentally arguing with that comment. Courtney was the  sister they never had. From what her mother told her, their cousin had  been a constant presence at the hospital while she'd been in bad shape,  but Sean refused to accept her compassionate concern. Her mom explained  how Courtney helped in getting the equipment delivered to his office  settled, and how she offered her assistance in any manner to her  parents.

An ardent intensity enveloped the room. Her father and Sean refused to  back down. Beth understood her father's concern, yet she empathized with  Sean's need to have her in his arms at night, knowing she was safe and  unharmed, and he could protect her. Men.

"I'll stay with Mom and Dad until we're married." Beth finally broke the  tangible standoff. "That way you and Ryan can oversee the system  installed," she said softly. God, she hated having to admit she needed  special equipment to help her live life daily. But it was that hardware  that saved her life.         

     



 

Mr. Connors grinned in triumph while Jill rolled her eyes. Sean's  shoulders deflated. Beth grasped Sean's hand into hers. "I love you."

He dissolved into a pile of mush in the palm of her hands. "I love you." He leaned over and kissed her gently.







Surprised her parents and Sean weren't waiting for her the moment  visiting hours started, Beth sat on the edge of her bed ready to be  discharged. Today was the day she was going home. Her vision blurred.  How close she'd come to death. From what she was told, she'd been on the  edge but somehow survived. Sean constantly looked at her with a gaze of  pure admiration while her father treated her like a piece of priceless  glass. Her mom was a combo of the two. Then there was Ryan, who joked  about her going to need an iron lung in a few years and how when she got  angry, smoke literally blew out of her nose and ears. Beth had been in  stomach cramping hysterics during that mindless discussion. She supposed  she should get used to her future brother-in-law's sense of humor.

Out of her peripheral vision, someone stood at the doorway to her room. Glancing over, Courtney stood with flowers in hand.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

Beth nodded, taken in by her beauty. God, she was stunning. Perfectly  coifed hair, designer jeans, long sleeve tee shirt, and heels.  Confidently she glided into the room followed by an extremely handsome  man dressed in a dark, tailored suit. Beth recognized him as one of the  men who'd been in Sean's home when Courtney's husband beat the snot out  of him. The man leaned against the wall, out of their way, and shoved  his arms into his pants pockets. His stance was anything but casual.

Courtney approached and handed her a striking bouquet of wildflowers. "For you."

"Thank you," Beth said softly.

"May I?" Courtney motioned to the end of the bed.

She nodded.

Propping herself on the hospital bed, Sean's cousin smiled warmly. "I  wanted to visit before you were discharged and Sean arrived."

"I see," she said.

Glancing away and gazing out the window at the bright day, sadness was  evident in Courtney's amazing blue eyes that matched Sean's. Turning  back to her, she said, "I'm grateful how strong you are, Beth, to  survive that fire. I don't want to upset you, but I drove by your home.  To see the destruction, my heart aches over what you must have gone  through."

Beth didn't want to think about it. That terrifying night assaulted her  constantly, especially when she closed her eyes. The pure panic she  still felt to her bones.

"I owe you a sincere apology. I'm sorry for my actions the night of the  dinner," Courtney said, her eyes beseeching. "I have no excuse for my  behavior." Her shoulders curled inward. "Sean's right though, I have  turned into someone different." She smiled, but it didn't reach her  eyes. "Surrounded by men who'll drop anything they're doing the minute I  ask, tends to go to your head. My husband wouldn't have it any other  way though."