Stay(122)

I turned around. “Yeah,” I said to the surgeon. His eyes were sympathetic and he looked at me as if he wasn’t sure how to act. Deciding to just go with his professional norm, he began explaining Jackson’s injuries to me.#p#分页标题#e#

The bullet shot right through Jackson’s body, hitting his collarbone on its way out. The surgeon told me that the bullet missed his subclavian artery by just a hair. He said Jackson was lucky. Nevertheless, Jackson had lost enough blood to require a blood transfusion. He also sustained minor head trauma in the crash, and had a row of sutures above his right eye.

The surgeon’s face paled when he told me that Jackson had multiple fractures to his ribs all in various stages of healing. He was concerned about the old gash on Jackson’s abdomen and the indent of scar tissue along Jackson’s side where his skin had been peeled off. Then the surgeon said something about Jackson’s blood being infected, and that he put Jackson on a strong course of antibiotics.

I nodded, pretending to understand everything that was being told to me. After the doctor left, the nurses tended to Jackson and then stepped back, letting me have some time alone with him. Faye, the gray-haired nurse, told me that Jackson was most likely going to be very confused as he woke up. Having me there would help.

“Jackson,” I whispered. “We made it. We got out.” I rubbed my fingers in little circles on the inside of his hand. A monitor beeped along with his heart rate, slow but steady. I was slightly afraid it was a dream, and I was still in the basement. If it were a dream, Jackson wouldn’t be injured. I blinked. No, this is real.

Jackson’s fingers twitched. I leaned closed. “Jackson.” I ran my hand over his hair, careful to avoid the stitches. “Jackson.”

He opened his eyes and he took a deep breath. Then his eyes closed again. The pattern repeated a few times as he struggled to come out of the anesthetic.

“Addie,” he mumbled.

“Yes, Jackson, I’m here.”

He tried to sit up and groaned in pain. Faye hurried over.

“Hi Jackson,” she spoke. “I’m your nurse. You just had surgery and need to stay laying down, okay?”

“Okay,” Jackson agreed but tried to sit up again.

“Jackson you need to rest,” I said, blinking back tears.

“I have to save you,” he faintly murmured. He took another deep breath and opened his eyes all the way.

“You did,” I whispered. “You did save me.” I began crying again. I leaned over the bed, getting as close to Jackson as I dared without hurting him. He lifted his right arm, hugging me.

“Are you okay?” he asked me.

“I’m fine,” I said right away. His hand fell back onto the bed. I leaned back and looked at him. His eyes were closed again. “Rest,” I told him.

He mumbled something incoherent, but didn’t object. Several minutes passed before he woke up again. He took his hand out of mine and put it over my stomach. I placed my hands over his and nodded, letting him know the baby was okay. His chocolate eyes met mine, and he smiled.

“Addie,” he said. His voice was hoarse. “We did it. We’re free.”





EPILOGUE





“CAN YOU PASS the mashed potatoes?” Arianna asked.

“Yeah, here you go,” Jackson told her and handed her the bowl. I spooned a heaping mound of mac and cheese onto my plate and passed the dish to Jackson, who plopped a spoonful onto his plate and passed the dish on to Lynn. Happy chatter buzzed around the dining room table as we passed plates and bowls of food back and forth.

Jackson looked at me and smiled. I put my hand on his thigh, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Even though he was familiar with my family and Lynn, being around everyone at once caused a bit of anxiety for him. I had told him we didn’t have to go, that everyone would understand. He had just taken my hand and smiled, reminding me that he could do anything, as long as we were together. Plus, that dinner wasn’t just a regular meal. It was a celebration.#p#分页标题#e#

The trial was finally over. Nate and Zane, along with a handful of their accomplices, were behind bars for good. It took four months for the police to catch them. It had been a long, nerve-wracking time for us, but I would never forget the look on their faces when Jackson and I walked into the courtroom to testify, hand in hand. I was seven months pregnant at the time. Zane had stared opened mouthed at my belly as if he couldn’t understand what was happening. Then his eyes fastened on Jackson’s fingers linked through mine and he exploded. We enjoyed watching him get shoved around by the police.