"I just want to go home, Uncle Conner. Mommy had the babies so now we get to go home." She didn't understand and it broke my damn heart into pieces.
"Mommy is getting fixed by the doctors." My mother tried to make her understand.
"Does she have boo boos?" Her little lip was trembling.
My mother started playing with Bella's blonde hair. "Yeah, baby, she's got boo boos."
Things were better with the whole family together, but as the time went by, we were losing hope that my sister was going to make it. Finally, we learned that she had been taken to the ICU. Since she was out of surgery and there was nothing else we could do, half of us went back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep. Savanna and Colt stayed with my mother, while all the rest of us tried to get some rest. With my sister not out of the woods, I laid there wide awake. There were two beds in the room and Ty's parents were already asleep in one of them. Bella and I laid together in the other one. She cuddled up in my arms and traced my tattoo. "Uncle Conner, how come you're not married?"
"Cause when I was your age I got cooties." I tickled her when I said it and she squealed.
"You don't have cooties. Mommy says only little boys get cooties."
I kissed the top of her head. "How'd you get so smart kiddo?"
She shrugged her little shoulders. "I have no idea. Is Noah coming here tomorrow?"
"No, he is home with Auntie Lucy."
"I don't like it here. I'm scared."
She kept tracing the lines on my arm and I could tell she was sad. "Were you scared when you got into the accident?"
"We hit a deer. Mommy said it happens all the time. I wish my daddy was with us. I heard mommy yelling his name."
If I'd have tried harder none of us would even be here. I felt like I could have prevented it all if I'd only thrown myself into my Heather project. My sister was fighting for her life, while Ty was hanging onto the notion of losing them either way.
"Your mommy and daddy love each other very much. He got here as fast as he could." Drunk or not, he'd made it there in one piece.
"Did you know I got to see my brothers?"
It was a good time to change the subject. "I bet they're cute."
She shrugged. "Yeah."
She got sad again and started to sniffle. "What's wrong Bells?"
"What if daddy and mommy love them more than me? Will I have to live somewhere else?"
I sat up and grabbed her little face. "You listen here. Your mommy and daddy love you all the same. You know you're their special girl. Don't even think stuff like that, kiddo."
"I want my daddy."
She must have woke up Ty's mom because she reached her arms out and called for her. Bella went running over and climbed into bed with her grandmother.
I checked my messages and was disappointed that I had nothing from Amy. I hated that I could only call her certain times. Right now, I needed to hear her pretty voice. I'm sure by now she was worried sick.
A little later my phone vibrated and woke me up. I hoped it was Amy but it ended up being that bitch Heather instead. Because of her, my sister was lying in a hospital bleeding to death. Because of her, two little children may not ever meet their mother. I filled with rage as I stared at the text message and thought about what I wanted to say. I never wanted someone to die until I met Rick, but Heather was the worst kind of evil. She didn't care who she hurt. She needed to pay for what she'd done and I was the only person to make it happen.
I sent a message that I went home for a couple days and put my phone back in my pocket. When I got back to town, this shit was going to end and I would be the one walking out with what I needed. I had to fix things for my sister. After all of this, she needed to be happy about something.
For the next two days it was still touch and go for Miranda. Once we got through the first night, we all got hopeful that she was going to pull through. I can’t even explain the way I felt when we heard the doctor telling us the news. I thought my mother was going to pass out. I spent most of my time with the family and tried to keep my mind off of not hearing from Amy. I'd left her several messages and even tried to call her at the salon. I couldn't understand why I hadn't heard from her. It made me even more upset when I overheard Ty's mom telling my mom that she had called Miranda's boss and let her know what was going on.
Amy knew what I was going through and she hadn't tried to call me. It made no sense.
Then it came to me.
She didn't love me and didn't want to tell me while I was dealing with my sister being in the hospital.
I had been so sure of her feelings for me. I could have sworn that when I told her I loved her, she was going to say it too. She'd even said how she cared about me before. It made no sense at all.