Beautifully Broken

Tears spill over my cheeks and Damian’s arms slip in under me. He holds me to his chest as I cry for yet another life that was taken from me.

God, I couldn’t even keep my baby for five and half months.

It hurts more than anything I’ve felt before. Too late… I realize I wanted the baby because it would’ve been mine. Only mine.

Sobs shudder through me, and Damian begins to press kisses to the side of my head. “I’m so sorry, Cara. I’m so sorry.”

Eventually, my tears dry up, but my heart keeps shrinking, trying to get away from the unbearable sorrow.

Damian moves a little back, and taking hold of my hand, he doesn’t say anything as his eyes stay locked on mine.

The familiar emptiness I haven’t felt in a while sinks into my soul. It weighs a ton.

Who would’ve thought emptiness could weigh so much?

How much pain can one human being take before they just die?

I’ve been in the hospital for almost a week. I hate hospitals, and I just want to leave.

Annie comes to see me in the early hours of the morning. She holds me tight and then whispers, “Jason’s going to ask questions today. I can’t hold him off any longer. We told him it was a break-in gone bad. You just tell him that, and everything will be fine.”

Annie stays by my side when Jason comes to see me. Damian’s with him, and both their faces are set in dark scowls.

“Let me guess,” Jason growls, “it was a break-in gone wrong?”

My eyes dart to Damian’s, where he’s standing behind Jason. He nods at me, and I start nodding too. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?” Jason raises an eyebrow, and then he tucks the small notepad back into his pocket. He takes a deep breath, and his eyes lock on mine. “I’ll make you a deal.” He steps to the side so he can see both Damian and me. “You both leave and never come back to my town, and I’ll let it go as a robbery gone wrong. I want you gone.”

I open my mouth to protest when Damian moves forward. He comes to stand next to me, and then he gives Jason a look that would scare the bravest of men. “It’s a deal. As soon as my wife’s ready to go home, we’ll leave your town.”

“No!” Annie gets up, and her cheeks flush with anger. “You can’t tell them what to do!”

Jason shakes his head hard. “Annie, I promised Pete I’d look after you. I won’t break my promise to him. Trouble follows these two, and I can’t just stand by while your life is in danger. Now, you can be angry at me all you want, but I’m not backing down on this.”

Jason nods at us. “As soon as she’s released, I want you gone.” With his cold words hanging in the air, he stalks out of the room.

I hold onto Annie’s hand, and accepting my fate, I put a brave smile on my face. “You’ve been like a mother to me. Thank you so much for all you’ve done.”

Her chin trembles, and leaning forward, she presses a kiss on my forehead. “Don’t listen to the boy.” She gives my hand a squeeze.

I shake my head. “He’s right, Annie. I’m putting your life in danger. They’ll keep coming for me.”

“Hush, child,” she tries to argue.

“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me,” I say, needing her to know how grateful I am for the short time I had with her. “You’ll never know how much you mean to me.”

She pats my hand. “I’m going to talk to Jason. We’ll figure this out.” Getting up, I watch as she leaves the room.

“The doctor said you should be able to leave tomorrow or the day after, depending on the wound,” Damian informs me.

“What’s one day?” I mumble. Turning my head, I look at the only person who’s strong enough to face my enemies. “Take me home, Damian.”

He rubs a hand over his beard, and his eyes dart to the door. “Let me just get a nurse.”

He walks out of the room to go find a nurse while I struggle into a sitting position. There’s a hollow pain in my abdomen that serves as a reminder of what I’ve lost, and it makes a wave of sorrow crash over me.

When Damian stalks back into the room, there’s an upset nurse behind him. “Sir, she can’t leave without the doctor saying so.”

Damian swings back to her, and I see fear flitting across her features, then he orders, “Take out that IV, or I’ll do it myself.”

Her lips set in a thin line as she comes over to me. I swing my legs off the bed, and then she places a hand on my knee. “Wait for the doctor, please.”