Reed's Reckoning

I slide out quietly and go to the bathroom to wash my face. I hate to admit this but I think the pediatrician was right. I may need to get professional help too to erase the voices and images that ran through my mind when she started screaming. But I’ll do whatever it takes because she’ll need strength to get through this. If Katy doesn’t make it, I’m afraid of what will happen.

“Reed?” Ari groans and I rush back to her side.

“Angel, what’s wrong?”

“Help me get up? I have to use the bathroom and Davis is tangled up with my legs.”

“Gladly.” I lift him and use my other hand to help her out of bed. When she shifts, I see the ugly bruise on her head and anger rises in my chest. I promised Luke and Sophie to tone it down, but in my mind, I want Luke to shoot Alex Moore all over again.

The nurse confirms we will be discharged in the next few hours. I take a quick shower and change and then help Ari and Davis get dressed. I try to send Darius home for a while, but he refuses. My mom worked with Connor to rent us a house for the rest of the week. We can’t go back to Ari and Katy’s and I don’t feel comfortable going to mine until Katy is out of the woods.

I take Davis down to the professional offices for his counseling appointment and Luke and Sophie sit with Ari. The ICU nurse actually allows all three of them to visit Katy while waiting to be discharged. There is no change but she made it through the night, which is encouraging. My phone buzzes with a message to meet my mom in the waiting room.

When I get there, I freeze. The entire room is packed full. Teammates, wives, girlfriends, coaches, and team administrators stand around. Some of the wives are consoling Katy’s friends who seem distraught and lost. A feeling of love bubbles up in my chest and I know Ari needs to see this. After shaking a few hands, I grab Davis to go with me to get his mom. Cara offers to watch him while I wheel Ari to the surprise in the waiting room.

We are swarmed instantly once we get there. She looks up at me with shock on her face but doesn’t have time to say anything before she is surrounded. There’s lots of kissing and hugging. Both Lamar and Bobbie lift her up in a tight embrace. No one really mentions the reason for being here. The news reports were fairly accurate, even giving Alex’s name, but we didn’t report that she tried to kill my son first.

After half an hour, I wheel her back to her room. The group had made sure that we will have food and dinners at the beach house, and Connor was sticking around to help if needed.

The doctor releases us shortly so we send everyone back to the house and we sit in the ICU waiting for the doctor. The machines beep and hum in rhythm and Ari talks to her grandma softly holding her hand. Her coloring has returned but she still has machines hooked up everywhere.

“Reed?” Ari says softly. “I’ve been thinking about something this morning.”

“What Angel?”

“We can’t get married in two weeks if Katy can’t be there. It wouldn’t be right.” The situation hits me like a blow to the gut. She’s right.

“Okay.” As soon as the word slips my lips the machines start going crazy. Paper flies out of one while blue lines on the monitor spike. Nurses rush in and push us out of the way. They start checking vitals and punching buttons.

“What happened?” one of them asks us.

“Nothing we were only talking to her. I promise.” Ari sobs.

“There’s a good chance she can hear you. Make sure you don’t talk about anything that would upset her.”

We both nod and watch as they work to get her stabilized again. Once she is calmed down we get five more minutes to visit.

“Grandma, can you hear me?” Ari whispers.

I see her squeeze her hand in response. Our faces both show relief.

“Grandma did we upset you talking about postponing the wedding?”

Nothing happens for a few seconds and Katy’s eyelids start to flutter. She opens them and finds us both staring at her with tears in our eyes.

“You get married. It’s been too long and too hard of a struggle… Deserve happiness.” She rasps and then winks at me.

She doesn’t say anything else but falls back asleep peacefully. I watch Ari’s face for any sign of emotion and am surprised when she smiles. Her dimples shine and cause my heart to flutter.

“I guess we’re getting married in two weeks.”

“Mrs. Reed Matthews. I like it.”

The monitors beep again and we smile knowing this time she liked what she heard.