Searching for Harmony (Boston Love 1)

Falling into Preston’s arms, I cried into his chest. “Please, please God, no.”

Preston held me tighter to him as he whispered, “I’m so sorry, Harmony.” I lost all control. The door to my room opened and two nurses came rushing in.

“No! My baby! Not my baby! Why? Dear God, why?” I screamed out as one of the nurses attempted to place me back in the bed.

“Go get a doctor, quickly. We’re going to need to sedate her!” the nurse called out to the other nurse. Turning to look at Preston, I noticed he was crying and my heart broke even more knowing he was in pain as well. I heard it in his voice. I saw it in his eyes.

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and went limp as I called out one last time, “Not my baby, please not my baby.”

The room was dark. The only light that could be seen was coming from the flashlight on his phone that he must have turned on to read with. Staring at him, I took everything in. Preston held a book in one hand and his phone in another. Both looked like they would slip from his grip at any moment. His light brown hair was a mess. His body looked cramped as he slept in the chair. Turning away, I stared at the ceiling as the realization hit me again. I had lost them both. As I’d been dealing with the shock of losing my son, Jake had told me that Trey died on impact. My heart ached more than I could have ever imagined. Shaking my head, I slipped into a memory.

“I will forever protect you, my sweet baby boy.”

Trey walked up and kissed TJ on the forehead as I walked around the living room.

“The only way to keep him from crying is to carry him around in my arms.”

Trey smiled and shook his head. “You don’t seem too bothered by that.”

Laughing, I replied, “Nope, not at all. I’d do anything for him. I’d give up my own life for him.”

Walking back up to us, Trey looked down at our three-week-old son and whispered, “As would I.”

The sound of Preston’s phone buzzing pulled me from my memory. He jumped up. Closing my eyes, I pretended I was still asleep.

“H-hello?”

I could hear someone talking. Rather, yelling on the phone.

Opening my eyes, I turned to look at him. Just as I expected, he was standing with his back to me as he looked out into the darkness that stood on the other side of the window.

“Shit, Sherry, I’m so sorry. Things just got really crazy and I didn’t want to leave Jake and—”

More shouting. His body tightened and his hand went up to his hair, where he grabbed a fistful of it before pushing it all the way through. That explained his hair. Now I just needed to figure out why the firefighter who attempted to save my son’s life was sleeping in my hospital room.

“I understand I haven’t been back home. It means something to me, Sherry. I can’t leave her. She only has her brother.”

Biting my lower lip, I felt tears begin to well in my eyes.

I can’t leave her. She only has her brother.

Turning away from him, I squeezed my eyes shut and forced the tears to stay at bay. Opening my eyes, I saw the water and my mouth was instantly dry. Reaching for the tray, I attempted to move it closer, but all I did was hit the bed and make a loud noise.

“Sherry, I promise we’ll talk when I come back home. I’ve got to run. Yes. I promise.”

The next thing I knew, Preston was standing there pouring water into the cup and reaching down to help me drink it.

After a few sips, I whispered, “Thank you.” Preston slowly let my head rest back on the pillow.

Smiling, he said, “Sure.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to him. I wanted to know why he was here, but I had overheard his reason. Maybe that wasn’t the reason though. My guess was he felt guilty and was now trying to play the hero by taking care of me. The thought made me angry.

“Why are you here, Preston? If you’re here because you feel guilty, you might as well just leave.”

The hurt in his eyes caused my stomach to drop. He slowly took a step back and nodded. “Right, um…I can leave if you’re not comfortable with me being here.”

I wanted to take the words back the moment they left my lips. Preston’s voice was laced with sadness and I knew the words I had spoken were the reason why.