Ethan
“Hello?” I answer the phone before looking at the caller ID. Travis is keeping in touch with Selena on the business side of things, so I know it isn’t anyone calling about work.
“Ethan. They’ve taken Lexi back into surgery,” Dan says.
“Turn back around,” I tell Travis. “Dan, I’m on my way back.” Ending the call, I look over at Travis. “Lexi’s been taken back into surgery.” The second the words leave my mouth, he makes a U-turn and speeds back to the hospital.
As hard as I try, I can’t stop thinking the worst. There are so many bad endings to this situation. She could die during the surgery, or she could survive it just to leave me. Or worse than leaving, she could just run away like she’s always done from Sam. I can't think of one good outcome. It's killing me that I can only think of the worst-case scenarios.
I close my eyes and shut out everything else for a moment. I know the fact that I’ve only slept an hour in the past two days is only making it worse.
“We’re here.”
Opening my eyes, I stare at the hospital doors. I’m unable to move, unable to run in and do whatever it takes to save her. “This shouldn’t be happening. After Edward and Angie, I deserve something good. Even after what they did to me, I’m still paying to save their child. The only thing I have to show for it is possibly losing Lexi, whether it be by her injuries or her running away from me. I don’t deserve this,” I say, wiping away the tears that I’ve been holding in since I found her on the ground. “She doesn’t deserve this. We should get the second chance that we—” I stop as I can’t find the words through my tears.
Ethan, she’ll fight this. You two will be together, get married and have children.” Travis places his hand on my shoulder. “You go ahead and break down here. Let it all out, because when we walk through those doors, you have to be the asshole that Lexi fell in love with.”
He’s right. I need to be the strong one—I need to be there for Lexi. I have to let this out now and then get ready to fight to keep us together. Wiping my face, I get out of the car and head to the waiting room. Looking around for Dan, I see him waiting by the door. Walking over, I stop in front of him.
“She was finding it hard to breathe, then the monitors started beeping. The doctor came in and said they were taking her to surgery, then kicked me out,” he tells me.
Putting my hands into my pockets, I stand next to him and wait for the doctor to come out.
“Ethan, I’m going to get Lexi some clothes and then pick us up some food,” Mom says as she and Jackie walk over to me. My mom places her hand on my cheek. “Are you back with us?” She looks into my eyes.
“I’m back,” I tell her. She holds eye contact with me for a moment to make sure I really have come back from feeling sorry for myself. Mom kisses me on the cheek, then walks away from Dan and me. I look around the waiting room and see Tanya and Travis talking to each other.
All this time Lexi wanted to run, thinking the only family she had was Dan and Jon. Looking around the waiting area, it's obvious at how very wrong she was. She has a big family here, and seeing them will make her happy.
My head turns to the doors as they open. Seeing the doctor come into the area, I walk over to her.
“The sutures from the first surgery didn't hold, so we had to go back in and re-do the operation. We wanted to wait until she was a little stronger, but she would not have survived the initial injury if we waited. She’s sleeping at the moment, but there were no complications this time around. She looks like she's going to pull through just fine.”
Air whooshes from my lungs and escapes from my mouth in a loud exhale. “Thank you! Can I see her?” I ask.
“At the moment, we really do want her to rest. Let her wake up, and for us check her over, then you can,” the doctor tells us.
I nod in agreement. I don’t want anything else to go wrong. The doctor said she's fine and that’s all I care about. If I have to sit out here all night to make sure she gets the rest she needs, then that's what I'll do.
Sitting down, I check my watch to see what time it is, but look up when I see someone standing in front of me. “Hey, Joe.” I stand up and glance over at the woman standing next to him.
“Your mom came to your apartment and told me about Lexi. I hope you don’t mind me coming,” he says quietly. His voice is shaky, like he’s been crying.
“Of course not, Joe. Lexi will be so happy that you’re here.”
“This is my wife, June. She made some of those Lemon cookie’s Lexi loves. I was going to bring them to her today.”
“Very nice to meet you.” I kiss her on the cheek.
“Nice to meet you, too. The way Joe has been talking about Lexi, you would think she was his daughter.” She looks at Joe with a smile.
“We are just waiting for her to wake up.” I get up and move out the way to give them a place to sit. “We’re not sure how long that’ll be.” Taking my phone out of my pocket, I shake my head when I see Angie’s name. “Either you don’t have the contract, or you're one stupid bitch,” I say into the phone as I walk to the other side of the waiting room.
“No, we got the contract, but we haven’t signed it yet. I just—”
“I don’t give a fuck why you're calling. I don’t want your fucking thank you, and I don’t want to hear your fucking voice. Sign the fucking papers and get the fuck out of my life.” Ending the call, I close my eyes and rest my head against the wall. They have what they wanted. Why do they think I want their thanks? Don’t they realize I’m not doing it for them?
“Come on. Lunch is here.” I lean against my mom’s hand resting on my back. “Everyone is hungry. Plus, you’re scaring the girls. You need to bring it down a notch.” She’s trying to be funny, hoping it'll calm me.
“I’m tired, pissed off, and scared. I’ve never been scared before, Mom.” Turning around I look at her, then I lean my back against the wall.
“What has you scared? The doctors said she would be fine and she’ll be able to go home, soon.”
“Which home? Our home? Or is she really thinking about leaving me? I’m afraid that no matter what I say, she won’t come back with me.” I focus on the floor, not wanting to see if anyone is looking at me. I know I shouldn’t care, but like Travis said, when we walked through that door, I had to be strong. God knows I’m trying.
“Having your heart broken is the risk you take by falling in love.” Putting her fingers under my chin, she forces me to look at her “Give her some time. As hard as it’s been on us, we can only imagine how hard it’s been for her.”
“How do I make her believe that none of this matters without her in my life?” I need someone to give me the answers. I need someone to tell me what I have to do to make it all right.
“Be there for her. Be there and don’t leave, no matter what she says.” I look over my mom’s shoulder at the door as it opens.
Nodding to my mom, I walk past her toward the nurse.
“Is she awake?” Dan asks.
“Yes. I know someone is anxious to see her,” The nurse says, looking at me with a smile.
“Can I take one person with me? Just for a minute.”
“One minute,” she says, pointing at me.
“Joe, I think someone is ready for her lemon cookies.” I turn to him, and his expression shows me how happy he is to get to see her.
“She can't eat anything, yet—she can only have clear liquids for now,” the nurse tells me in a serious tone.
There’s no way I would risk her wrath by giving her even a little taste. “Trust me, I won’t. I'll follow your rulebook.” I reassure the nurse that what she says, goes.
Walking into the room with Joe, I look over at Lexi lying in bed. “I thought I would bring someone with me that really wanted to say hello.” I walk over to Lexi and kiss her forehead before backing off to let Joe come closer.
“I brought you some lemon cookies, but the nurse said you can’t have any yet.” Joe walks over to her, then takes her hand and gently kisses it.
“Thank you,” her voice comes out quiet and weak. “You…didn’t have to come.”
“I have to tell someone all the things I’ve found out about our resident tenants.” Joe starts laughing. “So, when you get back, I think we need to meet for tea.” Moving closer to Lexi, Joe kisses her cheek. “But, for now, you rest and get better,” he tells her. “Thank you, Mr. Knight, for letting me see her.”
“Ethan, call me Ethan.” I take his hand and shake it respectfully.
Moving closer to the bed, I take Lexi's hand in mine. “Please don’t scare me like that again.” I kneel down next to the bed, getting eye level with her. “You look tired. Do you want to go to sleep?” I ask her. She shakes her head slightly. I slide the chair beside the bed a little closer to her side. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. Please, don’t push me away.” Pressing my lips to her hand, I let them linger a little longer than I normally would.
I feel her hand tighten around mine. “I’m sorry,” she says in a raspy voice.
“I don’t know why you're saying you're sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. Don’t ever, for one second, think I love you any less. I didn’t know until now that was even possible to love you more than I did, but I do.” I stop, blinking away a tear that escapes my eye. “All I want is you, Lexi. You are my life, and I don’t care about anything else.”
Taking her hand out of mine, she wipes my cheek. “I love you,” she whispers.
Standing up, I put my lips to hers, then rest my forehead against hers. “You’re stuck with me.”
“Who else is here?”
“Everyone,” I tell her as I sit back down in the chair. “The girls came back from whatever clients they were with, and have canceled the ones they had scheduled until they see you and know you're okay.”
“Can I see anyone else?” she asks the nurse that just walked into the room.
“Only two in the room at a time,” she says, checking Lexi’s monitor and the fluids going through the tube in her arm. “I'll start letting them come in.”
As much as I want to stay with Lexi, I know everyone wants to see her; they’ve waited long enough. I kiss her lips then walk out of her room and head toward the waiting room.
I stop when I see all the police lights coming through the windows. What the fuck is going on? I look around and see Travis running toward me, glancing back momentarily. I look behind him and can’t believe what I am seeing. “You fucker!” I run to where I see Sam sitting in a chair with police officers surrounding him. “I'll fucking kill you!” I shout.
As I get closer to Sam, Travis stands in front of me, trying to push me back. “Travis, move out of my fucking way.” I start pushing him away, but he stands firm. “Travis!” I shout, pushing him with all my strength, making him take a step back. As I’m moving around Travis to get closer to Sam, one of the officers reaches out and grabs my arm to stop me.
“Ethan!” Travis shouts my name then grabs ahold of the back of my shirt and pulls me back. “They have him. The shit-head will get what he deserves.”
Sam starts laughing, his eyes locked on mine. “I hope you enjoyed fucking my wife. You remember that every time you touch her. When you see those scars, you remember I was the one who did that. No matter what, she will have something to remember me by for the rest of her life.” Sam’s voice comes out like daggers being thrown at me.
Curling my fingers into a fist, I swing as hard as I can and feel a rush of satisfaction as it connects with his jaw. The officer standing beside me jumps in front of me, effectively holding me back from swinging again. Another officer reaches down and picks Sam up, holding him steady. Sam spits blood out of his mouth, then looks up at me again.
I stand face to face with him. “I'll make sure you never see the light of day again. You will become someone’s bitch, and above all things, you can put money on the fact that you’ll suffer a hundred-fold what Lexi suffers. And the entire time, I want you to remember that Ethan Knight was the one that made it happen.” As I go to take a step, an officer places a hand on my chest to stop me from reaching Sam. “Just remember one thing. You’ll be safer in prison than on the outside, because outside I would have been your worst nightmare.”
Travis pulls me away. I wanted to be the one to find Sam, to hurt him in a way that only happened in movies. I never wanted the police to get him.
“I want my lawyers here. I don’t give a shit what time it is or what they’re doing, I want them here right now!” Pushing Travis out of the way, I follow the officers outside, making sure they get Sam into the car. “Why was he here?” I ask the officer as the car door closes.
“He wanted to finish what he started,” the officer replies as he walks around the car and gets in the driver’s seat.
Watching him drive away, my palms become clammy, and my heart beats faster. He came back to finish what he started. He was here to kill Lexi.
Walking back into the waiting room, I look around at everyone. “Who wants to see Lexi first?” I ask. I’m not in the right frame of mind to see her right now.
“Do you think we should tell her about Sam coming here?” Dan asks me. Well, it’s not like I can fucking hide it from her.
“Who wants the job?” I look at them all staring at me. “I guess I’d better go talk to her, then.” Shaking my head, I walk past them.
Standing by the door, I stop and soak in her beauty.
“I can feel you staring.” Her voice is still quiet and weak. “Does no-” she pauses to take in a breath, “-one else want to see me?”
“They do, but I need to talk to you about something, first.” I take her hand in mine as I sit on the side of the bed. “Sam was just here.” Her small hand grips tighter on mine. “The police have arrested him—you’re safe. I won’t let him get close to you,” I tell her as I kiss her hand. I want her to understand there is no way I'll let her get hurt again. “I’ve called my lawyers, and now we have to decide how we want to proceed.” I feel her hand tightening even more.
Bringing my hand to her cheek, I wipe the tear from the side of her eye. “I’m going to tell the lawyers everything and they'll make sure you won’t have to do anything. The police will come to you, and I'll make sure my lawyers work it so you never have to see him again.” Placing my hand softly on her stomach, I feel her body shaking. “Lexi, do you still trust me?” I whisper. She nods her head. “I promise I'll make sure you don’t have to go to court. But, for now, I need you to know that I am here and you can relax.” I reach up and wipe away her tears.
“I can’t…see him.” Her voice shakes as she talks.
“Ethan, your lawyers are here,” I hear Dan say from behind me. “You really have them in control.” I look at him as he walks into the room with Jon right behind him.
“They need to know who they work for.” I bring my eyes back to Lexi’s. “You won’t have to worry about anything, I promise.” I kiss her soft lips, then turn and leave the room.
Walking into the waiting room, I see three of my lawyers talking to Travis and my mom.
As I’m walking their way, Jackie stops me. “Mr. Williams called me. He said he’s been trying to call Lexi, but she isn’t answering and he’s worried Sam got to her. What do you want me to tell him?” she asks me, in a soft, calm voice.
“Tell him the truth. I know that they’re close, and Lexi helped him when he needed it.” He was the only client Lexi wanted to keep because she saw him more as a friend than a client. Plus, I’ve seen him with her. He doesn’t treat her like his call girl. He treats her like a friend or a daughter, so he needs to know.
Walking over to Travis standing with the lawyers, I get their attention. “Has Travis told you the situation?” I ask them.
“Yes. We'll go to the station now and see what the charges are, then we can form a plan of action from there. Is there anything that Miss. Lexi would like?”
“She will not go to court. She doesn’t want to see him, much less be in the same room as him, so make sure that happens. And, I want you to make sure he never leaves. He’s to spend the rest of his fucking life behind those bars, understand?” I look at the three of them. They have worked with me long enough to know I get what I want or it won’t be good for them.
“Yes.” And with that one word, they leave. I do like that they know to keep it straightforward and not clutter it with crap I don't need to be bothered with.
Turning to Travis, I look him in the eyes. “Until Lexi is one hundred percent, you’ll take over all business matters. I'll have my phone, but I won’t be in the office, and for now, I want everything to come you first, then you can come to me if needed.” I rub my eyes. The fatigue is beginning to drag me down. “I’m going to stay at the hospital until Lexi comes home,” I add, walking to the bench to sit down.
“Would you like me to keep you informed about things?” Travis asks, sitting down next to me.
“Only if I need to know.” Resting my head back, I close my eyes. I need a minute to myself. Knowing that Dan and Jon are with her makes me feel a little better, and now that Sam is behind bars, I feel like I can relax.
“Edward and Angie signed the papers, so you won’t have to hear from them again,” Travis tells me. I smile with relief. Thankfully, I'll never have to see them again, and that’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.