We had finally arrived and parked in the emergency parking. Elliott and I rushed into the hospital’s emergency entrance. Looking around, we spotted Jen over in the corner, her head in her phone.
"How is she?" Elliott and I called over to her at the same time.
Jen looked up with tears in her eyes and got up out of her seat. "I shouldn't have waited so long. I didn't get there in time. He got to her first." Her lips trembled. "He was covered in blood, and then I found her."
Elliott took her in his arms. She was in shock.
"I'm so sorry to the both of you," she said through broken sobs.
Elliott pulled her into him and comforted her. "Where is she, Jen?"
"She was taken for x-rays to make sure nothing has been broken. She may need stitches. She was barely conscious when I found her." She buried her head in Elliott's chest and continued crying.
I could feel the anger pulse through my veins. "Fucker!" I began pacing back and forth. "If I get my hands on him, I'll kill him. I should have killed him when I had the fucking chance."
"Parker, relax, man. The cops have been notified. I'm sure they are on their way to pick him up."
"Doesn't matter. He’s a piece of shit, and you know how I feel about these pieces of shit, Elliott. This is different now. This is personal."
"Yes, Parker, I do. He is a piece of shit, but he isn't worth your anger. It’s more important that we deal with Tatum. She is going to need our help. She is going to need you."
I ran my hand through my hair and sat down on one of the chairs, trying to calm myself down. Elliott was right; I needed to focus my energy on her, on us.
"I'm sorry. I feel like I have let you both down. I should have just gone and picked her up when she first called," Jen said through broken sobs.
I looked at her and smiled. "All that matters, is you found her and she is okay." I reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "How about we grab some coffee while we wait?" I nodded to the machine in the corner.
We sat down in the waiting area and sipped our coffees. I hated waiting. I never was very patient man when it came to shit like this. I was about to refill my cup when a set of double doors opened and a doctor approached us.
"Are you folks with Tatum Bancroft?"
Jen stood. "Yes, I'm Jennifer, her best friend, Elliott, her brother, and Parker, her boyfriend."
"Elliott, may I speak to you in private please?"
Elliott stood up and took a step forward, grabbing Jen’s hand. "Doctor, please, these people are family to me and to Tatum. Whatever you have to say, you can say it to all of us."
He nodded at Elliott. "Okay. I have her resting. We have given her what we can for pain, taking her condition into consideration. I was concerned about the trauma to her jaw, so we took some x-rays. Nothing is broken. I'm confident that she is going to be fine."
I stared at him. "What do you mean when you say considering her condition?"
"Her blood work shows that she is pregnant. From the results, it looks like she is about one or two months along. We will do an ultrasound in a couple of days to confirm how far along she is and to make sure everything is okay."
I couldn't believe my ears. "She's what?"
Elliott patted me on the shoulder. "It's okay, Parker. I think you’re in shock." He smiled to the doctor and Jen.
"Does she know?"
"She knew, and she is very worried about the baby, so I want no added stress on her other than what she already has," he said, looking at us for the next round of questions.
"When can we see her?" Jen asked, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze.
"I would like her to rest as much as she can before we move her up to a room, but I can't see any reason that you can't see her. I want you to go one at a time and not for very long, okay? She needs her rest tonight. Whenever you’re ready, head through these door around the corner to the right. She is in room eight."
"When do you think she can be released?"
"Well, we want to make sure the fetus is okay and that she doesn't have a concussion, so a couple of days. She will need to stay with someone for about two weeks, once she is released. Are there any more questions I can answer for you at this time?"
We looked to one another and shook our heads no.
"Well, then I shall get back to my rounds. I will see you tomorrow." He nodded to us and went back through the same double doors he had come out of.
I sat down, completely shocked. I was going to be a father. I looked up at Elliott who stood watching me. "I hope you’re not going to kill me, man." He gave me a smile. "I swear to you we were careful, but I assure you I will look after her," I said, holding my hands up.
Elliott chuckled to himself. "No, man. I'm just glad it’s you. There has never been a time that I can remember when I wasn't okay with you being in her life." He patted me on the back and reached out and pulled Jen into him.
"When you’re ready, why don't you go see her tonight? Jen and I are going to call the police department, see if they need anything else answered."
I nodded. It was going to take all the strength in the world I had to restrain myself from walking out those doors after seeing her, because I knew I would want to hunt him down and kill him. I just hoped that I was strong enough to hold myself together.
I took a deep breath and exhaled. I watched Elliott and Jen walk over to a dark corner and sit down together, Elliott making the phone call while Jen rested her head on his shoulder. I took another deep breath and stood, walking toward the double doors, toward my girl.
I opened the door and peeked around the corner. Two nurses sat at the desk filling out paperwork. They paid no attention to me as I walked into room eight. The room was dark, and Tatum was sound asleep, the sound of her monitors creating a soothing rhythm. I watched the slow rise and fall of her chest from the doorway. She looked so helpless lying in that bed.
It wasn't until I got closer to her that I noticed the dark bruises on her face and a large gash across her eyebrow and cheek. Both had been stitched closed. There was bruising on her neck and arms, too. A nurse walked in to check her vitals and added something into her IV bag.
"You guys took photographs of all her injuries, correct?" I couldn't help the cop coming out in me, but they would be needed for evidence should this bastard try to get off.
"Yes, sir. The police were here and took down everything." She continued adjusting wires, and then went back out to the desk.
I looked down at Tatum, tears threatening to roll down my cheeks at any moment. I could feel the rage growing inside of me, the anger I carried for not being there for her, to protect her.
"I'm so sorry, baby girl. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you from him. I'm sorry I was so angry with you. Never again," I whispered to her, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
I took her hand in mine and sat down in the chair beside her bed. At my touch, she stirred, and I heard her mumble my name.
"I'm here, baby, right here. I'm not going anywhere."
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me. "Parker, what are you doing here? I don't want you to see me like this." A single tear ran over her cheek as she tried to turn away from me, a grimace coming over her face as the pain caught her.
"See you like what? You’re my girl. No different than when I saw you a week ago." I smiled, trying to keep my tears at bay.
"I look awful."
"You’re beautiful." She grew quiet as we stared into each other’s eyes. "You’re still the same woman I fell in love with." I smiled at her and gently wiped the tears from her cheek.
"Did they catch him?" she asked, looking up at me with tired eyes.
"I'm not sure yet, baby. Elliott is outside with Jen. They were calling to find out. We will make sure that once he is caught he stays locked away."
"Elliott's here as well?" She closed her eyes as a small sob came from her throat. "Does he know everything?"
"Yes, but you don't need to worry about anything. You just need to concentrate on healing and getting stronger so that..." I rested my hand on her abdomen and squeezed her hand with my other.
She closed her eyes. "They told you?" she asked in a barely audible whisper.
"They did." I smiled down at her.
"I was afraid that they would tell you."
"Why would you be afraid of that?" What came next almost knocked me to my knees and took my breath away.
"I wanted to be the one to tell you. I wasn't sure you would want it. I wasn't sure you would even want to be with me after everything that happened."
I felt the air being sucked from the room. My heart ached for this beautiful woman who lay before me. I had wanted her for years, and I had never given up hope that she would find her way back to me. She owned my heart and would until the day I ceased to exist.
I rested myself on my opposite arm and bent down to place a long, gentle kiss on her mouth. "I've always wanted you. Always. even after you walked away from me the first time." I kissed her again. "Close your eyes, baby, and get some rest."
I sat down in the chair beside her and held her hand, watching as she closed her eyes. It wasn't long before she fell into a sound sleep.
We had talked extensively over the couple of days that he stayed by my side in the hospital. Talked right into the wee hours of the morning both nights. Things turned serious when we started talking about the baby.
Parker leaned back against the chair he was sitting in, his feet up on the bed. I could see he had the weight of the world on his shoulders at that moment. I hadn't seen that look on his face since the day we went our separate ways.
"What is it?" I asked quietly.
"What?"
"You look like you have something on your mind. Talk to me." I raised the bed up a little higher.
"It’s nothing."
"I don't think it’s nothing. Talk to me."
I watched as Parker swallowed and turned his eyes down to the floor. "I'm still a little shocked. We're going to have a baby together."
"Yes. But I gave it some thought last night. If you don't want to be involved, then just say the words."
I couldn't help it. I was nervous. I was pissed that the doctor had told him. I didn't want him to feel obligated to stay with me. I couldn't seem to get it through my head that someone would want to be with me after everything that had happened.
"I'm not him, Tatum."
My head snapped up, and I locked eyes with him.
"I'm not him. Stop doubting what we have. I can see it written all over your face. I'm in love with you, no matter what you have been through. I'm here, and this time I am not going anywhere, no matter how long it takes you to realize it."
I felt a tear slip down my cheek. "Why did I ever let you go?" I covered my eyes with my hands. I didn't want him to see me cry again. I had shed enough tears in the last week.
"Move in with me?"
I slowly lowered my hands and looked at him. I studied the look on his face and could tell he was serious. He stood up from the chair and sat down beside me in the bed and took both of my hands into his, his warm touch sending a pulse through my body.
"Move in with me?" His deep voice soothed my nerves almost instantly.
"What about my place?"
"We can worry about that later. What do you say?"
It took me a few minutes, but then I heard Jen’s words in my head. You'll have to stop burying yourself in denial. You just need the guts to admit it to yourself.
I nodded my head. "Yes."
He pushed me back against the pillow and kissed me deeply, the heat from his body soothing me. At that moment, a feeling of comfort came over me, as if my soul knew I was home.
Parker stayed for a while, and we watched a couple of shows together. He was just starting to nod off when I shook him.
"What is it?"
"Listen, you’re exhausted. Why don't you go spend the night with Jen and Elliott? We have a long day tomorrow."
"No, no, I am fine," he said, standing up to stretch.
"Seriously, babe, go. Get a good night’s rest."
He looked from me to the bench he had been sleeping on and back to me.
"It’s okay. I’m good."
I forced Parker to leave shortly after making sure I had everything I needed for the night. Parker hadn't left my side since I was admitted. He had slept in the chair in Emergency for the first night, and the last two nights on that horrible, hard bench in my room. He was exhausted and needed a good night’s sleep before we headed home tomorrow. I couldn't wait to get out of here and on with my life.