Amelia

 

By the time Amelia got back to Nikki’s apartment, she could barely breathe through the tears that were now streaming down her face. Walking away from Landen had been the hardest thing she ever had to do, but seeing Landen hurt, made her realise exactly what she was asking of him, and she just couldn’t do it. He had a life, and a family that loved him dearly, how could she ask him to risk it all, just to protect her.

She could hear the anger in Landen’s brother’s voice when he said that it was her fault that he had been hurt. Even though Landen had insisted that wasn’t the case, she knew that even if it wasn’t because of her this time, it was only a matter of time until it was her fault, and Amelia couldn’t let that happen.

She also realised that seeing him lying there, bruised and battered that she had feelings for him. Deep, powerful feelings, so she needed to go before it was too late and she lost her heart to him completely. Falling in love just wasn’t an option. Not while Pete Reynolds was still a threat.

What scared Amelia the most was, she had only known Landen for such a short time, yet she felt closer to him than she had ever felt to another person since she lost her father. She needed to stop this before it became too much.

When she had text Landen earlier, she had been thrilled when he told her that he wanted to come over, because she wanted to see him too. She had smiled to herself as she typed in the text that told him to hurry up, and when he didn’t reply, Amelia knew he was wasting no time getting there. But then he never arrived,

When Nikki knocked on her door, to tell her that Landen had been taken to the emergency room, Amelia felt a pang of guilt instantly consume her. Her first thought she had when she heard that Landen had been hurt was, Pete Reynolds had found her, and he had hurt Landen.

When Mike came to collect them both, to take them to the hospital, all Amelia could think was what if Landen died because of her. The fear inside her was almost consuming, and by the time she reached the hospital, she could barely breathe.

Then they reached the hospital waiting room, they found some of Landen’s family already there. Amelia froze the moment she saw them, but Nikki didn’t miss a beat, she quickly introduced Amelia as her cousin. However, when Nell shook her hand, the look in her eyes, Amelia could help but worry she blamed her too. She knew that Nell Murphy knew exactly who she was because Landen had admitted that he had told his mother about her, and while it hadn’t bothered her at the time; now she wished he hadn’t told her anything.

Amelia sat there watching as Landen’s brother paced up and down the waiting room floor, while he ranted about how stupid Landen had been, getting involved with something that he knew was dangerous. He said how he had warned him that this was going to happen, but that Landen, in typical Landen style, insisted he knew what he was doing.

The worst part was, Amelia knew that Liam was right. She knew what Pete Reynolds was really like, but she let Landen put himself in danger anyway. Now he was hurt, but she had no idea how badly.

When they were finally allowed in to see Landen, Amelia just wanted to cry the moment she saw his bloody, beaten face. The strong, virile man that had made love to her the night before, looked broken, vulnerable and it made Amelia feel sick.

Even when Landen had insisted that it was nothing to do with the “friend” he was helping, it did little to offer her comfort. It didn’t help to see him get so upset because he wanted to protect her, even from his brother, and that just made him sicker. This whole thing had turned into a complete nightmare. Amelia looked at the panicked faces of Landen’s family, as they all stood there, watching him struggle to breathe, she knew what she needed to do.

It was the one thing that she knew to do well. She ran.

Now that she was back in the apartment, Amelia just wanted to disappear as quickly as she could, even though the thought of leaving Landen, or even leaving Nikki, was breaking her heart.

As she rushed into her bedroom, she considered what she needed to do, first. Should she pack her things, or should she write Nikki a letter? Then she thought of Landen once more, wondering if she should write him one too. She knew she owed him that much; she just didn’t know what to say. There were no words to explain how she was feeling right at that moment, the thought of saying goodbye to him hurt far more than she had ever believed it would.

Amelia went to find some paper, then brought it back to her room. She quickly wrote a letter for Nikki, setting it on her pillow. But in the end, she couldn’t face writing one to Landen.

Once she was done, Amelia rushed to the door of her wardrobe, pulled it open, and then hurried inside. She quickly reached up, taking the large bag she had from the top shelf, pulling it down. It was the one thing she had learned over the last three years; always travel light. She had one or two things of sentimental value to her that belonged to her parents. A locket that belonged to her mother, and a pocket watch that belonged to her dad.

Other than a handful of photos from her childhood, Amelia had very few possessions that she truly cared about. She quickly stuffed her belongings into her bag, before she returned to her bedroom and gathered what pieces there was left. When she was finished, she stood for a moment, looking around her room and quickly swallowed the fresh lump of grief that was almost choking her, before she headed out into the hallway.

Amelia was halfway down the hall when the sound of keys in the front door stopped her dead in her tracks. She held her breath and waited for Nikki to come barging into the apartment, but instead, she was surprised to see Liam standing in the doorway.

“Amelia!” He exclaimed, sounding almost relieved that she was there. “Good! I didn’t miss you.”

“If you’ve come here to tell me that it’s my fault Landen was hurt, you can save your breath,” she said as she continued down the hallway, towards the front door, determined that nothing was going to stop her. “I already know you blame me. I know you don’t want me here, so I’m leaving. I just want Landen and Nikki to be safe. I don’t want anyone else hurt because of me.”

“So that’s it?” Liam asked as he stepped in her way just before she reached the door. “You’re just going to leave, without even saying goodbye?”

“It’s for the best,” Amelia said, surprised by Liam’s reaction. “I thought you would have been happy I was going. At least now Landen will be safe.”

“Of course I’m not happy,” Liam replied, and Amelia could tell that he meant what he said. “And neither will Landen be happy. If you go, it will destroy him.”

“Destroy him?” Amelia replied, surprised by his words.

“Amelia, you don’t know him that well yet,” Liam continued as he tried to reason with her. This just surprised Amelia more. Of all the people in Landen’s life, Amelia was sure that Liam would be the one that would be happy to see the back of her. Especially after the way, he talked about Landen, and the asshole he was helping back in the hospital. “But I do. For him to admit he cares for you; that’s huge.”

“I care for him too,” Amelia sighed, wishing more than anything else she could make him believe that. “But I can’t be the reason he gets hurt. I knew from the start that letting him close was a mistake, and I was right.”

“He wasn’t hurt because of you,” Liam replied as he stepped closer to her. “It was Charles Greenway that did this.”

“Nikki’s dad”? Amelia exclaimed, knowing that this piece of information would break Nikki’s heart.

“And I’m going to make that bastard pay, believe me,” Liam replied, and Amelia knew that he meant every word he said. “But right now, I promised Landen I’d bring you back to him, and I’d really hate to break my promise to my big brother.”

“But if I stay, he could get hurt again,” Amelia whispered as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

“And what do you think will happen if you leave,” Liam asked, giving her a pleading look. “Especially if you leave like this.”

“I’m just scared that my past will catch up with me,” Amelia breathed out, as she closed her eyes, sobbing quietly. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“I give you my word,” Liam said as he wrapped his arms around Amelia, holding her tightly. “If you stay, I will do whatever it takes to keep you, Landen, and everyone else safe. But you have to trust me. I need to know who you are running from, then we can figure out how to stop him together.”

“Why would you help me?” Amelia said as she pulled back a little, looking up into his eyes.

“Because Landen is my brother,” Liam replied with a smile. “And I know he cares about you a great deal. He was so upset because you left, it was all Dylan could do to stop him from coming after you, himself.”

“Well that’s just stupid,” Amelia replied as she wiped the tears from her face.

“And so is walking away,” Liam replied, and Amelia couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re the last person I would have expected to come after me, to try to talk me into going back,” Amelia said as she looked up into his eyes. “Especially after the things, you said at the hospital.”

“Yeah,” Liam replied with a smile. “Well, maybe I’m stupid too. But if you tell Landen I said that, I’ll deny every word.”

Amelia laughed once more.

“So,” Liam said, giving her a questioning look. “Are you going to come back to hospital quietly, or do I need my handcuffs?”

“You know, I actually believe that you would use them,” Amelia replied with a nervous giggle. “Landen was right about you. You are trouble.”

“Just what else has my big brother been saying about me?” Liam said as he reached for Amelia’s bag, that was still in her hand. He set it down on the floor in the hallway, then turning and opening the apartment door once more.

“He said that if the time came, and I needed to trust someone else,” Amelia replied honestly. “I can trust you with my life.”

“He said that?” Liam asked as he stopped and turned back to Amelia. “Really?”

“He did,” Amelia confirmed. “I think Landen was always going to ask you for help, Liam. He just needed me to be sure I could trust you too.”

“And do you?” Liam asked as he gave her a questioning look. “Trust me, I mean.”

“I think I do,” Amelia replied and gave him a smile.

“Then let’s get you back to the hospital before Landen has a full search party out, looking for us both,” Liam said as he looked at her expectantly.

Amelia stood staring at him for a moment. She knew if she went with him, there would be no going back. Then she thought of Landen, and she longed to see him.

She gave Liam another smile, before she walked past him, out the door, towards the elevator.

Maybe this wasn’t the right thing to do, but it felt like it. She needed Landen, and right now, he needed her too.

When they reached the hospital, they found Dylan standing outside Landen’s room talking to another doctor. When he looked up and saw them both walking towards him, Amelia could see the relief on his face.

“You came back!” He exclaimed as she and Liam reached him.”

“I did,” she replied, then she turned, smiling up at Liam.

“How is he?” Liam asked his brother.

“He’s asleep,” Dylan replied as he glanced toward the door to the room. “I knew he was never going to relax, but with the concussion, I needed him to remain as calm as possible. So, I sedated him.”

“You drugged him!” Liam replied with a laugh. “Oh shit, he is going to be mad at you when he wakes up.”

“Yeah, probably.” Dylan shrugged before he looked at Amelia, smiling. “But when he wakes up and sees that Amelia is back, I might just get away with it.”

“Can I go see him?” Amelia asked as she looked from Dylan to the door of Landen’s room.

“Sure,” Dylan said as he turned, leading both Amelia and Liam to the door.

The moment Amelia saw Landen, she knew she had done the right thing coming back. She walked to the bed, softly taking hold of his hand.

“He will be out of it for a couple of hours,” Dylan said as he watched Amelia with Landen. “But you can stay with him if you want.”

“Thank you,” she whispered as she stared down at Landen’s bruised face. She wished right at that moment that Liam and Dylan weren’t watching her. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of them, but she couldn’t hold back her tears. “He is going to be okay, right?”

“He will be fine,” Dylan assured her with a smile before he gave Liam a nod. “We will leave you two alone.”

“Thank you,” Amelia whispered once more, still not taking her eyes off Landen.

When they were alone, she leaned down and softly pressed her lips to his, wishing he would just open his eyes and tell her himself that he was going to be okay.

She sat down in the chair that was next to the bed, then slipped her hand back into Landen’s, as she just watched him sleep.

“How can I feel this way about you”? She whispered as she watched him closely. “It’s only been two weeks, but I feel like I’ve known you a lifetime already.”

She stared at him, but she knew he wasn’t going to respond.

“I’m scared Landen,” she whispered as she leaned in closer to him. “And for the first time since this nightmare with Pete started, I’m not just afraid of what he will do to me if he finds me. I’m afraid because now I have something I don’t want to lose; I have someone I don’t want to lose.”

She stopped again, watching him, knowing he couldn’t hear her.

“But most of all, I am scared because I’m falling in love with you,” she continued finally. “And there is nothing that Pete can do to me that would even come close to how it would feel if I lost you.”

A soft cough from behind her startled her. She quickly turned around to find Dylan standing there.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking embarrassed to have caught her at her most vulnerable moment. “I forgot his chart, I need it to complete my paperwork.”

“Okay,” Amelia replied, feeling completely mortified that Dylan had heard her private confession.

“I will just grab it,” he said as he picked it up from the end of the bed, then hurried back towards the door, but then he suddenly stopped.

“I know that you don’t know me,” Dylan said as he nervously turned back to her. “I know you don’t really know anyone other than Landen from my family.”

He stopped for a moment as if he was trying to choose his words carefully.

“Landen is in love with you,” Dylan blurted out suddenly, completely stunning Amelia with his directness. “He might not even know he is, but he is. You were all he cared about tonight. I have never seen him more scared of losing anything as he was about losing you tonight.”

Amelia stared at Dylan, still unsure of what to say.

“I’m just saying,” Dylan said with a smile. “We may not see each other as much as we should, but each one of us knows that there is nothing that we wouldn’t do for each other. And if Landen loves you, then that makes you family too, well, to me anyway. So, if there is anything at all that you need, you just need to say the word.”

“Thank you, Dylan,” Amelia said, grateful for what he has said.

“I will leave you alone now,” Dylan said as he reached for the door again, but stopped once more. “And I won’t tell Landen what you said.”

He smiled at her.

“That’s something he needs to hear from the woman he loves, himself,” Dylan added before he turned and walked out of the room.

Amelia turned back to Landen and smiled to herself. She wondered if what Dylan had said was true. Did Landen love her too? In her heart, it felt like he did. She just really wanted to hear the words from his mouth.

She rested her head down on the bed next to him, closing her eyes.

Suddenly she felt tired. She held Landen’s hand tightly, as she drifted off to sleep.