Chapter 15
The next two days were agonizing for Ridge. Mallory hadn't spoken to him since she left and he was baffled. Of course it was his fault that she was angry, but he'd apologized in a hundred different ways over the last two days. He was at a loss as to what the next step should be.
The funeral was the next day and he wanted Mallory by his side. She'd become his rock, but it probably wouldn't happen. He sat up late that night writing his eulogy for Sloan. The memories that welled up caused horrible nightmares and he woke twice during the night drenched in sweat.
That morning his mood was dreadful as he sipped his coffee. The funeral was at eleven and he wasn't looking forward to it. Although nobody looked forward to a funeral, it seemed like he was dreading this one more than usual. He'd spoken at several funerals, but for some reason his state of mind was out of sorts.
As he dressed in his uniform to show respect to the lost soldier, his adrenaline flowed. With each button his mind went into soldier mode. His spine became rigid and the frame of mind cleared. He was a true soldier elite as he looked in the mirror. Everything about his stance spoke rigid soldier.
He arrived a little early for the funeral. Several of his former men walked up to shake his hand. It felt good to see the guys that made it home. Then when Sloan's wife walked up to give him a hug his stature slumped slightly. Her sobs wrenched at his heart.
They spoke briefly before the minister came to walk her to the front row. Ridge got in position behind the casket with Sloan's fellow soldiers as they followed it into the Church. He watched the casket roll in front of him. The flag draped over it made his heart leap with patriotism. But deep down he knew his friend was under that flag and he missed him.
The minister spoke briefly before introducing Ridge. He stepped up to the podium and began. His eulogy was full of memories, achievements of his friend and their time together. Ridge spoke of how brave he was and the depth of his love for his wife. When he turned to look into her eyes she smiled. That's when he knew he'd chosen the right words.
Afterwards he went to the dinner that was setup in the fellowship hall of the Church. As he sat at the table talking with his fellow soldiers his mind drifted to Mallory. She'd been on his mind so strong today that he could almost feel her near.
Driving home he tried to call her again, but only received her voicemail. This time he didn't leave a message. He resolved to give her more time. Chase and Maggie rushed out of the house the moment he put the truck in park. Their expressions told him something was wrong.
Quickly he got out of the truck and met them on the walkway. "What's wrong?"
Maggie had tears flowing down her face. "It's Mallory." She burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Ridges waist. His heart began to pound hard in his chest as his ears began to ring. What had happened to Mallory?
Chase gave him a worried look. "She was headed home from Florida and someone crossed the median hitting her head on." He paused for a moment. "All we know is she's injured."
Ridge almost collapsed. "Where is she?"
"She was life-flighted to Atlanta." Chase said as he followed Ridge back to his truck. "I'll drive you." He knew his brother would go to all lengths to get to the woman he loved.
"I can drive myself." He ground out as he walked around to the driver's side, but Chase snatched his keys and climbed in behind the wheel.
"Maybe so, but you need to get there in one piece."
Running back around the front of the truck Ridge climbed in the passenger's side as Maggie climbed in the backseat. "I'm going too." She said as both brothers looked at her.
It was the longest ride of Ridge's life. His heart was pounding as he watched the road slip by. Was she alright? How bad were the injuries? Would she recover? All of these questions ran through his head as they headed into the city. As soon as they parked Ridge was out of the truck and almost running to the main entrance.
At the information desk he asked where she was and left the other two to follow quickly behind him. The elevator seemed to take forever as it slowly made its way to the fifth floor. He ran to the nurse's desk to get information. Then he turned back to Chase and Maggie looking grim.
"She's in ICU with several broken ribs, a broken arm and leg on left side. They said she was in and out of consciousness but some of that is medically induced." He started pacing in the hall as he talked. "They're getting permission for me to go in to see her."
Maggie put her arm on his. "You need to calm down before you go in there. She doesn't need you to go all Ridge on her." His dark look made her continue. "Let's just say, she needs comfort not hard edged worry."
He stopped pacing looked down at his sister. "I'm not going in there to argue with her. All I want to do is make sure she's alright and knows I'm here to help her."
"That's good, but take a deep breath and stop pacing. She'll throw you out if you pace around the bed like this." Chase said as he guided them into the waiting room that was thankfully empty at the moment.
Ridge stood by the window staring out at nothing in particular. How would she respond to seeing him? Would she order him out or tell the nurse not to allow him in? Did he have to blast past the nurses and doctors to get to her?
He was brought out of his thoughts when a doctor stepped into the waiting room. "Are you Ridge Cauthen?"
"Yes I am. How's Mallory?" Immediately he wanted to go past the doctor and find out for himself.
"She's doing a little better since we have her stable, but she's still groggy from the surgery. We're keeping her in surgery as a precaution"
"What surgery?"
"We had to reset her leg, but she'll heal well. She's a healthy woman and that will help with her recovery. Of course she'll need a lot of care for the next six weeks as she recovers and heals." He looked at the other two standing there. "Are you her family?"
"We're her friends. She's like part of our family." Maggie responded first to the question. She and Mallory were great friends.
He looked at Ridge seriously and in a low voice he spoke. "She specifically said not to let you in, but if Maggie was here she wants to see her." The dark look that ran across Ridge's face made the doctor step back a little. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you back there."
Maggie turned to Ridge. "I'll talk to her and see what I can do." She said as she followed the doctor to the ICU.
Ridge sat down and put his head in his hands in frustration. "Chase it's my fault she's in here. If I hadn't pushed her away, then she wouldn't have left. I don't blame her for not wanting to see me, but I have to make this right."
Chase sat down beside his brother. He knew it was killing him just sitting here. "It's not your fault entirely. She's a grown woman and made the decision to leave."
Turning to look at Chase he frowned. "Why can't I get past the war? I've tried so hard to leave it behind, but every time I think I'm making progress something happens to send me backwards. I don't know what to do."
For a moment Chase was at a loss for words. He'd never heard his brother talk like this. Ridge was the strong brother the one that could deal with anything and come out unscathed. Now he was seemingly at rock bottom. "Ridge, for one thing I think you're in love with Mallory and I think that's the change that's coming over you. The second thing is if you love her, you need to push the bad thoughts out and think about her."
"If she'd just see me, I could apologize for being such a hard edged person. I just need to see her." Frustration filled his body.
The brothers sat silently for a long while, waiting for Maggie. Ridge struggled with patience. One time he almost burst through the doors and cried out her name, but then he'd be banned from the hospital. That wouldn't solve anything.
Maggie stepped into the waiting room quietly. She didn't speak, but her eyes told them more than words. Her look was one of uncertainty. But why?
"Well? Will she see me?" Ridge stood up and walked to Maggie.
"Ridge she's angry with you right now.
I tried to explain that you were distraught about her accident, but she doesn't want to see you." Then she looked at Chase. "She wants to see you though."
Chase stood up and gave Ridge a sympathetic look. "I'll try to get you in." He squeezed Ridge's shoulder and headed through the double doors.
"I'm sorry Ridge, but she's not in a good state of mind right now." Maggie hugged her brother and he accepted it readily for a change.
"How was she?" His heart ached and the only healing would come when he set eyes on her for himself. He needed to see her gorgeous eyes and confirm she was alright. Until that time he'd hurt without ceasing.
"She's badly bruised on her face and her leg and arm are in casts. Tubes and monitors are all around her, but she's on some heavy meds so she isn't feeling too much pain at the moment." She pulled back and gave him a small smile. "It'll be alright. Her heart is yours and when she's ready you'll be the first one to know it."
"Thanks Maggie, but right now the only words that will help my feelings are 'she'll see you now'." He released Maggie and walked over to stare out the window. Going back over their conversation on that fateful morning when he'd pushed her away. All she wanted to do was help him and love him, but he'd acted like an idiot. How do you come back from that kind of hurt? Would she ever forgive him?
It seemed as though Chase had been back there for hours, but in actuality it was only fifteen minutes. He strolled back in the waiting room with a smile. Ridge almost knocked him down when he reached the middle of the room.
"Well, can I go in now?" His face fierce with determination.
Chase gave Maggie a wink before he spoke which totally infuriated Ridge. "Nope. She's as stubborn as you are brother. I think the lady wants you to suffer a little longer." He sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him, placing his linked hands behind his head. "Yep, she's a real angry woman right now and you're the center of that."
Ridge growled out in frustration. "I'm about to bust down that door and make her see reason." He started pacing with a vengeance. Chase and Maggie looked at one another and grinned. They knew now for sure he was head over heels with Mallory. It was a turning point for the hard edged Ridge Cauthen.
Suddenly alarms went off from behind the double doors. Nurses ran through the doors calling out orders. Chase had to grab Ridge before he burst through the doors. "Man that could be anyone back there. It's a full house." His voice strained as he struggled with his brother.
"But it could be Mallory. What if something went wrong? Anything could've happened?" He finally stopped struggling. Sitting down he put his head in his hands. "I need to talk to her and set things right."
Chase walked over to the nurse's station and inquired of Mallory's condition. When he walked back over to the waiting room he looked a little pale. "Ridge, the alarms were in her room. She's had a reaction to the new pain medication that was just administered but they were able to stabilize her."
Ridge stood up and walked over to the nurse's station. "Is there any way I can just see her?"
The nurse looked at him and smiled sympathetically. It was evident that she appreciated his good looks. "Sir she's made it quite clear she doesn't want to see you." When his eyes changed, she continued. "I would get in trouble if I let you go in without her permission. I'm sorry."
"Thanks. Could you please keep us informed of her condition?"
"Sure, no problem," She smiled sweetly and went back to her paperwork.
"Let's go down and get something to eat in the cafeteria. The next visiting time is over an hour away." He stood up and pulled Maggie with him. "I'm starving."
"Come on Ridge, you need to be strong when she finally gives in." Maggie pulled at Ridge's hand.
"But what if she asks for me and I'm not here." He remained unmoving.
"We'll ask the nurse to have you paged." Chase said as he turned to tell the nurse.
He finally gave in and followed them to the elevator. The meal was typical hospital food. Ridge only picked at his as Chase devoured his. Maggie ate around hers. Several people stared at the three of them. Ridge sat in his dress uniform, looking devastatingly handsome, while Chase was in his jeans and t-shirt looking the part of the true rogue and then there was Maggie with her long hair and gorgeous blue eyes. They were a good looking group and everyone in the cafeteria noticed.
As they walked back to the elevator, he noticed the gift shop. Ridge stopped and opened the door. He purchased a bouquet of roses and a teddy bear holding a heart. The nurse added a balloon in for free.
At the nurses' station he gave them the gift for Mallory. One of the nurses grinned and took it through the double doors. Now he'd wait to see if it made a difference.