Enchant Me (Brie's Submission, #10)

  Brie sighed, knowing her answer would displease him. “Popcorn.”

  “Don’t forget that baby needs you even more than Sir Davis does,” he insisted with a hint of compassion in his voice.

  Brie wanted to disagree, but the concerned look in his eyes kept her silent. She looked back at the doors of the ICU as she was led away.

  I’m coming right back, Sir, she silently promised.

  Captain was not satisfied with what the hospital cafeteria had to offer and took them to an offsite café. He wouldn’t even let Brie order, getting her a large salad with plenty of chicken, a glass of milk, and an additional glass of water.

  She looked at the large salad bowl and laughed. “There is no way I can eat all this.”

  “You’re not leaving until it is all gone, Mrs. Davis,” Captain stated firmly.

  Brie sighed, feeling like a child. She hated every minute she was away from Sir, but knew Captain would not relent, so she started scarfing it down. The more she consumed, however, the more she realized how much she’d needed to eat. By the time she was done, she looked at Captain feeling foolish.

  “Thank you, Captain. I…” She patted her belly. “We needed that.”

  “Of course you did. It’s important that you remember that in the weeks ah—.”

  “No,” Brie interrupted. “Sir will wake up any minute, I’m sure of it. Several times I swore he was about to open his eyes.” She couldn’t help smiling when she told them, “That’s why I can’t stay here long, I need to get back. I have to be the first person he sees when he wakes up.”

  Captain put his hand on hers. “I understand, Mrs. Davis, but you cannot forsake your health in your desire to be there for your Master.”

  Brie smiled as she stood up and promised solemnly, “I will make a sincere effort, Captain.” She gave Candy a quick hug. “Please go home and get rest yourselves.” She added before racing out the door, “Thank you both. I’ll be calling you soon with good news.”

  “God willing,” Captain answered.

  Brie felt energized when she headed back into the hospital, certain Sir would awaken upon her return.

  She quickly realized nothing had changed when she entered his room. It was silent except for the contestant beeping of the heart monitor. However, she didn’t let it discourage her. Brie stood next to the bed, taking his hand again. “I’m back, Sir, just like I promised.” She glanced at the heart monitor hoping to see a change, some indication that he’d heard her—that he knew she was there.

  It remained steady and unchanging.

  “That’s okay,” she assured him, grabbing the chair to sit closer. “You just need a little more time to heal.”

  The Reynolds came to the room not long after.

  “How’s he doing, Brie?” Mr. Reynolds asked, his voice heavy with concern. He walked up to stand beside her next to the bed.

  “He’s suffered a bad head injury and is in a coma. As you can see, he has broken bones too. They have him on a breathing tube, but will take that out when he wakes up.”

  “When do they think that will be, dear?” Judy asked.

  “The doctor can’t say.”

  Mr. Reynolds wrapped his arm around Brie. “He’s a fighter.”

  She nodded. “I know he is.”

  “Is there anything we can do for you?” Judy asked, moving to the other side of Brie to add her hug and support.

  “No, not really. We just have to wait and pray.”

  “Have you called Master Anderson?” Mr. Reynolds asked. “I’m certain the Training Center staff would want to know what’s happened.”

  “I haven’t called anyone. Candy took care of contacting you and my parents.”

  “Then let me help you with that,” Judy offered. “Who would you like me to call?”

  Brie handed her the phone. “Just our closest friends.”

  When Judy looked unsure, Mr. Reynolds told his wife, “I can help with that.”

  “Thank you both,” Brie murmured, looking down at Sir. “I really don’t have the heart to talk to anyone right now.”

  Mr. Reynolds squeezed her tighter. “Quite understandable. You need to concentrate on Thane, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

  She turned and buried her head on his shoulder. “I almost lost him…”

  Mr. Reynolds held her even tighter. “Thane’s a fighter, Brie. He’ll survive this.”

  Brie looked back at Sir again. “He hasn’t moved this entire time. No change, nothing.”

  Mr. Reynolds turned to face her. “I remember when Thane was a boy. We were all together at the lake one summer, Judy, myself, Ruth, Alonzo, and Thane. Being an adventurous boy of ten, he decided to jump in the water—Thane has always had an affinity for water. Anyway, he somehow got trapped by old baling wire that had been discarded years ago.

  “God only knows how long he was down there before Alonzo noticed he hadn’t come up for air. He dived in, and I followed. It took both of us to untangle Thane, but by the time we got him to the surface he’d stopped breathing.”

  Mr. Reynolds took a ragged breath. “I will never forget the fear when I realized Thane was gone. Luckily, Judy knew CPR. She kept pumping his chest and didn’t stop until he coughed up water.”

  Brie just shook her head, having never heard the story.

  “Thane talked to me about it after,” Mr. Reynolds continued. “Told me when he’d gotten tangled up in the wire he’d started to panic, but the more he struggled the more ensnared he became. Thane said there came a point when he knew he could take a deep breath and die peacefully or keep fighting to live. He chose to keep fighting, and that’s when he felt our hands on him.”

  Mr. Reynolds snorted, shaking his head as he smiled to himself. “The very next day, I found him back in the water. That boy doesn’t shy away from a fight.” He squeezed Brie hard. “Thane won’t give up now. He has too much to live for.”

  One of the men who had been the first to respond to the crash site requested to speak with Brie. She reluctantly left Sir’s side, wanting to thank the person who’d helped save his life.

  The tall man with a decidedly Grecian look held out his hand to her. “It is an honor to meet the wife of the hero.”

  “The honor is mine. How can I ever repay you for saving my husband’s life?”

  “I did nothing more than to keep him still until the ambulance arrived.” Tears came to his dark eyes when he explained, “When I saw his white shirt out in the field, I realized we’d found another one. I had no idea at the time…”

  “What?” she asked breathlessly, desperate to know what the man had seen.

  “I thought he was alone. It wasn’t until I tried to get his vitals that I realized there was a little girl underneath him, clutched protectively in his arms.”

  Brie’s bottom lip trembled as he continued.

  “I naturally assumed he was the girl’s father, but after speaking to the child’s family it was clear that that was not the case.”

  Brie smiled sadly, looking down at her stomach. “He will be a father—soon.”

  His eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, I see.” He looked at her with compassion. “The family of the little girl is overflowing with gratitude and wanted me to ask if they could speak to you privately.”

  “Me? But why?”

  “Lucinda, the little girl he saved, is well enough that she’ll be leaving the hospital tomorrow. It’s a true miracle. They had hoped to thank Mr. Davis personally, but under the circumstances they would like to speak to you before they go.”

  Brie looked back in the direction of Sir’s room, moved by his bravery. It was in honor of him that she agreed to leave his side to follow the man back to Lucinda’s hospital room.

  The young girl was smiling when Brie entered, but as soon as she saw a stranger, the girl instantly became shy and looked away. Brie understood and took the focus off Lucinda by addressing the woman she had observed the previous day.

  “Hello, I’m Brie Davis, Thane’s
wife.”

  The woman held out her hand to Brie, clasping it tightly. “Hello, Brie. I’m Dorothy Jefferys. These are my parents and of course this is my daughter, Lucinda.”

  Brie nodded at the older couple and smiled at the shy girl.

  “I can’t begin to tell you how grateful we are to your husband. Not only did he protect my baby when the plane went down, but she told me that he helped calm her even before they took off.”

  “Did he?” Brie asked, touched by her words.

  “Yes. Lucinda was alone on the flight headed to visit her father in Sharjah. I was sick with worry knowing my child was flying overseas by herself, but it couldn’t be helped. And then…when I heard…” Mrs. Jefferys glanced at her daughter briefly, fighting back the tears.

  Lucinda looked up at her mother with concern.

  Clearing her throat, Dorothy finished with a simple, “Naturally, I was distraught.”

  Brie nodded, remembering her own terror the moment she realized Sir had been involved in the plane crash. “I hear you’re doing okay,” Brie said in a cheery voice, smiling at Lucinda.

  The girl held up her arm, which was covered in a neon pink cast. “It’s pink.”

  Her mother added, “The doctors are amazed she walked away with only a broken arm and a few scrapes.” Dorothy became emotional when she explained, “We owe it all to your husband.”

  “The nice man helped me!” Lucinda piped up. “I was scared, but he told me I was brave and would be okay.”

  “The paramedics informed us your husband covered Lucinda with his body when the plane went down. Miraculously, Lucinda doesn’t remember anything after the initial takeoff.”

  Brie closed her eyes, nodding to acknowledge what Dorothy had shared, but trying her best to keep the tears at bay for the girl’s sake. Once she had her emotions in check, she looked at Lucinda again and smiled.

  It was a blessing the girl couldn’t remember the horrors of the crash. Brie wondered if Sir would be equally as lucky when he awakened. How must he have felt knowing he was going to die—never to see Brie again or hold their unborn child?

  Sir had faced death by helping another. It spoke volumes about the man.

  “I wish there was more I could give you than a simple thank you,” Dorothy replied.

  “A thank you is all my husband would have accepted,” Brie assured her.

  “I made him this!” Lucinda announced, waving a picture of two stick figures. One tiny one with yellow curls and one big one with a straight line of brown on top of its head. She’d drawn a rainbow above them.

  “Would you like me to give it to him?” Brie asked.

  Lucinda hugged the picture to herself. “No.”

  Brie chuckled at her frankness. “I bet you want to give it to him yourself, don’t you?”

  The girl nodded her head vigorously.

  “When he wakes up you can give him your pretty picture. I know it will make him very happy.”

  The little girl gave her a self-satisfied grin.

  “Is there anything we can do, Mrs. Davis? Anything at all?” Dorothy asked.

  Brie thought for a moment. “Prayers for my husband would be appreciated. The doctor said prayers and time is what he needs right now.”

  “I will let my church know to add him to the prayer list.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything we can do for you?” the grandfather asked.

  Brie shook her head. “No, I have everything I need. My husband survived.”

  Dorothy nodded in understanding. “We’re the lucky ones.”

  “Yes, “Brie agreed sadly. “Not everyone was so fortunate.”

  “Mommy, why is the lady sad?”

  Brie answered for Dorothy. “I’m just sad because my husband doesn’t get to leave the hospital tomorrow like you, and he doesn’t have a pink cast.”

  Lucinda stared joyfully at her cast. “Really pink.”

  “The pinkiest,” Brie agreed with a smile.

  Brie left the little family with a lighter heart. It made it much easier when she returned to Sir’s room and was hit by how still he was. Focusing on the present, she spent time sharing with him about Lucinda and her family. She also spoke about his bravery and sacrifice. “I’m so proud, Sir. Even in the darkest moment, you showed the world who you really are.”

  She stood up and looked down at him. Leaning in to kiss his cheek, she whispered, “Come back to me.”

  Condors

  In the days that followed, Brie saw absolutely no change in Sir’s condition. Dr. Hessen assured her that was a good sign. “His body is healing. Every day he doesn’t suffer from a setback is a step forward.”

  Brie took the opportunity, with permission from the doctor, to fill Sir’s room with sound. She brought Alonzo’s music and played it, hoping his father’s violin would call Sir back from the abyss.

  Although visitors were not allowed, many people sent cards and letters. Brie read every single one out loud, trusting Sir could hear their messages of support. To keep his mind in the present, she also read the top stories from the news.

  If researchers were right that patients in comas could hear, she knew Sir would want to be kept up to date with world news. She had opened up an article from the LA Times and paused, tears coming to her eyes. “Oh Sir, there is an article about you and the little girl you saved.”

  She choked up for a moment and then shared with him, “It says that churches all over LA. have picked up the plea of the Lucinda’s mother and are praying for you.” Brie put down her tablet and started to cry. “There are so many people who care about you, Sir. So many… It’s time to wake up. We all need you to open your eyes.”

  She glanced at the monitor and frowned in disappointment. The rhythm of his heartbeat never changed. It didn’t matter if his father’s violin was playing or if she was holding his hand and telling him how much she loved him. Even when she snuck in their Wartenberg wheel and rolled it across his skin, it didn’t evoke a reaction—nothing did.

  She had watched Abby give Sir a sponge bath on several occasions, but this time when Abby came in, Brie asked if she could do it.

  Abby gave it some thought before agreeing. “Certainly, Mrs. Davis. You’ve watched me, I’m sure you know the procedure.”

  She handed Brie the sponge and the tub of warm water. When she stepped aside to watch, Brie asked, “Do you mind if I do this alone?”

  Understanding flooded Abby’s face and she nodded, leaving quietly.

  Brie looked at Sir. Most of the bandages had been removed, leaving him with the ventilator, his large cast, the braces on his feet, and a mess of tubes and numerous wires. It made bathing him more difficult, but she was not intimidated.

  Sir looked peaceful lying there. The calm expression on his face made it appear as if he were just sleeping.

  My handsome prince in need of a kiss to awaken you…

  Brie leaned over and kissed his forehead, whispering, “I know you’re here with me. I want you to know how much I miss you.”

  She started at his feet, releasing the braces that helped keep them at a natural angle. She gently rubbed each foot with the wet cloth, making sure to give every toe individual care and attention. When she was done, she leaned down, her eyes locked on his face, as she lightly sucked and then bit down on his big toe. “That’s right, husband. I’m going to make slow, delicious love to your body as I bathe you.”

  Brie smiled as she ran the sponge over the length of his left leg. Every inch of him was beautiful, from the sexy curve of his calf to the perfect shape of his kneecap. The dark hair that covered his skin only accented his masculinity. After cleaning around his right leg with the cast, she started with moisturizer, rubbing into his skin with the touch of a masseuse. She stimulated his muscles, pushing hard as her hands glided over his legs, inching ever closer to his upper thigh.

  She looked at Sir again, grinning mischievously when she pulled his gown up and exposed his manly parts. “You do know where I??
?m headed, don’t you?”

  She massaged his thick thigh muscles, grazing the crease between his leg and groin, but never blatantly touching the area. She teased Sir the way he had so often teased her, and giggled lightly while she did it.

  It gave her great satisfaction to see that his princely shaft hardened slightly without being touched. It proved to her that Sir was with her, feeling Brie’s loving caress even if he could not respond to it.

  She cleaned his pubic area gently and dried him, before bending down to lightly kiss that handsome cock.

  Brie lowered the gown and then started on his arms, noting how strong and powerful they looked. She placed his hand against her cheek. “I’ve always admired your manly arms, Sir. They contain such strength and demand so much of my body, and yet…your touch can also be so very gentle.” She placed his hand back down and purred. “I love these hands, Sir.”

  Brie carefully lowered his gown to run the sponge over his chest, appreciating his pecs, the dark hair, and that beautiful scar over his heart. Brie traced the small ‘t’ with her finger, thinking back to that night they had both been branded.

  “Condors forever.”

  She lifted her blouse and took his limp hand, turning her back toward him as she helped his fingers trace over her own brand. “Yours, Sir, until the end of time.”

  Brie swallowed back the lump in her throat as she put his hand back and straightened her blouse. She leaned down, stretching so she could kiss that brand on his chest. She washed his hands next, again taking time to focus on each finger, leaving no area untouched. Then she began the massage, letting his skin soak up the moisture as she stimulated the muscles underneath.

  “Now for your handsome face…” she purred, rubbing her fingers over the overgrown stubble on his jaw. “As much as I love your facial hair, I need to give you a shave so you don’t look quite so unruly, Sir.”

  She laughed lightly as she left to gather the materials needed from the nursing staff. When she returned, she used gentle hands to spread a thin layer of shaving cream on his jaw, doing her best to work around the tubes of the ventilator. Her hand was steady as she lifted off stubble with the razor, cleaning it before making another pass. Sir had allowed her to shave him a couple of times, and she’d found it extremely romantic.