“Sir, they’re taking care of her, let us—”
Tyler staggered to his feet. “How is she, goddammit!”
More awareness flooded in. Deputies and emergency personnel swarmed all over the house. Alex was unconscious and handcuffed on the living room floor, another EMT examining him.
“Sir, I don’t know. Let us examine you so we can transport you to the hospital, please.”
The EMTs guided Tyler outside to the back of another ambulance, seating him on the bumper as they examined him. A detective walked over. “Mr. Paulson?”
Tyler nodded. “How is she?”
“Mr. Kinsey went with her.” He handed Tyler a set of keys—Tom’s—and flipped open a notebook. “Can you tell me what happened?”
Tyler recalled what he could of the attack. The EMTs bandaged his head, and Tyler signed a release indicating he was refusing to be transported.
That’s when two deputies dragged Alex, kicking and screaming, out of the house.
Alex’s eyes found Tyler, and he grinned. “I killed your little fag whore, didn’t I?” he screamed. “Ya goddamned queer! I killed the fuckin’ cunt!”
Tyler launched himself at Alex with an enraged scream. “You bloody, filthy bastard!”
It took the detective and two other deputies to restrain Tyler, while two more roughly shoved Alex into the back of a patrol car. Finally, Tyler dropped to his knees, sobbing. He’d failed her twice. Breaking her heart and not keeping his promise to protect her.
Please, don’t let her be dead. Don’t let my angel die.
* * * *
They let Thomas ride in the ambulance with Nevvie. As he left, Tyler was coming to and being examined by another paramedic team. Alex was handcuffed and unconscious. Thomas handed a deputy his keys. “Just give them to Tyler.”
The deputy nodded. “We’ll need your statement, Mr. Kinsey. They’re going to take her to Tampa Community. We’ll catch up with you there.” Thomas had given him the short version in the five minutes between the EMTs arriving and loading Nevvie for transport.
Thomas stayed out of the way, praying, unable to focus on their words as they worked to staunch her bleeding, started an IV, and applied monitor leads to her chest.
At the hospital he tried to follow them into the ER but a nurse grabbed his arm, gently but firmly redirecting him to the desk. “Sir, they might take her straight to surgery. You can’t go in there.”
He broke down sobbing, his knees unhinging. An orderly came over to help, caught his other arm, and between them they maneuvered him to a chair.
“Please, they’ve got to save her. Please don’t let her die,” he begged.
The nurse spotted the blood on him and rethought her decision, had the orderly bring a wheelchair. They took Thomas to a triage room on the other side of the ER to check him over.
Nevvie was taken to surgery minutes later. Thomas sat in the waiting room, her blood dried on his shirt and numb beyond tears. He’d managed to fill out some of the paperwork and answer questions without any real certainty how. Nearly an hour later, Tyler, a bandage on his head, appeared in the waiting room door and raced to Thomas’s side.
“How is she?”
Thomas finally looked at him. “She’s in surgery.”
Tyler sat next to him and waited, neither speaking.
* * * *
Another long, silent hour later, a doctor walked in. “Ms. Barton’s family?”
Tyler and Thomas stood, and the doctor walked over. “She’s out of surgery, but she’s going to be in the SICU for now.”
“How is she?” Thomas asked.
“She lost a lot of blood, and there is a high risk of infection. We think we repaired all the damage. The knife didn’t hit any arteries or go through her spine. She’s young and her vital signs are strong, so we’ll wait and see. The next twenty-four hours are critical. The longer she makes it, the better her chances.”
“Can we see her?” Tyler asked.
“You can see her for a minute. She’s going to be unconscious for at least twelve hours. She’s on a ventilator, and we’re keeping her sedated and out of pain for now. You’re related?”
Both men nodded.
“Okay, come on.” They followed the doctor to the SICU, washing their hands as instructed. The doctor spoke to the nurse taking care of her and motioned them to her bedside. Nevvie was in a small room separated from the main SICU ward by sliding glass doors.
Dwarfed by the bed, Nevvie looked small and frail. She had IVs in both arms, a tube in her nose, and a respirator tube in her mouth. Tears rolled down Thomas’ face as he carefully caressed the back of her right hand.
“Nevvie, I’m here,” he whispered. “Tyler’s here too, baby girl.”
Tyler stood on her left side and touched her hand. “We love you, sweetheart. You can do this, you’re strong. You have to come back to us.” He choked back a sob and closed his eyes.
Thomas battled with his anger at Tyler. This wasn’t the time. “Sugar,” Thomas whispered, “you’re going to be fine. You’ll be out of here in no time. You have to be okay for me, I need you, I can’t lose you. I love you.” He carefully leaned in and kissed her forehead where an ugly bruise had already formed. “You have to be okay, Nevvie. You have to come home to me.”
The nurse indicated their time was up and Thomas stepped back from the bed. Tyler leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Nevvie.” Then he whispered in her ear and followed Thomas from the room.
The nurse stopped them. “Mr. Kinsey? Take this with you. They took them off of her in the OR and I’m afraid they’ll get lost.” It was a small plastic bag containing Nevvie’s turquoise necklace, the engagement ring, and the ruby ring Tyler had bought her. Thomas choked back a sob and nodded. Tyler watched, but remained silent.
Another nurse stopped them at the SICU desk. “You’re Ms. Barton’s family?”
The men nodded.
“The admissions caseworker needs to talk to you, get the paperwork sorted out. I’m sorry, I know this is a rough time.”
“It’s all right,” Tyler said. “What do we need to do?”
The nurse showed them into a small office right outside SICU. An officious, harried-looking woman walked in fifteen minutes later.
“Mr. Barton? I’m Nancy Park from Administration.”
“We’re Ms. Barton’s family,” Tyler said. Thomas still held the plastic bag, running his fingers over the engagement ring through the plastic.
She smiled, but it didn’t travel any further than her lips. “We need to get her insurance information, all of that handled.”
Thomas took a deep breath. “That’s all at home. I’ll have to go get it. We have a medical power of attorney.”
“Oh, good. Okay.” She handed him her card. “Can you bring that back today? The sooner the better. If I’m not here, someone will be on duty to help. Are you her husband?”
“We’re engaged.” He glared at Tyler, silently daring his lover to contradict him.
The woman glanced at the ring on his hand then saw the one on Tyler’s. Her eyes narrowed. Before she could say anything there was a knock at the door, and a nurse opened it. Behind her stood a deputy. “I’m sorry, but he needs to take Mr. Kinsey’s statement.”
Tyler stood. “I’ll get the paperwork and bring you some fresh clothes. You stay here.”
* * * *
Tyler returned home, found the paperwork, and packed a small bag of clean clothes for Thomas. He grabbed the paperback Thomas was reading off the bedside table and tucked that into the bag. Scanning the bedroom, he knew he’d have to find time to straighten it up, but not now.
Back in the kitchen, he nearly threw up at the sight of Nevvie’s dried blood on the floor and cabinets. He sobbed as he ran warm water in the sink and used a dishrag to clean up the worst of it.
It was nearly an hour before he returned to the hospital. He found Thomas in the waiting room and handed him the bag and his cell phone.
“I’l
l go talk to the caseworker,” Tyler said.
Thomas nodded, but said nothing.
Tyler found his way to the administration office, and the receptionist directed him to Ms. Park’s desk. The woman took the folder and made copies of everything, frowning before handing it back.
“What’s wrong?” Tyler asked.
“If Mr. Kinsey is her fiancé, why are you on all of this paperwork, too? Are you related?”
Tyler was in no mood for bullshit. “Isn’t that an improper question, Ms. Park? I assure you, our attorney drew everything up. It’s all proper, and her health insurance is current. Mr. Kinsey and I jointly hold her power of attorney. Is there anything else?”
She showed her true colors. “Mr. Paulson, all I know is there’s something weird going on here.”
Tyler’s voice grew hard and cold. “Are we done, Ms. Park?”
She pressed her lips together, but nodded. He noted she looked at his wedding band.
Before he left administration he made sure they set Nevvie’s admission status to private, requiring a security code to get information about her condition over the phone. That would, hopefully, slow a few people down. He had a feeling that beyond the shitstorm of emotion he was going through, a firestorm would erupt when the news got out.
* * * *
Thomas had changed clothes by the time Tyler returned to the waiting room. When Tyler glimpsed the silver chain under his collar and slight bulge under his shirt, he realized Thomas had threaded the rings onto the necklace. He must have, because Thomas’ hands were much larger than Nevvie’s.
“We can’t see her again until eight tonight,” Thomas said. “They have three times we can visit during the day until they move her. Only fifteen minutes at a time.
Tyler looked at his watch. “That’s in three hours. Do you wish to get something to eat?”
Thomas shook his head and looked at the floor. “She told me to tell you she loves you,” he whispered. “At the house, before she passed out.”
Tyler closed his eyes and struggled against his tears. “Thank you.”
“What did you say to her in there?”
Tyler didn’t open his eyes. “I begged her to forgive me for what happened, and for not being there to protect her. I promised I would protect her, never let anyone hurt her, and I broke that promise.”
* * * *
The hours crawled and Thomas made no effort to speak to Tyler. At eight they silently returned to the SICU. After scrubbing up they walked to Nevvie’s bedside and gently stroked her hands.
The nurse worked on Nevvie’s chart just outside the alcove and Tyler motioned to her. “Yes, sir?”
“How is she?”
“She’s critical, but stable.”
“How long will they keep her on the ventilator?”
“Probably until tomorrow morning, depending on her condition. We’ll keep her sedated until then to keep her comfortable.”
Tyler wished he could be the one in the bed, not her.
Thomas finally spoke. “Is she going to make it?”
“Would you like me to get the doctor to answer your questions?”
He shook his head and looked at Nevvie. “She hates to be alone. She’s terrified of hospitals. She made me promise not to leave her alone before the ambulance took her.”
The nurse patted him on the arm. “I’m sorry, but you can’t stay with her. Once she’s out of here you can talk with the nurses wherever she ends up.”
Tyler’s voice was choked and ragged. “She’ll be scared to death. We promised we’d always take care of her. She has horrible nightmares if she’s alone.”
The nurse handed Tyler a card. “Here’s the number for the SICU desk, with her bed number. I’m Carol, I’ll be on duty until seven a.m. You can call during the night and check on her. The orders we have say she’ll stay sedated until morning, when they’ll re-evaluate her condition. She won’t wake up before then. The two of you obviously love her, but you need to go home and get some sleep. I’ve got your phone numbers in the chart and I’ll call if anything changes. Be back here by six tomorrow morning and let the SICU desk know you’re here so you can talk to the doctors during rounds.”
Both men nodded, and Thomas placed a tender kiss on Nevvie’s forehead, brushing the hair away from her face. “Good night, sugar. I’ll be back first thing in the morning. I love you.”
Tyler leaned over and kissed her. “I love you, sweetheart. Please come back to us.”
Tyler drove them home. Thomas hesitated at the kitchen, staring at the remainder of the mess. There was still blood in the grout and tracked around the kitchen.
Tyler threw his keys on the counter. “I didn’t have time to properly clean. I wiped up the worst of it.” He ran warm water to finish the job and Thomas continued to their bedroom.
With leaden feet he walked to the bed and started folding her clothes, putting them away, returning hangers to the closet, dragging the empty boxes back to the garage. When Tyler finished in the kitchen he joined Thomas in the bedroom and together they tidied the room.
When Thomas undressed to take a shower, Tyler saw the necklace. As suspected, he’d threaded Nevvie’s rings onto it. Thomas removed it and carefully put it on the dresser with his watch. He glared at Tyler, his message unmistakable: Don’t touch it. I’ll take care of it.
Tyler didn’t dare join him in the bathroom. He took his shower after Thomas finished. Thomas lay on the far side of the bed, his back to Tyler. Another clear message: Leave me the fuck alone. Tyler knew to leave the angry silence unbroken.
Retrieving his cell phone charger from the office, Tyler plugged it in on his side of the bed and set the alarm to wake him at two so he could check on Nevvie. He eventually slept before it sounded.
When Tyler called, Thomas didn’t move on his distant side of the bed. Thomas didn’t say anything, but Tyler sensed him listening. After he hung up, he spoke without turning to face Thomas.
“Her vital signs are stable. She’s still under sedation.” He reset the alarm for five.
Neither slept.
Before they left the next morning, Tyler looked at the answering machine and found twenty messages. He didn’t have the energy or time to listen. They could wait. He imagined it would hit the news today, and it could make life crazy for a while. He wasn’t Stephen King but it wouldn’t surprise him if it hit the wires in the UK, too.
* * * *
The doctor talked with them. “We’ll slowly back off the sedation. Her blood pressure was stable last night, and she’s not running a fever, no sign of infection yet.”
“Can we stay with her?” Tyler asked.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Paulson. If she continues to improve, we’ll upgrade her condition and then look at moving her to a regular room in a day or so.
“She’s terrified of being alone,” Thomas said. “Please, can’t you make an exception?”
“Mr. Kinsey, I understand you’re concerned, but she won’t be alone. She’s in the most intensively staffed area of the hospital. We can give her medication to calm her without sedating her if she’s distressed.”
The men returned to the waiting room. Nevvie wasn’t awake by the eight a.m. visitation. They had removed the breathing tube, replacing it with an oxygen cannula in her nose, and she still had the nasal drainage tube. The next visitation wasn’t until one p.m. The day nurse promised to call them immediately if she awoke.
* * * *
Nevvie felt trapped, suffocated. Like she was wrapped in a black cotton cocoon with no way to escape. What happened? Where were her boys?
Oh, God, please let them be okay!
Images roiled through her brain—the Halloween party, the spa day, the boys proposing, when they rescued her from…
Alex! He attacked her!
Nevvie’s eyes flew open. She gasped for air, trying to scream but her throat was sore, raw, her voice little more than a weak croak. She frantically clawed at the air and then a nurse was at her side, trying to
calm her. Where the hell was she? She hurt. Goddamn her stomach hurt!
“Ty…Tom…”
“It’s okay, Ms. Barton,” the nurse soothed. “You’re in Tampa Community Hospital. You’re okay.”
Nevvie looked around. “…boys…” They weren’t there.
“You’re safe, ma’am.” A doctor examined her, checking her vital signs. “You had surgery and you’re in the intensive care unit.”
Nevvie looked at the nurse again and tried to speak. “Where are they?” Nevvie tried to sit up but the nurse’s hand and a dizzying wave of pain held her back.
“Where’s who?”
Nevvie felt the tears and didn’t try to stop them. Were they even here? She’d yelled and screamed at them, and now she needed them. She was still pissed, but she was willing to deal with that later. She couldn’t leave them. She needed them. Now.
“Where are my husbands?”
The nurse and the doctor exchanged glances.
* * * *
The men looked up when a doctor walked into the waiting room. “Mr. Paulson? Mr. Kinsey?”
They both stood.
“Please follow me.” He left without waiting for them. Tyler and Thomas exchanged a brief look before hurrying after him. At the SICU door the doctor turned and dropped his voice.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, and frankly, I don’t care. It’s not my business. She’s awake. You can stay for thirty minutes unless her condition changes or there’s an emergency.” He looked at the men. “She woke up asking for her ‘husbands.’ I’m assuming that’s you two.”
Both men nodded.
“I’m won’t have to call security to keep the peace, will I?”
The men shook their heads.
“No,” Tyler said, trying to cover. “It’s fine. I’m sure she’s just upset. We did warn the staff she’s terrified of being in the hospital.”
The doctor eyed them and finally let them in. They scrubbed as fast as they could and raced to Nevvie’s alcove. When she saw them she closed her eyes and reached out both hands, sobbing with relief as they huddled close.