Page 88 of Further To Fall

Austin squeezed my hand. “The police presented some of the evidence to him and his lawyer yesterday evening.” He paused, sucking in a breath. “Baby, last night, he hung himself in his jail cell.” I blinked up at Austin, having no words. Of all the things I’d thought he might say, that was nowhere on my radar. The only feeling I could muster up was relief, which immediately turned to guilt about feeling that way. Tears started to gather in the corners of my eyes. “Baby, breathe nice and slow for me.”

“I-I-I hate that all I feel is relief.” I was fighting the tears, knowing that if I gave in to the sobs, I would be in tremendous pain.

Austin leaned down, expression fierce as he got right in my face. “You should feel relief, and you’re not going to beat yourself up about that.Ifeel relief. He was a sick fuck, and this world is a better place without him in it. That is not a kind of sickness you can heal, baby. As long as he was in this world, you would have been at risk, and I am not down with that. So, he’s gone, and I’m happy about that.”

I sniffled, but the tears eased. “I love you, Austin.”

“Love hearing those words from you, Firecracker.” He kissed the corner of my mouth farthest away from my stitches.

As he rose, the nurse bustled in with a syringe in hand. “Here we go, this should have you feeling better in no time.” She slid the needle into my IV, and a minute later, my eyelids were drooping.

“Get me out of here!”I was whining, it was unattractive, and I didn’t give a flip. I had been in the hospital for a week now, and I was going stir-crazy.

“Calm down, Firecracker, the doc said there was a good chance it could happen today.” Austin was reclining precariously in a plastic chair, feet resting on my hospital bed. He had stayed by my side for the past seven days, refusing to go home.

My parents, who were staying at his house, brought him a fresh change of clothes each day, and he showered in the bathroom attached to my hospital room. The staff took pity on him and rolled in a cot that he could sleep on. Once I was doing better, Blue got the boot, my parents taking him home to Austin’s house.

My room looked like a florist shop with arrangements from family, friends, and co-workers. Not to mention a ridiculously large teddy bear that Liam and Ford had brought for me, which Blue had proceeded to hump. My room was a revolving door of visitors. Taylor had even flown in for a day, saying that she’d needed to see with her own two eyes that I was doing okay.

While I was unbelievably appreciative of all the love my family and friends had shown, and everything the doctors had done to help me, I needed out of this hospital. The stitches in my lip had been removed yesterday, and the ones along my ribs could come out in another week. I was ready to go home, well…to my new home.

My parents had taken the news of me moving in with Austin surprisingly well. Once the police had cleared the scene at my old house, my mom had set to work finishing what I had started, packing up all my belongings. Austin had hired movers, and all my things were now waiting to be unpacked at his house.

I twisted in my hospital bed. “I’m ready to go home.”

A grin stretched across Austin’s face at my calling his househome. “I’m ready for us to go home too, but not before the doctor says it’s okay. I don’t want your lung collapsing again.” That was the big concern, and why I’d had to stay in the hospital for so long. I had been instructed that even once I was released, I’d have to take it easy for a few weeks.

“I’ll stay in bed and let you wait on me hand and foot if I can just get out of this hospital. I want food that doesn’t taste like cardboard, and a bed that doesn’t feel like it’s a slab of concrete,” I said, giving Austin my best puppy-dog face.

He shook his head and came up to a sitting position. “Don’t give me that look. We do what the doctor says.”

“Oh, fine, but I won’t be held responsible if I lose it on some poor, unsuspecting nurse who brings me another container of Jell-O.”

Austin chuckled and bent down to sweep his lips across mine. “How about, if you don’t get out of here tonight, I’ll see if I can get approval to bring in some outside food? I’ll have Liam pick up all your favorites from Little Dom’s.”

I leaned up just a bit, my ribs protesting slightly at the movement, and brought my lips to his. “You are an angel sent from Heaven above.” I kissed him again. “Sorry I’m being such a shrew, I think I have cabin fever.”

Austin tucked my hair behind my ear. Letting his fingers travel down my neck, he squeezed it gently. “I know. I’d be going crazy too if I was stuck in that bed. We’ll get you home soon.”

“We’ll get you home now, actually,” my mom called from the doorway. “I just talked to Dr. Stevens, and he’s signing your discharge paperwork as we speak!”

I let my head fall back against the scratchy pillows. “Hallelujah!”

Both my mom and Austin laughed. “She’s not the best patient, is she?” my mom asked.

“It’s not her strong suit,” Austin replied.

“She never was, even when she was a toddler.”

“All right, you two, no ganging up on the invalid,” I interrupted.

My mom crossed to my bed and cupped my cheek. “Okay, I’ll let you off easy this time. I sent your father to bring the car around. Austin, will you see if there’s a cart or something we can use to haul all these flowers downstairs?”

Austin looked to me and then to the door. “Sure thing, Mrs. McCarthy. You’ll stay with Carter until I’m back?”

“Now, I told you, call me Sheila. Mrs. McCarthy is my mother-in-law. And, of course, I’ll stay with Carter.”

“All right, Sheila, I’ll see what I can find.” Austin strode toward the door, and I stared at his butt the whole way.

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