Page 101 of Love Me Again

“Will it?” I whisper sceptically. “Maybe on the outside, her scars will heal eventually. But will it heal here?” I question, pointing to my temple. “Will it heal here,” I point to my heart. “She’ll never recover from this, not ever, it will always haunt her forever, and it’s all my fucking fault.” I cry, shaking my head and walking out of the room, not having the stomach to be in there anymore. I run out of the house and see the van was still there with those fuckers in it. I run over to it and the officers guarding it catch me before I rip the doors open.

“Whoa, easy, buddy.” The officer holding me back says, wrapping his arms around me. I see their smug faces looking at me through the caged glass, and my anger flares even more.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!” I scream, punching the door hard. “YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH! WHY?!” I sob, screaming as I push the officer off me and go for the doors again, but they grab me and haul me away.

“Calm down, or I’ll be forced to cuff you and put you in the car.” The officer warns me, and I shake him off me.

“You're going to pay! Do you hear me, you sick fucks! You’re going to pay for everything you did to her! I’m going to make sure you never see the light of day again!” I threaten, pointing at the rotten bastard who smirks and blows me a kiss. “You and the psychotic bitch that hired you!” Josh drags me away from the van. I was seething. Every time I saw their faces and Shayla's state flashes in my mind, my anger fires up all over again.

“Cole, calm down, or you’re going to get yourself arrested. They’re going to get what’s coming to them, bro. We’ll see to that, don't you worry.” Josh reassures me, glaring menacingly at the offenders in the van. I turn when I hear voices coming out of the house. They’re rolling Shayla out of the house on a stretcher, and I run toward her. “You go with her, and I’ll go back to the station and get the car. I’ll tell everyone she’s been found, and I’ll come to the hospital, all right?” Josh says, and I barely nod as I watch them push her into the back of the ambulance. I climb in and sit down on the seat beside her.

“Is she going to be okay?” I ask the paramedic girl worriedly as she puts a cannula on her arm for an IV drip.

“She’s in pretty bad shape, but she’s hanging in there. Your girl is a fighter. You’ll know more when they examine her more extensively at the hospital.” She explains, and I lift her hand to take it into mine. “Avoid touching her for now. Police will need forensics to take swabs for any DNA.” She explains, pulling her hand away and placing it on her stomach. I nod and wipe away the tears that spill over and run down my face. Shayla coughs a little and groans. I lift my gaze and look at her.

“Shayla?” I lean close, looking at her bruised and bloodied face, and she whimpers. “Baby, can you hear me? I’m right here, sweetheart. You’re safe now.” I tell her and wait for her to open her eyes, but she doesn’t.

“She’s been through quite an ordeal. She’s taken a couple of hard blows to her face and head, so she’s a little concussed.” The paramedic explains, and I sigh, closing my eyes. “How long have you been married?”

“Which time?” I say, not wanting to get into the whole story. “We were married for six months, got divorced, and got married again eight months ago. We’ve had a very rocky relationship, but I have never loved anyone more than I love that girl right there.” I admit, and the paramedic smiles sadly.

“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I’m a huge fan of both you and your wife. I used to see your pictures in the papers or social media all the time and always wish to find someone to look at me the way you’d look at each other. I could just feel the love through the screen of my phone.” She states with a smile, and then her face falls when she looks at Shayla. “Then I read about her being abducted and now seeing her like this...”

I look at her, frown and, sit up straight. “Please don’t say anything to anyone about what she’s suffered. I don't want the papers to find out about what she’s gone through and have it all over the internet. It would destroy her even more.”

Her brown eyes go wide, and she looks at me, surprised. “Oh, no, I would never. I’d have to be completely heartless to do such a thing. I’ve always idolized her and hoped I’d meet her one day, but I obviously didn’t ever dream it would be like this.” She replies woefully and shakes her head.

“I would appreciate your discretion, and so would Shay. I don’t want her to suffer any more than she already has.” I sigh, leaning forward and rubbing my hands over my face tiredly.

“You’ve had a tough time lately, huh, first your accident and now this. It's like a bad omen.” She utters with a little frown. Jesus, she really was a fan. She wasn't wrong, though. Maybe we do have a bad omen; that’s why we can’t seem to just be happy.

After what felt like forever, we finally make it to the hospital. They wheel Shayla into the A&E department, and the doctors come running over as the paramedics list the injuries she’s suffered and what they’ve treated. I see four police officers and a woman dressed in plain clothes waiting with them as they roll her into a private room. The doctor looks at me questioningly. “I’m her husband, and no, I'm not leaving her side for a second,” I state firmly, and he nods, relenting. I stand in the corner of the room while they examine her. The blinds go down, and the woman walks in with a briefcase waiting for the doctors to finish examining Shayla. They roll up her shirt, and I wince, closing my eyes when I see more bite marks and bruises on her ribs.

“Possible bruised and broken ribs.” The doctor runs his hand down her ribs, and she jumps and whimpers in protest. I take a step forward, my heart up in my throat. “Order a CT scan for the ribs and her head.”

“Am I okay to take photos and do my examination before you take her away?” The woman asks, and the doctors nod and leave the room. She looks at me and blinks. “I’m going to need you to leave the room for this.” She informs me, and I look at Shayla lying unconscious.

“Please don’t hurt her.” I request, and she shakes her head comfortingly. I walk out of the room and close the door behind me. I anxiously paced back and forth. I had a splitting headache, and I was worried sick about Shayla or how she would react when she wakes up. The examination felt like it took forever. Once that was done, they took her to have her CT scans. She had two fractured ribs, and thankfully, her head was fine. Her brain wasn’t swollen, her skull wasn’t fractured; she just had a cut on the side of her head, which would heal in a week or two. She had a stab wound on her thigh, which needed stitches, but fortunately, no long-term damage has been done…physically speaking anyway.

Two hours go by, and I sit by her bedside, her dainty hand in mine, waiting for her to wake up. The doctor said she was very malnourished. She hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink in days. They’re going to pay for everything they’ve put her through. I’ll make sure of it. I feel her fingers twitch in my hold, and I open my eyes and look at her. She’s stirring awake. I brush my hand over her forearm gently in an attempt to comfort her, but she jumps, ripping her hand away from my touch with a pain-filled whimper. “Shayla,” I speak softly and reach over to touch her face. Her eyes flicker open, and she screams, or at least she tries; her voice was gone. I pull my hand back and stand up. “Shayla, it’s me, it’s me, baby, it’s me,” I say, reaching out to take her hand, trying to soothe her. Shayla looks around the room, and her eyes turn to me. “It’s me, sweetheart, you’re okay, you’re safe now, you’re safe,” I reassure her, kissing her hand, and her eyes fill with tears as she looks at me, her lips quivering. “I found you, baby. It’s over.” I reach out to touch her face, but she shrinks away and starts to cry, her frail body shaking with hoarse sobs as the reality of what she’s suffered hits her.

“Sophie.” She cries, shaking her head.

“I know baby, I know, the police have her, and the two men have been arrested too. It’s over. You’re safe.”

I press my lips to her hand and couldn’t contain the sob that erupted within me. I was supposed to be strong for her, but I couldn’t. I was so relieved she was alive but so angry at what she’s been through; the fear in her eyes broke me. When I sit on the side of the bed beside her, she turns her face away from me. “Why did you save me.” She asks weakly, her voice strained and croaky.

I frown, “Shay.”

“You should have let me die.” She whispers vacantly, facing away from me.

“Baby, please don’t talk like that. I was going out of my mind trying to find you. We all were.” I tell her, kissing her hand softly, but she pulls it away and rests it in her lap, her fingers trembling. “Shayla, look at me, please?” I cry, but she stays silent and continues to stare out of the window to her right.

“I can’t.”

“You’re right to hate me. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.” I admit dropping my gaze. “If anyone deserves to die, it’s me, not you. I wish I had died in that crash. This would never have happened to you if I had died. She would have left you alone.”

Shayla finally looks at me, but she doesn’t hold my gaze as she used to. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “It was her. The plane crash. It was Sophie.”

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