Page 37 of Coming Home

With my attention now back to Scarlett, I can hear the sirens right outside and loud footsteps come up behind me.

“We got her now, sir, please step back,” a paramedic says, firmly. I move to the side, not wanting to let go of her hand. I can’t let her go, not now, not ever.

“Sir, we need you to step back, we can’t help her unless you let go.” Although it pains me, I let her hand go just as a stretcher comes up beside her, and the medics get her on it to start wheeling her toward the ambulance. Another paramedic is taking her vitals and getting her on a drip. I follow them closely, my eyes not leaving her body, my mind willing her to be okay.

With the ambulance doors wide open, I jump in behind them, following Scarlett and not wanting to let her out of my sight. The team inside works fast with bandages to stem the flow of blood.

The doors shut, and the ambulance makes its way to the hospital, lights flashing and sirens blaring. I am not a religious man, but I think of my dad up in heaven and I need his strength, so I lower my head and begin to pray.

44

Scarlett

I wake up to the sounds of slow, steady beeps and a headache to rival sledgehammers on my brain. My throat is dry, and I slowly open my eyes. Bright lights beam into my face from above and make me squeeze them shut again briefly as I take my time adjusting my eyes to the room.

I look around the room I am in—white, sterile, quiet. By looking at the bed and machines, I know that I am in a hospital, but why? What happened? My mind races to the last few moments I have in my memory. I recall Uncle Ray, Stephen, a warehouse, blood, and Shaun. Oh my god, Shaun! I start to panic. Is he okay, is he hurt? I try to move in the bed, but my whole body hurts, and the minute I move my head I am filled with nausea and moan in pain. As I look around the room some more to try and get an understanding of exactly where I am, I spot a figure at the side of my bed, a hand holding mine. Shaun. Slumped over my bed, sleeping in clothes that look days old, I try to move my hand and manage to squeeze his fingers in mine.

He lifts his head. “Princess? Princess, are you awake?” He stands up and gets closer to my head, looking in my eyes, rubbing his thumb over my cheeks. He looks terrible; his eyes are dark, and he looks like he hasn’t slept in days. His jaw has stubble, and his clothes are wrinkled. I can see tears well up in his eyes, and I feel tears running down my cheeks. I go to talk, but I can’t talk because my lips and throat are so dry.

“Let me get you some water.” Shaun walks to a nearby desk and fills a glass from a water jug before walking back and holding my head with one hand and tilting the glass with the other. I take a small sip. Damn, that feels good.

Shaun puts the glass down and comes back to me, peppering my face with soft kisses. “How are you feeling, Princess?” he asks quietly.

“Like I have been hit by a truck,” I croak in reply, with a soft smile, the most I can manage, the pain in my head is too great.

“Don’t talk, just relax. You are in Mass General, I have you in a private room. You have been here for three days, in an induced coma due to the trauma to your head. There was swelling, but it has now gone, that’s why your head probably hurts right now.”

“What happened?”

Shaun lets out a sigh before telling me the entire story of what has unfolded over the past few days.

“Stephen is fine and in the room next door. He will be released in a few days, his injuries consisting mainly bruising and a broken knee, ribs, and collarbone. Ray was shot at the scene, along with most of his men. Forensic accountants from the FBI have now taken over the Heatherstone Enterprises and are reviewing every business deal and all financial reports for the past five years. Regardless of what else they find, this will end the business and Heatherstone Enterprises will no longer exist. It appears at this stage that Ray operated his money laundering activities with the help of only two of his trusted advisors, both who have been taken into custody and are helping the FBI with their inquiries.”

“Aunt Emily has gone into hiding. There is no evidence of her being linked to any of the business dealings, but the shame and embarrassment is all too much right now, and she is in a safe location being watched by the FBI.”

“Romeo and the team are assisting the police with all their investigations and have handed over all materials, photos, and all other evidence that we collected. It was so well-captured that the FBI believe that the case is open and shut. They still need to interview you and Stephen but that will wait until later in the week once you are feeling up to it.”

“Ray’s motives are clearer now. Your father found out about his dealings about two years ago, and when your father didn’t turn a blind eye, he put a hit out on him and the rest of your family and had them killed. Years earlier, he also tried to strike a deal with my father, who declined, and this enraged Ray. Ray used you to get to me so he could get the money he thought he was owed. The Australian Federal Police did an excellent job of hiding you. Ray couldn’t get a firm hold on your location, so he stepped back and encouraged you to move to Boston to be with family. Once here, he used you as bait to get to me. Once he knew I was interested in pursuing you, he planned to kidnap you for ransom. With that money, it would make him not only the wealthiest and most successful businessman in Boston but certainly the country. He would have wielded a lot of power.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and tears stream down my face. The sense of loss is great, but the relief that it is all over is greater. To think that Ray was selfish enough to use me to increase his wealth and be the demise of Shaun’s business is shocking.

“I’m so sorry, Shaun…”

“Don’t. Don’t even say it. None of this is your fault, and none of it is any of your responsibility. Ray was an evil bastard, and we all got caught in his crossfires. You didn’t deserve this, and I for one am thankful he is a selfish bastard because if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be in Boston, and I would never have met you. You are everything to me. Seeing you at the warehouse, all the blood, and what Ray did to you, it killed me seeing you hurt like that. I do not want to live another day away from you ever. I love you, Scarlett, you are it for me. You are everything to me.”

Shaun leans over and kisses my tears away. I’m speechless, as all the information he just unloaded on me is scrambling in my head. “I think you should rest some more. It is early morning, and the doctors will be in to check on you soon. Get some rest. I will be right here next to you. Always.”

With that, my eyes close and my breathing starts to steady. I fall back into a deep sleep, knowing that Shaun will always be there to protect me.

Epilogue - Scarlett

“You got it!” I yell out to Shaun, laughing as I see him standing on the surfboard for the first time. I’m capturing it all on my camera for us to view later. He wobbles a little, but he is doing a great job for a city slicker.

We are on our first vacation together and decided to come to Australia for a few weeks of rest and relaxation, and so Shaun can see where I grew up and how beautiful the country is.

As I sit on the beach in Byron Bay watching Shaun take a surfing lesson, I realize how far we have both come.

I was in hospital for two weeks in total, then spent a few days speaking with the FBI so they could gather all the evidence they needed to close the case of Uncle Ray’s illegal business dealings. Stephen made a speedy recovery and was 100% cleared by the Feds, free to continue working in business at a director level. As he no longer had a business to return to, Shaun hired him to run his nightclub business, which is a great fit for him as he gets to meet some beautiful ladies.

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