Breaking the Ice by Esme Taylor
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Hettie
Reid was on the floor, slumped against the bed, blood pouring from the gunshot wound in his chest, which was now covering a majority of his white t-shirt and pooling on the floor near his hand.
There’s too much blood. I thought, panic setting in. If Reid is going to have any chance of surviving, I need to stop the bleeding quickly. The thought of losing him again was too much to even consider.
I needed to get some help, but Roger was standing next to the bed with a gun pointed at my face, a terrifying expression upon his face.
“I told you I wasn’t going to let you go, Hettie. I’ve waited too long to have you. And I’ve worked far too hard. I want what I’m owed. I want you. And there is no way in hell I am going to let that bastard take you from me. Not again,” he seethed, kicking Reid’s lifeless body away from the bed with his foot and holstering his gun in the waistband of his trousers.
“I’m going to fuck you until you fall in love with me, Hettie. And trust me, you will. Given enough time, you won’t have any other choice.” His words made my blood boil and my skin itch.
I can’t let this man take me. I won’t let him take me. I have to fight. It’s not just my life. It’s Reid’s as well. I can’t let him die trying to save me.
Roger knelt on the bed and the old frame sagged beneath his weight. Straddling my hips, he rubbed his erection against my jeans as he leaned forward and bit my neck, hard. I hissed in pain. Which in his demented mind was a sign that I was enjoying it.
“You want more, baby?” he purred, spitting into my ear as he reached down and grabbed my breast in his hand. He squeezed so hard my eyes began to water.
“I’ve wanted to touch these since the moment I laid eyes on you. I’ve watched you fuck him, you know. I could tell by the way you reacted that you wished he was me. He’ll never be able to make you feel like I can.”
I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but I decided to lie still, hoping that he wouldn’t notice that Reid had managed to free my hand before he was shot.
Roger was so distracted, squeezing my breast as though he were milking a cow, he didn’t notice I had slipped my hand down the side of the bed, edging it under my back. Slowly, I pulled his knife from my back pocket and, as silently as I could, flipped it open to reveal the blade.
I did my best to block out his grunts of pleasure and the disgusting words he said, as he told me all the things he had planned for me. My eyes grew wide in horror and disgust when he reached down and unzipped his pants, slipping his hands beneath his waistband and touching himself. I stilled as he removed his hand and leaned down to undo the button and fly on my jeans, a hungry expression on his face.
I took a deep breath to calm my already frayed nerves. I closed my eyes, remembering how he pushed aside Reid’s lifeless body like trash. I need to save myself, so I can save Reid.
I looked my attacker square in the eyes and gripped the knife in my hand. Without another thought, I plunged it into the side of his neck and twisted, yanking it back out again.
Blood shot from the hole left in the blade’s wake, splattering against the wall, the bed, and my face. I watched, as his eyes widened in shock, his hand covering his wound in an effort to stem the flow.
It was only a matter of seconds before his eyes glazed over and his mouth went slack. Slumping heavily on top of me, blood cascaded from his neck as the rise and fall of his chest slowed to a dead stop. I tried to scream for help, but I couldn’t move as his body pinned me under him. I closed my eyes and prayed that someone had heard the gunshot.
Like an answer to my prayers, shouts and feet thudded on the wooden stairs, echoing around the room as armed police flooded the basement. When they had secured the basement, they rushed over and pulled Roger’s lifeless body from off me, while another group of people knelt down, tending to Reid.
“P–Please, don’t let him die,” I called out to anyone who would listen.
As if hearing my cries for help, I heard voices in the distance calling for a medic.
Through bleary eyes, I watched as Billy and Lou came running down the stairs. “Hettie! Oh, thank God you’re okay. You’re safe. We’ve got you,” Lou whispered as I burst into tears, unable to contain my emotions any longer.
Everything from that moment on blurred together as if in fast forward. I vaguely remembered feeling someone remove my bindings, while someone else wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and a paramedic looked me over.
All around me I could hear people asking questions––questions I couldn't answer. It all became too much. Using every ounce of strength I could muster, I let out a bloodcurdling scream.
That’s when I felt someone scoop me up into their arms and carry me from the room.
Allowing the fear and pain to take over, I closed my eyes and begged for the darkness to claim me once again. But before it did, one word slipped from my lips.
“Reid––”
◆◆◆
“Etta,” Reid called out, his voice filled with pain. “Please, help me.”
Horror filled me as blood began pouring from his chest and the life drained from his eyes.
A scream tore from my chest as I tried desperately stop the bloodflow and save him.
◆◆◆
“Shhh, Poppet,” my mum whispered, pushing the hair from my damp forehead. It’s okay. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you now.”
I looked around the room in confusion, everyone gathered around.
A hospital?I thought as visions of everything that had happened suddenly came flooding back.
My eyes settled on my dad, who was standing near the window, staring at me. Not speaking a word, he gave me a sad smile before turning to look out of the window, wrapping his arms around himself. On the opposite side of the bed from my mum, was Heather, holding my hand in hers. Her eyes were red and swollen and her hair was sticking up all over the place.
Max seemed stressed. He paced the floor, staring at his phone while his other hand rubbed his neck. It looked like he was attempting to massage out his stress and worry.
That’s when I noticed Lou and Billy sitting near the door in two red plastic chairs. Billy had his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Beside him, Lou softly ran a hand up and down his arm in comfort while leaning in close to whisper something into his ear.
My mum was muttering something beside me, but I too focused on Lou and Billy. The moment Billy’s eyes met mine, I could see something reflected in their depths that nearly killed me.
“Reid?” I choked.
Billy leaped from the chair and rushed over to me, wrapping me gently in his arms as tears streamed down his face. “Hettie, we were so worried about you. Are you okay? I’m so sorry, Hettie. I should have been there with him. I should have never let him go in on his own.”
“I–Is he––” I stammered, unsure if I was strong enough to hear the answer.
“He’s in surgery, Hets,” Lou piped up, a sad expression on her face.
“They’re trying to remove the bullet, but it’s really close to his heart,” Billy added. “It’s fifty-fifty whether they can get it out. The only thing they know for sure is that they can’t leave it in there. It’ll kill him if they do.”
A sob tore from my chest as Billy wrapped me in a hug, and sleep pulled me under once again.
◆◆◆
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed as I slipped in and out of consciousness, but I knew it had to have been a while based on the number of conversations I’d heard in my hazy mind.
The entire time I was out, I could hear nurses coming and going, checking my vitals. I heard the doctors speaking with my parents about my treatment plan, my dad telling me I was his brave little slugger. I even heard Lewis, who had come to see me, crying after Heather told him what had happened.
Finally, when the hospital grew silent, I assumed night had fallen and everyone had gone home. I was struggling to keep my mind focused enough to open my eyes. As I was drifting back into the land of unconsciousness, Thomas appeared.
I remember hearing him pull a chair up next to my bed, taking my hand in his. Leaning in, he whispered, “I got you so wrong, Hettie. I'm so sorry. I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. But for now, I need you to heal so that you can bring my boy back.”
◆◆◆
As the hours passed, the fog began to lift and I found it easier to keep my eyes open. The doctor came in to check on me and gave me the all-clear to shower. I was still a bit wobbly on my feet, and thanks to the wounds inflicted by Roger, it was more than a little painful when I moved, so Heather and Lou helped me to the bathroom.
While Lou was turning on the shower, ensuring the water wasn’t too hot or too cold, Heather helped me slip off the hospital gown, allowing it to pool at my feet. I felt numb as stared at my reflection in the mirror, taking in the damage Roger had inflicted on my body.
My face and body were covered in dried blood and my lip was split open, swollen from his abuse. I had an enormous lump on my temple where I guessed Roger had hit me with the butt of gun. Deep purple bruises covered my wrists and ankles where I’d been bound and a red, angry, newly-stitched wound now decorated the lower part of my stomach. There also appeared to be a bite mark on my neck and a hand-sized bruise covering my right breast.
When the doctor came in to check on me earlier, he told me how lucky I was to even be alive. And he was right. Things could have gone so differently. And while I knew my physical marks would heal, I also knew what Roger had done, and what he tried to do to me, would live in the shadows of my mind forever.
But the most horrifying act he’d committed had nothing to do with my body. It had to do with Reid. Because of him, Reid was lying on an operating table somewhere and if it ended up costing him his life, I didn’t think I would ever be able to recover.
“Hets, how about we get you into the shower and get cleaned up?” Lou said softly before pulling off her jeans and stepping into the shower with me.
Taking great care not to hurt me, Lou carefully washed the blood from my hair and my battered body while I stood beneath the water and let the tears fall. When she’d removed as much evidence of everything that had happened to me as she could, she turned off the water and helped me step out to a smiling Heather, who was holding a soft towel and a fresh pair of my own pajamas.
“We’ve got you, Hettie. We’re not going anywhere and we will keep you safe.” My friends wrapped me in a gentle, tentative hug before leading me back to bed.
While we waited for a doctor to come in and give us an update, my friends and family tried to distract me with inane questions and conversations. Sadly, nothing worked. After what felt like forever, a doctor dressed in scrubs entered the room and everyone grew quiet.
“Mrs. Hudson?” he asked.
Before I could say anything, Thomas moved to stand next to me. “This is Reid’s wife, Hettie, Doctor.” The doctor nodded in acknowledgment.
“Mrs. Hudson, my name is Dr. Kennedy. Shall we speak in private?” I shook my head and squeezed Thomas’ hand.
“Just please tell me about Reid,” I pleaded, my voice barely audible. I was so afraid of what he was going to say that I was already barely hanging on.
“We’ve just finished operating on your husband and he is being taken to recovery. The bullet was so close to his heart that it was a tricky procedure, but we did get the bullet out. I would be remiss if I didn’t inform you that he has lost a lot of blood and his heart stopped twice during surgery. Luckily, we were able to revive him. It was a very long, very complicated operation, which was a tremendous strain on his body. Unfortunately, we won’t know the full extent of the damage until he wakes up. Until then, we need to be patient and allow his body to heal.”
“But he’ll wake up?” Thomas asked as if he were reading my mind.
The doctor shook his head. “Honestly, we don’t know. The blood loss, combined with where the bullet was lodged… it’s hard to say. I can tell you that it is going to be touch and go for a while. But he’s fit and strong, which should aid his recovery. We will be keeping him in intensive care, under close observation. For now, we are going to see how he does after surgery and we’ll take it from there.”
Thomas closed his eyes and leaned against the side of my bed.
“Can I see him?” I choked out, tears welling in my eyes.
The doctor smiled softly. “You’ve been through quite an ordeal yourself, Mrs. Hudson. Take some time to heal. Maybe, in a day or two, when you’re feeling a bit stronger, we can let you in to see him for a few minutes. If you have questions, the nurses can beep me. And of course, if there are any changes in his status, I will let you know.”
I nodded, unable to speak.
Just as he was preparing to leave, he stopped and turned to face me again. “Mrs. Hudson, is there anything about Reid’s health or medical history that we need to be aware of? We’re struggling to find any of his old notes.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but I realized I didn’t know. I was just about to tell the doctor that when Thomas moved to stand beside him, his hand on his arm as he led him from the room, presumably to fill him in on Reid’s past.
“Why does the doctor think Reid and I are married?” I asked Max once the doctor was out of earshot. He smiled at me and winked.
“Reid doesn’t have any next of kin and they wouldn’t tell us anything. We figured the easiest way to get the lowdown on how he was doing would be to marry you off.” It would have been funny if I hadn’t been so worried about whether or not Reid would pull through.
“I can’t wait a few days to see him,” I cried. “I need to see him. Find a way, Max. Please.”
Max took my hand in his and rubbed it softly. “Leave it to me, Hets. I’ll find a way to get you to him. I promise.”
◆◆◆
Later that evening, my parents decided to go back to my house and clean up the mess the police and Tom’s team had left behind while looking for anything that would explain how Roger had been spying on me. They claimed they wanted to make sure everything was back in order for when I was discharged, but I knew they were exhausted and needed a break. Who wouldn’t?
As promised, shortly after my parents left, Max and the rest of my friends waltzed in with a wheelchair they had stolen. When the coast was clear, they snuck me from my room and wheeled me through the hospital to find Reid. Which wasn’t hard, given the fact that Thomas had posted security guards outside both of our rooms. Even though Roger was dead, he insisted we had guards in case the press tried to get to one or both of us.
Despite Thomas’ stand-offish and aloof behavior, I was beginning to see another side of him that warmed my heart. The way he went above and beyond showed me just how much he cared about Reid.
As the wheelchair came to a stop outside of Reid’s door, a flutter of unease and excitement filled me. I didn’t know what to expect. I was just happy Reid was alive. I smiled softly as the guard nodded, stepping to the side so that we could enter. But before we did so, Thomas placed his arm across the doorway.
“Hettie, I need you to know what to expect when we get in there. Reid looks rough. He’s attached to machines, he’s pale, he doesn’t really look like the Viking you’re used to. But I also need you to hold it together. I need you to be the strong one. Help me bring him back.”
He paused with his hand still on the door. “Are you ready for this? None of us, not even Reid, would blame you if you needed longer to recover.”
I pushed myself out of the wheelchair and took a deep breath, wincing as I did so. “No, I’m ready. Let’s do this.” I smiled and took his hand as Billy took my other and the three of us stepped into his room while Heather, Max, and Lou waited in the hallway.
I tried not to gasp or cry, but I couldn’t stop the silent tears falling when I saw him.
Reid was lying in a hospital bed with a tube down his throat, helping him to breathe and there was a monitor on his chest beeping out the rhythm of his heart. His chest and shoulder were covered with a massive dressing, which I could see was beginning to seep with blood.
Despite his massive size, he appeared so much smaller surrounded by all the machines and wires.
“Look who we’ve brought you, Reid. It’s Hettie. She’s fine, by the way, so you can stop being such a drama queen now and open your eyes.” Billy laughed, but his voice was strained as he looked down on his friend.
“Hey, Viking,” I whispered, pushing back the hair that had fallen over his eyes. “I heard your bed was bigger than mine, so I’ve come for a cuddle. I hope you don’t mind.”
Careful not to interfere with any of the many wires attached to his body, I climbed into the bed and curled up next to him. That’s when I noticed that I could no longer see his chest tattoo because it was covered by the dressing.
Pushing the hair from his face again, I ran my fingers down the side of his face and through his beard, which was much longer than his usual stubble I was used to. “You’re letting yourself go, big man. Is this what happens when we’re not together?”
Thomas gave my hand a gentle squeeze before leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Talk to him, Hettie. Let him know you’re here. I’m going to go see who I have to pay off to get you moved up here for the rest of your stay.” He gave me a warm, reassuring smile before he and Billy stepped out into the hallway to talk to Max, Lou, and Heather.
“I know we had words, Viking, but I’m assuming because you came and found me, and saved my life, we’re back together. If I’ve got that all wrong, you can correct me when you wake up. Because you will wake up, Reid. Do you hear me? You will not give up on me––on us. Not without a hell of a fight.” I kissed his cheek and curled up as close to him as I could get without hurting him, placing my hand in his.
“Thank you for coming for me, Viking. Please come back to me so that I can thank you properly.”
◆◆◆
I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up I noticed someone had put a blanket over me and dimmed the overhead lights. Reaching down, I slipped my hand back into Reid’s and I started to talk. I told him the ideas I had for the books I wanted to write. I talked to him about all the places in the world I wanted to travel with him. I told him about my dream library in my dream home, which sounded pretty much like the house he currently lived in. I talked about my parents, growing up, school, working for the paper––I talked until the sun came up and my voice was hoarse.
Still, he didn’t move.
It certainly wasn’t anything like you see in the movies. He didn’t stir slightly or move his fingers. He didn’t squeeze my hand to let me know he was coming back to me. He just laid there, attached to machines that were the only thing keeping him alive. What little hope I had left began to fade. But before I could focus on it too much, a nurse came in to check on him.
“I’m sorry, do you need me to get out the way?” I asked as I moved to climb out of the bed.
The nurse shook her head and rubbed her hand up and down my arm comfortingly. “Stay there, sweetie. You and your husband look pretty comfy. I just need to check his vitals. I won’t be long.”
“Do you think he’s going to wake up soon?” I asked quietly, even though I knew no one could give me an answer to that question.
The nurse gave me a warm, reassuring smile. “He’s young and strong. Plus, he has you to wake up for. I’m sure he’s fighting with everything he has. His previous accident might make his body a bit slower to recover, but his vitals are good.”
“His accident?” I asked in confusion.
“Yes. Spending such a long time in a coma after his car crash––” She shook her head. “He’s a bit of a medical miracle, isn’t he? We don’t know the effects that might have on his ability to heal and recover. It might slow it down a bit. But don’t worry, sweetheart. Try to get some rest and if you need anything, press the button,” she instructed, pointing to the button on the side of the bed before exiting, closing the door behind her.
Once we were alone, I studied the face of the man lying beside me.“Viking, what happened to you? Are your nightmares because you were in a coma?” A tear slid down my cheek as I thought about him, trapped in his own mind.
“I hope you’re okay in there and that it’s not one long nightmare.”
I stroked his face, whispering reassurances in his ear, suddenly worried that he was stuck somewhere, afraid and alone. “I’m here, Reid, just like when you’re asleep. I’m here. You 're safe, and I’m not going anywhere.”