A Masterpiece Unraveled (The Masterpiece Trilogy Book 2) (39 page)

The doctors were in there for hours. Every bone in Hunter's body ached and throbbed. His head hurt so bad. As much as he wanted to move, especially to wrap Becca up in his arms, it hurt like hell to do anything.

His injuries included a couple of cracked ribs, plenty of cuts and bruises, and a fractured ankle that would most likely require surgery and physical therapy.

He'd take it, because he still lived through it, though according to Becca he had a moment where he'd flat lined. What he'd been hearing from people was he'd been in a strange state of mind for hours, had taken off barefoot, and proposed to a woman he thought was Becca. The girl's boyfriend thought he was a drunk and shoved him right before he got hit.

He remembered none of this.

They ended up moving him from ICU to a regular room, which was a relief for him and for Becca. As the nurse wheeled him down to the new room, Becca walked by his side. He coughed and the nurse immediately rushed to his aid, asking him if needed water or something.

He needed plenty, but nothing the nurse could provide.

Becca laughed. "Hunter, you have every single person here wrapped around your finger!"

"I'm not doing it ... on purpose! I think it's ... because they all want... a sneak peek of the man who proposed and ... had the worst reply ever." Damn, it hurt like hell to talk. He had to stop every few words so he could catch his breath.

Her jaw dropped and she narrowed her eyes. "You're terrible!"

"I know." He really was. Sometimes his mouth just went against his brain. If he didn't make light of this and laugh, he'd go crazy. Wait, he was already there. What was worse than crazy? That's where he'd be. Looking back, it wasn't funny at all.

She laughed then, her eyes glistening with tears. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

He wondered where the ring went. Damn it! He'd probably lost it and would have to buy Becca a new one. Something to do later, when he was free of this place and could move again without his body screaming in response.

"You have a few visitors waiting when we get to your new room," his nurse informed him with a smile.

Becca glanced at Hunter. "Todd and Shara."

"Todd and Shara are both here? Did they drive with you?"

"They arrived with me," Becca said, a small smile on her face. Odd. The way she answered had him curious.

What did that mean? He didn't get a chance to ask. They went around the corner and through the open door to a new, much bigger room.

"Here we are! Now time to get you in your bed."

Hunter groaned. This wasn't going to be fun. Even with two people helping him get in the wheelchair earlier, it had been hell. He wasn't looking forward to getting out of it now.

Becca giggled. "Since when do you not like going to bed?" she teased, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

"Rebecca Lange, you un-innocent girl! Who taught you ... to talk like that?" The comment was so not like her, but if her intent was to make him laugh, it worked. On the downside, his stomach and chest hurt. "Ow."

"I'm sorry. I should have thought-"

"Shh. I needed ... the distraction." Hunter put a finger to his lips, wishing he could touch hers instead.

It took a few doctors and a whole lot of excruciating pain, but they managed to get Hunter settled in bed. A new IV was set up and they promised him more pain medications. Then they left him alone with Becca for a while. He patted the bed. "Come sit ... by me."

She did, tentatively. "Do you remember anything at all?"

He shook his head, wincing. "No. I remember a ... nightmare where I-" Oh, right he hadn't told her yet.

"Where you what?" she asked softly.

"Bec, Vince ... called me."

"I know. He's the reason I'm here. He said you ran off and I told him he'd better go find you. He said something about he wanted his niece in the TBI program."

So she knew. She didn't sound upset, either. "Yeah. Remember that voice mail ... a few weeks ago? He was hoping ... we'd call him so he could ask then. The last thing I remember ... was falling asleep with you. I said something about how you always save me. The nightmare I had ... was the doctors saying she couldn't be saved, but when I went to the bed, it was you ... I saw there. I guess at some point ... I couldn't handle all the nightmares and truths and ... did that disassociation thing. This went on ... for hours?"

She nodded. "Vince called me early. He didn't tell me why he was there. I- I had Todd fly me-"

"Fly?" Did he just hear her right?

"Yes. I got on a plane to get to you. I thought Sylvia got you! Shara came with me so I didn't have to face it alone."

"And we talked about old Hunter memories, some of them embarrassing," Shara said. Hunter slowly turned that way. Both Todd and Shara entered the room. "Or maybe not. Guess you'll never know. You're an ass, you know."

"Why am I an ass?" Was she serious? What the hell did he do?

"Scaring us like that," she said softly, tears in her eyes. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"So scaring me in return ... is your payback?" She really had him going there for a moment. "Why do I keep you ... on board again?"

"Because you're the most disorganized man I know. Besides, you don't get a say now. If you fire me, I'll work with Becca." She shot him a smug grin.

"Good to see you awake, Hunter." Todd stood behind the chair. "You had us all worried."

He opened his mouth to talk again, but sharp pains stopped him. Damn ribs. Becca noticed his discomfort and moved. He understood why, but he wanted her close. "I guess ... I'm talking ... too much. Starting to hurt." He pointed at his ribs.

"We should go and let you rest." Shara glanced at Todd and Becca for affirmation.

The idea of everyone leaving him alone honestly scared the hell out of him. What if he had another nightmare? What if something similar happened that led him to this point?

Becca must have noticed his panic because she brushed a kiss on his lips gently. "You're going to be fine. The doctors are well aware of what's going on with you. I'm just a phone call away. I don't want to leave either, but you do need your rest."

Hunter clasped her hand, loving that she was here. She'd faced her biggest fear just to get to him. That spoke volumes for how much she loved him. How did he ever manage to win this angel's heart? He didn't know, but he sure as hell wasn't going to screw it up. "Hate feeling this afraid," he rasped. The episodes prior to this had scared him enough, but the fact that he could do that for hours...

Becca's eyes misted over. "I know. You're safe here, Hunter. Just let them help you and don't pull out that stubborn streak." She gave him another quick kiss before letting go of his hand. "I'll be here in a heartbeat if you need me. I just don't want you to overdo it. I'll come back in a few hours. I promise."

"Love you." He closed his eyes after the three of them left, hoping like hell he could get some rest without nightmares and reality plaguing him.

*****

On their way back to their hotel rooms, Becca ran into Vince.

"How is he?" Was it her imagination, or did she detect a hint of sincerity in his voice?

"Cracked ribs, bruises, and an ankle that might need surgery and therapy. Oh, and he's scared out of his mind about going into another one of those episodes. Other than that, he's fine." Becca brushed past him. She was way too tired to talk any more and she needed just a little bit of sleep before she went back to Hunter.

Vince blew out a breath. "Glad to know he's going to make it. Can we talk? You and I?" He slid a gaze toward Shara and Todd.

"I'm tired, Vince. It's been a horrible night. We almost lost Hunter and I'm not in the mood for fights." She shifted her feet. They were sore and achy. Her knees were acting up too from the way she'd slept in Hunter's bed.

"No fighting. I just want to tell you a few things before I go back home." He held up his hands as if surrendering.

"What kind of things?" she asked warily.

"Things you want to know about the accident."

"Go talk to him, Becca," Shara prodded. "If he's willing to tell you, maybe it's time to settle it."

Shara had a point. Plus, she was kind of hungry. "Fine." Before she went with Vince, she hugged Todd and Shara. "Thank you both." Like a feeling of deja vu, the two walked away, leaving her with Vince once again. "Why now?" she asked him when they were alone.

"Because I went about this the wrong way. I pushed Hunter into a situation to suit my needs even though he got something out of it too, and then this happened. I have to admit, I don't know as much as I let on, but I'll tell you what I do know. I'll buy dinner and then return you safe and sound. There's a little cafe right across the street within walking distance."

"Fine." Becca followed him out the door, wondering what kind of things she would uncover.

Once there and settled in a booth, Becca laid into him. "Why did you want to marry me when everyone knows you don't love me?" She'd been wanting to ask this question for so long, it was finally time to get it out in the open.

A dark shadow crossed his face. "You know your grandparents brought me into your life to keep you from Hunter, not that it worked well. I thought I could give you what you wanted."

"You couldn't give me Hunter," she snapped. He couldn't give her real love. He also couldn't give her attention to the things she cared about the most. Her passions were always so trivial to him.

"I know. No matter what I did, you had a mind of your own. I guess when it came down to it, I didn't try hard enough because I knew you weren't suited for me. I have a personal vendetta against the Beckmans because of a trial against my father years ago."

"What?" She sat up straighter. So many twisted, crazy connections and she'd never known them.

"Charles Beckman was the lawyer who sued my father for negligence years ago. Dad lost. He was also a psychiatrist. When a patient died under his care, his family sued. Dad lost everything."

Becca gasped. "So you thought going with my grandparents' plan would somehow make you feel better because Hunter's father was doing his job?" She shook her head. Good grief! If his father lost the case, it obviously meant he'd done something wrong!

"Anger is an ugly thing," Vince admitted. "Even though Hunter's father died, I figured if your grandparents disliked the Beckmans, then I could go along with it. My father raged on about them for years. It just soaked into my bones that I'm supposed to hate the Beckmans and Whitemores."

"My grandparents hate them because they think they helped Dad and Mom steal me." It was more of a statement.

"Yes, but we can't find any concrete proof that's what they did. Still, your grandparents don't like any bad light on the family."

"Was there a fight? Why didn't they ever know about me?"

"During the trial, Charles' wife came down with Anne. They were friends. Anne met your father and they fell in love. Your grandparents never took to Anne, thinking she was nothing but trouble. Your grandparents didn't talk to them much after that. After Rusty and Anne married, they found out Anne was pregnant. Your dad used to send letters to try and talk to his parents. They were never answered. Two years later, they were gone."

"Gone?"

"They moved. Your grandmother looked up their location and found out they had a new baby. But she'd heard rumors that Anne lost a child. The doctors said she couldn't get pregnant again." Vince tapped his fingers on the table.

"What do they know about Rust- Dad's previous marriage?"

"They didn't like Amelia and Sylvia either. Anyone who took your father's attention away pissed them off."

"And Sylvia really was a third survivor? She's real, not just someone with a sick ploy?" Did she get separated from Hunter and her? Becca still couldn't remember her back then.

"She's real. Rusty wrote her a letter before he left after you were born. Guess he felt bad. He had a soft spot for the kid. She never liked that he moved on to a new family. Somehow she must have figured out something about you and went to find Rusty. I don't know how she discovered you weren't his. I don't know what she knows. Years after the crash, she came looking for you. Your grandparents and I convinced her to leave you alone if we paid her off."

So the letter was real. Becca hadn't ruled out the possibility someone wanted to throw her off. She didn't like where this was going. "The settlement."

Sylvia came looking for her? What did that mean?

Vince nodded. "Your grandparents made sure you were 'incompetent' as long as possible so they could get the money. And I..." He frowned. "I had to commit Sylvia in a hospital to keep her quiet. It took months. Once the money came through, we let her go. She had to sign an agreement never to come back or say anything."

"And you took her at her word?" She was fuming. So that's why they never wanted her to succeed. She'd always wondered, but never imagined something as deep and messed up as that. And Vince had much more to do with it than she'd imagined. Becca was afraid of what he would have done to her if she'd been stupid enough to marry him. Good thing she fought it as much as she could.

Their food was brought to the table. Becca couldn't eat, not after this revelation.

"Come on, Becca. Millions of dollars? Who wouldn't?"

Did he really think money would stop someone? Obviously he was mistaken, because Sylvia had come after her this summer!

"It didn't last now, did it? Look what she did to us. So much for looking out for me, huh? How did no one else know? How did you split it three ways and no one else find out about her?" Shouldn't it have come up in the news somewhere? An article? Something!

Vince leveled her with a dark glare in his eyes before he answered. "Joe Whitemore."

Chapter Thirty Two

A week passed. Hunter grew stronger every day. Sitting or lying in a bed most of the time drove him utterly insane. Well, crazier than he already was, anyhow. Becca had been amazing, staying day and night with him even though Todd, Shara, and jackass Vince left days ago.

He still wanted to punch Vince for everything, especially after what Becca told him. And the jerk had some nerve, asking if there was a chance Hunter would still put a word in about his niece.