Heart Matters (31 page)

The confidence in Jake’s eyes wavered. He
saw Mark’s dangerous eyes and saw his own death reflected in them.
The bastard was really going to kill him! He drew Jessica closer to
him, nearly choking her. His eyes were now wild and desperate.
“Back off, we’re going through.” Jake began pushing her ahead,
watching the men with guarded eyes. “Keep back or she dies!”

Steven and Mark stepped back a fraction,
watching them progress slowly towards them. They both stood apart,
making way for them to go through. Jake pressed the knife deeper
into Jessica’s neck as a warning and Steven clenched his fists in
an attempt to restrain himself. They were now almost abreast and
Mark moved swiftly. “Go!”

Jake saw him dive at him and used the blade
swiftly. He managed to cut Jessica’s throat before Steven could get
her away. In the flurry of actions that took place after that, Mark
had his gun out and aimed straight for Jake’s heart.

Steven fell with Jessica in his arms on the
hard, dusty surface. Her hands went to her throat and he saw the
blood oozing from under them in sheer terror. “Jessica!” He removed
his handkerchief and shoved her hands away to press it against the
wound. “Mark! We have to get her to a hospital now!” he shouted,
watching as she began losing consciousness. “Stay with me, my love,
stay with me.”

Jessica’s vision blurred, drowning her into
fathomless blue depths. She reached out to caress his cheek with a
bloodied hand, a frail smile touching her lips. She then turned her
head ever so slightly. Her hand stretched out towards the one man
who had kept his promise to keep her safe. “Ty,” she whispered
before losing consciousness.

***

Stay with me, my love, stay with me.
The words were a silken whisper that played over and over again in
Jessica’s drowsy mind.
Steven loved her. He wanted her. They
would live happily forever.

Pure sunlight filtered through to fall on
her peaceful face. Steven adjusted the blinds so that it didn’t
disturb her. She was breathing easily, smiling occasionally as
though seeing some pleasant dream. He hoped he was in it. It was a
selfish thought but he wanted to be the sole reason for her
happiness. He wanted her love in return for his.

Almost an entire day had passed since the
attack. She had lost a lot of blood and despite all efforts and
medications, she remained in coma. The doctors were non-committal
and all Steven could do was to watch her helplessly and will her to
come back to him.

He leaned towards her and touched her
forehead to his, silent tears falling from his eyes onto her
cheeks. “Jessica, sweetheart, please come back to me. Please honey,
I can’t live without you.”

As though she could hear the words, a shiver
passed through her vulnerable form and she stirred delicately
before sinking back into stillness.

The door opened to let in Niki. Her heart
broke at the sight and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “She’ll
be back, Steve. She’s strong and she has your love.”

Steven shook his head, deep sobs shaking
him. In all these years as an adult, a man of the world, he had
never cried. But today, he couldn’t help himself. He loved Jessica
to the point of madness and seeing her pale, fragile state was
something he just couldn’t bear.

The door suddenly swung open and Jeff barged
in, his grey eyes, red and wild with worry. He took in his sister’s
inert form and was instantly at her side taking her hand in his and
kissing it. He laid one arm around Steven, reassuring him with
unspoken words.

***

Jessica remained comatose even five days
after the attack. On Steven’s insistence she was flown to Beverly
Hills to receive the best medical care possible. The doctors
couldn’t explain her state. She had no head injury but the coma was
likely because of the extreme emotional trauma she had faced. The
only medication they prescribed was lots of love and prayers.

Mark stared at her inert form, shadows of
worry underlining his sad eyes. He had finally killed Jake and
freed her from his vicious hold. He had no idea where the pictures
that Jake had used to blackmail Jessica were but as long as Jake
was dead, it really didn’t matter anymore.

Guilt ate him inside. Jessica was still
battling her demons locked with her. If only he had got to her in
time! If only he had kept her safe!

“You okay?” Jeff’s voice brought him out of
his reverie. He managed a slight nod. “Mark,” Jeff began then
paused as though unsure what to say, “I know you love her but…”

Mark turned to face his one-time employer,
his eyes unreadable. “Jeff, just let’s not go there, okay? She
means the world to me but I’m not a fool.” He glanced at her before
once more regarding Jeff Cantrell. “Call me when she wakes up.”

Striding out of the room, he almost bumped
into Steven in the corridor outside. For a while they just stared
at each other, the animosity clear on both their faces. It was
Steven who spoke first, his features softening.

“Thanks,” he offered, “For everything.”

Mark glared back at him, his brown eyes
livid. “I didn’t do it for
you!
” He made to brush past him
but Steven caught his arm and he turned in surprise shrugging off
his grip. “What the hell do you want?”

“Jessica,” Steven stated simply, “I want
Jessica.”

“You already have her; she’s your wife.”

Steven shook his head almost in despair.
“That may be so but I messed up real bad with her. I wasn’t there
for her when she really needed me.”

Mark shoved his hands in his jeans pocket,
looking away. “Yea, that’s right. You weren’t!” His raging eyes
glared at Steven once again, a tight muscle working in his jaw.
“Why the hell weren’t you? She trusted you and you just left
her?”

“It wasn’t like that,” Steven replied,
dragging his fingers through his hair. “I can’t explain it all to
you. I’m just grateful you were there for her all these years.”

The two men stared at each other, caught up
in their own personal battles raging within. Finally Mark broke the
silence. “I’m glad too. It will serve you to know that I love
Jessica more than life itself and if you ever hurt her, I’m coming
after you.”

To hear Mark’s open declaration of love for
his wife hit Steven in the gut. Jessica knew Mark loved her and yet
she chose to be with him rather than with Mark. Did they still have
a chance?

Mark brushed past him and was gone, leaving
him standing with his hopes running high.

***

Almost six and a half days after the attack,
Jessica stirred ever so slightly and her eyes fluttered open.
Through her dazed eyes, she focused on the dimly lit room, trying
to gather her whereabouts. She moved her fingers and stilled when
they touched familiar, soft hair.

“Ste..ven,” she whispered. His head
immediately snapped up to stare at her wildly.

“Jessica!” He breathed, touching her pale
cheek in a warm caress. He pressed the button to summon the
hospital staff and took her frail hand in his to kiss it lightly.
“How are you feeling?”

Her gray eyes stared at him uncertainly.
“Where..are we?”

“Sshh, don’t speak, darling.” He rose to
stand aside as a nurse arrived and immediately summoned the floor
doctor.

They examined Jessica close to half an hour
before declaring her stable. By then Jeff arrived to rush to her
side. He kissed her cheek, smiling at her tenderly. “Quite a fright
you gave me there, angel.”

She gave him a weak smile and reached out to
hold his hand. She saw Steven hovering in the background. A
thousand questions ran through her mind. Somehow she had no idea
where she was or why. The only feeling she was very sure was her
uncertainty about Steven. It was almost as if she didn’t trust him
anymore. But why?

She sought comfort in Jeff’s warmth,
snuggling closer to him. “Can someone tell me what happened?”

Jeff’s eyes darkened a little and he glanced
at Steven in surprise. When he looked back at her, she was waiting
for the answer. “Don’t you remember, angel?”

Her eyes dulled with confusion as she
frowned. “I remember I was…I was..at the villa then..then…” Her
voice trailed off and she paused uncertainly. When she strained
further, a dull headache began to form behind her closed eyes. “I
don’t remember…” Her voice trailed away as random images started
appearing behind her eyes causing the headache to worsen. Steven,
Steven, Steven; a soft voice whispered, then she heard the wild
laugh of a woman; Ida!

Jessica’s eyes flew open settling
uncertainly on Steven. She began shaking uncontrollably and Jeff
leaned over her in alarm. “Jessi! Jessi!”

Steven rushed to her side, his handsome
features drawn in concern. He caught her cold hand but she tugged
it away. He frowned slightly, his eyes searching hers in confusion.
“Jessica?”

She stared at him, drawing a shaky breath.
“I..saw you,” she whispered, “You were in her bed.”

Surprised navy eyes stared back at her.
“Jess, honey, it was a trick she played to mislead you.”

Her head shook miserably, her entire body
shaking as she heaved with sobs she was too proud to cry out. The
unfortunate scene played out in her mind, refusing it to allow her
to process any further thought. Jeff stared at her in alarm,
placing both his hands on her shoulders to control her jitters.
“Jessi, it’s true! Ida played an evil game to keep you two
apart.”

Her head shook on its own as she refused to
see the truth. Her sobs finally broke through and tears streamed
down her face. Her head continued to shake miserably. Steven didn’t
love her! “Where’s Ty?” she demanded suddenly, “I want Ty! I want
him here with me!”

Jeff took her in his arms, rocking her
gently. He tried to soothe her by stroking her hair. He threw an
anxious glance at Steven who looked grim and worried. Jeff drew
back to cup her face in his hands and peered in her distraught
eyes. “Angel, Steve cares a lot for you, he…”

“Please ask Ty to be here, Jeff, please!”
She stared at Steven with accusation in her eyes. “Steven left me
for her!”

Steven stepped towards her but stopped when
she held her hand out to keep him away. “Jessica you’re being
ridiculous! I
had
to indulge her for Senator Devon’s
sake!”

“You could have told me your plans!” She
threw back in anger. Her stormy eyes glared him accusingly. “I
thought I meant something to you.”

He moved to her side to catch one of her
hands and bring it to his lips. “You are my world Jessica!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?” She almost
shouted in anguish. Jeff made to leave the room but she caught his
hand. “Take me home Jeff, I want to go home.”

Jeff looked at his friend helplessly. It was
evident the incidents back at the island had traumatized Jessica
and she would require professional help to get over the dark
memories. He questioned Steven silently who nodded his approval
while regarding his wife with worried eyes.

Wife!
Right now she was definitely
acting like his wife by giving him the third degree about Ida. He
desperately tried to reason with her one last time. “Jessica, baby,
there was nothing going on between Ida and me. Senator Devon
specifically asked me to help him…”

Furious gray eyes glared at him. “And help
him you did!” she accused him through clenched teeth. Her wet eyes
watched him intensely for a while before a look of sheer
helplessness overcame them. Tears trickled down and she fell into
Jeff’s arms as deep sobs once again claimed her.

“I think this is enough for the day,” he
whispered against her head and then laid her back on the bed. “I’ll
get the doctor for your meds and are you hungry or thirsty? I’ll
get the nurse for you.”

She simply nodded frailly before closing her
eyes. “Leave me alone please Steven. Thank you for being around but
I don’t want you to be here when I wake up.”

The unemotional tone in her demand hit
Steven hard. He was close to crumbling into a full blown panic
attack. Jessica,
his
Jessica didn’t want him around? What
the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn’t just walk away from
her! He couldn’t live without her!

Jeff’s sudden comforting grip on his
shoulder broke his reverie. He found him nodding towards the
corridor outside. They left the room and Steven blew out a harsh
breath of despair. He leaned against the wall his head hanging down
helplessly.

“I blew it with her,” he finally let out
unhappily.

Jeff was sympathetic enough to shake his
head in sad denial. “She’s just doing what she’s good at; denying
those who love her and punishing herself because she feels she
deserves it.” He caught Steven’s surprised look and smiled sadly.
“From the bits and pieces I’ve got from Mark, I don’t know all the
details about Jake Wallace and exactly what he did to my sister but
I’m somehow glad Mark was there even if I wasn’t.”

Jeff sighed, feeling as helpless as Steven.
“I wasn’t a good brother. It’s my fault she’s like this Steve. I
wasn’t there for her when she needed someone. Sometimes I wish mom
and dad were back. I would’ve just been her older brother then and
not someone who was trying to be an over indulgent parent.”

Steven nodded. “Mark’s a good guy. He loves
her too much. I think I’ll give her some space. She needs help
Jeff, you see to it she gets it.”

“Yea, I will.” Jeff shook hands with Steven
and then embraced him briefly on impulse. “You hang in there,
okay?”

Steven’s blue eyes relaxed with a smile for
the first time in days. “I will buddy, I will. I love your stubborn
little sis and I can only hope she comes to her senses soon
enough.” He walked away, his heart heavy but he knew he had to work
hard to get Jessica’s trust and if possible love.

Jeff sighed out aloud. Two people close to
his heart were suffering and he wished he could wave a magic wand
to set it right.