Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) (32 page)

“Yes. I won’t leave town,” I repeat as I jump to my feet and rush to the door. Gavin is standing outside the room I was being held in. He sighs when he sees me.

“Let’s go.” The two of us rush out the main door and flag down a cab.

After Gavin tells him to take us to the hospital, he looks over at me. “Kate said that Alex is out of surgery but he’s still listed in critical condition. Isabelle ...” He pauses, watching me closely. “They delivered the baby shortly after she arrived. She lost a lot of blood. Kate was told it didn’t look good but she hasn’t heard anything more.”

My breath catches in my lungs. I’m a father. I’m someone’s dad, and I want to be excited about that, but how can I when that same little boy’s mother might be dead?

I rub my temples before turning my gaze out to the passing city. Nothing else is said and we arrive at the hospital minutes later.

“Alex is in ICU and Isabelle is in the OR. Kate said she went to the maternity wing to check on the baby,” Gavin informs me while we wait for the elevator.

“How the fuck did you get released before me with enough time to know all of this?” I snarl, not meaning to act like a jerk to my best friend.

“Because three known Mexican cartel members were shot and killed and you just recently used your passport in Mexico. By the way they were talking, they think you’re somehow connected to them.” My eyes close as I groan. Great...just fucking great.

The elevator opens and we follow the signs until we see Kate looking through a window. “Hey, babe,” Gavin says, causing Kate to turn around with a sad smile.

“Is he in there?” I start scanning the babies.

“Yes. The nurse is holding him.” I look over and my heart fills with joy as I spot an incredibly small and completely bald baby wrapped up in a blue blanket.

“Wow,” Gavin breathes out in awe. I smile for the first time since I discover Isabelle was missing. “Dude,” Gavin says as he drapes his arm over my shoulder. “You’re a father.”

The three of us stand in front of the window for what seems like forever, watching the nurse and my son’s every move. I want to break through this glass and grab ahold of him and never let go.

I didn’t know it was possible to love someone you’ve never met until I found out Isabelle was pregnant, but I did...I absolutely loved him the second I knew he existed, and now watching him only confirms how much I need him in my life.

When I hear someone clear their throat behind me, I finally take my eyes off my son and look over my shoulder.

“Are you Kate Reynolds?” a man who appears to be a doctor asks Kate.

“Yes. I’m Kate. And this is Kiran Clark, Isabelle’s fiancé and the father of her child,” Kate adds with a small smile.

“Shall we?” He points to a small waiting area not far from the nursery windows. I’m too fucking antsy to sit, but I go head and take a seat when everyone else does.

“I’m Doctor Arnolds. I’m the one who operated on Isabelle,” he states. “Isabelle was shot in the upper right side of her back. The bullet tore her tissue but thankfully missed any major organs. It did shatter part of a rib. Our biggest concern when she first arrived was ensuring her safety while also doing everything we could to save her baby. Isabelle’s body was under stress, which in turn was harming the baby. Once Isabelle was stable, we performed an emergency C-section then we went back to do everything we could to help Isabelle.”

“Is she okay?” Kate says, wiping a tear away.

“She’s stable. She lost a lot of blood from the gunshot wound. When she delivered, she lost even more. I had to order multiple blood transfusions.” He pauses before looking me straight in the eye. “Her body was in shock, which caused her heart to stop several times. Right now, we’ve done everything we can.”

“What does that mean?” I say in a voice that doesn’t sound anything like mine.

“We wait. We wait and see how her heart continues to handle the stress and how her body handles the transfusion.”

I take a deep, calming breath. “Can I see her?” I ask.

“Soon. She’ll be moved to a private room in a few minutes. I have her sedated, and I plan to keep her that way until I feel she’s out of the woods. When you go in to see her, keep the visitors limited.”

“What about my son?” I frantically question. “I was at the police station when he was born, but I want to see him.”

The doctor eyes me for a second. “I don’t work on the maternity floor, but I’ll put a call in and make sure they know who you are,” he answers before walking out of the waiting room.

“They’re alive.” Kate sniffles. “Right now all three of them are alive and that’s all that matters,” she adds.

She’s right. They’re alive...and I’m once again praying.

****

Almost two days pass without any change in either Isabelle or Alex’s condition. Alex’s situation was different from Isabelle but just as serious. He had to have his spleen and part of his liver removed. And like Isabelle, he lost a lot of blood. The only positive thing in my life at the moment is my son.

The hospital set up a room for him and me to use. But every time I look over at the empty bed, I’m reminded that his mother is not with us...she’s somewhere else in this hospital, fighting for her life. That’s when the guilt sets in. I want to be with both of them but I can’t. Thankfully, when I’m with my son, Kate or Gavin sits with Isabelle. Due to hospital rules—even in our extreme case—Gavin and Kate aren’t allowed to be alone with my son. When I go up to see Isabelle, he goes back to the nursery.

“Hey.” I look up as Gavin walks in.

“Hey,” I repeat with a proud smile. This is the first time Gavin has been down here when I’ve had him out of the nursery. He just finished a bottle, I changed his diaper, and now he’s asleep in my arms.

“You did good, man,” he says, looking down at my son—who I’ve yet to name. Isabelle and I talked a lot about names in the last couple of weeks, but we never agreed on one. Now, I’m waiting for her to finally decide.

“Thanks.” Gavin looks at me with a serious expression.

“Kate thinks he’s here. She thinks he’s even been in to see Isabelle somehow.” Damian. He’s talking about Damian...a man we both thought was dead. “I want to know his part in all of this,” Gavin snaps.

We hear a noise at the door and look up to see Kate frantically rush in. “She’s awake. I was in ...” She pauses to catch her breath from running. “I was in with Alex when a nurse came and told me that Isabelle’s awake.”

****

Isabelle

My body feels heavy, but I can hear the sweetest voice saying my name. I try my hardest to force my eyes open, and when I do, I see a face I never thought I’d see again.

“Daddy.” My voice floods with panic.

“Shh, princess. You’re going to be fine,” Damian says before brushing my hair away from my face. “I’m so sorry, baby.” His voice cracks with pain. “I’m sorry I didn’t prepare for this.”

I reach out my hand for his and I try my best to smile as if I’m not in pain. “It’s not your fault,” I manage to say.

“Of course it’s my fault. Everything that’s ever happened to you is my fault,” he whispers as he kisses my hand.

“If that’s true, then you’ve brought me a lot of joy, and a lot of love, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

I’ve never seen Damian look like this: weak and broken. I can tell he’s trying his hardest to appear strong...strong for me.

He hesitates for a second. “It’s time for you to become Hayden.” He lightly squeezes my hand. “It’s time for you to take back the life I stole from you.”

My eyes widen with shock. I start shaking my head. “If I do that—”

Damian cuts me off. “You will. You’re a mother now. You can’t worry about me. You need to do everything in your power to protect that little boy.” He pauses and looks down at our connected hands. “Because of the shooting, the police are looking into you. They’ll figure out you’re here on a fake passport if they haven’t already, so it’s time to tell the truth. It’s time for you to take the life you deserve.”

My eyes fill with tears. “What about you?”

Damian gives me a sad smile. “You know I’m not good for you. You’ve always known that but you loved me anyway.”

Damian’s face mirrors the pain I feel. I always told myself this day would come, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the way I feel in this moment.

“Will I see you again?” I ask, no longer holding in my tears.

Instead of answering me, Damian shakes his head. “It’s safer this way.” He smiles, trying to remove the sting from his reply, but it doesn’t work. I start struggling to catch my breath.

“Plus, you have Kiran and Alex now. They’ll take care of you.” I bite my lip, holding back more tears. “Who loves you to the moon and back?” I can’t form words as my tears turn into sobs. “You’ll be fine, baby girl. You’re so much stronger than I ever gave you credit for.” His grip on my hand tightens. “Thank you for being mine.”

“I’ll always love you,” I manage to say, looking into his sad eyes.

His face softens. “As will I, baby girl.” He reaches out and rubs his thumb across my cheek. “Take care of that beautiful baby and enjoy your life. You deserve it.” He stands up but he hasn’t let go of my hand. With glassy eyes—something I’ve never seen on Damian before—he leans forward and kisses my forehead then drops my hand, giving me a somber smile before he walks out of my room and out of my life.

I close my eyes, trying to calm down when I hear someone clear their throat. “Are you okay, ma’am?” When I open my eyes, I see a woman who appears to be a nurse standing at the end of my bed.

“Yes,” I whisper before wiping my eyes. “I will be.”

“Let me go inform the doctor that you’re awake,” she says before walking out of the room. I run my hand down my stomach—a stomach that’s missing a bump. My breathing picks up again as another round of panic sets in.

Oh my God. Oh my God.

I can’t catch my breath. I don’t know what happened to my son. A monitor starts beeping next to my ear as I struggle to breathe. The nurse runs back in and looks over the machine next to me. “Are you in pain?” she questions.

“My baby,” I say between breaths.

Her face relaxes. “Your baby is fine. I believe your fiancé is downstairs with him.”

My panic slowly starts to dissolve. “Kiran? Kiran Clark is with him?” Kiran hasn’t proposed to me, and for all I know, one of Manuel’s men is down there pretending to be my fiancé, hoping to steal my son.

“I don’t know ...” she trails off with a shrug.

I start panicking again, but thankfully, Kiran and Kate walk in my room.

“Oh thank God,” Kiran says as he walks up to the side of my bed. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head, not the least bit worried about myself. “Our baby?”

“He’s fine,” Kiran says before kissing my hand. “He’s downstairs, healthy as can be, and waiting to meet his momma.” I start to cry, only this time for a joyful reason.

“I want to see him,” I tell Kiran, looking into his beautiful blue eyes, something I never thought I’d see again.

“The doctor is on his way to see you,” the nurse states after hearing my comment. “Let’s make sure you’re okay then you can see him.” I nod my head at the same time a doctor steps inside the room.

The next couple of hours end up being a blur of doctors, nurses, and policemen asking me non-stop questions. I told everyone what they wanted to hear so I could get to my son, and finally, after a few hours, that happens.

Kiran pushes me into a room and moments later a nurse brings in a baby wrapped up in blue. I gasp as my eyes fill with tears.

“Thanks,” Kiran tells the nurse before taking our son and placing him in my arms.

“He’s beautiful,” I say, looking at the peaceful little man in my arms.

“Just like his mom.” I chuckle but quickly stop as pain pulses through my core.

“Did you name him?” I frown as I realize my son is already three days old.

“No, of course not. I knew you’d make it.” I take a deep breath before looking at Kiran.

“I’m planning to tell the police who I am. Who I really am,” I say, though he doesn’t seem shocked. I think we both know under the circumstances it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out. “I would have told them earlier but I didn’t want any setbacks with seeing him,” I add before glancing down at my son. “If it’s okay with you, I want to give him something that once belonged to me.” I look over at Kiran.

“Okay?” A confused look crosses his face.

“I’ll always be Isabelle, so I’d like to give him my name...Hayden.” I smile, hoping he doesn’t hate the idea.

“Hayden,” he repeats, looking down at our son. “Sounds perfect,” he adds before kissing first me then our baby. “Hayden Clark,” he adds. “Now we just need to make Mommy’s last name the same as ours, buddy.”

I painfully chuckle again before Kiran’s eyes lock with mine. “I’m serious. You and Hayden are my life, and I want to make that official.” He pauses and nervously swallows. “Marry me,” he adds.

I push down the lump forming in my throat and nod. “Yes.” Kiran smiles, and for the first time in my life, I feel complete. Sometimes, when one door closes, another one opens. Unfortunately, my life will never include all the men I love at the same time. I was given twenty-one years with a man who will always hold a place in my heart, but now, I’m living for my future, a future that includes my own white knight and an unexpected baby who taught me what true love really means.