Beautifully Broken

31

His heart's better and I bring his hand to my lips again, praying for him to be okay.

"I never thought this could happen." He whispers.

I whirl around to see him smiling at me.

I drop his hand and he laughs. "Don't worry, hon. Our secret."

He winks and I glare at him. "You scared me."

"See? Exactly how I felt all this time. But more often." He says, trying to sit up.

I sigh and sit beside him, on the bed. "What did you feel?"

"A lot of pain." He admits. "And the thought that I'd never see you okay."

My heart does a little flip and I try to hold in a smile.

"What's going on?" He asks, looking around.

Dad's stirring and I relax a bit more.

"Jennifer's at the station with all of them. Testifying. I think dad and I could help but I'm not sure I want to get so deep into this. There are other girls who are victims too, anyway." I say, admitting my problem.

"Hm. If they need you, do it. If not, then don't." He says simply. He takes my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. "So you can stay with me, hon."

I laugh softly. "Someone's taking advantage of being confined to a hospital bed."

He chuckles and opens his arms. I lean against him and sigh contentedly as his arms wrap around me.

"Where were you shot?" I whisper.

"Side. Almost to the stomach but not quite." He answers softly.

I look over at dad and see him sitting up. He looks over at me and smiles.

"I'm glad you're up, Cole. Mina, take care of him." Dad says, stretching. "I'm going to go for a walk."

"Dad, are you sure? You got beat up pretty badly." I say.

He shakes his head. "You two just enjoy your cuddles. I'll go find a nurse who can help me find your mother."

My heart does a little flip again but this time at hearing dad wanting to talk to mom.

Clarissa

I wake up and almost panic before remembering that I'm on Jill's couch.

"What happened?" I ask no one in particular. Oh, right. My family's in the hospital.

Did I just count Ron as family?

I shake my head. No, Clarissa. Too soon.

I get up and find no one home. I walk to our house and find the car keys.

The drive to the hospital where they must be at is a good lengthy drive and gives me enough time to think and reflect. Again.

I've been getting many "reflecting" moments lately.

I park the car and walk inside, taking the stairs to where Cole's room is.

I look around the hallway as I walk and remind myself to be grateful. It's so hard having a family member in the hospital, your budget almost out and your hope shaky.

I stop walking when my eye catches a little girl in a wheelchair. A nurse pushes her around the hall and her smile is one of the biggest I've seen.

How many times have I seen Mina smile like that? My smile drops as I realize it's probably only a handful of times I've seen her smile like that.

I turn to continue my walk and bump into someone.

"Ron."

"Clarissa."

It takes a few seconds before we gather our composure.

"I-I was just-"

He interrupts me.

"I was looking for you."

My heart jumps a bit. Calm down, Clarissa. You're too old for that.

I raise an eyebrow, my lips in a firm line. "Well, here I am."

He smiles. "So you are."

I raise both my eyebrows now. "And?"

"I woke up and just wanted to see you." He says softly.

"Ron you are not doing that to me." I say, shaking my head and walking to Cole's room.

He follows, probably wondering what to say. "I just want to talk to you."

"Yeah that's all you do." I reply as I knock on the door.

The door opens and I meet Jill's amused face.

"I guess I'll take a walk outside then." He mutters, turning away.

I walk straight into the room and Jill looks between us before closing the door gently.

Mina's in Cole's arms and they're both asleep. My heart aches for my girl and the love I once had that was as bright as this blooming love.

"Clarissa, what was that about?" Jill asks.

I'm relieved that one else is here.

"You all may think we're getting better but I can't do this. He's scarred us too much. I can't love him again." I say firmly, sitting down.

Jill smiles at me like a mother to her child.

"Hm. You can't love him again, you say. But I think, you always have and you're just afraid that he doesn't love you.
That admitting you love him might make you vulnerable." She sits beside me. "But as you can see from our children, being vulnerable is not a bad thing. Actually, it's best to be vulnerable with people who love you because they won't abuse it."

"That's just it. How do I know he won't abuse it again?" I ask quietly.

Jill's smile weakens. "That's where hope and faith come in. You decide if it's worth the risk. They say true love always wins."