Hey Wattpad!
So, thank you guys for all the feedback on the last chapter!!:D Wow you guys loved it..:P
The dedication is because she made FIVE banners for me! One of them is on the side:) I'm collecting all the banners people send me and putting them into a folder, which I'll put at the very end of the story:) That way I can show everyone's at once!:)
Also, I'd like to apologize a million times to @SwaggedDly_Beautiful, because I promised her I'd use her amazing banner on a chapter and I didn't, so her banner is the one on chapter 20!:)
So, not much else to say... enjoy the emotional rollercoaster:P
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The smile didn’t leave my face for the rest of the day, and all through Choir and English I had girls telling me it was the sweetest thing they’d ever seen, and that they were jealous about the fact that their boyfriends had never done anything that romantic for them.
All I could do was grin. He loved me. I didn’t care that he’d sung (though that was definitely amazing), I cared that he’d said those words to me.
The second the bell rang at the end of the day, I pulled out my phone to text Tiffany. I’d have to call her later, because if there was any chance Cam would have the house to himself, we were going there.
Cam met me at my locker, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. “Hey, girlfriend.”
“Hey, boyfriend.” I turned around slightly to kiss him quickly, having forgotten just how addicting his kisses were. This time Cam pulled away, slamming my locker shut for me.
“Can you come over do you think?” He asked.
I nodded, sending a quick text to my dad that I was going over to Cam’s house. I hadn’t told him that Cam had been ignoring me; I didn’t want to risk my dad hating his guts after finally liking a guy.
My dad sent a text that reminded me to text him if I went anywhere else, and I smiled again. I could understand that now, after the crash. If I hadn’t called Rania to tell her I was heading over, she wouldn’t have gotten worried and asked around. I might have died…
I shrugged the thought away. I wasn’t going to think about anything negative. Not today.
I got into Cam’s car, since mine was basically totaled and couldn’t be fixed, and sent my mom a quick text asking her if she could email me some details about the classes I’d have to take at the University of Michigan, and tell me about the dorms. That should keep her happy for a few hours.
When we reached Cam’s house, he opened the door, and I let him lead me to the living room. It wasn’t his room, but I’d take it.
I leaned in to kiss him, and he kissed back lightly, as though telling me this wasn’t going to get any further.
“Are you ok?” I asked, pulling away when he refused to let me deepen the kiss.
He nodded. “Yeah, but I realized that you’re right. I never really talked about what I was thinking, or how I feel about everything that’s going on. So, I’m going to.” He took a breath, making me sit on the couch.
Ok, I had asked for this. I stayed quiet, letting him work out his thoughts. It took five minutes, including him getting up to get us both a bottle of water before he said anything. “Where do I start?”
I took a sip. “How about the last time I was here?” I suggested.
He nodded, once again taking his time. I didn’t mind; I knew this was going to take a while the second I’d told him I’d wanted him to talk to me.
“You know I’ve never had a relationship, let alone one that’s lasted more than six months.” He began, already starting to get into it. “So when we got ready to hit the six month mark, I figured I needed all the help I could get. Matthew suggested I just Google it, as he had no idea what to do. He spent his six month anniversary talking to Rania about babies. So I did, and almost every single website said we should start deciding where this relationship is going. Ok, they meant if you’re an adult who’s already finished college, but I didn’t think about that. Besides, all the teen things were saying that six months was really serious, and it was rare to last that long in high school; they were no help.”
Cam took a drink. I didn’t really care about this part, and I knew he didn’t really care either, but I let him talk. He was trying to get there, and I appreciated that much at least.
“You came over and I knew that I had to somehow work out a way to tell you that I loved you. How could I not? You’re different from every other girl I know, and you kept me interested in a way I never thought was possible. I thought if I could get you on the subject of life later, I might be able to figure out if you wanted to be with me for as long as I wanted to be with you. But then I mentioned the kids, and you just started tearing up. I just thought I’d pushed too hard, and that you were freaking out again, but then you told me you couldn’t have them at all, and I just couldn’t accept it. I wanted that semi-perfect life with you, Tay. One where we’d have a boy and his little sister would look exactly like you. I know I said something about needing time, but I at the same time I didn’t want you to leave. I let you though, because I thought you’d need some time too. I think I stood in that same spot for about half an hour, and then I got a call. I thought it was you and answered in seconds, only to hear Rania asking if I’d seen you. I should have guessed you were heading over there; where else would you go? When she hung up, I realized it was weird. You’re a good driver, never talk and text or any of that stuff, and it only takes about fifteen minutes to get to Rania’s from here, and that’s on a bad day like that. I started calling your dad, but I didn’t want to scare him, so instead I started to drive up to Rania’s. I was stopped behind traffic for a few minutes before I saw the wreck.”
Cam’s eyes watered slightly as he looked directly into my eyes. “I didn’t even stop to think. Somehow I knew that it was you they were putting into that ambulance. I managed to get their attention and tell him I was your boyfriend. It took a minute of begging before they let me in, but they finally did. I sat down beside you and all I could do was stare. You were covered in cuts and blood, and I barely even heard all the commotion around me as they saved your life. Did you know they actually lost you at one point? I swear, my heart stopped at that moment, Tay. I got a call while I was in there from Rania, saying something about you being on the way to the hospital, but by that point we were half way there. I told her something about seeing her there and hung up. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the blood. I think I started shouting at you to wake the hell up because I couldn’t lose you, but that’s just what the doctor’s told me later. You did wake up, thank God. It was a weak heartbeat, but it was there.”
He swallowed hard, and it took everything in me not to cry. I had to stay strong for at least a few minutes. I had to. I took his hand instead, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“When we got to the hospital, they refused to let me go with you into the operating room. Some nurse didn’t let me go through, and I remember myself yelling at her that I’d been allowed in the ambulance, so they should at least let me be in the observation room. They had to have one; they did in TV shows. Your dad and Rania arrived around the same time, and stopped me from doing anything too crazy. They let me pace because every time I sat down, I’d end up getting back up again. If I was still for too long, the memory of that heart monitor flat lining came back in a rush. It seemed like it took forever and maybe it did, but the doctor finally came out. He told us you were stable, but in a chemically induced coma. He then looked at me and asked if I was your boyfriend. When I nodded, he asked me if I’d known you were pregnant. I shook my head, but I was ok with it, thinking that maybe you’d been told wrong or something, but he didn’t look proud. He looked at me sadly and told me that you’d had a miscarriage. I think that’s when everything just seemed to drop on me, and I’m partly ashamed to admit I broke down crying. The doctor said something about getting her ready for visitors, but I could barely even focus on Rania trying to get me to calm down. I finally did calm down when we were allowed to see you, and I felt better seeing that you didn’t look terrible. You weren’t covered in blood anymore, which was the main thing. Your dad made me look at him, and I was worried he was going to beat the living shit out of me for getting you pregnant, but all he said was, “Cameron, you really care for my daughter, don’t you?” I think I nodded, because I didn’t want to admit just yet that I was more than completely in love with you. I knew I loved you, but when I saw you in that ambulance I knew it was something more intense. I don’t think there’s even a word in existence yet for how much I love you, Tay.”
I sat there in silence, completely shocked. I knew some of it, because of what Rania had told me, but I still couldn’t believe it.
Also, I’d died? Actually died? Wasn’t I supposed to be awake for that part? Wasn’t there supposed to be a whole “don’t go into the light” deal? Instead I passed out and woke up in hospital without any memory of anything after the blackness.
“Now for the actual feelings part.” Cam chuckled, darkly, and I looked at him. I knew there were tears in my eyes, and I blinked them away.
Before he could say anything else, I gave him a quick, yet passionate, kiss, hoping he could tell in that one motion that I loved him just as much, if not more. I needed to show him how amazing he was, and how much I loved that he’d do pretty much anything for me.
I let the emotions take over for a minute, and I can honestly say that even with the tears, it was one of the best kisses I have ever had.
When he finally pulled away, he smiled slightly at me. “I really do love you, Tay.”
“Good, because I really do love you too, Cam.”
He laughed. “I honestly thought you’d break up with me if I said that again.”
I couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “I thought I would too. Guess you screwed with me and my head enough that I ended up falling instead.” I told him.
He grinned, kissing my lips again. “Good.” He sighed. “I should probably get the next part off of my chest. Then it’s your turn, Tay. You haven’t talked to anyone about it, have you?”
I shook my head. “No. Only my dad and Rania’s mom knew until the crash.”
“I’ll go first though, and then you have to, ok?”
I nodded reluctantly. If he was going to pour his heart out again, then I would too. I pushed aside the background panic threatening to overcome me, reminding me of how personal this was. I was already in love with the guy; the panic button could go bye-byes now.
“Ok. Well, I’m scared.” Cam admitted, and I could hear it in his voice. “I’m scared that, even though the doctor said it could happen, it won’t. I’m scared of how many miscarriages you might have before you give birth, or how many it will take before it kills you. I’m terrified that somehow you will get pregnant, and that maybe the birth will kill you.” Cam took a breath. “I’m terrified you’re going to leave when you realize how much better than me you could do. I’m scared that maybe you’ll have another freak out, and I won’t be able to stop you leaving.”
I bit my lip, looking down slightly. Was he crazy? I mean, I could understand the baby parts, they scared me too, but me leaving? I was more worried about him saying goodbye.
“Cam, look at me.” I said, waiting until he did before I spoke again. The way he stared at me made me feel so much more mature than I’d ever felt in my life, and I knew right then and there that this relationship wasn’t just a one year deal. We’d been through so much together that really the only thing that would break us up would be if one of us died. We’d both grown up a lot in the past six and a half months, and it was in the best way possible.
“Cam, I’m scared too. Believe me, I am. I always said I never wanted kids, but then I found out it wasn’t even a choice anymore, and I realized that maybe I did want them. Obviously not for a few years, but I did. And it killed me that I couldn’t have them. I never told you because I didn’t think we’d last three months, let alone six. Then it was never the right time to bring it up, and when you mentioned kids I knew I had to tell you then.” I said, deciding to let Cam take a breather. He really loved me, and that was all I needed to know. I just needed to know that, even though we might be stupid and young, he cared right now.
“I didn’t even know I was pregnant, otherwise I would have told you. I would have done whatever I had to in order to keep our child safe. I didn’t even think there was a possibility I could even get pregnant. I was getting tired a lot, and I had been gaining a little weight, but I honestly just believed it was my time of the month coming up. There was no morning sickness, no obvious food aversions, just minor things I didn’t fully register. I wish I’d known before… maybe I could have done something. There might have been a medicine or an option that meant our baby lived, and I didn’t get it because I just didn’t know.” I had to stop here, take another breath, and swallow hard to stop myself crying again. “I’m so sorry, Cam. I should have paid attention. I should have just known something was different. I didn’t even think…”
Cam grabbed my face in his hands, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. “It is not your fault. Nothing about this is. You couldn’t have known, neither of us could. Now that we know you can actually get pregnant we’ll be more careful, right?”
I nodded slightly, but the intensity in Cam’s eyes stopped me from thinking about pretty much anything that wasn’t him.
He leaned in the same time I did, letting his hands drift down to my waist. Our lips connected, and I let my eyes close, moaning slightly as Cam finally deepened the kiss. My hands were running through his dirty blonde hair, and I let myself fall back so he could straddle me, lightly pressing against me.
I moaned again as one of his hands trailed down the side of my body, shivering slightly when he brushed against certain parts of me. I hadn’t had sex in a very long time, so long I’d actually lost count, and it was insane how sensitive I was right now.
I felt Cam’s buddy rubbing through our jeans, and my head fell back to allow him better access to my neck.
“Upstairs?” I moaned, and Cam pulled off of me enough to nod.
It’s amazing how fast you can move when you want sex, and in just a minute we were lying on his bed, his hands pulling my shirt off before he pulled his own off.
I let myself run my hands up and down his body, enjoying the feeling of his muscles flexing slightly under my hands as he lowered back onto my and began kissing me again.
I’d never understood it in books and movies when they said something about a kiss having emotion, but I did now. Cam was kissing me in such a way that I couldn’t help understanding it.
“Do I actually need to wear a condom this time?” Cam asked, and I laughed lightly, nodding.
“Just in case.” I breathed out, and as he got up to look in a drawer my phone began vibrating.
I sighed, pulling it out of my pocket.
“Who’s calling?” Cam asked.
I froze at the number; it was Tiffany. I answered the phone instead of him.
“Tiffany? What’s going on?” I asked, slightly worried. I thought it was a text only deal…
“Kate figured it out. I have no idea how, but she’s already hit me. I’m in the bathroom right now and blocking the door but she pulled a knife on me, Tay.” Tiffany said, sounding out of breath.
I shot up, immediately looking for my shirt. “Shit! Tiffany, call the police and tell them right now. Where are you?”
“I’m at the Holiday Inn near your house, room 415. I’ll call the police, but can you call them too?”
I told her I would and hung up quickly so I could dial 911.
“Tay, what’s going on?” Cam asked as I shoved my shirt over my head.
I shushed him as an operator said, “911, what’s your emergency?”
“Hi, my name’s Taylor Quessie.” I told them that my mother had pulled a knife on my step-sister, and the address with the room number. I also mentioned that Tiffany would be calling too, just so they’d know.
“Thank you, ma’am.” The lady said, hanging up.
“What the hell?” Cam asked, angrily.
“I’ll explain in the car.” I said, throwing him his own shirt. “We have to go now.”
I grabbed Cam’s keys and forced him into the passenger side. Once we were in the car, I drove just a little over the speed limit. That hotel was twenty minutes away; I’d better make it in fifteen.
“Can you please explain? I’m getting freaked out!” Cam demanded.
“Kate, my mother,” I scowled, “has a step-daughter named Tiffany. Tiffany and me were planning to get my mother in court the second I turned eighteen, because I didn’t want to have to involve my dad. Kate figured out our plan and is already threatening Tiffany with a knife.” I said, accelerating more than I probably should to get onto the highway.
“Why were you going to go to court?”
I sighed. I guess I’d have to tell him. “Because Kate’s been abusing Tiffany. She also almost beat me to death when I was four years old. I still have the pictures.” I said.
“What?!” Cam yelled, and I almost swerved off the road.
“Jesus Christ, Cam! Yes, it happened. I’m over it, and I’m going to put that bitch in jail. It might be easier now because of this. I just hope Tiffany doesn’t actually get…” I trailed off when we reached the hotel.
Police cars surrounded the entrance, and there was even an ambulance.
I parked the car along the side of the road, probably illegally, and ran to where the police were blocking off the building.
I pushed my way to the front of the crowd, tapping the nearest officer on the shoulder.
“Sir, what’s the situation? I’m Taylor Quessie, I’m one of the people who called this in. Please, what’s going on with my step-sister?” I asked, desperately.
“Ma’am, I can’t answer that. I’m sorry.” He said, just as the doors opened.
I looked over the guys shoulder, and smiled widely.
Kate was handcuffed, and being escorted into a police car.
“Thank God…” I muttered. Was that really it? It couldn’t be that simple, could it? This seemed to easy, too quick. In movies whenever something bad was happening, time seemed to rush past or slow down infinitely, and right now it was speeding past me.
That’s when I saw the gurney, following closely behind Kate.
“No! Tiffany!” I shouted, trying to push past the cop.
“Ma’am, you have to stay back!” The guy told me.
“She’s my sister! Please! Let me ride in the ambulance with her!” I yelled.
The cop turned to the EMT guys, who shrugged.
I turned to Cam. “Drive to the nearest hospital. I’ll see you there.” I kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
I ran to the ambulance, hoping he’d understand. I knew this probably wasn’t normal procedure, but I’d be damned if Tiffany didn’t have someone she trusted with her.
Someone had to tell Tiffany that Kate was going to jail.
I climbed into the back of the ambulance. I’d never been in one of these while awake before, and it was weird how spacious it seemed considering all the people.
“How is she?” I asked immediately as the doors slammed shut and the ambulance took off.
“She’s loosing blood heavily but she’s going to be fine. We just need to cover the wound and give her some stitches which we can do here.” One of the EMT’s said, already working on it. He told another guy to put some sort of IV drip in Tiffany’s arm, and in just minutes she was all stitched up.
“The stab wound was just deep enough to cause pain and blood lose. None of her vital organs or arteries were hit. She was extremely lucky. She’ll have to be heavily sedated for a few hours, and we’ll put her on bed rest for a day or two while the stitches work. We’ll also have to properly bandage it, but while we’re in here what we’ve done will work.”
I thanked the guy, taking Tiffany’s hand. “Can she hear me?” I asked.
“She’s unconscious. You can talk to her if you want though.” The guy said, then looked at me. “You look familiar. Have we met before?” He asked.
I shook my head. “Not that I know of, why?”
He looked at me for a couple of minutes, then gasped. “Car crash a couple of weeks ago?” He asked.
I nodded. “Hi, I saved your life. Your boyfriend has a set of lungs on him.” The guy chuckled lightly.
My mouth fell open. “Wow small world. Thanks for saving my life.” I said, shocked. Who knew?
“Any time, but try not to make it a regular occurrence. Tough month, huh?” He gestured to Tiffany, and I nodded.
“Yeah. Also a psychopathic woman who I call my mother.” I said, turning to Tiffany. “She’s being arrested, apparently. At least, I saw her getting into the police car in handcuffs.” I said, and turned back to the EMT. “Any chance you know how long she’ll be there?”
He shrugged. “You’ll have to ask the police when they take your statements.”
I nodded, sighing as the ambulance drove to the hospital. This day was too crazy. Too much had happened, and I was definitely feeling the effects now. How could it be that literally only about 3 hours I’d first said the ‘L’ word to Cam? How could this much change in just a few hours?
It seemed to be for the better, but only after Tiffany made a full recovery.
“Ma’am, we’ve noticed some bruising on your sister’s body. Do you know what that’s from?” The EMT asked.
I nodded. “Kate. She’s been beating Tiffany for God knows how long. I only met Tiffany yesterday.”
The EMT swore loudly. “Shit! Ok, make sure you tell the police that during your statement. There’s no way that bitch is escaping jail for her life.”
I frowned at him, and he smiled a little sheepishly. “My sister had an abusive boyfriend. Any kind of abuse pisses me off.” He admitted.
I just nodded. Nice guy. He wasn’t bad to look at, but I had Cam, and that was all I needed.
We finally reached the hospital, and I let them go ahead. Since they’d said Tiffany was stable, I felt no need to rush. I decided instead to wait for Cam. I sent my dad a quick text to let him know I was at the hospital visiting someone, but that he should come down when he got off of work.
Cam arrived in a panic. “What’s happening now?” He asked when he’d parked and joined me at the entrance.
“She’s fine. The knife wound wasn’t too deep so they patched it up pretty easily. She’s lost a lot of blood though so she’ll be out for a few hours.” I explained.
“What about Kate?” Cam asked, and I smiled slightly.
“She’ll probably go to jail for life for attempted murder and abuse. I didn’t even mention what she’s done to me; that’s just for Tiffany.” I smiled. “Justice will be served, finally.”
Cam wrapped his arms around me. “Let’s go inside and wait, ok?”
I nodded. “By the way, I met the EMT that saved my life. He was in the ambulance. He said you had a very loud voice.” I told Cam, who smiled.
“Hell yeah I do.” He kissed me quickly, leading me to a pair of seats in the corner.
I leant against his side, sighing slightly.
Now for the waiting part.
Hope that lived up to your expectations!!:) Next chapter to come either Monday or Tuesday!:D
LOVE<3