Empty Net Read online

  Now all they had to do was worry about its momma.

  Fallon glanced at the clock and saw that visiting hours were coming back up. She knew that Elli and Shea would be coming to the hospital soon, as would Piper. She had talked to them earlier that morning and they said they would be there as soon as visiting hours started. She would be glad to see their happy faces, but what she wanted more was to see her sister’s happy face. Fallon moved in closer, leaning against the door, but when she did, she kicked the metal trashcan, waking Tate. He sat up quickly, reaching for Audrey as he looked around the room. When his eyes met Fallon’s she sent him an apologetic smile.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay, come in, sit down,” he said standing up as he rubbed his eyes. She came in and sat in the chair he had occupied all night and took Audrey’s hand in hers. She looked up at her sister’s beaten face and wished Levi Moss to the fiery depths of hell. The swelling along Audrey’s right eye had gone down, but along her nose and left eye, it hadn’t. When Tate’s hand rested on Fallon’s shoulder, she smiled up at him.

  “I’ll stay with her if you wanna go take a nap,” Fallon said softly but like she knew he would, he shook his head.

  “No, I don’t want to leave her.”

  “Tate, you need to sleep for more than five minutes.”

  “I’m not leaving her, Fallon.”

  Fallon eyed him for a second before saying, “You know this isn’t your fault.”

  Tate looked away, taking in a deep breath, “It isn’t yours either.”

  How did he know she had stayed up and blamed herself all night? She should have kept Audrey at her house until the guys came home, or when she found out about Levi’s crazy ass, gone and gotten Audrey. Then she would have found Levi there and she would have called the cops immediately. But she didn’t, she just called and called, not knowing that her suspicions were true. It killed her inside to know that she could have put a stop to everything, but she stayed home, not doing anything.

  “It’s hard to believe with all the shoulda, coulda, wouldas, swarming in my head,” she said softly. His hand squeezed her shoulder as he nodded.

  “I know. They are working overtime in mine.” Fallon nodded as she stroked Audrey’s hand softly. The room was silent except for the noise coming from the ventilator and Audrey’s heart monitor that informed them her heart was beating strong and steady. Everyone was quiet and Fallon actually was calm when Tate said, “Do you feel that she’ll pull through?”

  Fallon nodded quickly, “Yes.”

  “How do you know? How are you not scared?”

  “Because Lucas said she would,” she said glancing up at Tate, “if I didn’t have him, I would be a mess and I gotta believe in something. I like knowing that she is going to pull through and we are going to raise our babies together.”

  Tate’s brows came together as he held Fallon’s gaze, “You are pregnant too?”

  Fallon smiled as she nodded, “Yup, and on the kids’ first birthday we’re all gonna have a bash. I just know it. I just know that my sissy isn’t going anywhere but back to me and we are going to be happy raising our children together,” she said, her eyes filling with tears before they spilled over and ran down her cheeks, “We are going to trade off so that y’all will have time to yourselves and then Lucas and I will have time for us. We will have birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgivings, and go to games together as a family. God won’t take her from me, not now. He knows I need her. He’s gonna bless us with our Happily Ever Afters, I just know it.”

  When she looked up at Tate through flooded eyes, she saw that his eyes were pooling with tears too, “I hope that you are right, Fallon, because I need her too, and want all of that. I don’t want to be alone.”

  “No matter what you won’t be, Tate, we love you, and always will.”

  “Thank you, Fallon that means a lot to me.”

  “You mean the world to us, and you know what would make me even a little happier?”

  Tate looked away from Audrey and said, “What?”

  “For you to go home and at least take a shower, Tate. I can still see her blood on you and it hurts me every time. Go get some clean clothes, clean up, take a nap, eat something. Please. She’ll need you be strong when she wakes up, please, Tate.”

  Tate looked back down at Audrey, and didn’t say anything as a tear rolled down his cheek and onto the floor. It broke Fallon’s heart to see him like this and for a minute she thought he was going to ignore her, but he nodded before looking down at her, “Okay. You’ll stay with her?”

  “Yeah, if I’m not here, mom will be,” Fallon answered. Tate nodded again and she felt his hand start to shake against her shoulder. “I’ll call you as soon as I hear something.”

  “They should be coming in soon for rounds,” he informed her.

  She nodded, “I know, and I’ll call you if they come before you get back.”

  “I’ll be back quick. Okay?”

  “Take your time, Tate, she’ll be here when you get back,” Fallon promised even though it wasn’t something she could promise. And with one look at Tate, she knew he knew that too, but he nodded, and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Audrey’s forehead. He cupped her face and kissed her temple softly before turning and squeezing Fallon’s shoulder again.

  “I’ll be back soon.”

  “We’ll be here,” she said as she watched him leave. He paused twice and she didn’t think he was going to go, but finally he disappeared down the hall, leaving Fallon with her baby sister. Fallon felt proud of herself for getting Tate to leave. He needed to go home, breathe, and clean up. As much as they both wanted to stay close to Audrey, they needed to take care of themselves too. As soon as he got back, she would go and clean up, check on Aiden. She had to; Audrey would kill her if she didn’t.

  With a sad smile on her face, she leaned against her sister’s hands, and cried until she fell asleep.

  It seemed as soon as she fell asleep, Lucas was there, shaking her to wake up.

  “Baby, Elli, Shea, and Piper are here.”

  “Oh,” Fallon said sitting up and looking behind her to see Nora in the doorway.

  “I don’t want people seeing her like this,” Nora said, “So just go out there with them.”

  “That’s fine momma, I agree,” Fallon said as she got up and made her way out of the room with Lucas. He wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her in close to kiss her temple.

  “How’s my beautiful wife?” he whispered against her temple.

  “She’s better now that she’s with her hunky husband.”

  Lucas gave her a smoldering grin before they reached the waiting room and Elli attacked her. Fallon hugged her friend tightly with her eyes closed. When they parted Elli had tears in her eyes as she said, “How’s she doing?”

  Fallon shook her head, “Still not good, the swelling still hasn’t gone down but the good thing is it hasn’t gone up either. They changed her meds at, I think, 3am, so they are hoping for a change by the next MRI.”

  “Oh goodness, I am praying like crazy Fallon, I am. This is insane. That son of a bitch,” Elli said anger filling her eyes as she looked up at Shea and then back down to Fallon, “This isn’t right.”

  “We’re so sorry about this all, Fallon. We brought flowers and breakfast for you and your family,” Shea said, his hands full of things while Elli still wouldn’t let Fallon go.

  “Thanks so much Shea, Elli, y’all are the best,” she gushed and then she saw Piper, “Piper, thank you, for coming.”

  Piper nodded, looking small as she asked, “How are you? How’s Tate?”

  “I’m making it,” she said as Lucas’ hand rested against the small of her back, “And Tate is trying. He is having a really hard time.”

  “I bet,” Elli said sadly, “after everything he went through, it isn’t fair he has to go through this. I’m so sorry, Fallon.”

  Fallon nodded as Piper said, “Have y’all gotten anymore news?”