“He did more than hurt her, Tor. I’m so sorry. Sawyer and I tried to stop him, but we were too late.” Torren sat up, not caring about the pain that shot up his side.
“Where is she? Where are the girls?” Tag steadied Torren, trying to gently push him back down, but Torren could rest later. Right now, he had to find Tana and the twins.
“She’s in surgery. Matt shot Tana when she pushed Beth out of the way. She took a bullet for her daughter, Tor. She’s the strongest fucking woman that I’ve ever met. She didn’t even think twice, just pushed Beth out of the way, and he shot her.” Torren wiped the tears from his eyes, hesitating to ask his next question. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer, but he needed to ask. If Tana could be strong, then so could he.
“Is she going to be okay?” Torren whispered. Tag shrugged, and Torren thought that his damn heart was going to stop. “What the hell does that mean, Tag?”
“It means that I don’t know if she’s going to be all right or not. The doctors didn’t give us much hope. They said they would do their best.” Tag sat back down in the chair next to Torren’s bed and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Fuck,” Torren swore. “Where are the girls?” “They are with Lorna. Both girls are safe and happy to be back together, but they’re asking questions about Tana.”
Torren sighed. At least Sarah and Beth would always have each other, but he couldn’t imagine a world without Tana in it. She was it for him, and the thought of losing her completely tore him apart.
“She wanted me to tell you that she loves you and that she’s sorry. She said that the only way to save Beth was to break your heart, and she wished there was another way.” Torren shook his head. “No, she could have fucking talked to me. We should have worked everything out together, but she walked away from me. She just left, turned her back on me, and left. She didn’t have to make that decision; she chose to.”
Tag stood and began to pace. “I get it, Tor. You felt like she abandoned you, and that fucking hurts. Dad left me, too. I remember the pain of losing my mom because I was right there with you. But you can’t just coast through life and play the poor me card. You’ve found someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with, and she’s fucking fantastic. Don’t give all of that up just because she made one stupid mistake. She’s fighting for her life two floors down. She needs you to fight for her and not give up on her just because your feelings are hurt. Don’t let your stubborn pride mess up your being with the woman who was meant for you.” Tag sat on the edge of Torren’s bed and waited for him to come out. He always seemed to know when Torren needed time or space to figure his shit out.
“I’m going to head upstairs and check on Pipe and Dane,” Tag said. “Will you be okay here?” Torren smiled, “You named him after Grandpa?” Tag’s face lit up, and Torren loved that his brother was so happy. But was Tag right? Was he giving up the one woman who was meant to be his because he couldn’t get past his stubborn pride?
“Yeah, Piper loved the name, and it seems to suit him. When you are feeling up to it, maybe they’ll let me bring him down for a quick visit.” Tag pulled the door open and stopped. “I’ll let you know if I hear any news about Tana. Just think about what I said, man. She said to tell you that you were worth sticking around for. I just hope that she was right.” Tag pulled Torren’s door shut behind him and disappeared down the hallway. Torren sat back in his bed and closed his eyes, only seeing Tana’s face flash through his mind.
“I hope she was right too, man,” Torren whispered.
Tana woke to awful pain in her stomach, and she panicked when she realized that she had a breathing tube down her throat. Her mind raced with questions, the first being where the hell was she? What the hell happened to her was a close second. Torren stood over her, smiling down at her, and she was pretty sure that she was in heaven and he was there too. But that couldn’t be—Tag told her that Torren was going to be fine. If he was fine, then why was he with her?
“You’re going to be okay, baby. I just need you to relax while I call the nurse.” Torren pushed a button on her bed, and two nurses and a doctor rushed into the room, poking and prodding her for what felt like an eternity until the doctor said that they could remove the tube. Tana wanted to agree with him but knew that any sudden movement made every part of her ache.
“I need you to take a deep breath, and when I pull the tube out, I want you to exhale.” Tana blinked up at the doctor as if giving her agreement, just wanting the blasted thing out of her body. “One, two, three,” he said. As he pulled the tube free from her body, Tana coughed and gagged but was happy to have itout. Torren was by her side the whole time, rubbing her back and talking to her in a soft, soothing tone that always comforted her.
“That’s it, baby. Just breathe,” he lulled. “You’ve been asleep for a while. Give your body a chance to catch up to your mind.” Torren rubbed her leg, and she wondered just what he was talking about. The last thing she remembered was finding Matt at her house and him trying to force her and Beth upstairs.
“Matt’s dead?” she croaked, thinking back. Torren nodded, looking down at her with so much concern it nearly undid her. “How long—?” He seemed to know exactly what she was asking. He finished her sentence for her.
“Have you been sleeping?” he asked. She nodded and took a sip of the water he offered. “A little over a week. You had us all worried.” Tana’s eyes widened. So many questions ran through her head at once, but Torren seemed to have them all covered. “The girls are fine, baby. When they can’t be with me, your mom watches them. I flew her up, and she is staying at your old house. The girls are with me at our house.” Tana caught the way Torren said, “Our house,” and tried to smile. But honestly, everything hurt, and all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. How was it she felt so tired when she just woke up?
“Tired,” she croaked. Torren looked over to the nurse as if to ask if that was normal, and she nodded her head.
“Okay, you sleep now, honey. But this time, don’t make me wait another week to see those beautiful eyes open.” Torren gently kissed her cheek and sat back down in the chair next to her. Tana closed her eyes and let the darkness once again consume her.
Tana blinked at the bright light that was filling her room. She wasn’t sure where she was until she heard the beeping of the machines that were taking her vitals. She squinted her eyes open to find Torren’s big body slumped over a comparatively small hospital chair that was pulled next to her bed. He was snoring, and it was probably the best thing she had heard in a long time. She gingerly sat up and assessed herself for pain, but was pleasantly surprised that she wasn’t in much discomfort. When she woke up earlier, she was in so much pain that she couldn’t stay awake. Now, she felt like she could at least sit up, and she was starving. That had to be a good sign.
“Hey, sleepyhead, you’re awake.” Torren sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“Hey, yourself, you were snoring,” Tana croaked, her voice still weak from the tubes that were helping her to breathe earlier.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Torren looked a little sheepish, and Tana shook her head.
“No, I think I’m hungry,” she said quietly. “Do you think they’ll let me eat?”
She felt hopeful that they would bring her a giant cheeseburger, but knew better. She would be lucky if they brought her some broth and ice chips. Torren stood and made his way out to the hallway. Tana watched as he quietly talked to a pretty nurse. On his way back into the room, he smiled and winked at Tana.
“They are going to get you a little something to eat,” he promised. Tana looked around the hospital room and noticed the balloons and flowers that lined some of the cabinets along the wall. “Who are all of those from?” she questioned.
“Well, some are from the girls’ dance class mothers, and others are from the library. Those—” He pointed at a large bouquet with two pink balloons attached. “Are from me and the girls. Everyone’s been by to see you, worried about you, exceptthe twins. Your mom and I thought it best that they not see you hooked up to so many machines. They’ve already been through enough.” Torren whispered his last words. Tana’s brain was groggy; she was still trying to find her way out of the fog.
“How long was I out?” she questioned. Torren cleared his throat
“Almost ten days.” Tana gasped. “Ten days?” She coughed, trying to shout, and Torren gave her a cup of water. “We almost lost you, Tana. The doctor had to remove your spleen, and you lost so much blood.” Torren sat on the side of her bed but didn’t touch her. It was almost like he was scared that he’d break her.
