“Hi, beautiful.”
“H-Hi.” I croakily blurt out.
I’m not sure if that’s the dry mouth, or if it’s because I’ve never spoken for a while, or if there’s something wrong with my speech. Either way, I don’t care. I’m awake.
“Welcome back, Harleigh. How are you feeling?” asks the doctor.
I attempt to shrug my shoulders, but I’m not sure if I got it right. It probably looked very messy.
“I-I’m O-okay.”
“Why is she stuttering, doc?” asks Gavin.
“Your sister has suffered an extremely big head trauma. She may need a lot of rehabilitation before she returns to herself, and it’s possible that there may still be some weakness from the accident.”
“We’ll do all we can to help, beautiful. I promise.” Giovani leans in and places a tender kiss on my cheek. I feel my body smiling at his contact. It’s the best thing I’ve felt since I was in Bulgaria.
“I-I’m sorry.” Tears roll down my cheeks, but Giovani rubs them away.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. We just need to get you better now, and then we can look to the future, just like we planned.”
“I-I l-like that idea.”
I feel like I’ve lost so much time being stuck in this hospital. I don’t know what has happened with my family, the dick who put me here, or with Giovani and Lucca. I know for sure when I’m ready for it, I will make the most of life. I will live each day like it’s the last. Love hard, cherish everything, and make memories that are worth making. Hopefully, in time, I’ll be able to make so many good memories that it will erase some of the bad.
Epilogue
One year Later
Harleigh
Twelve long months have passed since my accident. I don’t know why I say accident, because it was intentional. Martin had set out to hurt me. In fact, we all – investigators as well – think that he set out to kill me. It later came out that all the silent phone calls I had in Bulgaria were from him. He had been following my family around for weeks to try and find out where I was. When he saw me coming out of the airport, he set his plan into action. I hate to remember that day because it holds a lot of upset for me. Not just the accident, but also leaving Giovani behind. That could have been the last time I saw him. I’m lucky to be alive. I must believe my guardian angel was watching over me that day.
“Harls, are you all ready?” asks Gavin as he enters my bedroom at my mother’s house.
“I am.”
My brothers and Giovani have been packing up everything for me over the last twelve months. Giovani and Lucca spent the winter here with me instead of traveling like they usually do. It was good to get to know them away from their work.
Giovani and Lucca have taken things back to Bulgaria with them to save me doing any lifting. Giovani has been back here for three days, and today is the day I’m getting ready to fly out to Bulgaria to start my new life. It has been a long time coming, and I’m more than ready.
We’re all flying out this afternoon, and on Saturday, Giovani and I are getting married in the hotel. The moment I got out of hospital to start my rehabilitation, Giovani got down on one knee and proposed. Of course, I accepted. I couldn’t not agree to marry him.
“You don’t look ready.” Gavin picks up my final suitcase with my wedding dress inside.
“Of course I am. I’ve been waiting for so long for this day.”
“Have I told you lately that I’m so proud of you?” I nod. “What you’ve done to get here, learning to speak properly again, walking without a frame. You’re amazing.”
At the memory of everything I’ve had to overcome to get here, to get the all clear to fly, has been nothing short of a miracle. I could have lived with a stutter or stammer, but I was determined not to let that accident take anything from me. Now, I still have a slight limp from the broken leg that didn’t heal properly. It needed to be re-broken and pinned once I was alert and complaining of pain. It was a long recovery, but it’s all in the past. I’m alive. It could have been a lot worse.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you all.”
“You’ve got a good guy down there, Harls. I’m happy for you both.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you all get along. It makes my life so much easier.” I giggle.
“He knows if he ever hurts you, I’ll have his head on a stick.”
