Taking Chances
Page 102
“I won't.” Brandon groaned.
“Look you can do whatever you want. Despite what Harper says tonight, she loves you enough that she would never actually stop you from doing something you wanted to do. But your girl wasn't the only one who thought you were gone. It was like a complete flash back of that night for all of us. People normally wake up from smelling salts, you didn't. You didn't even move.”
“I didn't know they used them.”
“Well they did, three different times. She has every right to be terrified that she's going to lose you like she lost Chase. Only this time, I don't know if she would be able to move on. I understand that you didn't see her side of things after you broke up, but we did. Everyone knew she was still madly in love with you, even Chase knew it but he never brought it up. We all knew he would never hold her heart the way you did. But you did see her the morning before he died, and you saw what that, and his death did to her.”
“It was like she wasn't even there anymore.” Brandon whispered.
“Exactly. I had to watch two police officers hold her down and she still escaped them to get to Chase. I watched her scream for him to wake up even though she knew he wouldn't. But tonight? Random guys standing near us even helped in trying to keep her away from the ring. She got away from four grown men tonight. Four! And she's about to have a baby. The fear in her eyes and voice, was like nothing I've ever seen before. It was as if her reason for existing was lying motionless on the floor. Losing you would kill her, I have no doubt about that. So do what you want, but consider her and your baby before you go out there again.”
“I do consider them, I'm doing this to support them!”
“You can find another way to support them. Do you want her to always be worried that you won't come home one night from this?”
“No.” Brandon took a few deep breaths in and out, “Seeing her like that tonight, I felt like someone stabbed me and kept turning the knife. I hate that I put her through that.”
“Yet you still told her you weren't going to stop fighting?” Konrad challenged, “If you love her like you say you do, you'll take care of yourself so you can take care of them.”
“I love her more than my own life.” Brandon growled.
Konrad sighed, “I know you do man, I shouldn’t have said that. You both mean a lot to me, I love you like family. I don't want to see either of you hurt.” He took a couple steps toward the door and stopped. “Listen, she messed up with you once, and she's paying for it. She'll pay for it every day for the rest of her life. But she would never do anything again to hurt you. Think about that.” Konrad stepped through the door and shut it behind him, he jerked back when he saw me. “Hey Kid.”
I hugged him tight and cried on his shoulder.
“Did you uh, did you hear that?”
“Most of it.”
“Aw hell. I'm sorry Kid, I didn't mean for you to hear that.”
I wiped my cheeks and stood up straight, “It's fine. Thanks for talking to him, I really appreciate it.” I traced some of the scars and his body started shaking when he looked down at them as well, “I appreciate everything you’ve ever done. And I love you too Konrad.” I smiled and after another quick hug from him, waited until he rounded the corner before knocking and walking in.
“Hey sweetheart.” Brandon's voice was thick with emotion, he could barely tilt his lips up in a smile.
“You feel okay?”
He shook his head slightly, “Not really, no.”
“No?” I asked alarmed and rushed to his side. “What's wrong?”
“No, no. Nothing like that, I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you,” he sighed heavily, “again.”
I pulled the chair back up towards his bed so I could still touch him. “I heard you and Konrad.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” I breathed.
“Harper, I hope you know how much I love you.”
“I do, trust me I do.”
“I'm so sorry for putting you through this tonight. I didn't know how bad it had been. I didn't know how it all had gone down for everyone that was still awake.”
I smiled and ran my hand over his buzzed hair, “You scared me. I thought I was going to lose my best friend and the love of my life.”
“I know Harper, and I'm so sorry. I can't say that enough, you can't imagine how sorry I am. I shouldn't have gone tonight, and I won't go anymore. No amount of money is worth putting you through that.”
“You and I, we've had too much loss in our lives already. Do you think we could attempt to not add to that?”
He nodded and pulled me to him, “I'm not going anywhere. I promised you forever, didn't I?”
“Forever.” I agreed.
“Come here,” He scooted to the far right side of the bed and rolled onto his left side, “you're still on bedrest, and I haven't been taking care of you tonight.”
I lay down on my back and sighed at having Brandon's warm body pressed against mine and finally relaxing. Dr. Lowdry may have a point to this whole bedrest thing, my entire body had been aching to lay down.
Brandon kissed me softly and placed a hand on my belly. “Are you two doing okay? Physically?”
“Yeah, he went to sleep right before I came in here the first time.”
“Look you can do whatever you want. Despite what Harper says tonight, she loves you enough that she would never actually stop you from doing something you wanted to do. But your girl wasn't the only one who thought you were gone. It was like a complete flash back of that night for all of us. People normally wake up from smelling salts, you didn't. You didn't even move.”
“I didn't know they used them.”
“Well they did, three different times. She has every right to be terrified that she's going to lose you like she lost Chase. Only this time, I don't know if she would be able to move on. I understand that you didn't see her side of things after you broke up, but we did. Everyone knew she was still madly in love with you, even Chase knew it but he never brought it up. We all knew he would never hold her heart the way you did. But you did see her the morning before he died, and you saw what that, and his death did to her.”
“It was like she wasn't even there anymore.” Brandon whispered.
“Exactly. I had to watch two police officers hold her down and she still escaped them to get to Chase. I watched her scream for him to wake up even though she knew he wouldn't. But tonight? Random guys standing near us even helped in trying to keep her away from the ring. She got away from four grown men tonight. Four! And she's about to have a baby. The fear in her eyes and voice, was like nothing I've ever seen before. It was as if her reason for existing was lying motionless on the floor. Losing you would kill her, I have no doubt about that. So do what you want, but consider her and your baby before you go out there again.”
“I do consider them, I'm doing this to support them!”
“You can find another way to support them. Do you want her to always be worried that you won't come home one night from this?”
“No.” Brandon took a few deep breaths in and out, “Seeing her like that tonight, I felt like someone stabbed me and kept turning the knife. I hate that I put her through that.”
“Yet you still told her you weren't going to stop fighting?” Konrad challenged, “If you love her like you say you do, you'll take care of yourself so you can take care of them.”
“I love her more than my own life.” Brandon growled.
Konrad sighed, “I know you do man, I shouldn’t have said that. You both mean a lot to me, I love you like family. I don't want to see either of you hurt.” He took a couple steps toward the door and stopped. “Listen, she messed up with you once, and she's paying for it. She'll pay for it every day for the rest of her life. But she would never do anything again to hurt you. Think about that.” Konrad stepped through the door and shut it behind him, he jerked back when he saw me. “Hey Kid.”
I hugged him tight and cried on his shoulder.
“Did you uh, did you hear that?”
“Most of it.”
“Aw hell. I'm sorry Kid, I didn't mean for you to hear that.”
I wiped my cheeks and stood up straight, “It's fine. Thanks for talking to him, I really appreciate it.” I traced some of the scars and his body started shaking when he looked down at them as well, “I appreciate everything you’ve ever done. And I love you too Konrad.” I smiled and after another quick hug from him, waited until he rounded the corner before knocking and walking in.
“Hey sweetheart.” Brandon's voice was thick with emotion, he could barely tilt his lips up in a smile.
“You feel okay?”
He shook his head slightly, “Not really, no.”
“No?” I asked alarmed and rushed to his side. “What's wrong?”
“No, no. Nothing like that, I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you,” he sighed heavily, “again.”
I pulled the chair back up towards his bed so I could still touch him. “I heard you and Konrad.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.” I breathed.
“Harper, I hope you know how much I love you.”
“I do, trust me I do.”
“I'm so sorry for putting you through this tonight. I didn't know how bad it had been. I didn't know how it all had gone down for everyone that was still awake.”
I smiled and ran my hand over his buzzed hair, “You scared me. I thought I was going to lose my best friend and the love of my life.”
“I know Harper, and I'm so sorry. I can't say that enough, you can't imagine how sorry I am. I shouldn't have gone tonight, and I won't go anymore. No amount of money is worth putting you through that.”
“You and I, we've had too much loss in our lives already. Do you think we could attempt to not add to that?”
He nodded and pulled me to him, “I'm not going anywhere. I promised you forever, didn't I?”
“Forever.” I agreed.
“Come here,” He scooted to the far right side of the bed and rolled onto his left side, “you're still on bedrest, and I haven't been taking care of you tonight.”
I lay down on my back and sighed at having Brandon's warm body pressed against mine and finally relaxing. Dr. Lowdry may have a point to this whole bedrest thing, my entire body had been aching to lay down.
Brandon kissed me softly and placed a hand on my belly. “Are you two doing okay? Physically?”
“Yeah, he went to sleep right before I came in here the first time.”
