Deep Blue Forever (Deep Blue Series) (10 page)

             
"I told you my voice would wake him up. Oh, Ian, I love you." A voice screeches and I recognize it, but can't quite pick it out. 
Where's Aubrey, I need to hear her voice
.

             
"Hey brother, can you open your eyes?" I hear Troy say.  My eyes flutter open and everything is blurry.  I can't make out the figures that are hovering over me. 

             
"Where's Aubrey?" I say and no one answers.  I say it louder and realize that no sound is coming out. 

             
"Just relax, the doctor is coming in." Troy's voice says calmly next to me. 

             
I feel something on my face, and I realize it is someone kissing me.  They are moving to my lips, and I know instantly it's not Aubrey.  I see blonde hair and hear the most annoying screech. "Oh, Ian, I knew you loved me too." It's Chelsea.  I try to swat her away, but I can't move.  I can't even move my head. 

             
"Aubrey!" I scream and only hear a tiny mumble. 
What the fuck is going on, and where is Aubrey?  Like a freight train hit me, I remember the night.  Michelle, the shots, and Aubrey...I never saw her eyes.  Is she dead? Why is Chelsea here saying she knew I loved her?  Fuck!  Tell me what is going on, I try to scream
.

             
"Don't try to talk yet," Troy says and I am able to focus my eyes on him.  I am pleading with him with my eyes to tell me what is going on, but he's distracted by another voice.

             
"Let's give them some time alone." It's another female, and it is not Aubrey. 
Give who time alone with whom?  Fuck me, what in the ever loving hell is happening?

              This time when my eyes open I don't hear anything.  The room is silent except for some soft breathing beside me and a steady beep.  I can turn my head this time, and sitting in a chair close to me is fake blonde hair. 
I focus and realize it is fucking Chelsea.  What the hell is happening?  Why is she here? Where is Aubrey, Sam, or even Miry?
 

             
"Aubrey," I say and I see Chelsea move so I know that sound came out. 

             
"Ian," she says standing at my side in an instant.  "Hi sleepy head, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up again. You woke up about 4 weeks ago, but was out again.  The doctor said it was normal for that to happen that way sometimes." 
What the hell is she talking about, and why won't she shut the hell up?

             
"Troy, go get the doctor, he's awake!" She yells over her shoulder.  I see Troy is lying on a small couch in the room.  Everything about this feels all wrong.

             
"Hey brother," Troy says beaming at me before he steps out of the room.

             
"Where's Aubrey?" I am able to get out again, but Chelsea ignores me. She starts rambling on about how she knew the sound of her voice would get through to me.  It feels like it takes every ounce of strength I have to lift my arm, but I do it.  I reach out with the intention of pushing Chelsea away, but she grabs my hand like I was trying to touch her.  I can't figure out why I am so weak, why I can't sit up.  I need to find my girl.

             
"Ian, this Dr. Bergstrom." Troy is back in the room, and is followed by a middle aged man in a white coat. 

             
"Mr. Brady," he says and I see a bright light first in one eye and then another.  "You are a very lucky man, Mr. Brady," he says putting his pen light back in his pocket.  "I have never seen a bullet so close to an artery that someone has survived from." He has a very heavy British accent.  "I would say that you had something very special to live for, because you're a fighter." He is now pushing on my stomach feeling around for I don't know what, but he hits a spot that shoots pain through my whole body. 

             
"Sorry about that," he says, "that's where the bullet was.  You will be sore there for quite awhile."

             
I pull my hand away from Chelsea's tight grip. It is like it was in a vice grip for the amount of strength it took to get away from her.

             
"Where's Aubrey?" I turn my attention to Troy now, and he looks up at Chelsea.  "Please tell me?" I beg him with my eyes as the doctor starts moving my legs around and giving me different commands. 
Like wiggle your toes and stupid shit I don't give a crap about right now
.

             
"I don't know where she is right now." Troy answers. "I think she is still in New York." He acts like he is wondering why I even care where she is, but she's a alive and I have the most warm feeling of relief wash over me.

             
"The baby?"

             
"It's OK, Ian, you don't have to worry about that now.  It's not yours," Chelsea says leaning into me.  The pain I had a few minutes ago when the doctor pushed on my stomach was nothing compared to what her words just did to me.

             
"You need to concentrate on getting your strength back. You've been lying in a hospital bed for three months," Troy says and the doctor is writing something on a chart. 
Three fucking months, what the fuck?  The baby's not mine? Holy hell my heart feels like it's shriveling into the size of a raison. It can't be true, I have to see her.  I have to hear it from her
.

             
"We're going to get you up and started on physical therapy right away.  You still have good muscle tone so your strength should be back in no time," Dr. Bergstrom says, completely oblivious that I have tears running out of my eyes.

             
"I need to see her." I tell Troy trying to sit up, but am pushed back down by Chelsea. 

             
"You need to slow down, baby," she says to me touching my chest, and rubbing a small circle with her hand.

             
"Troy, please get her out of here."  I try to swat away Chelsea's hand. Her touch is like venom that is stinging my skin.  I can't believe I had to hear from her that the baby is not mine. 
It can't be true, it can't be. I have to see her
.

             
Troy looks shocked by my statement and looks up at Chelsea.  I see a look of horror on her face.

             
"Please, Troy, I need to see Aubrey now.  Please get her here. I need you to, please." There's a look on Troy's face that tells me he has been played, and Chelsea excuses herself from the room rather quickly. 

             
"Yeah, buddy! I'll get her here." He assures me with a pat on the shoulder. "You rest, and when you wake up she will be here," he says in an almost apologetic tone. 
I don't know what the hell has happened in the last three months, and I don't care right now.  I need to see my girl
.

Chapter 17

Aubrey

             
The first couple of days after being kicked out of the room all I could do was lie in bed and cry.  I felt so hopeless and helpless. I didn't have the strength to move.  Dr. Henry gave me something to help calm my nerves which helped a little, but I don't think there was anything in the world strong enough to fix my broken heart. 

             
We were staying in the hotel right next to the hospital.  There was no way in hell I was leaving.  I stayed in the distance allowed by the damn restraining order. 

             
"Baby girl." I lift my head off the pillow to see Rex coming in the room.  As he sits on the edge of the bed, I wrap my arms around his neck.  I sob and sob into his chest. He says nothing, just holds me. "You need to try and stay calm for the baby," he whispers finally.  I look up at him and grab a tissue from the side table to blow my nose.

             
"You look like shit." He teases, trying to get me to laugh. 

             
"Thanks," I mumble.

             
"Even on your worst day, baby girl, you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."  He smiles lifting my chin to meet his gaze.  "It'll all be OK.  You know that, right?" I lay back on the pillow and chuckle, because it's all I can do except cry some more.  I'm not sure if I have any tears left.  "When's the last time you took a shower?"  He asks me looking around the room.

             
"Are you saying I stink?" 

             
"No, but that rat's nest on your head looks like it needs tamed."  He laughs.  "Do you want me to help you?"  He asks, raising his eyebrows suggestively.  "I could go tell Ian that I was going to help you shower, that'll wake him right up." 

             
That's when I really start laughing.  I laugh so hard I almost pee myself.  Running into the bathroom, I hear Rex still chuckling.  "It will be alright, baby girl, I swear!"  He yells through the door. 

              After a shower, I feel better.  Coming into the room wrapped in my bathrobe, I try to get a comb through my hair.  Rex is sitting in one of the big overstuffed chairs. 

             
"Come here, let me help you," he says motioning to the spot in front of him on the floor.  I sit on the floor handing him the comb and he gently tries to get through the tangles. 

             
"I thought you had a big Hollywood party to go to with Heidi Dean?"  I ask Rex. He and Heidi have been hot and heavy and all over the press as the new power couple. I knew her new movie was opening tonight, and as her boyfriend he would be expected to be there.

             
"I've been calling you for two days, you haven't answered.  So I called Sam and he told me what was happening.  No one is keeping me away from you when you need me, baby girl," he says leaning down to whisper in my ear. 

             
"Shit, she has to absolutely hate me by now."  Although I don't want him ruining a relationship that seems to be working, I am glad he is here.  The distraction is just what I needed.

             
"She knows everything, I told her a few weeks ago," he says and I turn to him shocked by his confession. "She was very understanding and knew not to even try and stop me."

             
"So, Rex Olsen found the one?" 

             
"I think so, maybe.  It was so easy to tell her....I mean not easy.....but...."

             
"I understand, Rex, I totally understand."  I pat his leg.  "I'm happy for you, you deserve it." 

             
"You will always be my baby girl, and I will always come running when you need me."  He struggles with a knot in my hair as he says the comment so nonchalant, like it is just a fact.

              My lawyer had been working his ass off the past month to have the restraining order lifted.  Unfortunately, Amy Brady's dad is a stupid supreme court judge.

             
A restraining order put in place by the Supreme Court is very hard to fight. Even with the team of lawyers I have.  The problem being that this kind of thing is not ever done by a Supreme Court judge.  There's no precedent in place for it to be over turned. 

             
We couldn't prove anything, and my doctor said it was too risky to do an amniocentesis to find out the paternity.  I would never do anything to put my baby at risk.  I knew Ian was still alive, but that's about it.  I knew this because I had hired a team of private investigators to follow Troy, Amy and Chelsea's every move and they were still here.

             
Troy and Chelsea mainly stayed at the hospital during the day.  Chelsea spent the night at the hospital, which let me tell you was a hard pill to swallow.  I couldn't even imagine what her sick twisted mind was doing to comatose Ian.  She had built a fantasy in her head and I truly think she believed that Ian loved her.

             
Sam was traveling back and forth from North Carolina to take care of business.  He'd stay a few days then would come back.  Sam found out from a mutual friend that once Chelsea told Amy the lie about Ian calling her, Amy went on a mission to get me out of the way.  It was a little fantasy the two of them had since they were kids, that they would marry brothers one day.  Troy and Ian were close enough to being brothers I guess. 
Sick and fucking twisted
.

             
Miry and Rex, God love them, never left my side.  They both kept me from committing murder a couple times, but I can't promise that if I ever get my hands on either of those psycho bitches that I won't be going to jail.