Destiny Revealed (There's Always Tomorrow Book 2) (22 page)

Vance watches a very pale Melina take Dr. Stein's hand. He pulls her toward him and situates her at the top of the bed. Then he moves away to do other things. Melina frames his head with her hands and drops her face to his, pressing their cheeks together. She just cries, unable to get out any words. Vance, too, just cries. He thought he was dead. He thought he'd never see her again. Melina starts kissing Vance all over his face.

“I thought I lost you.” Melina sobs, kissing him on his lips.

Dr. Stein comes back into view. “Vance, we have to take you into surgery to repair any damage to your lungs. Even though the bullet hit your vest, when you slammed your back into the garage door, I think you may have some internal bleeding.”

“Okay,” Vance chokes out. He brings his arm up and laces his fingers into Melina's hair. “I love you,” Vance tell her, their faces still pressed together.

“I love you, too. You're gonna be just fine, okay?” Melina promises and smooths her hand over his cheek a few times.

“You’ll be here when I wake up?” he asks hesitantly.

“You can’t get rid of me this time.” She smirks.

Vance nods. Melina kisses him one more time before she lets him go. Vance is wheeled into an operating room where they transfer him to the operating table and start setting up everything. The anesthesiologist comes in and speaks to Vance a little bit, as he sets the medication needed to put him under into his IV. Vance quickly gets pulled under and fades into nothingness.

Vance has no idea how long he’s been out, but it feels like forever. He hisses. His whole body hurts, but his chest is the worst. Vance drags his heavy eyelids open and looks around the fuzzy recovery room.

“Vance, welcome back,” he hears Dr. Stein say from his right side.

Vance rolls his head over to the right to look at the aging doctor with the white hair and laugh lines at the corner or his eyes. “Hey,” he rasps, his throat dry and raw.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

“A lot of pain,” Vance moans.

“I'm sure you are. A bullet wound, plus a couple of badly bruised ribs, is not a party.” Dr. Stein frowns.

“Not like I wanted to get shot, Doc.” Vance smirks.

Dr. Stein chuckles. “I don't know anyone who wants to get shot, Vance.”

Vance makes a noise of agreement, “Hey, Doc, did Melina get checked out?” he asks, praying that she had.

“You know privacy laws prevent me from discussing that with you,” Dr. Stein admonishes.

“You’re right. I know. But, come on, give me something,” Vance begs.

Dr. Stein huffs. “Fine, but only because she has you listed as her emergency contact.”

Vance's eyes snaps up to his. “I am?”

“Yep, you sure are.” He chuckles.  “I checked the wound and it was superficial. She didn’t even need any stitches. Now, mentally, that may take a little more time to heal.”

Vance sighs in relief, but at the same time gets a little choked up. He can't imagine what she must be dealing with. The mental damage that Damien caused is going to far surpass the physical.

Dr. Stein places a gentle hand on the top of Vance's head. “She's okay, Vance. She seems like a strong woman. I'm sure she will recover from this.”

Vance can only nod and brush away the tears that roll down his face. About twenty minutes later, he is doped up with morphine and in his own room. He is dozing off when the door opens. He cracks open an eye to see who it is. Tripp, Dayne, Ryder, and Xander walk in. Tripp walks right up to the side of the bed, grabs Vance's face, and plants a big fat kiss on his lips.

“Duuuude,” Vance drawls when Tripp pulls away, unable to do much else.

Tripp drops his forehead to Vance's. “I thought I fuckin’ lost you,” he croaks.

Vance grabs onto the back of Tripp's neck. “No, you saved me. You would have killed your own brother to save me. I love you, Tripp, more than words can even express,” Vance whispers.

Tripp breaks down. He tucks his face into Vance's neck and balls his eyes out. Vance holds him as tight as he can. Vance glances over at his other friends and brother to find them all crying. Even Dayne, who rarely ever sheds a tear, is choked up. What a bunch of pussies they are.

Once Tripp finally gets himself together, he moves away so Xander, Ryder, and Dayne can give Vance a hug. Over the next few hours, Vance has a bunch of visitors who all relay their version of what happened. If he hadn’t just survived the nightmare, he would’ve been thoroughly entertained.

After each visitor leaves, he asks for Melina, but she has not shown up yet. Vance is starting to worry that she’s changed her mind about him.  She’s gotten an inside glimpse of his dangerous job and he’s afraid that maybe she’s realized that she’s not cut out for being a cop’s girl.

“Got room for one more?” Melina asks softly from the doorway.

Vance's head whips around to look at her. God, she’s gorgeous. Her long brown hair is laying in soft waves over her shoulders. Her face is flushed, but not because she’s embarrassed; it’s more like she has taken a seriously hot shower and burned her skin. She is in faded jeans and a white t-shirt.

“I'll leave you two alone,” Vance's mom says, giving him a kiss on the forehead before heading for the door. She gives Melina a hug and kiss before walking out and shutting the door behind her.

“Lina, baby, come here,” Vance says softly, holding out his hand.

Melina hesitates, the look in her eyes saying that she is unsure.

“Melina.” Vance frowns. “Please. Please come over.”

Melina wraps her arms around herself and seems to have to force her feet to move. She stops just out of his reach. Tears start down her rosy cheeks. Now that she is closer, he can see her eyes better. They are completely bloodshot and puffy from crying. And she has four small butterfly bandages across her neck. Vance's heart shatters. She is in pain and there is no way for him to help her.

Vance sighs and lets his hand drop. He lays his head back on his pillow and closes his eyes. He is really tired. The pain medication is also starting to wear off, so his body is throbbing. And every time he moves, he gets a searing pain.

“I hate myself for what happened to you,” Melina whispers, shaking her head.

“What are you talking about?” he asks, confused.

“I should have known better than to bring you into my life, with Damien lurking around. But I wanted you so much. I was willing to take a chance in hopes you wouldn't get caught up in the shit storm that seems to have followed me,” Melina says, tears running down her beautiful cheeks.

Melina glances at Vance to find him looking at her, his expression horrified. “Don't you dare blame yourself,” he whispers fiercely.

“If we had never gotten together, then this would have never happened to you,” Melina snaps, frustration now taking over. “I'm sure that it's crossed your mind, and I wouldn't be surprised if you blamed me for it happening.”

Vance lies there in utter shock, his mouth hanging wide in astonishment. His mouth opens and closes a few times before he can put together a sentence. “Are you fucking serious? Of course, it’s not your fault!” he exclaims loud enough to make Melina jump.

A white-hot pain slices through his ribs and chest. Vance hisses in pain and puts pressure on the site with his hand. Melina is immediately at his side, her hand covering his. Vance takes a couple of deep breaths as the pain subsides then hits a button to release another dose of morphine.

“Van, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Are you okay?” Melina asks worriedly.

Vance swallows hard. “Hand me that remote,” he says pointing to the remote that sits on the table next to the bed.

Melina hands it to him and he hits the button to call in a nurse. It’s only a minute before one pops her head in. “You okay, hun?” she asks.

“Morphine is wearing off. Button’s not working,” Vance gasps as he gets another flash of pain in his stomach.

“Okay, I'll get you more. Be back in a jiffy,” the nurse says and quickly leaves.

Once they are alone again, Melina looks at Vance. “I love you, baby. Nothing is ever going to change that. Do you understand?” she rasps in both pain and emotion.

Vance smiles and nods. “I love you, too, and this is not your fault, Lina. Nothing that ever happens can keep us apart because what’s in store for us is a lifetime of love. No matter what circumstances or hurdles or nightmares come our way, our destiny will be revealed.”

Melina smiles. “Never disrupted again, my love.”

Chapter 19

Tripp has Anna tucked under his arm. His parents and stepparents stand on his right as they watch Damien's casket being lowered into the ground. His parents don't blame him for what happened, but he knows that it hurts them deeply. Damien would have been killed either way that night. He’s just glad that it wasn’t him or Vance or any of his other friends that pulled the trigger. He doesn’t know if any of them could’ve lived with the guilt. Him for killing his own brother, or them for killing their best friend’s brother. It was a shitty situation all around.

The funeral isn't big, just immediate family, a few friends, and a handful of reporters. Besides him, the only people who join him at the cemetery are Anna, his parents and stepparents, Dayne, Harper, Ryder, Xander, and Melina. Mike and Vance are still in the hospital recovering.

Tripp can’t keep his mind from revisiting that night.  The night that ended his little brother’s life. He didn’t see Damien as his brother that night. Damien truly was mentally unstable and was a serious threat that needed to be taken out. He stalked and tortured them all, just to fuck with Vance, and try to win Melina back. Damien almost killed them all when he shot at them in the car and ran them off the road. And he peppered Vance’s parents’ house with bullets and almost killed Vance and Melina when he aimed his rifle at them. All of this made Tripp's heart harden toward his brother.

Then, Vance, who is more like a brother than a best friend, getting shot and thrown back several yards, knocked unconscious…again. After Tripp ushered Melina away so that the EMTs could get to work on Vance, he went back to check on Damien. He was definitely dead. His eyes as cold as his gray/blue skin. It’s not a visual he will be able to erase anytime soon.

“Tripp?” Anna asks, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?” he replies without looking at her.

“It's over. Everyone is heading back to your dad's house for a little bit. Do you want to go?” Anna asks, running her hand in circles on his back. God, he loves her so much.

Tripp nods. “Yeah, sure,” he murmurs. He takes one last look at the casket in the ground then turns with Anna and heads back to the limo.

Tripp stares out of the limo’s window as they drive to his father's house. He wishes that he could have done something more to help his brother. Damien was so stubborn, though. After they came home from Afghanistan, Damien had severe PTSD. He was paranoid and convinced that someone was watching him. Well, more like the Taliban was watching him. Every loud noise sent him into a flashback, even pulled his gun on their mother multiple times.

Tripp tried to get him help, tried to get him to go to the doctor to get some medication. But Damien was too proud. He refused to admit that he had PTSD. Then there was Damien's jealousy of Vance, which went on for as long as Tripp could remember. Tripp, Vance, Dayne, Mike, and Ryder all grew up together. They did everything together. They were all the same age and went to the same school, and as soon as they were old enough, they all got a place together. Although Tripp considered all of them best friends, he and Vance (and Mike) always had a special bond. Just like Dayne and Ryder had a special bond.

Growing up, Damien wasn’t able to do everything that Tripp was doing because he was younger. And it wasn’t like Tripp didn’t try to make time for his brother, because he did. They had their own special things that they did together that he wouldn’t do with Vance or Dayne or Ryder or Mike. But it wasn’t enough for Damien. He always wanted Tripp to himself, not to have any friends at all. It was ridiculous. Tripp tried to be nice about it at first, but the older Damien got, the worse things got. Tripp couldn’t count how many times Damien slashed the tires on his car so he couldn’t go anywhere.

Then when Tripp signed up to become a Navy Seal, Damien couldn’t sign up fast enough. He thought that would be his shot at getting Tripp all to himself. Well, it didn’t work out as he planned. In Afghanistan, they were separated and put on different missions. They didn’t see each other the whole year and a half they were there.

They finally got to see each other on the flight back home. Tripp could tell from the moment he saw Damien that he was seriously fucked up in the head. The look in his eyes was seriously crazed. Tripp didn’t know that Vance, Dayne, and Ryder were going to be at the landing strip waiting for his arrival. So when he got off the plane and saw them, he went running. The first thing Vance did was slap him across the face and told him never to leave for that long ever again. Then Vance kissed him on the mouth and hugged him hard and long. Damien watched the whole thing, seething with hatred. It was a few months later that he disappeared for three years. About the same time when he started to date Melina, he assumes.

As soon as the limo pulls up to his dad’s house, Tripp heads right in and grabs a beer. He takes his beer and plops down in the leather armchair and puts his head back. Tripp closes his eyes. He could really use Vance’s shoulder right now.

Anna smooths her hand over his short hair. “You doing okay, baby?” she asks gently.

Tripp opens his eyes and looks at her. Fuck, she’s gorgeous, and he loves her so much that it hurts. He gives her a tight smile. “Yeah, I just need to relax.”

She nods solemnly, but he knows that she doesn’t buy it. She keeps her mouth shut, though, because she knows him. She knows that if she pushes, he’ll shut her out. “Okay, if you need anything, let me know,” she says and turns to leave, but he grabs her hand.

Tripp lifts his head as he tugs at her arm, forcing her to come around the chair and sit on his lap. Anna immediately wraps her arms around him. Tripp lays his head on her chest and sighs. He thanks God - and Mike - every day for Anna. She’s amazing. And now that this nightmare is over, he’s going to propose, marry, and have babies with her.

“Thank you,” Tripp murmurs.

“For what?” Anna asks quietly, her cheek resting on the top of his head.

“For being here with me.”

“Tripp, you know I wouldn’t be anywhere else. I love you and will always be here when you need me,” she says and kisses the top of his head.

“Mmm, I know,” Tripp says, tightening his hold on her.

Everyone shows up except for Melina. Xander says that she has to make a stop before coming over. Tripp doesn’t think anything of it and figures that she probably needs to change her shoes or something because the ones she had on were really high. So half an hour later, when the door opens and she walks in pushing Vance in a wheelchair, he is stunned.

Vance stands slowly then shuffles through the front door. He isn’t standing as straight as he normally does, but he doesn’t look like he’s in a lot of pain or anything. He doesn’t even have any visible bandages. Tripp gets up and meets him in the foyer.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Tripp asks in shock.

“I tried to get them to let me go earlier so I could be at the funeral with you, but they were being dicks,” Vance says, his irritation clear.

Melina gives Tripp a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the chest before she walks into the kitchen.

“Are you in pain?” Tripp frowns at Vance.

“Eh, not really, just a little tender.” Vance shrugs. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t there for you earlier, bro,” he murmurs quietly, his sincerity cutting through the armor Tripp had wrapped himself in today.

Tripp shakes his head. “It wasn’t your fault,” he says after clearing his throat.

“I know. I just feel like shit for not being there.” Vance sighs.

Tripp pulls Vance into a hug, being careful not to squeeze. He puts his forehead on Vance’s shoulder and takes a few shaky deep breaths. He’s fighting not to break down. Vance clamps one hand on the back of Tripp’s neck and rubs his back with the other.

“It’s okay, man, it’s okay,” Vance soothes.

“My brother is dead,” Tripp chokes out.

“Shit...I know, Tripp. There was no other option.”

Tripp pushes away from Vance. There is suddenly not enough oxygen in the room. Tripp braces his hands on his knees and tries to breathe, but all he can do is gasp. He hears Vance say something about hyperventilating before he leads him outside onto the porch. Vance pushes him down into a rocking chair and makes him bend over, putting his head between his knees.

“It’s okay, Tripp. Just breathe, buddy,” Vance says softly and smooths his hand over Tripp’s back in large circles.

“Fuck...my brother...shot in the head...sonofabitch...” Tripp pants, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. Shit, he hasn’t had a panic attack in years.

Vance remains quiet, knowing there is nothing that he can say to make Tripp feel any better. So he just keeps his mouth shut and rubs Tripp’s back like he used to when Tripp would have his weekly panic attacks. The last one Tripp could remember was about three years ago, right after he got home from overseas. He went to see Anna. When he pulled up at her house, she was actually standing on her front porch kissing some guy. He wasn’t mad because they weren’t together, and he never expected her to stay single while he was away. But damn, it crushed him to see her with someone else.

Tripp shakes his head to rid himself of that memory. Vance is trying to coach him on his breathing but he hasn’t been listening. So he clears his head and takes Vance’s cue on a deep breath in and out. He repeats it until he’s able to sit up and breathe normally.

“Fuck, I hate panic attacks,” Tripp groans, sitting back in the rocking chair and rubbing his face.

Vance slowly makes his way over to the chair next to him and sits down. “That was a bad one,” he murmurs, avoiding looking over at Tripp.

Tripp watches Vance, who starts biting his nails; something that he does when he’s thinking about something and doesn’t know how to say it.

“What is it, Van? You know you can say whatever it is,” he says softly.

Vance glances over at him, finger in his mouth. It is then that he realizes that he’s given himself away. He drops his hand and makes a noise of disgust. He stares at his hand for a moment before turning a worried gaze on Tripp. Tripp frowns at him.

“Do you blame me?” Vance asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Fuck no, Van. How could you even ask that? He was going to kill you!” Tripp exclaims, gripping Vance’s forearm, which is perching on the arm of the chair.

“He was your brother, Tripp...” Vance starts quietly, dropping his gaze back to his hands, where they rest on his lap.

“In blood, yeah. But, Van, you’re my brother, too.  You’re the one who’s always there for me. I could never have lived with myself if you had died because of him,” Tripp croaks. He squeezes Vance’s arm a little tighter. “Don’t ever think that I regret saving your life over his. I would do it all over again if I had to, and my parents feel the same way.”

Vance nods and lets out a small sob that he seems to be trying to hold back. He covers his eyes with his free hand. “I swear, having a girlfriend is fucking with me. All I do anymore is cry like a fucking pussy.” Vance half laughs and half cries.

Tripp barks in laughter and wipes away the tears that start down his face. “I hear ya, man. We gotta get away from these women for a little while. I’m afraid if we don’t, we’re gonna end up being one of those guys who follows his chick around while she shops, holding her purse.”

Vance laughs and lifts his head to look at Tripp. “We need to do something manly, like go camping or deep sea fishing.”

Tripp grunts. “No fishing. Dayne gets sea sick.”

“You know the girls aren’t gonna let us go camping without them.” Vance sighs and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.

“It might be fun if we all go, anyway. Get away from here for a little while.”

Vance nods. “True.”

Just then, Melina and Anna come out onto the porch. The concern on their faces tells Tripp that they must have heard about his panic attack. “Tripp, are you okay? Xander said something about you hyperventilating?” Anna asks and smooths her hand over his hair.

Tripp nods. “I’m alright. I had a panic attack, but I’m okay now,” he says quietly and looks up into her lovely face. She frowns but doesn’t say anything else about it.

“Van, are you doing okay?” Melina asks softly, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Vance nods. “Had a bitch moment. I’m cool,” he says after clearing his throat.

Melina and Tripp laugh. Anna cracks a smile. Tripp slips his hand around Anna’s waist and gives her hip a squeeze. She gives him a warm smile.

“Are you ready to go, Anna?” Tripp asks, needing to get out of there.

She raises a questioning eyebrow at him. “Already?”

Tripp nuzzles his face against the silky fabric of her black dress. “Mmm hmm.”

Anna’s hand comes down to hold his head against her flat belly. “Alright, if you want.”

“I want,” Tripp answers, raising his gaze to hers.

A beautiful smile curls her mouth. She loves him so much and will never deny him anything he needs.

“Shit, if you’re gonna go home then so are we.” Vance snorts and stands up gingerly.

Melina smiles. “I’m ready if you are.”

They all gather themselves then head into the house to say goodbye to Tripp’s family. The rest of the gang ends up leaving, too. They’ve all rented a house together only ten minutes from their beach house, while theirs gets put back together.  When they get to their rental, everyone hugs and kisses each other, thankful to have another day to spend together. As they head to their separate bedrooms, each and every one of them is looking forward to enjoying some alone time with their loves. A chapter of their lives has finally closed, and now it’s time to turn the page and make some new memories.