Authors: Rachel Ryan
It seems like forever before we eventually pull up at a driveway on the side of a quiet road in the middle of nowhere. We haven’t seen a house or a car for at least half an hour. Pulling my phone out, I am surprised to see that there is actually service out here. We all climb out of the car and have a look around us. Once again, Levi has the tire iron in his hand and Brady is looking a little nervous. Cameron watches me as I take in our surroundings.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“The plan is for you to get back in the car and wait here.”
She folds her arms and scowls at me.
“I am not sitting here while you three storm in there like superheroes. My sister is in there and I am going to make sure she’s okay.”
Shaking my head, I rub my palms over my tired eyes.
“Cameron, it may be too dangerous. You need to wait here.”
“He’s right, Babe. There’s no point in putting you in harm’s way as well.” Levi wraps an arm around Cameron’s waist and places a kiss on her cheek. She glares at him for a second before finally agreeing that she will wait in the car and states that if we aren’t back in fifteen minutes she’s going to get help.
She climbs into the driver’s seat and locks the door behind her as the three of us head off down the dusty, dirt driveway. There is dense bushland surrounding us in every direction and no sound at all apart from a distant chirping of birds. My heart is racing with the fear that we are too late. He’s had Abbi for almost forty eight hours now and I don’t even want to imagine the things he could have done to her.
After ten minutes of walking in silence, we come to a small clearing. I scan the area and to the left, behind a large tree, I spot Abbi’s car. The fear inside of me turns to rage and it is taking all of my energy not to storm in there, but I need to think smart. One careless move and this could end badly.
We huddle behind a tree and work out how we’re going to approach the situation. Levi glances around the tree.
“I think I can see the cabin just past Abbi’s car. If we sneak around the back way, we might be able to get a look through the windows.”
Brady glances at me.
“Are you okay, man?”
Nodding my head, I reassure him that I am fine.
My eyes follow where Levi is pointing and I tell them we need to stay together. We have more chance of helping Abbi if it’s three against one. We move quietly in the direction of the cabin, treading lightly on the dried grass, leaves and twigs. I’m really starting to get nervous about what we are going to find as we approach the side of the cabin, hiding behind trees and ducking behind bushes. We watch carefully for any movement inside the cabin before we creep along toward the back deck and mount the three steps.
There is a small square window just to the right of the back door, so I slowly inch closer to it, staying low to avoid being seen by anyone inside. I crouch down below the window and rise slowly, peeking through the corner. All I can see is a table and a couple of chairs and an old armoire in the corner. There is a floor lamp beside the armoire lighting up the small room. The lamp is on, someone is here. I look over at Levi and Brady and shake my head, letting them know the room is clear. Levi crawls to the door and gently tries the door knob. He nods at me and stands up, before slowly walking inside the cabin, with me and Brady following closely behind him. I close the door softly behind us and scan the room. We are in a small foyer beside the kitchen, the door leading to the kitchen open. Levi enters the kitchen and Brady follows me in the other direction. We enter a small living room containing a sofa and an armchair arranged around a large timber coffee table. There is a small end table in the corner with another lamp and a couple of small trinkets. Apart from the lamps there is no sign of anyone being here. I hear a sound coming from behind a door on the other side of the living room and walk toward it.
There is another thud from behind the door, just as I reach it. I glance back at Brady and see Levi enter the living room, and I signal to them to let them know that I’m going in. As I turn the door knob, I don’t know exactly what I’m expecting to see, but when I push the door open slightly, the sight of Abbi lying on a bed in her underwear, a large patch of blood on the side of her face, makes my heart stop. I swiftly walk toward the bed not thinking to check the rest of the room, but I am stopped in my tracks when there is a loud bang in my ears and a sharp burning pain in my back. The pain is severe and as I stumble toward the bed, I suddenly can’t suck in a breath. I feel like I am choking as I reach the bed. The last thing I see before I pass out is my beautiful Abbi, lifeless on the bed. As the darkness pulls me under, I don’t care if I don’t survive this. I can’t live in a world where she doesn’t exist.
Beeping.
All I hear is beeping.
My alarm sounds different. I reach blindly for the nightstand, but my hand is just hitting air. The beeping continues as I lift a hand up and rub my eyes. I open my eyes and blink repeatedly, trying to focus. As my vision starts to clear, I see a white ceiling, white walls and a lime green curtain. I try to sit up, but the dull ache in my chest stops me. Movement beside the bed grabs my attention and I turn awkwardly to see a beautiful vision that takes my breath away.
Abbi. My gorgeous Abbi. Am I dreaming? I roll onto my side so that I am facing her. She looks so beautiful. Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun and I can see an ugly purple bruise on the side of her face, but she is still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
“Shorty?”
She opens her eyes, blinks a couple of times and her eyes meet mine. She stares at me for a few seconds before her gorgeous face lights up in the prettiest and most contagious smile I have ever laid eyes on.
“Jake.” Leaning forward on the chair, she takes my hand in hers. “How are you feeling?”
Once again I try to shift into a sitting position, but my body won’t cooperate. Abbi grabs a control off the side of the bed and holds down a button, making the top half of the bed rise up. She fixes the pillows up behind my bed and straightens the blanket, while I just watch her in silence, her beauty leaving me breathless.
She notices me watching her and flashes me a toothy grin.
“You really gave me a scare back there, Jake.”
“Me? What about you? I thought you were gone. When I saw you lying on that bed, I imagined the worst. What the hell happened anyway?”
She sits on the side of my bed, her hand resting on top of mine and tells me the details of what happened after Daniel shot me. Apparently, after I went down, Levi had busted into the room and knocked Daniel out with the tire iron, while Brady called for help. Cameron had heard the gunshot from the car, picked us up and drove along the highway to meet the Ambulance. She mentioned that the Doctors said I had lost a lot of blood and if I had bled for a few minutes more I wouldn’t have made it. According to the Surgeon, the bullet had hit my back and gone through my abdomen, just missing my liver, which was very lucky. Brady had stayed behind with Daniel and tied him up while he was still knocked out. When the Police arrived he was awake and they arrested him on the spot.
“I’m so sorry I put you in that situation, Abbi. I’ll never forgive myself.”
She shakes her head. “What are you talking about? It’s not your fault. Why would you think that?”
Closing my eyes, I try to push away the overwhelming feeling of guilt.
“I should have been here. I should have been with you. I never should have gone to Perth.”
She leans forward, staring into my eyes. “Don’t you dare blame yourself, Jake. If anything, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been so careless where Daniel was concerned. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to worry you, but he was sending me all of these messages and some of them were a little frightening. I should have told you, I’m sorry.”
“Abbi, I understand why you didn’t tell me about all of that. I’m not angry, I’m just so thankful that you are okay.”
She leans down and presses her soft lips to mine and I close my eyes, so glad that she is okay. Suddenly, she pulls back abruptly and I open my eyes to see her worried expression.
“What’s wrong, Babe?”
“What happened with the test? Is the baby yours?”
Shaking my head, I grin up at her and watch the relief cross her face as she brings her mouth back to mine. I pull her down onto the bed beside me and wrap an arm around her, inhaling her sweet vanilla scent and whispering in her ear how much I love her. I fall asleep some time later, with Abbi wrapped in my arms and my heart back in one piece.
Three days later I am released from hospital and Abbi picks me up and takes me to her place, which is where I will stay for the next week until I have recovered a little more. I am still experiencing quite a lot of pain in my abdomen and am under strict instruction to not lift anything heavy or do anything too strenuous. Abbi volunteered to be my nurse and I am looking forward to it.
Daniel was refused bail and is being held until his court trial in seven weeks. Jessica came to see me at the hospital before I was discharged and told me that he was looking at a minimum of twenty years for attempted murder, kidnapping and various other charges. I really feel sorry for her, and hope that she can get through all of this drama and get on with her life. The last few months feel so unreal, like a really bad movie. I never would have guessed that when I moved to Sydney to find Abbi, that I would have been competing with a psychopath and eventually be shot in the back. I’m just so glad that it all worked out and she is safe.
***
After a week of lying on Abbi’s sofa and having her take care of my every need, I feel a little sad knowing that soon I will have to go back to my apartment. I have become a little too comfortable waking up to her each morning and it’s going to be hard leaving her again. But my wound is healing well and I am becoming more mobile, plus, I hate the fact that I have to rely on her so much when she has been through so much. She has taken some time off work and it will be at least a few more weeks before I will be returning. Lacie and Corey will be visiting this weekend and Cameron decided to organise a little get together at ‘The Joint’ to celebrate the end of the drama. Abbi has been a little quiet and is still working through some of the trauma from being kidnapped and the abuse she suffered from Daniel. She keeps trying to reassure me that apart from hitting her with his gun, he didn’t really hurt her, but I just don’t want her to keep it all bottled inside and suffer alone. I suggested that she find a therapist but she insists that she doesn’t need one. I’m hoping that eventually she will talk to someone about what she went through, but I won’t push her if she’s not ready.
Over the next few weeks, everything seems to go back to normal, well, as normal as it is going to get. Abbi decided to return to work a couple of weeks after the incident with Daniel and she seems to be back to her cheerful self. There are still odd moments where I catch her staring into space with a sad expression on her face and I find myself wondering if she’s thinking about him. After a week of staying with Abbi, I moved back to my own apartment, but I have spent most nights with Abbi at her place or mine. It’s like neither of us wants to be away from each other. The news about Abbi’s kidnapping was a big deal and when we finally went back to work, everyone seemed to know every little detail. I ended up going back to work after three weeks off, and now all of our colleagues and students are aware of our relationship, there’s no hiding it. Apart from a little pain in my abdomen every now and then, I have healed completely and I am feeling really good.
Abbi and I haven’t been intimate since before the incident with Daniel, I think she is worried she will hurt me and I am a little hesitant as I don’t know if she is ready yet. We’ve slept together every night since and a couple of times we have come close, but she always pulls back at the last second. Tonight, though, as I lay on my back in Abbi’s bed, with her draped across me in her tiny silky pyjamas, I don’t think I can hold off any longer. All I have to do is look at this girl and my dick is instantly hard. Her bare, toned arm is draped across my chest and as I tilt my head to place a kiss on her shoulder, I hear a sigh escape her pretty mouth. Running my fingertips up and down her arm, I feel her shiver and she lifts her face to look in my eyes. The intensity in her gorgeous blue eyes makes my heart stammer and I flip her over onto her back, only feeling a slight ache in my abdomen, but not enough to hold me back. I hover over her and take in her beauty, her dark hair surrounding her on the pillow, contrasting with her sapphire blue eyes, the high cheekbones, sculpted brows and soft, pink lips. She really does take my breath away.
“I love you so much, Abbi.”
Her lips turn up slightly at the corners and she pulls my face down until we are nose to nose.
“I love you too, Jake. More than you can possibly know.” We make love slowly and softly and afterwards curl up in each other’s arms and just before I drift into a deep and content sleep, I decide that I am going to ask Abbi to marry me.
The next morning I am sitting at the table with Cameron while Abbi is in the shower. My coffee is getting cold as I stare blankly into my cup.
“Hey, are you okay?” Cameron’s voice snaps me from my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…can I ask you a question? Do you think Abbi is happy with me?”
Cameron’s face spreads into a massive grin.
“Are you freaking kidding me? I’ve never seen her happier. It’s sickening, she’s constantly walking around with a smile on her face and she never stops talking about you. Yeah Jake, she’s got it bad. Why?”
“I want to marry her, Cameron.”
Cameron’s grin gets bigger and her eyes look watery as she just stares at me.
“Oh my God! Are you serious? You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“No, Cameron. It should have happened years ago. I have loved her since I was fifteen years old and I have spent way too much of my life without her. I don’t want to waste any more time. I’m going to propose to her.”
Cameron claps her hands and giggles like a little girl.
“Jake, you are a smart man. You two are so meant for each other. When are you going to pop the big question?”
“I don’t know…soon.”