Briar Valley: The Complete Duet

14. Micah

CHAPTER 14

MICAH

STAY WITH ME – YOU ME AT SIX

I hate hospitals.

The noise is overwhelming after so many months of silence in the quiet bliss of my studio. If I close my eyes, I can almost imagine the wet clay sliding between my fingers as I find my happy place.

The wail of a baby crying interrupts my daydream. After waiting for hours on end in the rural, countryside hospital near the crash site, my mind can’t help but wander.

“Mi?” Ryder waves a hand in front of my face.

My eyes snap up to meet his. “Yeah?”

“Need a coffee or something?”

“Have you got anything stronger?”

“I wish,” he snorts.

We’re sitting in the clinical, white-washed waiting area of the emergency care unit. Opposite me, Killian has his elbows braced on his knees and his head in his hands.

By some miracle, he escaped the accident with only superficial cuts and a sprained shoulder, despite being in the driver’s seat. The truck hit the fence and rolled, according to authorities.

“You guys doing okay?” Ethan strolls into the waiting area.

Standing up, Ryder walks into his arms so the pair can exchange kisses. He arrived by helicopter not long after Willow, Zach and Killian were all rushed in for urgent care.

We got the call a few hours ago. Some asshole ran them off the road—paid for by Mr Sanchez, no doubt. The son of a bitches were on a suicide mission to end Willow’s life no matter what.

“Peachy,” Killian speaks for the first time.

Ethan gives him a sympathetic look. “If it’s any consolation, our two perps are dead. Tara and Hyland shot them on sight.”

“Jesus,” I mutter.

“We’ll identify them as soon as possible, but if this is Sanchez, he would’ve been careful to use people who can’t be traced back to him.”

“So we’re screwed?” Killian deadpans.

Ethan shrugs. “We’re doing what we can.”

This shit is a far cry from the peaceful life we’re supposed to be living. Guns and violence don’t belong in our story, but here we are. Living out the plot of a damn action movie.

Taking their seats, Ryder and Ethan’s hands remain tightly entwined. Killian finds the energy to lift his head and looks at me beneath the gauze covering his sliced-up face.

“We should be in there,” he croaks.

“We will be,” I assure him.

“When?”

We’re really in shit if Killian’s deferring to me for some kind of plan here. With a sigh, I leave my seat and take the creaky plastic chair next to him so our shoulders brush together.

“As soon as the doctors will let us see them, we’ll be in there.”

“She needs us.”

“And we’re here, aren’t we?”

Here—but that doesn’t make up for the weeks I’ve spent treating Willow like crap and avoiding her. I thought that by keeping my distance, it wouldn’t hurt when she left.

But she didn’t leave. Not by her own choice. Those assholes almost took my girl from me, and I’ve wasted all this time keeping her at arm’s length, all for nothing.

We could’ve lost her. Fuck, we still may. Nothing in this life is guaranteed, just the promise that more pain will always come. It’s up to me whether I want to face that pain alone or with her by my side.

Killian’s hand reaches out and clasps mine tight. “This has to stop, Mi. She needs you.”

It’s like he can read my mind. Sighing again, I silently wish I had a very strong drink in hand and force myself to nod.

“I know, Kill. It will.”

“You swear it?”

“I’ll make this right, I promise. Willow deserves that much.”

“She never wanted to leave us,” he tries to explain. “I know it’s hard to accept. Believe me, I do. But she did what she felt that she had to for her daughter’s life.”

And deep down, beneath the anger and sadness, I know that. Better than anyone. Arianna is her whole life, and being a Mum is what kept Willow alive all the years she spent fighting to survive.

But that didn’t stop it from hurting like hell when she took my heart in her hand, ripped it clean out from behind my ribcage and tossed it aside in a blood-slick lump. That pain was unbearable.

“She’s my everything,” I admit. “I just… I didn’t know how to handle her coming back. It hasn’t felt real.”

“And it’s up to us to keep her here, no matter how much she wants to run and hide,” he urges. “This is going to be the fight of our lives, Mi. We need each other.”

“More than ever,” Ryder interjects. “You guys aren’t doing this alone. The whole town wants to keep Willow and Arianna safe.”

Between them both staring at me, I feel my cheeks flame red. The realisation of exactly how fucking stupid I’ve been washes over me. That ends today.

If Willow needs me, I’ll be there. Regardless of the past. She came back to us, and it’s high time I grew up. That blessing can’t be ignored any longer in favour of my depression and grief.

The door to a clinical room clicks open, and Willow’s two doctors emerge, both dressed in white and carrying clipboards. We all immediately stand, though Killian is stiff and grunts in pain.

“How are they?” Ryder asks.

“Zach has a moderate concussion and has required several stitches,” Doctor Putland answer him. “He’s doing well and has regained consciousness. We’ll be discharging him in the morning.”

“And Melody?” Killian demands, being careful to use Willow’s false identity.

The second man, Doctor Vale, glances between us all. “Might I ask if any of you are Melody’s significant other?”

“I am,” we blurt at the same time.

Both doctors stare at us for a moment before quickly hiding their surprise. Doctor Putland waves us over to follow them into the room.

Leaving Ryder and Ethan behind, we’re led into a brightly-lit clinical space down the corridor. Behind a blue curtain, Willow is resting upright in a hospital bed.

She’s banged up, her arm bandaged from being sliced by glass and face bruised in mottled shades of green and purple down one side. My throat tightens. Shit. They’ve done this to my girl.

But she’s awake and still looking so fucking stunning, it hurts my heart to see her coal-black hair and shining eyes. She bursts into tears when she spots us entering the room.

Shoving me forwards, Killian hangs back so I can approach first. I move without an ounce of hesitation. Willow lets me bury my face in her neck as my own tears well up.

“You’re okay.” My words sound strangled.

Her hand buries in my overgrown hair. “I’m alright, Mi.”

I repeat it again, needing to convince myself. While I locked myself away at home like a petulant fucking child, she was out there, getting hurt. I’ll never forgive myself for leaving her again.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there?—”

“Stop,” she interrupts, lifting my head so our eyes can meet. “This isn’t on you.”

“But you needed me.”

Willow hesitates. “I did.”

“Then this is on me. I swear to you, angel, I won’t ever do that to you again. Please forgive me.”

Her expression softens. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

We embrace again, sharing a soft, gentle kiss despite our audience. When one of the doctors clears their throat, I reluctantly release her and take a small step backwards.

“Miss Tanner,” Doctor Putland begins.

Willow startles at the false name but quickly smooths a blank expression into place. “Yes?”

“Your injuries are all mild; you’ve been incredibly lucky to escape unscathed.”

“Then why are you still holding her?” Killian asks suspiciously.

Doctor Vale steps forward. “We sent Miss Tanner for a routine scan and some blood tests when she arrived. As you didn’t mention it, I think this will come as a surprise to you.”

He looks at our girl meaningfully.

“What is it?” Willow breathes.

“Melody, you are pregnant. Congratulations.”

You could hear a pin drop in the hospital room. No one says a fucking word. All I can do is stare at the look of complete and utter shock on Willow’s face as her mouth opens and shuts several times.

Silence.

Long, suffocating silence.

“P-Pregnant?” she finally speaks.

The doctor nods. “Approximately five weeks. The baby is healthy, no signs of injury following the accident.”

My mind rushes to connect the dots. She’s been back with us for a while now, since before Christmas. Unless she’s seeing someone else, the baby is ours. One of us is having a kid.

Or… all of us.

I really don’t know.

“Are you sure?” Willow squeaks.

They both nod back.

“A baby,” Killian repeats, dumbfounded.

“But I thought…” Willow trails off. “They told us that I’d never be able to conceive again when I had a miscarriage last year. I have too much scarring.”

“Miracles do happen, Miss Tanner. You’re going to have a rainbow baby after all.”

Oh my God.

An actual child.

Our baby.

Bursting into loud, back-breaking sobs, Willow crumbles between us as we surround her. Killian buries his face in her hair as I hold her against my chest, stroking her back.

It seems neither of us know what to say.

We don’t need to ask whose it is.

That doesn’t matter right now. Willow’s having a kid, and we’re going to be fathers. Everyone and everything else pales into insignificance—even the differences that have kept us apart.

“A baby,” she hiccups. “We’re having a baby.”

The doctors file out to give us some privacy, but we don’t move. Willow remains trapped between us until her sobs fade into tiny whimpers of what sounds a lot like fear.

I tilt her chin up with a crooked finger, forcing her tear-logged eyes to lock on me. “Talk to us, angel.”

“I never th-thought I’d get another chance,” she whispers.

Killian smooths her hair. “You heard them. It’s a miracle.”

“But… there’s so much going on.” She shakes her head. “How can I possibly bring a baby into this mess? We’re not safe yet. I can’t have another child.”

I grip her chin tight. “Whatever you want to do, we’ll support you. But don’t throw away this chance because of that bastard. He’s taken enough from you.”

“Micah’s right,” Killian agrees. “Do you want this baby?”

Willow bites her lip and nods. “More than anything.”

“Then I guess we’re having a kid.”

Hearing him say it out loud feels like an electric shock to the system. For the first time in months, I can feel my body. It’s humming. Trembling. Shaking with anticipation.

I’m alive.

The numbness leaves me.

I don’t have time to waste, wallowing in the pits of my loneliness when Willow’s here, pregnant and hurt. Pregnant with our child.

She shakes her head. “We haven’t used protection. Jesus Christ.”

Killian strokes a single finger down the slope of her crooked nose. “Fuck. I completely forgot about that.”

Both of them glance up at me.

“What?” I frown back.

I can see the worry dancing in her eyes. We all know the baby isn’t mine. It sounds like Killian and Zach are both in the running.

They’re waiting for me to be upset. While part of me feels like I’m intruding on their moment, I sure as hell am not walking away. Not now. I’ve done more than enough of that.

“Do we want to know?” I ask honestly.

Killian shrugs. “I don’t think it matters whose it is. If we’re doing this, then we’re going to do it together as a family.”

Relief floods me at his words. The assumption I made is correct. We’ve never discussed this, it didn’t seem like it would ever be a possibility. But I’m glad we’re on the same page.

There’s a knock on the door before it creaks open, emitting a limping, bandaged Zach. He shrugs off the nurse’s grip on his arm and steps into the room.

“Willow!”

“It’s okay,” she rushes out. “I’m fine.”

Slowing down, Zach wobbles on his feet for a moment, and I’m forced to grab him so he doesn’t fall. He steadies himself on my arm.

“Someone drove a damn car into me,” he complains moodily. “Is that why I have such a bad headache? Or did I drink too much?”

I quickly pull him into a back-slapping hug. “Good to see you awake, brother.”

“Jesus. Who are you, and what have you done with Micah?”

“Hilarious. Want me to hit you with another car?”

“Try it,” he challenges. “I survived one hit, I can take another.”

“No!” Willow shrieks. “Christ, guys.”

Rolling my eyes, I release him. That’s when he spots our faces, all misty-eyed and flushed, realising that something is going on.

“What’s wrong?” Zach quickly asks.

Willow wipes her tear-stained face. “We… uh, have some news.”

“News,” he repeats. “Are you okay? Did the doctors say something? I tried to shield you as best as I could from the crash.”

“I really am okay, Zach.” She flashes him a wobbly smile. “Better than okay.”

Looking between us all, grinning like fucking idiots who don’t have clue what rollercoaster lies ahead, Zach doesn’t catch on.

“Mind filling me in, babe?”

Willow’s tears begin to flow again. “You’re going to be a dad.”

Frozen on the spot, his mouth falls open. “Come again?”

I squeeze his shoulder. “She’s pregnant.”

Still, Zach doesn’t unfreeze. “With…?”

“Our baby,” Killian finishes.

Hearing those words, the most magnificent, over-enthusiastic smile blooms on his lips. Zach crosses the room in a limping blur to gather Willow into his arms, bruised skin and all.

“Holy motherfuck!” he yells so loud, I’m sure the whole hospital can hear us.

“Zach,” she scolds him, mortified. “Language!”

We all burst into laughter. Despite the pain and turmoil of the past few hours, it feels good to hear that tinkling, excited sound fall from Willow’s lips. Shit. We’re really doing this.

Zach’s eyebrows raise. “Ah, hell. Last month?”

Flushed pink, Willow shrugs. “I guess so.”

“I totally forgot.”

“We both did.” Killian laughs.

All huddling together, we hug in a breathless tangle. None of us have the right words. Maybe there aren’t any. Just happiness and pure fucking bliss for a single, solitary moment of our lives.

This is it.

Our forever.

It’s on the horizon.

Once Willow’s tears have dried up, she shoos us out of the room to speak to the doctors in private. We catch the words high-risk pregnancy before the door to her room clicks shut.

We look at one another, silently communicating before we slip outside to talk in private, away from Ethan and his team. The moment the cool, winter air slaps my face outside, reality settles in.

Willow isn’t safe.

That sick piece of shit tried to have her killed. There’s no doubt that the two idiots in the car were paid for by his dime, even if we don’t have evidence to prove it yet. That wasn’t an accident.

“What now?” I ask, urgency surging like a shot of adrenaline through my veins.

Killian faces the overcast clouds as his shoulders slump. “Shit, we’re in so much trouble. We can’t risk anything making this even harder for Willow than it already will be.”

“What do you mean?” Zach questions.

“You heard them in there. The chances of her losing this baby are already higher than average. Do you want her to go through another miscarriage?”

I feel myself blanch. “Fuck no.”

Zach shakes his head. “Not a chance.”

“There’s a possibility it will happen. We need a game plan and fast. I won’t let that asshole get another chance to hurt our girl.”

“So what do we do?”

His expression hardens. “We go on the attack. I want him taken down in every single way possible.”

Zach leans against the wall, clearly exhausted. “How do we do that?”

“Hiding isn’t working anymore.”

“So what do we do?” I frown.

“Whatever it takes. We need him to stop spreading lies about Willow and her disappearance. Then Sabre Security can find that motherfucker and bury him.”

We both nod in agreement. The day that wanker is behind bars—or even better, dead in the ground—will be the day we finally rest. This is a war that we have to win now.

“What about Willow?” Zach glances at me. “And the… you know?”

Killian’s jaw tightens. “Yeah. I know.”

“Know what?” I look between them.

Neither looks willing to tell me what’s going on. Frustrated, I raise my hands in exasperation.

“What are you both talking about?”

“Willow’s been cutting,” Zach reveals.

For the second time today, I’m caught off guard and speechless. Killian avoids looking at me while Zach won’t look away, ensuring I know exactly what’s been going on while I’ve been fucking around with paint and clay.

“She’s self-harming?” I ask in an unfamiliar voice. “Again?”

He nods. “For a while now.”

Memories of the last time this happened threaten to overwhelm me. Finding Willow in that bathtub, crying and blood-stained, was harrowing. I was the only one equipped to deal with her in that situation.

“How long?”

“Mi—”

“How fucking long?”

“Months,” Killian answers, sadness etched into his features.

Bracing my hands on my knees, I let my head fall in shame. “Shit. How bad?”

“Pretty superficial,” Zach replies weakly. “She hasn’t been doing it much since coming home. Looks like the worst of it was done during her time away.”

Right around the time I hated her for leaving and spent every waking moment cursing her existence. Meanwhile, she was out there, hurting herself and unable to cope with her own personal hell.

I’m an asshole.

The world’s biggest.

“Fuck!” I shout, kicking the hard brick wall. “I can’t believe I didn’t realise.”

“Mi—” Zach begins.

“No, don’t even say it.”

“How could you have known she was doing that?”

“I get it,” Killian interrupts us, laying a hand on my shoulder. “I felt the same way when I found out. But we know now, and we have to help her.”

“You said she’d stopped?”

They exchange a long, hard look.

“Mostly,” Zach replies, his lower lip trapped between his teeth.

Fucking fuck!

Feeling like the absolute worst person on the planet, I walk away from them to gather myself before I do something stupid like punch the wall and break my hand.

I could’ve helped her. Hell, I could’ve stopped her. I did before. Instead, she lived with this alone for months. Just like I did at one time. She swore she’d come to me, but I pushed her away too far.

No more.

That ends today. She’s my girl, and I won’t rest until I make this right again. For her, for Arianna… and for our baby. Willow will never be alone in this world again for as long as I draw breath.

That’s a vow.