Briar Valley: The Complete Duet

37. Killian

CHAPTER 37

KILLIAN

SOLID GROUND – VANCE JOY

Hospitals have to be my second least favourite place on the earth, right after cities. Nothing good happens in these places. Aside from the reunions. And fuck, this is about to be a big one.

Holding Arianna’s tiny hand in mine, I walk her along the long, gleaming white corridor that leads to the hospital ward. Willow’s been under observation since she was brought in last night.

“Giant?” Arianna looks up at me. “Will Mummy be okay?”

“She’s going to be just fine, Ari.”

“Do you promise?” She wrinkles her nose. “My daddy used to promise things, like he’d hurt Mummy if I was bad or naughty.”

Kneeling down so I’m at her height, I take both of her hands in mine to squeeze. “This isn’t that kind of promise, Ari. I swore that I’d look after you both, and I’m a man of my word.”

She finds the courage to smile. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“If you promise.”

I kiss her forehead. “I do.”

“Then I believe you.”

Standing back up, we walk down the rest of the corridor and stop outside Willow’s door. There’s a small group of people inside—Doc, Aalia, Rachel and Miranda—who all step out to give us some privacy.

Katie’s already back at the hotel. She stayed with her daughter all night after she heard the news. The mad woman hasn’t left her side for a moment, only succumbing to sleep when we demanded that she get some rest.

“How’s she doing?” I ask Doc.

He pats my shoulder. “The doctors here know what they’re doing, Kill. She’ll be alright.”

“I’m not asking them, I’m asking you.”

Doc nods, sadness emanating from his eyes. “It’s nothing a little time won’t fix.”

“The baby?”

“Count your lucky stars the baby survived that beating. It was touch and go, but there’s no permanent damage. Someone must be looking out for you lot up there after all.”

I send a silent prayer up to the heavens to the one person I know is looking down on us with absolute certainty.

Thank you, Grams.

Thank you.

Releasing my shoulder, he heads off down the corridor with the others to give us some privacy. The twins are still inside, sitting at Willow’s bedside, keeping her company.

I look down at Arianna. “Listen, Ari. Your mum’s a little bit sore right now, so I need you to be gentle. She may look different too.”

“Different? How?”

“She has some marks and bruises that look a bit scary, but I promise, she’s alright. Everything is going to be fine. Can you be a big, brave girl for me?”

She sucks back in her trembling bottom lip. “I can.”

“Then let’s go see your mummy.”

“Okay, Giant.”

Holding the door to the room open for her, my eyes connect with Willow’s teary ones. She’s connected to several IV lines, feeding her painkillers and antibiotics. A machine is monitoring the baby too.

Her face is a heart-wrenching technicolour painting, not unlike the mess she was in when she first arrived in Briar Valley. Skin blackened and face misshapen, she looks worse for wear but still fucking beautiful.

“Ari?” she whimpers.

Tentatively stepping into the room, Arianna looks her up and down. “Mummy?”

“Come here, baby. It’s me.”

That’s all it takes. Hearing those words, nothing else matters. Arianna runs into the room, and Zach catches her before she can launch herself at Willow and hurt her.

He places Arianna down on the edge of the bed where she takes her mum’s hand and lightly cuddles her, beneath the swell of her bump that’s hidden underneath the white sheets.

“I was so scared,” Arianna cries. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Willow holds her daughter’s hand tight and strokes her neatly plaited hair. “I’ll always find you, Ari. You know that.”

“I know, Mummy.”

“You’re my little girl. Nothing will ever tear us apart.” Willow swallows hard. “Not even your daddy. He isn’t going to be a problem anymore.”

Arianna looks up, face frozen in fear. “He’s… gone?”

Willow nods patiently. “Your daddy did some very bad things, Ari. He’s going to be in prison for a long time. I’m sorry, baby.”

Chewing on her lip as she thinks, Arianna eventually nods back. “Good. He’s where the bad men belong.”

“Yes, he is.”

Laying back down on her mum’s legs, Arianna clings on tight, her tears saturating the hospital sheets. I move to stand at the end of the bed between the twins who are sitting in chairs on either side.

“Have the doctors been around yet?”

Zach looks up at me. “About half an hour ago. They want to keep her in for another day before thinking about a discharge.”

“And the baby?”

“The consultant did another scan.” Micah strokes Willow’s needle-filled arm. “Everything is looking alright for now.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

Listening to us, Willow looks equally as relieved. We were all fucking terrified and convinced we’d lost the baby when we found her, barely alive and covered in blood.

She’d been bleeding again as a result of all the stress, but as Doc put it, by some miracle, she didn’t go into premature labour. We dodged a very badly-timed bullet thanks to the medical team here.

All holding each other, we’re left alone until Rachel and Miranda come to take Arianna back to the hotel we’ve commandeered near the hospital.

“Mummy,” Arianna whines.

“I’ll be coming home soon, baby,” she tries to comfort her. “Come back and see me tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” Arianna pouts. “But who’s going to tuck me in?”

“How about Uncle Ryder?” A voice offers.

Standing in the doorway, Ryder and Ethan are holding hands. Willow smiles up at them when they enter the room together.

“You came.”

The skin bunches around Ryder’s eyes as he glances over her bruised face. “Couldn’t miss seeing my best girl, now could I?”

After exchanging a quick hug, Willow clasps his arm. “You’ll take her back and tuck her in for me? She’s funny about that.”

“Of course.” Ryder bends down to scoop Arianna up. “Come on, poppet. Let’s go and raid the hotel mini fridge for snacks.”

“Okay!” she agrees enthusiastically.

After pausing to drop a kiss on Willow’s cheek, Ryder takes her daughter out, and the door clicks shut behind him. Ethan watches his boyfriend go before pulling up a chair at Willow’s bedside.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?”

She winces a little. “Sore.”

“We’re just glad you’re okay. You took a hell of a beating or two in that place.”

“I had no other choice.” She glances between us nervously. “Keeping Arianna safe was my priority. He threatened her.”

“We figured as much,” Zach concludes.

“I followed along with Lia, but I had no intentions of going with her from the courthouse. By the time the car with Mr Sanchez’s men came, it was too late to escape.”

Micah squeezes her arm. “No one blames you, angel.”

Willow shakes her head. “I blame me. I put myself and my baby in danger.”

“To protect your daughter,” he points out.

She gives in with a nod. “Yes. It was all for her.”

“That’s called being a mother.” I take a seat next to Ethan. “And we understand. You did what you had to do to keep her safe.”

“You forgive me?” Willow’s eyes bounce between us.

Zach kisses her knuckles. “There’s nothing to forgive.”

Blinking tears aside, Willow looks back up to Ethan. “What about Mr Sanchez? Where is he now?”

“Being held at Sabre HQ pending further investigation,” he answers. “He’ll be transferred to a high-security prison within forty-eight hours and sentenced for his crimes.”

“What are we looking at?” I interject.

Ethan smiles. “Life.”

Zach whistles. “You think he’ll go down?”

“Without a shadow of a doubt. We have countless witnesses and victims ready to testify and all the evidence we need. He’s toast.”

“And the trials?” Willow croaks.

“Rescheduled, for both Mario Luciano and Mason Stevenson. All of them will see their day in court, Willow. I’m keeping my word.”

Hearing that Dimitri Sanchez is locked up in a cell right now, alone and forced to confront the reality of life behind bars, gives me the tiniest sliver of satisfaction. Tiniest. I’d rather he was dead.

But that won’t give Willow the closure and peace she needs right now. There’s no justice in death, just punishment, and she needs that justice to heal and move on with her life. I can respect that.

“So… it’s over?” Willow asks hopefully.

Ethan rests his hand over hers. “It’s over. The trafficking ring has been dismantled, and everyone is going down. You did it, Willow.”

“I did nothing,” she insists.

“No, you did. This investigation is over because of you. We won. The case has officially been closed.”

With those words, Willow bursts into tears. Ethan looks surprised for a second before he inches closer.

“Can I… hug you?”

“Please do,” she cries.

The pair carefully embrace, dodging wires and tubes. Even Ethan has tears in his eyes when they separate again.

“There’s something else.” Ethan says hesitantly. “I wanted you to hear it from me. I’m leaving Sabre Security.”

“You’re doing what?” I frown at him.

“I’ve worked for this company for over a decade, and I’m tired. This was my last case. Now that it’s over, I’ve decided to go as well.”

“But… Ryder just moved to London for you,” Micah says.

Ethan looks sheepish as he glances back at Willow. “That’s the thing. I was wondering if you had a spare cabin. I figure we’ll need our own space if we move back to Briar Valley together.”

She breaks out in a massive grin. “I can think of a couple that’ll be empty soon. You can take your pick.”

“You’d have me?” Ethan asks with a coy smile.

“Any day of the week. You can help solve the mystery of the egg stealer. It’s still unsolved, twelve months later.”

“Sounds like a job for an expert.”

I punch him in the shoulder. “You can be our official, live-in security expert. We have some strange old types around town. Could use the muscle.”

“Consider it done.”

We all break into laughter. Ethan quickly makes his excuses to leave and give us some privacy, promising to come back with more news soon.

“How are you really feeling?” I narrow my eyes on Willow once it’s just the four of us.

Her smile fades. “Like shit.”

“What can we do?” Zach asks worriedly.

“Just hold me.”

He runs a hand up and down her leg. “We’re here, babe. None of us are going anywhere.”

We all crowd closer around her, touching whatever bits of her we can access that aren’t bruised or taped up. Willow cries until she has no tears left.

“I want to go home,” she hiccups.

“Soon, baby.” I entwine our fingers and squeeze. “The doctors need to keep you in to monitor the baby. We want you both to be safe and healthy.”

“I’m with you.” Her hazel eyes flick up to me, full of adoration. “I’m always safe when I’m with you.” She looks at the twins. “All of you.”

Micah kisses the back of her hand again. “You never have to be scared again, angel. You’re safe now. For good.”

“I don’t know about that,” Zach chuckles. “She lives with us three morons. That’s plenty of reason to be scared.”

“And she’s having our kid,” I add. “Who wouldn’t that terrify? What if it comes out looking like you pair of ugly oafs?”

Zach sticks his tongue out playfully and Micah looks at me with indignation. Willow laughs so hard, she winces and has to take a moment to breathe through the pain.

“Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

Zach glares at me. “Your fault.”

“Don’t want to get picked on? Don’t look like that. Simple.”

“I’m the hot twin! Look at me!”

Coughing under his breath, Micah elbows his brother in the ribs to shut him up before Willow hurts herself laughing again. Zach yelps before falling silent with a smirk.

“So… hot twins and their grumpy, oversized cousin.” Willow’s eyes sparkle with mirth. “What’s the plan now?”

We all look at each other before I answer. “Now we go home.”

She pauses to squeeze all of our hands, one by one.

“I already am home.”