Embers of Torment (Power and Passion #2)

Chapter 24

Della

I wrung my hands while I paced the tile floor in the hospital's emergency department, chanting, "Jace will be okay." I couldn't handle it if he weren't.

Adam had driven us here after Sofie and Reid showed up at the festival, and we'd given our statements to the police. And now, I begged for the ability to turn the clock back and start over, hating myself for being so freaking stubborn.

"Della?" Adam called out, trying to get my attention. "You've been walking back and forth for an hour. You should sit down. It's not helping."

Feeling lost and helpless, I flopped onto the chair beside him. "It's my freaking fault. Jace wouldn't have gotten stabbed if he hadn't tried to help me. And if we weren't fighting, we wouldn't have been in that situation. Why the frig didn't I believe him? Jace told me he was sorry for everything he did when we were kids. He said he despised the person he was but that he'd changed and moved to Boston to make amends. Jeez, I should have listened. All Jace wanted was a chance. But I was so angry I yelled at him to stay away from me."

"You can't dwell on what happened. If you do, it'll eat at you from the inside out. Jace needed your forgiveness, and you opened that door. It's a beginning."

"Yeah, right. When it's too frigging late." I laid my head on Adam's shoulder and brushed the moisture from my cheek.

"You love Jace, don't you?"

"Yep, I do. Oh God, Adam. What do I do if he—"

"Della?"

We both turned to see Rielle, Jace's cousin, rushing toward us. I had Jace's cell phone, which had been handed to me by a bystander who'd witnessed it fall from Jace's pocket. Once I knew where the paramedics had transported Jace, I used it to call Rielle to let her know what had happened.

Rielle flung herself into the seat next to me, her eyes red-rimmed. "Has there been any news?"

Adam shook his head. "No."

I shifted so I could face Rielle. "All they've told us is that the ambulance brought Jace here because they have a level one trauma center."

"They do," Rielle acknowledged. "The trauma team here is superb. A friend of mine is one of the doctors." Rielle glanced at the woman sitting at the reception window. "I'm going to see if I can get some information. I'll be back."

Rielle spoke to the woman and looked more at ease when she retook her seat.

"Well? What did the woman say?" I asked as I studied Rielle's face.

"I told her I was family, and she said she'll see if someone can talk to us."

"Was that all?"

"No. She said my friend, Alec, is on staff today."

"That's good, right?"

"It is. Alec's one of the best emergency physicians I know."

Thirty minutes later, a side door opened, and a man who could have easily been a male model for a scrubs advertisement stood in the doorway scanning the waiting room. Seeing Rielle, he smiled and came to join us.

"Ree, it's nice to see you, although I wish the circumstances were better. I understand Jace Welch is a family member."

"He's my cousin. And thanks for coming to talk to us. Della is Jace's girlfriend, and Adam is a close friend."

Rielle must have assumed Jace and I had gotten back together since I'd told her I was with him at the festival and had his cell phone. And I wasn't about to dispute her conclusion. When I'd seen Jace on the ground bleeding, I knew I didn't want to lose him. He'd risked his life to protect me, proving he had changed. Jace was no longer the horrible bully he'd been when we were kids. That person was gone, and a different Jace took his place. It was devastating that it took an event as harrowing as this to make me see past my anger, stubbornness, and hate.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Alec Crenshaw, Jace's attending physician. He's doing well, and his condition is stable. Ree, I can take you to see him. Della, you too. Adam, I apologize, but you'll need to stay. Is that all right with everyone?"

"Absolutely," Rielle said, perking up.

Alec escorted Rielle and me into the treatment area, stopping on the other side of the door. "We took some images and ran tests when the paramedics brought Jace in. Based on the results, we determined the penetrating trauma is a grade two hepatic injury."

"What does that mean?" I asked, trying to understand his medical jargon.

"Sorry about that," Alec said, appearing momentarily confused. "I'll break it down. The scale runs from one to five, with five being the most severe. Jace is a two. Although the knife penetrated his liver, we consider the wound minor since there was minimal damage. Jace is hemodynamically stable, and the bleeding from his liver stopped on its own, so we won't have to perform surgery. We'll need to admit him for observation. He'll have his vital signs monitored over the next twenty-four hours and his hemoglobin measurements taken every six hours to ensure there's no additional bleeding or injury."

I turned to Rielle. "Umm…what does hemodynamically stable mean?"

Rielle glanced up at Alec, who stood four or five inches above her despite her tall stature. "Della doesn't work in the medical field."

"My fault. I assumed Della worked with you. She looks like the tech hired in the emergency room before I left to come here. It means a person's heart rate and blood pressure are stable."

"Oh, okay. That's good to know. Can we see Jace now?" I was relieved that Jace's condition wasn't serious and was impatient to see him. The stabbing had scared the bejesus out of me. It also forced me to acknowledge that I loved Jace. And now, I was eager to give him and our relationship a chance.

"I'll take you to him. Follow me." Alec led us down a row of individual treatment areas. He stopped toward the end and pulled back a privacy curtain. "Jace is in here. You can go in."

Rielle and I slipped behind the fabric wall, finding Jace lying on a hospital bed. He appeared startled to see us. Focusing on me, the corners of his mouth quirked upward.

"This wasn't the best way to get you to talk to me, but it worked." He scanned my disheveled appearance, taking in the blood stain on the front of my shirt and the bruises on my arms. "Thank you for helping me."

"I had to. You were making a mess everywhere," I teased, using humor to keep from crying. "I…umm…contacted Rielle. I have your phone. One of the bystanders handed it to me."

Jace smiled at her. "I wondered how you knew I was here."

"I'm thankful Della called me. And, by the way, it scared the shit out of me. Luckily, you should recover without any long-term effects."

"Well, it wasn't my intention to scare anyone. And, yeah, my doctor said the same thing. I'll be fine and only have to stay overnight for observation. After that, I can go home, although I'm supposed to rest and restrict my physical activity for a while." Jace's countenance sobered. "Della, how are Adam and Evie?"

"Adam had the wind knocked out of him when the guy punched him, but he's all right. He's in the waiting room. Evie's another story. She's okay physically but was traumatized by the incident, especially after learning the unstable and violent woman who tried to take her was a grandmother she didn't know existed. It didn't help when she saw the woman handcuffed by the police and carted off after ranting about Sofie being responsible for Denny's death and swearing to get her back. Thank God Sofie's mother is in custody, along with the piece of shit that attempted to take Evie from me."

"Who is he?" Jace asked.

"His name is Tyrone Cannon, and he's one of Denny's cohorts from the past. It took seeing him again for Sofie to realize he was one of the men who disposed of the prostitute she'd witnessed Denny kill when she was fourteen. Sofie said he'd disappeared afterward, and spotting that odd tattoo on his neck brought her memories back."

"Wow. That's crazy," Jace said, shaking his head at the revelation.

The curtain opened, and Alec slipped into Jace's temporary room. "How is everything in here?"

"Better than I expected, but I'm not surprised. You always were one of the best." Rielle gave Alec a dazzling smile. "I was bummed when you left St. Rose."

"Me too. I liked it there but needed to think about my career."

"Yeah, I get it. It was more money and a prime opportunity."

"Exactly. Speaking about the past. How's your daughter and husband?"

"Lily is doing well. James and I are divorced."

"I'm sorry." Although he sounded sincere, Alec appeared pleased by the news. He stepped out, and we could hear him talking to someone. Their conversation ended, and he popped back in. "It looks like they're almost ready to move Jace upstairs. If you hang out for a minute, I'll see if I can find out which floor." Alec left, and Rielle poked her head out the curtain to watch him.

Jace made a face at me and whispered, "That was weird. What is going on between those two?"

"They must have been coworkers sometime in the past."

"We were," Rielle said, joining our discussion. "I worked with Alec in the emergency department at my hospital before he came here."

"Ree. Alec isn't the guy you went out with prior to dating James, is he?"

"That's him."

"Good Lord." Jace shook his head. "As if the events of today weren't already strange enough."

Rielle laughed. "This is where I'm supposed to sing that Disney song 'It's A Small World.'" She nudged Jace's foot. "You, of all people, ought to know life is full of surprises."

"That it is. Some better than others." Jace peered at me with a wistful smile.

I cleared my throat. "I…umm…should go since the medical staff will be moving you."

"No. I mean… You don't have to leave. Well, unless you want to." Jace exhaled a long breath and closed his eyes. Opening them, he said, "What I'm trying to say is I want you to stay. Please."

"Okay, I'll stay. But I need to text Sofie an update. She and Reid were worried about you." I typed out my message and hit the send button. Catching a movement off to the side, I turned to see Rielle in a quiet conversation with Alec. He slipped her a piece of paper, and she blushed. Thinking their interaction was too personal for my eyes, I focused on Jace. "I wonder where they're taking you."

"Alec told me you're going to the third floor," Rielle said now that Alec had left. "You'll have to text me later and give me your room number. I have to pick up Lily from James, so I can't stay. I can come by in the morning, though."

"That works. By then, we'll have an idea of when the hospital's cutting me loose."

"We should. I'll see you tomorrow." Ree gave Jace a quick hug and put her hand on my arm. "Thank you for taking care of him. I'll talk to Adam on my way out."

"Thanks. He must be going nuts by now."

Rielle hugged me and disappeared behind the curtain.

Jace got transferred upstairs, and I was allowed to accompany him. He was settled into a bed by the window in an empty two-patient room. I sat at his bedside and texted Adam the room number while a nurse hooked Jace up to some equipment and helped him get comfortable. Adam stood in the doorway minutes later.

"Is it safe to come in?" Adam teased, although he appeared worried.

"Come on in and join the party," Jace laughed. He motioned toward the far side of the room. "You can move that chair over here."

Adam dragged it over and took a seat. "Rielle filled me in. I'm glad the situation wasn't worse, and they're only keeping you overnight."

"I got lucky. That's for sure."

I studied Jace as the two of them talked. He had indeed been fortunate, and I couldn't imagine losing him. It was bad enough that when I realized the man had stabbed him, my whole world threatened to spin out of control. I had to will myself to keep it together while I applied pressure to Jace's wound and attempted to calm a terrified Evie.

"Hey, I should go," Adam said, returning me to the present. "I need to head back to the venue and help Theo pack up his booth. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

"I'll be here," Jace said, making light of the situation.

I walked Adam to the elevator, and after a quick goodbye, I retook my seat by Jace's bed.

"Thank you for staying with me," Jace said, his voice tinged with emotion. He reached for my hand and tenderly held it.

"I wanted to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry for the mean and horrible things I said over the last few weeks. You were right. People change. We were kids when it all happened, and you aren't the beast I loathed back then. My path of bitterness and hatred made me no different from those I detest, and I can't be that person. You asked for a chance, and I'm sorry it took almost losing you to realize you deserved it. So…can we try again."

"That's an easy yes. It's all I wanted, another chance. You mean the world to me, Della. I love you and everything about you. I want to make you happy and see where this relationship takes us. What I don't want is to throw it all away because of something that happened twenty-five years ago when I was a rotten person who hated himself and the world around me. Do you know why I targeted you?"

"No, and I'm not sure I want to."

"I don't blame you, but it isn't what you think. I was jealous. My envy of you and everyone else who had what I wanted was so consuming it turned into hostility and resentment."

"What could I possibly have had that made you feel that way?"

"A loving family. A father who cared about you. An environment free of toxicity and cruelty." Jace wiped an eye, his gaze distant as he stared at the end of his bed. "My biological father was cruel and enjoyed tormenting others. He was a bully to my mother and me, treating us the way his father had treated him. His parenting skills entailed reminding me daily that I wasn't strong enough, brave enough, or smart enough and that I was worthless. My father believed the only way to get ahead was to be mean and forcefully take what you wanted. In his world, compassion, fairness, and respect were weaknesses."

I stared at Jace in sadness and horror. I couldn't fathom a parent doing that to their child. "Jace. I'm so sorry you went through all that."

"Della, I'm not asking you to feel sorry for me. And none of what I went through is an excuse for my behavior and what I did to you. I'm telling you this so you can grasp the whole picture. I want you to see all of me."

"I get it, and I appreciate what you're doing. It's just… I don't understand treating people that way, especially your children."

"I know you don't. Your parents weren't like mine. Your mother was a volunteer in your classroom, and she and your father attended every school function…together…as a couple. When they looked at you, I could see the love and devotion in their eyes. I hated it and your happiness. I was determined to take it from you. It was what I wanted and wasn't allowed to have. It made me bitter and mean. I lashed out at others and emulated my father because that was the only way I could receive a semblance of praise. And even then, it was minimal and fleeting."

"But what about your mother? Where was she during all this?"

Jace sighed, his expression pained. "Her life was worse than mine. My father demanded she follow his strict rules. If she showed me motherly affection or stood up for me, he came down on her, saying it would make me weak. When she finally got to the breaking point, channeling her fear and finding the strength to fight back by asking for a divorce, I saw the beginnings of a woman reborn. My father had crushed her spirit, her desire, and her will. He diminished her self-worth. Once she got away from him, she was like a bird that had found its wings."

"How's your relationship with your mother now?"

"It's decent. But we're not close. I feel the closest to my adoptive father, Edward. He's a good man, kind, considerate, respectful, and caring. He was patient, teaching me the difference between right and wrong, how to treat others, and the meaning of respect. I don't know where I'd be without his counseling and tutelage. His guidance and seeing firsthand the ramifications of bullying on someone I cared about turned my life around."

"You mean your mother?"

"Her too, but no. It was my step-sister, Hillary. She's four years younger than me and is Edward's daughter from his first marriage. Hillary lived with her mother and was bullied repeatedly in school. I could see its effects on her when she came to North Carolina for her visitations. The bullying got worse, and Hillary's physical and mental state deteriorated. She stopped eating, became fearful, and withdrew from her friends, basically becoming an empty shell. It all came to a head when Hillary attempted to hurt herself. That's when Edward and Hillary's mom agreed Hillary would be better off in North Carolina, and she moved in with us."

"What happened to her after that?"

"It took a lot of counseling, patience, love, and family support to get Hillary through it, but she recovered. She's a veterinarian and lives on a ranch with her husband and two kids. Hillary, more than anyone, forced me to see what I had done. I remember how devastated I was when it dawned on me that everything Hillary was going through, I had perpetrated on someone else. And the older I got, the harder it was to live with. I finally realized I couldn't get past it and forgive myself until I found the girl I'd tormented and asked for her forgiveness. Only then could I put it behind me and move on."

"And that girl was me."

"It was." Jace stared out the window as he continued to speak, his voice filled with sadness and pain. "I don't know whether it was fate, divine intervention, payback, or luck that the girl I treated so dastardly ended up being the one who stole my heart. I mean… It's so surreal. I can't make sense of it. But what I do know is that I'm so very sorry for what I did to you. Nothing could ever make up for the anguish I caused you and your family." Jace turned to me with red-rimmed eyes. "Della, please forgive me."

My heart broke at the devastated look on his face. "I forgive you. It's time for us to go forward, not backward. Neither of us can change the past, but we can move beyond it. I'm ready to try."

"Thank you," Jace whispered. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it.

Losing the fight to control my emotions, I let the tears flow as I slid onto the bed and lay beside him. "No more words. Just hold me," I managed to say between sniffles.

And that's what Jace did.