[WS02] Taming Alex (17 page)

Alex jumped when she heard the loud crack. Her eyes darted open as she sat up in bed.
Her foggy mind wondered if she'd just dreamed it, then she heard frantic yapping and
rushed down the hall. She stood at the end of the hallway, frozen as she looked at
the horror that lay before her.

Grant was flat on his back, his feet at the edge of the doorway. There was a fist-sized
hole in his shirt and blood slowly oozed out of the hole. Rushing to the front door,
she clasped a hand over Grant's chest, trying to stop the bleeding, which by now covered
the whole front of his shirt.

When she heard gravel being thrown by tires, she looked out the door in time to see
a blue truck speed out their driveway.

“Grant!” she screamed over and over, not knowing what to do. She kept her hands over
his chest as his face and arms drained of color. With shaky hands, she reached for
his cell phone on the table by the front door. It was charging and she fought with
the cable as she tried to pull it closer so she could keep pressure on his chest.

When she dialed, blood splattered the screen from her fingers, causing her to dial
slowly. She felt his chest rise and fall sporadically and closed her eyes for a moment,
shooting up the mother of all prayers.

When she set the phone down, still on speakerphone with 911, she noticed Romeo was
lying by Grant's side. The little dog was breathing hard as blood oozed slowly out
of his hip. Keeping pressure on Grant's chest, she reached over and started putting
pressure on his wound as well.

Hours later, she rushed into the waiting room at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler.
They had Life-Flighted Grant to the hospital from their front yard.

It had taken Alex, Lauren, and Haley almost an hour to get there by car. Chase had
stayed behind to see to the dog with a promise that he'd be there as soon as he could.
She couldn't stop shaking. She was still covered in blood, some of it Romeo's.

Concern for the dog hadn't even registered yet, since her mind was completely focused
on Grant. He'd lost so much blood. Had the bullet hit his heart? So many questions
ran through her mind. Haley had tried to keep her from shaking by holding her hand,
but Alex just rocked back and forth instead.

When they arrived, Grant's parents were already there. Worry flashed in their faces
when they saw how much blood was still on her hands and arms. She'd changed her clothes
in the car, thanks to Haley having a spare pair of jeans and a sweatshirt in the back
of the truck. But her hands and arms were still covered with the blood she’d tried
to keep from leaving his body.

“Where is he?” She rushed into the emergency room.

“They have him in surgery,” they said together. Tears streamed down their faces. “What
happened?” Carolyn asked.

She had quickly told the sheriff what she'd seen while the ambulance crew worked on
Grant as they waited for the helicopter to pick him up. She'd told him who she'd seen
leaving their house, but it still hadn't fully sunk in.

“It was Travis’ mother. Patty Nolan did this,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I
saw her driving away in Travis' truck.” She shook her head again as tears rolled down
her cheeks.

“Patty?” Carolyn said, “No.” She shook her head. “It couldn't have been Patty.” She
grabbed her husband’s arm.

“Why?” Glenn asked, walking his wife over and helping her sit down. “Why?” he asked
again.

“I think it was to get back at me,” she said softly as her sisters took her arms and
forced her to sit. “It's all my fault.”

“No,” Haley and Lauren said at the same moment. They looked at each other.

“No,” Lauren said again. “You didn't do anything wrong. I don't know why Patty Nolan
did this, but I'm sure it is not your fault.”

“She's right,” Glenn said as he rubbed his wife's shoulders. “If he hadn't talked
you into leaving work early, he'd be gone.” His voice hitched. “You were there. Your
quick response saved our son. The paramedics told us so.” He smiled a little.

“How do you know?” She stood up and threw up her arms. “If he wasn't seeing me, none
of this would have happened.” She stormed out of the waiting room, blindly heading
down hall after hall of the unfamiliar hospital. She could hear her sisters calling
after her so she ducked into a dark room. She held her breath when they passed her
hiding spot, calling out to her.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head back against the door and tried to level her
breathing. But when her breath hitched, she collapsed against the door and cried.

“Oh, what's the matter dear?” came a sweet voice.

Looking up through watery eyes, she noticed she was in someone's private hospital
room.

“Oh!” She blinked and wiped her eyes. “I'm sorry. I didn't know…” She looked around.

“It's okay, dear. Come over here.” The frail gray-haired woman patted her bed. “Don't
be shy. I stopped biting after they took my teeth away.” She smiled and Alex saw that
the woman was completely toothless. She couldn't even smile at the joke.

“What's the matter? What has such a pretty young thing like you crying like the world
has just ended?”

“It has,” she said, her voice hitching as she walked closer to the woman's bed. Then
everything came out. The whole story from how she'd been the cause of her mother's
death to how she was to blame for Grant. Everything. It was all her fault.

“I'm poison.” She hiccuped and wiped her eyes with the tissue the woman had handed
her.

“Oh, don't be silly,” she said. “You're no such thing. It was fate.” She nodded and
her eyes narrowed. “Just look at me.” She motioned with her hands. There were wires
coming out of her left arm, but the woman didn't seem to mind. “Do you know why I'm
here?”

Alex shook her head and dried her eyes.

“You wouldn't think to look at me, but I'll be one hundred tomorrow and I can tell
you, I never thought I'd make it this far.” She smiled a little, sadness in her eyes.
“I’ve outlived three husbands, two children, two grandchildren and even a great-grandson
who died during birth. I'm ready and happy to go home. Everything that put me here
or took my sweet babies away was meant to be. You've been through some rough patches,
and your man will make it through this.” She nodded. “Just wait and see. You'll both
be stronger for it.” She tilted her head and looked at her. “Sometimes things like
this happen in order to change the direction you were heading.” She sighed and leaned
back on her pillow. “You wait and see. You and your Grant will look back at this day
and remember it as the day everything changed.” She sighed and closed her eyes.

Alex sat there in the darkening room, listening to the old woman breathe as she slept.
She didn't know her name or if she was right. She only knew that she couldn't stand
to walk out the door and find out what was going on. She was scared that the news
was bad and the longer she sat in hiding, the longer she could make believe that Grant
was okay. That he was out of surgery and that everything was going to be alright.

Finally, when a nurse came in, she quietly excused herself and went to find her family.
When she asked the main desk for directions, the nurse smiled. “Your family has been
looking for you.” The woman stood up. “Come on, honey, I'll take you to them.”

She hadn't asked about Grant. She couldn't stand to know if she'd lost him. Her mind
had played so many scenarios in the last couple hours and none of them had ended up
happy. When she walked into the private waiting room, Alex's heart dropped. The look
on everyone's faces told her everything she needed to know. Her eyes closed as she
swayed and then her whole world changed.

Patty stood at the stove, a smile placed on her perfectly glossed lips. Her apron
was in place, and her sleeves were rolled up so that the grease from the chicken didn't
splatter on her clothing.

Everything had to be perfect for when Roy and Travis got home. After all, they were
the perfect husband and son and they deserved the best.

Flipping a piece of chicken, she watched as the sheriff’s car pulled into her driveway
and she wondered what Stephen was doing here. Maybe he wanted to stay for dinner,
she thought as she turned the heat on the stove down.

Walking over, she greeted him just as Roy's car drove up.

“Well, evening, Sheriff. Would you like to stay for dinner?” she asked as Roy walked
up the driveway, a frown on his face.

“No, ma'am. I'm…” He cleared his throat and looked to Roy.

“Patty, he's here to arrest you for shooting Grant Holton. Why'd you do it, Patty?”
Roy rushed to her side, taking her hands. She jerked them away. After all, one didn't
show emotions publicly; it just wasn't done.

“Really, Roy. It's no big deal.” She turned to the sheriff. “This is all some kind
of misunderstanding. After all, I did warn them several times that their behavior
was unacceptable. They hurt our Travis. It's all their fault that he won't get out
of bed, and everyone in town knows that that West girl was no good for our boy. Causing
him to drink and get into all that trouble.”

She shook her head. “Really, honestly.” She wiped her hands on her apron. “I'm surprised
someone hadn't done something about it sooner.”

“Are you confessing to shooting Grant Holton?” the sheriff asked.

“Well,” she frowned at him. “I don't know about confessions, but of course I did.”
She leaned closer to the sheriff. “Really Stephen, that girl needs to be taught a
lesson. One would think she would behave better since God took her mother and father
away. But it's apparent the only way she is going to learn is by losing everything
she wants. I tried to get onto Saddleback Ranch to teach her some lessons, but Chase
and the men there were always around, so…” She shrugged her shoulders. “I decided
Grant was the only way to get to her.” She shook her head and chuckled.

“Patty Nolan, you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Grant—”

She laughed. “Really, this is all just a misunderstanding. Once I explain everything
to you again…” She trailed off as Stephen put handcuffs on her and started pulling
her towards his car. When she looked back at her house, Roy was standing there looking
at her like he didn't know who she was. But what really hurt was seeing her boy, her
one and only son, standing next to his father, looking at her like she was completely
crazy.

S
he woke to the sweetest voice she'd ever heard. The deep sound vibrated in her mind.
Keeping her eyes closed, she listened as he called her name over and over again. She
must be dreaming…or dead. That thought caused her eyes to jerk open. She looked up
into her sister’s face and frowned. She'd sworn she'd heard Grant.

“Grant?” She started sitting up.

“He's here.” Haley smiled and nodded to the right.

“Alex, my god, don't scare me like that again,” Grant said as she looked over at him.
He was sitting up in a hospital bed, a white sling on his left shoulder. Thick bandages
were wrapped around his bare chest. His tan face was pale and he looked very tired.
His hair was a mess, but he was alive.

Alex was up in a rush and by his side. “You're okay?” she asked, running her eyes
over every inch of him.

He reached up, touching her face and nodding. “Looks that way.”

The room quietly emptied as they looked at each other, tears running down her face.
“I thought…” She took a deep breath and tried again as he took her hands with his.
“I thought I'd lost you.”

He smiled weakly. “Not even close. The doctor said the bullet bounced off my ribs.”
He chuckled, then held his side and groaned a little. “He asked me how much milk I
drank as a kid.” He smiled.

She looked down at their joined hands and tried to pull free, but he held on, pulling
gently until she sat next to him, their eyes level.

“I'm sorry. Grant, I never thought that anything like this would happen.”

“Of course you didn't.” He frowned. “I didn't even see it coming. Makes me wonder
if it was Patty doing all those other things all along, instead of Travis.” He put
a finger under her chin and gently pushed until she looked at him again. “There's
no way either of us could have seen it coming.”

“Yes, but…I could have…” He put his finger over her lips.

“You were there.” She watched as a tear slipped down his face. “If you hadn't been,
I could have lay there and bled to death until you got home. You saved me.” He blinked
and tried to pull her closer. She leaned in.

“You saved me,” he repeated and placed his lips on hers. The kiss was different than
all the rest they had shared. It marked her, branded her. She felt something shift
inside her and closed her eyes to it. Then she released what she'd bottled up inside
herself for so long, since that day she watched her mother die. Opening her eyes and
pulling back, she took his face in her hands and smiled. “She was right.” She smiled.

“Who?” He smiled back at her.

“The old woman. This has changed everything.”

His eyebrows shot up in question.

“Grant, I don't want to live with you.” She saw his instant frown and chuckled. “I
want to marry you. I love you. I love you for your kindness, for your honesty, for
the way you are with people and animals. There are so many reasons why.” She chuckled.
“It could take a lifetime to go through them all. Tell me you'll spend a lifetime
with me hearing all of my reasons.”

He smiled. “I thought you'd never ask.” He pulled her in with his good arm and kissed
her again.

Two days later, Grant walked into his house with the help of Alex. They were greeted
by Chase, Lauren, Haley, and Grant’s parents. Everyone was sitting in the living room,
smiling as they watched them walk in slowly.

“I hope you don't mind, I've been staying over here watching over the animals,” Chase
said, then nodded towards the dog bed by the fireplace.

When they walked in, the small dog's tail started wagging.

“Hey, Junior.” He smiled at the small animal whose back half was completely covered
in thick white bandages. “How's he doing?” he asked as Alex helped him sit on the
couch.

Chase walked over and sat across from them. “He'll live. Might take him some time
to get back to puppy mode, and he'll probably have a limp. But he made it through
it, which is always a good sign.”

The little dog lay his head down again and closed his eyes.

“Patty confessed,” his mother broke in, gaining everyone's attention. “Tell them,
Glenn.” She grabbed his hand.

His dad nodded. “Yes, well. She's confessed and is pleading insanity.” His father
frowned. “She owned up to everything that's happened over the last couple months.
Even the attack on Alex at the rodeo.”

“Why?” Alex asked, taking Grant's hand in hers. She felt herself shaking as he ran
his fingers over her palms.

Glenn shook his head. “She claims that she just wanted to make her son happy.” He
nodded to Alex. “So she did everything she could to get back at you and Grant for
hurting him, including framing Grant for the attack on you. She talked about how you
had shamed their family. How you had destroyed her son and ruined him.” He shook his
head.

“She said that Travis was happiest when he was with you. So she did everything she
could to get Grant out of the way. She was under the assumption that it was you who
was pregnant, instead of Lauren. She still won't believe that you're not carrying
Travis' baby.”

“She must be crazy,” Lauren said, walking over and sitting next to Chase. “What's
going to happen to her?”

“Well, it will be up to the courts now. If they find her guilty of attempted murder,
she'll get anywhere from two to twenty years. If they find her criminally insane,
she may get as little as a year in an institution.”

“What?” Lauren sat forward, anger flashing in her eyes. Chase reached over and took
her arm. “It's up to the courts.” He patted her arm and everyone could see her relax
a little.

“What about the mayor?” Alex asked Grant's parents.

Glenn shook his head. “He knew nothing about what his wife had been doing. He's stepping
down as mayor. It'll be official tomorrow. There will be an emergency city council
meeting next week to decide who will cover until the next election season.”

“Travis?” Alex asked next.

Glenn shook his head again. “He left town shortly after they arrested his mother.
He was shocked and embarrassed.”

Alex sighed and rested back against Grant's good shoulder. He wrapped his arm around
her and held on tight. She felt good in his arms. She felt right.

By the time everyone left the house, Grant was tired. The two broken ribs weighed
heavily and slowed him down. Not to mention the stitches that held his hide back together.
He was stiff and sore all over. Even his knees hurt.

Alex cooed over Junior until finally she carried him back into their bedroom, lying
his bed down on her side of the room so she could watch over him.

“You know,” he said, as she lay down next to him. “The doctor said if the bullet hadn't
been slowed down by him”—he nodded to the sleeping puppy—“that it might have completely
penetrated my ribs and struck a vital organ. So, in a way,” he smiled, “you both saved
me.”

She smiled and leaned closer to him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “I guess we
both owe Junior a lot.”

His grin doubled.

“What?” she asked, pulling back a little.

“You called him Junior.” He smiled, knowing he'd won everything he’d ever wanted.