Chapter 85
Jackson came to, vividly conscious of the feminine hands that held unto him softly but firmly. His eyes fluttered open slowly, his eyes adjusting to the white lights above him, his eyes blinking and his nose itching at the distinct smell isopropyl. Suddenly he could feel the sharp pain shooting up his leg and when he looked down, he saw that his knee had been bandaged and he could hear the gunshot again loud and clear like it was happening all over again he closed his eyes, fighting within himself to push it all behind him.
“It’s over now” he repeated it a thousand times in his head, but even at that it was hard to believe it.
He felt Emily stir beside him in her sleep and he didn’t want to wake her. He watched her sleeping face, the peacefulness calming the storm that was already brewing within him. Her fair skin smooth and so beautiful and when he looked at her wrist, she was wearing the red crimson bracelet. He ran his hands over them his mind going over the time it first dropped into his hold the first night they met. The kiss that had electrified him and the genesis of how he began to feel about her.
He ran a finger softly across her lips luscious and tempting drawing him in with a belief that she was his antidote that she was meant for him and she truly loved him because what other reason would you explain her coming to save him without no backup plan. Stupid but it’s the thought that counts.
“Jackson” he heard her call his name, he had been so lost in thoughts that he hadn’t realized she had woken up. Immediately, she sat upright with her eyes fixed on him and lingering, trying to find what she could fix but Jackson cupped her face with his hands and he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“I’m fine” he said, trying to be reassuring “I mean, my knee is pretty knocked out but I guess I’m fine, even better now that you’re here”
“The doctor you said you were lucky, the bullet didn’t hit important ligaments and stuff and you’ll recover just, maybe with a little rehab and physical therapy like I did” Jackson watched her talk and he didn’t dare let go of her hands, the warmth of her skin drifting unto his and warming the iciness out of him. He watched her lips, feeling the utmost urge to kiss her again.
“And Uncle James?” he asked and Emily fell silent immediately, she didn’t have to say it but she did anyways.
“He didn’t make it Jackson”
Jackson nodded, a certain sadness washing over him that he couldn’t explain it. Why did he feel bad about the death of a man that kidnapped him and pointed a gun at him, why did it feel like it was partly his fault even though he didn’t do anything wrong. Emily’s touch to his arm brought him back to reality and he focused his gaze on her face now.
“What about you Emily, are you okay the baby?”
Emily nodded profusely “Did you hear me the other time you seemed pretty out of it”
Jackson racked his brain, trying to piece the dots together. He searched her face for clues, she seemed hopeful and there was a radiant glow to her cheeks as she looked expectantly at him, but Jackson’s eyes remained confused, he had no idea what she was talking about.
“The baby, the dna test Jackson the baby is yours Jackson, you’re father” she said gleefully. Time stood still as those words hung in the air, suspended between them. Jackson’s piercing gaze bore into Emily’s soul searching and he wasn’t even sure what he was searching for. Jackson didn’t realize when he pulled her in for chest-crushing hug even though the pain radiated throughout his entire being, he wanted to feel her as close as possible to him, feel his seed growing within her. His hands moved to her belly, and she placed her hands ontop of his whilst matching his smile.
“You’re sure?” Jackson asked and she nodded. A whirlwind of emotions swirled within him, a tidal wave crashing against the carefully constructed walls he had erected. With a desperation, he crashed his lips against hers, igniting a fierce and consuming need that had somehow been buried the layers of complexity that had defined them. As their bodies molded together, Emily careful not to push boundaries and exceed her limits with Jackson because he was still bandaged up and Jackson not caring and looking to break those limits with her. Their tongues danced together, whispering promises that had sat unsaid for so long. Emily surrendered herself to the flood of emotions coursing through her veins, feeling the warmth of Jackson’s touch and the urgency of his embrace.
When she finally pulled away breathless with her lips tingling and swollen, her eyes never leaving his. His hands found their way to her stomach and he could almost feel it pulsing with life, he cupped her face with his hands, his gaze unwavering.
It was just the two of them, nothing else matters. The monitors blinking felt totally silent except for the rhythmic beating of their hearts syncing together becoming one.
“I love you Emily” Jackson whispered but loud enough for her to hear. Emily’s heart now skipped one beat, his words hung in the air like a delicate promise. Those words were enough to make the world stop spinning. A surge of warmth flooded her chest.
Cautiously, she met Jackson’s gaze, searching for, and there, she found it a vulnerability she had never witnessed before in his eyes.
“I love you too Jackson” she said back, tears pooling in her eyes and even as she willed them not to fall she wasn’t strong enough. Jackson licked the saltiness away, an overwhelming bid of emotions swirling around them.
“What about Ethan?” Emily asked nowThis content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
“What about him?” the statement came from the door and when they turned, Ethan stood at the door with his eyes blood shot and fiery red, how long had he been there for?
“What about Ethan?” he asked again