Authors: Michele G Miller
"I’ll wait outside." He nodded and then started to leave.
"No," I insisted, and held my hand out to him. "You can stay. He can stay - it's alright."
She smiled softly and began to unbutton the snaps on the front of the gown I was wearing. I closed my eyes and held my right hand out, sighing in relief when Gage took hold of it.
She pulled the gown as far down as she could without exposing me to Gage. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before, but of course she didn't know that.
"The cut on your chest is just a surface wound. There was one spot where it went in a little deeper, but it was so small that a butterfly Band-Aid was all that was needed for that." She spoke clinically now, with a soft pleasant voice. Her fingers probed the area around the bandage and then moved to my shoulder.
"This one was much deeper and
did
require stitches. It looks good, though - no excess bleeding. Your wrist was the worst one because it hit an artery. We managed to sew it up, and although you lost a lot of blood, we were able to keep from giving you a transfusion."
"How do you feel? Any pain, dizziness?" she asked as she picked up my chart and made a few notes.
"I was injected with something…" I whispered; trailing off.
Gage let go of my hand and stalked back over to the window. His back was stiff and his hand lifted to his neck; rubbing it.
The nurse watched him for a moment and then smiled reassuringly at me. "Yes, we believe it was most likely a pretty basic drug, common to what many call the 'date rape' drug. But you were in a slight state of paralysis for a while, so we aren’t completely sure yet. We’ve been pumping you full of the IV to flush anything lingering out of your system. And of course, we’ve been administering some painkillers through there as well."
I shook my head numbly. A few minutes later she left the room, assuring me that breakfast would be there soon, as well as a doctor and the police to take my statement.
Gage stood stiffly at the window and the air in the small hospital room was thick with tension as I tried to grapple with what had happened. I lifted my hand into my lap and stared down at the gauze wrapping it.
"He was about to rape you, Savannah." His somber voice pulled me from my thoughts. "When I opened that closet door…damn it. I will
never
get that picture out of my head," he finished with a strangled cry; his hand balling into a fist.
There was so much we still needed to discuss, but that moment in the closet wasn't one I was strong enough for yet. Instead, I broached another subject that mattered to me.
"Sit down and talk with me about Charleston…please, Gage."
"I can't talk about that right now. It doesn't matter anymore."
"It matters to me…" I started to say, when there was a soft knock at the door.
Sara stuck her head in the room; her face pale as she hurried into the room.
"Hey, how are you feeling honey?" she sing-songed, her voice cracking a little as she spoke. Her eyes were swimming in unshed tears and I held out my uninjured hand to her.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there," she apologized, propping on the side of the bed and reaching across me to hold my hand. "You're going to be alright, though."
"Yes, I will be," I agreed, letting her ramble on about how sorry she was.
I didn't tell her that if she'd actually been home, I was pretty sure she would be dead.
After that my room became Grand Central Station as my doctor, the police, Candace, Riley, Tony and Chris all stopped by. Gage silently sat in the corner of the room as my friends huddled around the bed hugging me and talking.
When the officers came to take my statement, they kicked everyone out and asked question after question; making me relive the whole event over. Once I was finished, they called Gage back into the room to share some information with us both.
There was a possibility that Ryan could actually press charges against Gage for the beating he’d given him, but they assured us that it wouldn't stick in a court case.
As they sat there and described who Ryan really was, I was shocked. Gage stood by my side and held my hand as the tears started to run down my cheeks again. Apparently Ryan had been in trouble with the law once previously for bothering a young woman, but the girl moved away and charges were never brought against him.
"It appears that he’s been obsessed with you for a while, Ms. Guthry. We don't know right now what made him snap, but after looking at all of the things that have happened in the past few weeks with your house and Mr. Taylor’s vehicle, it's pretty clear that Ryan was behind everything," the young officer explained. He was the same officer who’d worked with us after Gage's car vandalism.
All of that was something I could process, but it was what he revealed next that was the most astounding. They were currently checking DNA samples, and all signs were pointing towards Ryan being Jax's attacker.
As the officer was about to leave, the door flew open and my parents raced into the room.
"Momma, Daddy? How did you know?" I barely got the sentence out before I broke down in tearful fits again. My mother dropped her purse and rushed to my side; pulling me securely against her chest. My head was turned towards Gage and I watched as he pulled away.
I heard my father introduce himself to the officer, and the officer gave him his information and said they would talk later. The door to the room clicked shut and my father came into view on the opposite side of the bed from my mother. He leaned over me and kissed the top of my head.
They were both speaking to me over my weeping, but I wasn't able to register a word. It was the lonely, pained face of Gage that was stuck in my head. He stood back from the bed by the window and reticently watched as my parents hugged and cried with me.
Through my tears I saw him turn and wipe his eyes, and that’s when my heart broke.
He stepped out of my vision then, and I heard his voice speak quietly, "I’ll leave you three alone."
My mother immediately pulled away from me and I watched helplessly as she grabbed his arm and turned him towards her. "Thank you Gage, for saving my daughter." She pulled him to her and hugged him tightly. "But don't you
dare
leave this room."
A few hours later I awoke to a muted conversation between Gage and my father. I listened intently as Gage explained to my father what he’d seen when he arrived at my house, and what transpired with getting my phone call before that.
"I can never repay you for rescuing her, Gage."
"Don't thank me," he said in a voice laced with disgust. "If I'd just stayed in Charleston with her this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault. My damn pride got the best of me. I was such an
idiot
."
There was silence for a moment, and then a broken cry as Gage continued. "Sir, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't help but tell you that finding her in that closet - in that position with that damn maniac…God, I just can't forgive myself for that, and I don't want you to, either."
"Like
hell
it's your fault. You listen to me, son. That son of a bitch did this, and you had
nothing
to do with it. You will
not
blame yourself, and I will forever be indebted to you for saving Savannah."
I slowly turned my head to see my father with his arms around a crying Gage. After a few moments, Gage sat back and scrubbed the tears from his eyes; sighing deeply.
"Do you love her?"
I closed my eyes when I saw Gage pulling back from my father’s embrace, and in that moment I wished I could see him.
Oh God, please say yes. Please say yes,
I chanted in my head.
"Sir, I'm madly in love with your daughter," he said solemnly, and I choked back a reply. "I've never been surer of anything in my life than I am of what I feel for Savannah. I don't know how it happened - she walked into my bar and I was in love."
"Then that's all that matters to me. What happened in Charleston doesn't matter. You love her."
"And I didn't trust her," he hinted angrily. "How can she forgive me for all of this when I didn't even
trust
her?"
Swallowing back the tears wanting to break through, I opened my eyes. As firmly and as strong as I could make my voice, I spoke. "I forgive you because I love you."
Gage looked up. "Savannah?"
"I love you, Gage. I would forgive you of anything."
He jumped from my father’s side and threw himself at me, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling me into his arms.
"You love me? After how I walked away from you?"
"You were hurt, Gage. I didn't think it was possible to find love so quickly, and for it to be
real
. But from the moment I met you, I couldn't get you off of my mind. I fell for your superpowers the first time you called me ‘sweetheart’."
"Oh my God, baby - I love you too. I love you so damn much, and I almost didn't get the chance to tell you."
"But you are now, and that's all that matters…and I'm never letting you go again."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. I don't plan to ever leave your side again."
He pulled my face to his and kissed me tenderly. It was a kiss that tasted of salt from both of our tears. It was a kiss of forgiveness. It was a kiss from my Aussie superman that was full of forever.
It was a kiss that was meant to build dreams.
THE END -
For Now
Coming in 2014, follow Gage from Australia, to Vegas, to Nashville and see not only his side of the story, but the rest of theirs as well.
* * *
Tired of indulging in the rich playboy life, Gage Taylor packed his bags and headed to Las Vegas, Nevada to expand his family’s legacy.
A chance encounter in Vegas led him to a small college bar in Nashville, Tennessee where he unexpectedly met his match with Savannah Guthry.
Join Gage and Savannah while they pick up the pieces after her horrifying attack, and work on building their happily ever after.
In Acknowledgment
I couldn’t write a single word if it weren’t for the following people. The Beatles sang ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’ and I truly do. You are the wind beneath my wings and I thank you from the very depth of my soul. Yes, this is the sappy moment. ;)
God blessed me with am amazing support system in my fabulous husband and three kids. You guys allow, and encourage, me to follow my dreams everyday. Thank you for putting up with my late nights at the computer, my haphazard house cleaning and
all
of the take-out meals. You were my first, and best, dream come true.
To my readers: When I wrote ‘Never Let You Fall’ I did so to fulfill a dream I had nursed for many years. For it to have found the success it has is amazing. I am humbled and owe it all to you. I can’t thank you enough for your feedback, comments, and reviews. I love hearing from you and want you to know how truly grateful I am. Hugs and chocolate for all!
My ‘team’ of amazing betas, proofreaders, cover designer, and editor, you helped me make Last Call what it is. Stacy Sanford, you fix ‘all the things’ and I’m forever in your debt. Paperbook Princess, Megan Hornyak, my unofficial personal assistant. You walked through every chapter and moment of Last Call with me and you love it as much as I do. I can’t thank you enough for your cheerleading, advice, and support. Most importantly thanks for being there for my 1 a.m. Facebook messages and “read this” comments. Megan Bracken-Bagley, for finding those little things I missed and for being plain awesome. Kelsey Keeton for putting up with all of my ideas about the ‘perfect cover’ and for being devoted to getting it right. You are a truly talented photographer and a sweet, sweet friend.
To the people who keep me going when the going gets tough. Mindy Hayes, Starla Huchton, Sarah Ashley Jones and Tess Watson - our open Facebook chat keeps me sane. The encouragement, laughter, writing help, and overall life chatter is something magical. To share my days with you, even if only on the Internet, is priceless to me.
Tess - and My Pathway to Books - thank you for being an amazing blogger and supporting me with tours and blitzes. I know how busy you are with school and the fact that you take time to pimp me is something I can’t repay you for. You may be a Georgia Dawg, but I love you just the same ;)
To my cupcake, Sarah Ashley Jones, my writing partner and the other half of my brain. There are no words to express how much you mean to me. I’m ready for world domination girlfriend! Enough said! #IndieTroublemakers
To my fellow Indies who keep writing amazing books and are doing it for themselves. To the bloggers and readers who have supported me with every post, tweet, and share they’ve done. The writing conferences where I have met so many talented and supportive people. The Indie community is especially supportive and I bow down to you all.
I want to give one last special shout out to Janet Wallace, the founder of UTopYA Con. Janet, you invited me to moderate a panel at UTopYA 2013 and I was honored. You’ve invited me back for 2014, which means I did something right, and I’m still honored! Your vision to ‘lift as you climb’ is my motto this year and I am so grateful for your love and support of Indie writers. UTopYA gave me the opportunity to learn from so many amazing people and to meet, and fangirl, over even more. Last Call takes place in Nashville as a tribute to my first conference as an author. Thank you!