Chapter 135

Almara’s Pov

Morning comes gracefully. For the first time in what seems like a lifetime, the break of daylight doesn’t feel like another pressuring race against the clock. Instead, I get the sense that this is a fresh start.

I’m about to roll over and face Arthur and gently wake him up with a thousand soft kisses, but at the moment I move I feel his strong arm wrap around my hips and pull me into his side. He spoons me and nestles his face into my hair. He takes a long breath in and I press back into him.

“Are you ready for this to be the rest of our lives.” His throaty morning voice makes me melt.

I’m able to spin around and we’re nose to nose. I wrap my arms lazily around his neck and press my lips against his. “Absolutely.” I tell him. Just then I hear Grace give a cry and know she’s hungry. I laugh at the interruption, knowing what a blessing it is if that’s the only thing that disrupts our morning love.

I use my arms to help sit myself up, but Arthur gently pushes me back down. “I’ll go get her. You rest.” He says, already kicking his legs over the bed.

“Are you sure?” I ask. Arthur raises his eyebrow and cocks his head at me.

“You just spent the last three days trying to save my life. Yes, I’m sure.” He bends at the waist to give me a kiss. “Besides, I would be delighted to go hold my daughter.” He says with a big goofy dad-like grin. He’s never looked more attractive.

The rest of the morning is pure bliss. The three of us stay in bed, laughing, kissing, and making up for the lost three days. We take our time getting ready for the day and by the time we’re ready to emerge downstairs the morning is already changing to noon.

“There he is.” Elenor says, crossing the room with her arms extended towards Arthur. She cups her hands around his face and looks at him lovingly only for a moment before her expression becomes stern. “Never worry me like that again.” She warns.

“Yes, ma’am.” Arthur says with a sarcastic eye-roll. It dawns on me that as awful as these past few days have been, it’s also been the most loving I’ve seen Arthur’s family. I wonder if it’ll stay like this or once the joy of Arthur’s returned health wears off if everyone will fall back to their old ways.

I dismiss the thought as soon as it enters my mind. Whatever happens, Arthur and I have our own family to establish and nurture relationships. I know I’ll never take his health for granted again.

“Coffee?” Roman ask and both Arthur and I accept the offer. I pull out a kitchen chair to sit down at with Grace just as I see my phone light up and buzz. I swipe open my phone and display the notifications.

My eyes almost pop out of my head. “Is everything okay?” Arthur asks coming over to see what I’m looking at.

“Yes,” I manage to spit out through my distraction of checking the thirteen missed calls and seventeen unopened text messages from my parents. “It’s just my parents.” I say.

“What about them?” Arthur asks with concern for their well-being but also a bit impatience that I’m not providing enough detail.

“Sorry,” I say and set my phone down for a moment. “They just heard the news and want to if I’m all right. They want to visit.” I say.

“They don’t know about the baby, do they?” Elenor says unable to hide her pride in that she knows something others don’t.

The realization hits me like a truck. “Wow, they must not.” I say in shock. “I guess with everything that happened, I didn’t have the time to tell them.” Guilt engulfs me. My own parents don’t even know about their grandchild. It’s not like you had a normal birth. Lily says in my defense. Yeah, but still. I tell her. Is that really excuse for not making a simple phone call?

I turn back to my phone and scroll through the dozens of worried texts and my guilt is confirmed. I’m the worst.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Arthur says as if reading my thoughts. He comes over and puts a comforting hand over mine. “Once they learn they have a grandchild, they’ll be so over the moon they won’t even care the news is a couple days late.”

I picture my mom’s reaction and know that Arthur is right. She’s going to be thrilled. Still, it isn’t the best time for them to visit. Not when Bess is still held captive by the council and Cathy lies in the hospital. I don’t want them to come visit until everything is sorted out. They’ll only worry more otherwise.

“I’m going to give them a call and tell them everything is okay and we’ll schedule a date for us to see them, okay?” I say to Arthur. “After that, we should go thank Cathy.” Arthur agrees and I excuse myself to make the call.

My mother picks up on the first ring and is already talking a mile a minute. “Oh, honey. We we’re so worried. We didn’t see the news until just this morning, your father and I- he’s here by the way.” I hear the phone passing between my parents and my dads voice come in.

“Hi, sweetheart. It’s your father.” I have to laugh, because who else would it be?

“We just got back from a little trip, you know how we’ve been wanting to get out more well we went off to Paws State Park and it was beautiful.”

“Except for the no reception.” My father interjects.

“Yes, well anyways. Is everything okay?” My mother asks at last.

“Yes. I would love to tell you guys everything, but we just need to take care of a couple things first. Can we schedule a time later for us all to get together?” I ask taken back by my child-like demeanor as if I still need my parents permission, even though I have a daughter all of my own.

“Yes, of course. We just needed to know that you are okay.” My mom says with an audible relief in her voice.

We wrap up the conversation and I make my way back to the kitchen.

“All good?” Arthur asks handing me a steaming mug of coffee.

“Yes.” I say, really wishing I had the coffee before I spoke to my parents.

“Take Robert to the hospital with you. Get his shoulder checked out.” Roman says. I raise my eyebrows at his passing concern for Robert, but don’t say anything.

Arthur on the other hand takes the bait. “Since when do you care about Robert?”

“I don’t.” Roman answers stiffly. “But I don’t need any more trouble and he was doing us a favor when that attack happened. It’s only right we end things cleanly.” Arthur clicks his tongue, but doesn’t say anything more.

We find Robert tending the lawn, saying Roman asked him to do it and considering he was up since 5:00 am he figured why not. There’s some blood stained through his gray shirt where his wound would be, but he claims it doesn’t bother him- even though he winces as he pushes the lawn mower.

A driver is all ready for us and ushers us to the hospital that Cathy was helicoptered away to. It’s a private hospital and as soon as we enter the perfectly polished marbled entrance way, a doctor greets us taking us to see Cathy immediately.

Before we enter the private room, Arthur tells the doctor to have a look at Robert’s shoulder.

“Of course sir, right away.” The doctor says and moves Robert along with him.

We push past the cherrywood doors and enter what looks more like a luxury hotel than a hospital room. There’s a long leather couch poised in front of a flat screen TV, a fully sized fridge, granite counter tops decorated with a bushel of fresh lavender, and elegant throw rugs that make the place more warm and welcoming than cold and sterile.

The only indication this is a hospital room is the bed that Cathy lies on, though even that is a Tempur-Pedic mattress adorned with silk pillow cases. “Oh, Cathy.” Is all I can manage to say. I rush to her side and throw my arms around her.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” I say with tears in my eyes.

“Eh, I knew I would be.” She says with a playful shrug. I laugh because I can’t believe how calm she is about all of this.

“Truly what you did was incredibly brave and honorable.” Arthur says stepping towards her. “Thank you.” By the way he says this, I know it’s meaningful. It’s not his usual T.V kind of thank you speech, it’s from the heart.“How much longer are you in here for?” I ask, brushing aside her hair.

“Only tonight. They just want to monitor me.” She looks at Arthur with a playful grin. “They’re taking very good care of me.”

“Just following father’s orders.” Arthur says.

“Down to the dollar.” Cathy says alluding to the very expensive treatment she’s been getting.

“How can we ever repay you?” I ask, still feeling that the fancy hospital and over-paid doctors still isn’t enough.

“Well,” Cathy starts, suddenly becoming shy. It’s an odd sight, I’ve never seen her shy before. I lock eyes with her so she knows she has my full attention. “There is one thing, but you’re going to judge me for it.”

Arthur and I exchange curious glances at one another and wait for Cathy to make her wish.