Chapter 141: We Almost Lost You

I stirred, the pain in my back from the movement making me moan softly. The recovery would be a bitch, but I was glad I at least had an opportunity to recover. I felt eyes on me, so I opened one eye, then quickly the other. A beautiful little girl with dark curls and pretty eyes was staring at me. She was sitting on the bed, and for a moment I thought maybe it was an angel coming to take me; the sunlight seemed to halo her. Not that I actually believe in all that; I was probably still slightly high on morphine. But it was a bit scary and ethereal all at the same time.

“Oh, you are awake!” the girl exclaimed excitedly. She looked so young, maybe five or six years old, but she sounded so much older. I immediately knew who she was. My back grimaced at the sharp pain that shot down it.

“Emily?” I asked, a smile coming to my face. She was a precocious little girl, and her beaming, mature look held a girlish hint. “You know me? I wasn’t sure if my father talked about me. Most men with children aren’t super popular in the dating scene,” she said, shifting so we were comfortably facing each other. I grinned. I think women love men with children, but I didn’t say that to her.

“Anyway, I am Amelia,” I said, extending my hand. She took it; instead of shaking it, she just held it. Her eyes welled up.

“When I heard about the accident, I got scared. He is the only person I have left,” she said, her bottom lip quivering. I sat up all the way and pulled her into my arms.

“Oh, sweetheart, he is okay. Car accidents are scary, but he is okay and just will need time to recover,” I said to her. She willingly came into my arms, crying softly. I stroked her hair and let her cry it out, poor baby. I remembered how I felt when I lost my parents; it wasn’t the same as having a family member to raise you when you knew you had parents at one point in time. She eventually sighed and buried her face against my chest. I smiled; she may be intelligently older than her age, but she was still a child that needed love and affection.

“We are here for you, too,” I added softly, kissing the top of her head. We stayed like that for a long time before she finally pushed up, looking me in the eyes. I reached down to wipe the tears off her cheeks.

“So are you going to be my mother now?” she asked almost shyly.

“Emily!” It was Donald’s voice, and we both looked towards the door to see him being rolled in by a nurse. Justin was on his feet and rushed over to my bedside. He looked exhausted, dark bags under his eyes, and I knew for a fact that he hadn’t slept. I reached to touch his face; he covered my hand with his and closed his eyes, releasing a long breath.

“You have been asleep for over forty-eight hours; we were getting a little worried,” he said, pausing. I thought it had been maybe the next morning, but two days? He looked at Emily, and something in his face changed; he reached out for her and picked her up. She settled comfortably in his arms; I could tell she had become very comfortable with Justin.

“You are too old to be held, Emily,” Donald said, and he was aided into his bed. His eyes met mine, and he smiled softly; I smiled back. Aside from the bandage and some slight bruising on his face, he looked well.

“How are you feeling, baby girl?” he asked as the nurse pushed his bed up next to mine. Pastin must have paid a lot of money for them to break all these codes because I knew for a fact this didn’t happen.

“I am okay; my back just stings a bit,” I replied, and he nodded, reaching for my hand. I turned so I was lying on my side, facing him, and took his hand. The nurse came around and started changing my bandage, and I noticed Justin took Emily out of the room.

“She is beautiful,” I said. He smiled, tears springing to his eyes. His bond with Emily was like a flame; it was amazing to see them together. I hadn’t seen her act her age probably since she was three years old. I felt like my little girl had grown. But with Justin, it was like she didn’t have to be mature and could be a child. He said, and his expression changed, and concern filled his eyes. We stared at each other silently until the nurse left the room and we were alone. I knew this man loved me, but I also knew the love he had for his daughter was unmatched.

“We almost lost you,” he choked out, fresh tears rolling down his cheeks.

“But you saved me,” I whispered, the tears making my voice sound thick with emotion. I saw the flash of regret in his eyes before he looked back in the direction his daughter went. I knew why; he could have died protecting me and leaving his daughter all alone in the world. That thought alone broke my heart, but I knew it broke him more.

“Donald?” I called, getting his attention back to me. “I know how important your daughter is to you. I never want you to feel guilty about putting her first. I know how much you love me, and I know how much you love her. A father’s love is the most special thing in the world, and I would never want to put myself in front of that love,” I said to him. My father died when I was a little girl, around Emily’s age, so I knew what pain she would go through when she lost her father. We silently watched Justin and Emily talk in the hallway as if they had known each other for years.

“You know, he wasn’t lying when he said he really wanted children,” he said, and I smiled softly. It was something to behold, watching how happy he looked with Emily.

“I am sure she wouldn’t mind having two fathers,” I looked at him and grinned.

“I am sure she would love that,” I added. He was about to say something when Justin and Emily walked in, giggling about something.

“Father, I don’t want to go away to school. I want to stay with our new family,” she said, bounding over to the side of Donald’s bed. I knew he would give her anything she wanted, but Justin stepped in before Donald could say anything.

“The smartest girl in the entire world wants to give up going to the best school in the world for gifted children to stay with a bunch of old folks?” he asked her. He was leaning against the wall opposite our beds, and she turned to face him, putting on a pretty face. Donald’s eyebrows shot up as if he had never seen that face before. Something told me he hadn’t.

“What if I go, and when I come back, you all are gone?” she asked softly. I could see her lip quivering, even though she was young; I could tell she struggled with the abandonment of her mother. She was too smart not to know what happened. Justin walked over to her, went to his knees, and sat back so that they were eye to eye.

“Sweetie, Anselia and I are not going to leave; we are here to stay. We love each other, and true love never abandons, no matter how tough life gets, and we will love you just as much. We will be here for every holiday and event and award ceremony. You can get homesick, and we will be there; just because you are going to school doesn’t mean you aren’t going to be a part of this family,” he said softly and reached up and wiped the tears that were rolling down her cheek.

Donald began to cry silently as well; I squeezed his hand. He didn’t have to do this alone anymore.

“And as long as your father is okay with it, if you absolutely hate it there, I personally will spare no expense making sure you have the education you want and where you wanted it,” he added, looking over at Donald, who smiled through his tears. Justin smiled back, his eyes glistening, and he looked back at Emily and pulled her into his arms.

“Do you promise?” she asked into his neck.

“I promise.”