She Was Brave (10th Part)

Standing there looking at her little girl so battered and broken, Traci just cried. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling. It didn’t matter who saw her crying now, nothing mattered but her little Tamara.

This was all her fault! If she had just given in and picked up the kids at school, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe then she’d still be able to hold her little boy in her arms and smell his soft, sweet hair. She remembered his smell, his laugh. It hurt to think about his smiling eyes. If he could look at her now…what would be in those eyes? Blame? Yes, blame…it’s what was engulfing her and taking away her breath.

Traci couldn’t think about her lifeless little boy any more. Instead she focused her energy on her little daughter who was slipping away as she sat there. God, she was so helpless! How can she loose both her babies? The tears welled up in her swollen eyes once again and spilled over her red cheeks. She hasn’t lost her baby girl, yet. Not yet and she wouldn’t if she could help it.
Open your eyes, baby. Please! You’ve got to wake up. Don’t leave me…

As she sat there praying to God to save her child a little portly nurse came in the room. Traci moved out of the way as to let the nurse check Tamara’s vital signs and empty her catheter. It was touching to hear the nurse talking to Tamara and telling her what she was doing.

“She can hear us, you know.”

“Do you really believe that?” Traci’s voice shook with another bout of hysteria brought on by this disaster.

“Oh, yes ma'm. I know she can. You can see on the monitors the brain activity when she’s spoken too.” The old nurse looked Traci over with such sympathy and pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat.

“Hun, you look like you’re about to pass out. Go get you something to eat at the cafeteria and I’ll sit here with your girl and chart.” She handed Traci a little punch card and explained it was for the families of patients so they would be provided with free meals while they stayed with the patients.

“Now go on…you’re not doing your daughter any good in the state you’re in. Get some food and a cup of coffee and I’ll stay with her ‘till you come back.”

“Thank you.”

Traci was thankful for the little, chubby old nurse for being so kind to her. She was even more thankful that her in-laws were gone. It had been hours since she’d been there and yet it still seemed like she just walked in to find out about the…accident. Her stomach had been tied in knots but, now she had to admit that she was getting hungry.

The guilt still ate at her. Nothing she did made it go away. This all could have been avoided had she not gotten so upset with Don. Had she not tried to make a point and been so damn stubborn! Had she thought a little more of her kids than making her dead beat husband do his part! Had she been a better Mother!

The tears fell again and suddenly her plate of food didn’t smell so good. In fact, her stomach was twisting again and turning and she had to get up…she needed some air.

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He’d been watching the woman for hours now and became excited as she left the small room in ICU. Devyn followed her down to the cafeteria and still he waited. Everything seemed so strange and he could not help but wait for the trap to be set. Nothing. Now, he was just waiting for the right opportunity to approach the woman. Though, what would he say to her? One did not just approach a human woman and tell her that he’d been tracking her for months now. Oh, and by the way, I’m a vampire. Yeah, he could see that going over real well.

As he was turning it over in his mind, the woman suddenly bolted up and looked as if she were about to go into a sprint. Instinctively, Devyn was behind her and he found his hand on her shoulder before he was able to come to his senses.

The woman whirled around and met his steady gaze. His breath slammed out of him as he finally got a good look at her face. She was Heaven to his Hell. Her jaw was defined and yet very sensual, very feminine. She had huge grey eyes that reminded his of silver pools. They were puffy and swollen, no doubt from all the crying he had watched her do. His gaze fell to her lips and he felt his mouth moisten. They were full but thin and very sexy. She looked so sorrowful that his chest tightened as she stared into his cold black eyes. It took him a moment to even find his voice.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?”

Traci just stared at the man. She knew him didn’t she? She was about to loose it again when he seemingly appeared out of nowhere. There hadn’t been anyone in the cafeteria with her except the staff, had there? That was it. She was just loosing her sanity. Traci hadn’t felt like company but, maybe she needed the distraction.

“No, I don’t mind. I’m Traci…and you are?”

“Devyn, Devyn McGregor. I’m not interrupting your dinner am I?”

“Huh?...oh, uhm…No, I was just a little spooked I guess. This place is quiet and empty at night and I’m not used to being alone. I guess I could use some company.” Her face turned bright red. She could feel the color in her cheeks. Traci was feeling a little silly now that she was talking. He probably thought she was a babbling idiot but, she couldn’t bring herself to care at that point. Any company was good company if it wasn’t her in-laws and she couldn’t face her friends yet. God, she hadn’t even called them yet! What would she even tell them? Would they blame her…forgive her?

Devyn found he was intent on just listening to the sound of her voice. Beautiful. But, she seemed to fade in and out on him. Her eyes glossed over and started to fill with tears and his chest did that crunching thing again. She was distracted. It should have been evident by what he’d watched up stairs. That was her daughter in the hospital bed he had learned from the nurses. Of course she would be upset. This woman had just lost her son and husband and all that was left was her little daughter who was on the verge of a coma. Devyn couldn’t bring himself to be sorry for the loss of her husband and he cursed himself for the joy of knowing she was not tied to anyone.

What was even worse was his need to slip into her mind. It was taking all of his will power not to spy on her thoughts. Especially since her thoughts would take her over like they were now. He didn’t need to spy on her thoughts to feel the deep pain and sorrow she was feeling…and something more. Regret? Shame.

“Are you okay?” It was more than a compulsion it was a necessity as he took hold of her hand and just held it. She was so cold.

“Oh, uhm, yes, I’m okay. I’m fine.” He’d startled her. She was so absorbed in thought that she had forgotten he was there.

“I’ve really got to get back up stairs and check on my daughter. Really, thank you for sitting with me but…”

“Come outside and get some air with me first. I could use a cigarette. Do you smoke?” Devyn put a small compulsion in his voice so she would follow him. The sun would be coming up in a few hours and he wanted to spend a little more time with this woman before he rested.

“Just for a minute and then I really need to get back up to my daughter.”

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The night was quiet in this town and the air had a cold bite to it. Devyn noticed the woman was shivering. In one swift move he had draped his thick leather jacket over her shoulders. He realized just how small and helpless this woman really was standing next to one so powerful. Yet, he felt as if he’d do anything she wanted him to do. He had to know, was this one of the wizard’s traps? Devyn, as a general rule, didn’t socialize with the mortals. They were just a food supply if they were anything to him. Yet, when this woman, Traci, shivered, he felt compelled to warm her. When she cried he needed to comfort her. When he stood next to her, he didn’t feel empty.

“How long have you lived here…Traci?” He felt wickedly sensual when he rolled her name off of his tongue. He lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply before she answered.

“All of my life. I actually grew up in the next town over.” She’d stopped shivering in his jacket. God, it was so warm and felt so good…like he was holding her to him.

“Where are you from, Devyn, wasn’t it? You have some kind of an accent but, it’s not a southern one. I can usually tell them apart being southern myself.” He nodded.

“I’m from a little village in Scotland but, I’ve done a lot of traveling. I suppose that’s why my accent has faded.” It was mostly the truth. Traveling and living for as long as he had did have a way of smoothing off the rough Scottish brogue.

“Wow, I’ve got some Scottish blood. I’ve always wanted to visit there but, I never had the money. When I did have the money I didn’t have the time. If my baby girl gets better, I’m going to make the time.” Tears fell unchecked down her soft cheeks once again. Without thought, Devyn pulled her to him and kissed them away. She struggled for a moment but, as he just held her she went still. He sensed her needing to be held and found that he wanted to hold her just as much as she needed it.

Traci couldn’t find her voice and was struggling to breath. She didn’t like wanting to stay in his arms but, she liked it anyway. It was the first time she felt the pain and guilt ebb since she had gotten to the hospital. Selfish, yes, she knew it was selfish to want to forget her pain but, as she was finding out…Traci was very selfish. So, she laid her head to his chest and let herself drown in the silence of the early morning.

Finally, she was able to find her voice as the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon. Her voice was husky and rough to her ears.

“I really need to go check on my daughter now.”

“I know.”

“I…uh, I don’t want you to think that I just go throwing myself into strange men’s arms. I was just, I don’t know, overwhelmed is a good word for it.”

“I know.”

“Look, I want to thank you for talking to me. It’s just that I…” She couldn’t think with him staring at her that way. It felt like he was looking into her soul. As much as she hated herself for it…she liked the way he looked at her.

Devyn liked the way she squirmed under his gaze. It was some what of a treat to see a real reaction from a mortal. He could force her to do what he wanted and he wanted to taste those lips. Her bare neck was a temptation in and of itself. Yet, he tired of everyone bending to his will. More than that, it mattered to him whether or not she kissed him of her own will and not from his compulsion.

“I should be going myself.”

“Going?” There was almost a panic in her voice and he felt that twisting, aching in his chest again.

“I’ll be back tonight. We can talk over some coffee if you’d like?”

“Yes.”

“Go on then. I know you want to check on your daughter and I’ve kept you from it for far too long. I’m sorry. It’s just you looked like you needed a distraction. I’m very good at distracting beautiful ladies.”

His grin was sinful but, she smiled with him. Traci believed he very much was a distraction to any woman. His long black hair and dark sensual eyes were murder to any woman. Then you add his well shaped body…arms that are strong when he holds you and shoulders begging you to lay your head on them…yeah, he was a killer with the ladies. She didn’t even want to notice his ass. It took everything in her not to watch as he walked across the parking lot.Yup, she was definitely a horrible person. She’d left her little daughter who was slipping away into a coma, alone for hours while she found comfort in a handsome stranger’s arms. What was wrong with her?!