Lucas

Beep.

Fuck, everything hurts.

Beep.

It's not that I'm dying; I'm probably dead. Also, my mouth is dry. This is what it's like when you die? Lights go out and you have a dry mouth? That's just shitty. Oh, and the annoying beeping sound.

Beep.

It was worth it if they made it out alright. The fire was insane, but I needed to save the goats from the barn. The leprechaun was going to kill them. It was a good thing the bear showed up to fight the crocodiles or else I wouldn't have been able to get inside.

Beep.

It all came to a head when the spaceship appeared out of nowhere. That's when things got really fucking weird.

Beep.

A whisper startles me. "Please let him wake up soon."

Wait. I know that voice.

Where am I?

Beep.

That's Allie. Did she die too?

Beep.

She's pretty funny, and she makes good cookies. And kids, too. She made a good kid.

Shit. I hope she didn't die. She needs to be there for Jadon. I don't remember her being there with me when I...

How did I die again?

Something about goats... Fuck, I already forgot.

Something warm covers my hand. I think it's Allie. No, it's definitely Allie. I know the feel of her hands.

"I love you, you big idiot. Who does that? I was so afraid and then you just pulled a stunt like that. You win parent of the year, though. Your son idolizes you more than he already did. He's telling the nursing staff his dad is a superhero."

I love her. She's something else. A real person and not fake at all.

That beeping keeps going off and whatever it is, I would love to take a sledgehammer to it.

There's another voice nearby, and I don't recognize it. It's very soft. A man's voice.

Why is there another man here in... wherever I am with Allie?

"...more information every hour as local authorities are investigating his business activities and relationships with the District Attorney's office as well as two superior court judges."

What?

"KZA Channel 7 News has also attempted to reach out to Katrina Vandenburg, the daughter of Mark and Vivian Vandenburg, but we have not received a response at this time. We hope she will shed some light on the situation regarding her parents' involvement in the kidnapping or the attempted murder on Mark Vandenburg's other child, Allison. More on the case in the next hour."

What is going on?

I need to open my eyes because this afterlife is not what I signed up for.

Once I force open my sealed eyelids, I take a deep breath.

Hospital. Guess that's better than dying. Or... well, whatever.

She's the first thing I focus on. Allie is holding my hand, despite the weird clamp thing around my finger, while flipping through different news stations on a tiny television.

Things come back to me. Ted. The phone call. Allie screaming. Chasing them down the highway.

Right. Vivian lost her shit and almost hit Allie and Jadon.

Fuck, I hope Tom is okay.

When I can actually move my fingers around hers, Allie jumps with an audible gasp, turning to me.

She covers her mouth with her hands, and her eyes water. "Lucas!" She drops her hands and smiles. Then I forget the soreness in my neck and sides. Slowly, she leans forward and hugs me gently around my shoulders.

My arms are stiff, and reaching up to hold her is nearly impossible, but I get one arm around her.

Allie kisses the side of my head before dropping back into her chair next to me. I keep my eyes on her like the best damn thing I could have asked to see first. She's wearing one of my college hoodies. She can keep it. They clearly made it for her.

Allie has dark circles around her eyes, and her hair is slightly damp. Maybe she just showered.

"How long was I out?" I manage to rasp. Allie reaches for a cup with a straw and holds the tip to my mouth. It's not ice cold, but it's cold. And damn if it isn't stopping my tongue from sticking to the roof of my mouth.

She blows out a breath. "Six weeks," she says in a very gloomy tone while nodding. Allie licks her lips and I might lose my shit.

"Six weeks?"

"Yeah, it was terrible. So many people told me not to wait for you and that you would never wake up."

She reveals an elaborate story about people wanting to let me go and something about being a braindead vegetable. Halfway through her nonsense about being vegan and loving vegetables, Allie is working extra heard to hold in a laugh while I notice today's date on the whiteboard behind her head.

Unless they haven't changed the date in six weeks, I was hit by a psychotic woman's car yesterday.

"You should have let them pull the plug. You'd probably be better off with someone else, really."

She bites on her lip and Allie's cheeks get darker by the second. "You scared me, Lucas, but if you hadn't shoved us both back, she would have crushed us. Jadon is too fragile that I don't want to think about what could have happened."

"Hey." I squeeze her hand when Allie's smile fades and tears stream down her cheeks. "Are you guys okay? Jadon?"

She rolls her eyes and laughs sarcastically. "He's fine. Jadon has this way with people like you do. That Lucas Kennedy charm. I think he's trying to be more like his father. He's been walking around helping serve meals. The hospital staff are very kind and let him hold the doors open while he greets everyone."

That's all her. He didn't get that from me. Allie is the generous one of us both.

"My dad is fine; he went home this morning. He's going to be in recovery for a few weeks and will probably need some physical therapy of some sort. I have to talk to him, but he said not to worry for now."

"Where's Jadon now?" I notice his backpack on the floor and spot some toys on the other bed in here.

"He's in the cafeteria with your dad and Jen. They stayed here while I borrowed your shower and then took him down to eat and get some space."

Allie goes over my injuries and hers. I'm just glad she's okay and Jadon, too.

"Joel took my statement this morning and his captain, or whatever, is leading the charge for us."

"Huh?"

She watches me for several agonizing heartbeats while I ignore the idiot talking on the television. "Mark, Vivian, and Ted are in jail. Mark was out for a few hours until Joel had some incriminating emails between Mark and Ted. Courtesy of Charity's fine detective work."

That must be a joke.

"She's helping a case against her own brother?"

"She says she's doing the right thing, which I admire. She may be my crazy best friend, but she's always been a good person. Mark, Vivian, and Ted are going away for a long time. Everything they keep finding out just adds to it all."

Good. Fuck them. I don't want to know where they would be if I hadn't caught up to Ted.

"Thank you for reaching out to Joel when it all happened, Lucas, and for recording it. It helps, no matter what, and they're not going to drop this with all the publicity it's getting."

"So you mean to tell me, Allie..." I shift in the bed, but that's a fucking mistake and a half when a sharp pain rips through my hip. Great. What am I going to do if my hips give out? My shoulder is already a piece of shit.

Once I settle back into my previous safe position, I take a deep breath. "You mean to tell me that the three assholes in our lives are in jail and now we can go home and live normal lives and argue over real shit like what to have for dinner or how to stack dishes in the dishwasher?"

She laughs and for the first time, it's her first real carefree laugh. "You shoved us out of the way of a moving car, Lucas, and got hurt. They're in jail and if everything goes well, they'll be gone a long time. But the first thing you think of is arguing over dishes?"

"What else would we argue about?"

She shakes her head at me and I can't honestly say how I got this lucky. She didn't have to come with me that first night or could have just said no when I tried to get in her pants.

Would we still be together? I know I'd still want her.

I should have proposed when I had the chance.

"Allie, I need to ask you something—"

"Daddy!" Jadon sprints from the door to my side, knocking into some machine. Hell if I know what it is.

"Hey buddy, how are you?"

He grins up at me and there's something about the way your kid just looks at you like you do no wrong. You truly feel like the hero they say you are.

My dad and Jen walk through the door after him. "There he is," my dad says. "Was wondering when you were going to get off your lazy butt and wake the heck up. Got stuff to do, Lucas."

That's a very clean way of calling me a lazy ass after getting hit by a car.

Jen kisses my forehead and hands Allie something to eat. "Lucas, you are one crazy man, but I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing in your shoes. We're just thankful you're okay."

Jen and my dad visit for an hour, talking about everything going on. Jadon makes his way onto the bed under my arm, which is fine. He's cautious about wherever I am sore.

Now if I could just get Allie on my other side and under my other arm. Things would be just fine.

"I think we're going to check in to our hotel," Dad says. "Allie, you call us if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks."

Jadon sits mostly quiet on my side for the evening and through dinner until I finally convince Allie to settle in on my other side.

"I don't want to crush you, Lucas," she says as I pull her leg over mine.

"I'm fine. Just get comfortable while we're squished like this. You're sleeping right here."

She sighs, nestling her head on my good shoulder, and rests her hand across my lap, holding it open for Jadon. His eyes bounce between Allie and me.

"Jadon, you look suspicious."

He smiles to himself and giggles as he reaches into his pocket and produces a familiar box. My eyes nearly pop out of my head while Jadon places it in Allie's hands.

Where did he get that?

"What's this?"

More importantly, where did he find that?

Even more importantly, what's she going to say?

Time must stop or something because it sure as hell feels like she stares at the closed box for some time before she finally cracks it open.

There it is. Still shiny and brand new.

"It was on the ground outside of the car when Mommy pulled me out."

Allie stares at the ring and glances up at Jadon with her brows pinched together. "You found this outside of Ted's car?"

Jadon shrugs his shoulders. "I heard Daddy ask where his ring was and then I found that on the ground. Grandpa said it was for you, but Ted stole it."

She holds it up, and I'm desperate for her to look at me, but she has adult concerns right now, I guess.

"Your grandpa knew you had this, and he didn't take it for safekeeping?"

Yeah, Tom probably should have taken it. Jadon could have given it to a patient not realizing his mistake. Or worse.

"Mommy, look at it."

"Yeah, Allie." I might have a heart attack if she doesn't. Good thing I'm in the damn hospital. I swallow a lump in my throat. "Have a look."

Her eyes snap to mine with her own suspicions until something like realization hits. When the realization sinks in, Allie glances down at the box and opens it again.

"This is yours, Lucas?"

"It's yours, actually. It's kind of small for me. Only if you want it, though, and, well, me. It's kind of a forever thing, I hope."

Dammit, I had a much better speech ready the other night. And a way smoother way of asking her. Now my voice is just as shaky as my hands.

I am unprepared.

Allie sets the box down and looks back up at me and the weight of her gaze is almost crushing. "You were going to ask the other night. That was why you got angry at the lake?"

She seems to find her answer written on my face. I can't answer because I need to know her answer first.

"Allie?"

I pull my arm from around her and link our fingers together. I will get Jadon whatever the hell he wants for his birthday just for finding it. If my son asks for a freaking pony, he's getting one.

She watches me with a new sort of curiosity in her eyes, laced with anticipation. Honestly, I don't know which one of us is more unsure of ourselves right now.

It's simple, really, and doesn't matter how big or small the gesture is. It's four words, and they're stuck in my throat. I know she wants this and I do, too, but she could easily say no or that she doesn't want to right now.

What if she's not sure about us?

"Will you marry—"

Her lips crash into mine, and she speaks "yes" into my mouth, easing away all my worries.

With my hand around Jadon, I cover his eyes after his excited shrieks and "gross" giggles.

She said yes, right?

She did. Allie said yes.